Category: Writing

March 11, 2013

What really makes a great Children’s Book?

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Little Big Books is an exciting, large format book that features the work of some of the best contemporary illustrators for children’s picture books. Not only does the book offer you hours of eye candy, but it is also filled with insightful text that aids those who are wanting to pursue creating visual content for children. It is a beautiful book with a collection of great art and stories, I definitely want to get my mitts wrapped around this some time soon.

To find out more about the book or to purchase your very own copy, visit Gestalten.

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Little Big Books Trailer – Illustrations for Children’s Picture Books from Gestalten on Vimeo.

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February 19, 2013

Lettering vs. Calligraphy

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Despite the frequently ill-defined line between Lettering and Calligraphy, they have always been separate disciplines. Lettering vs Calligraphy, a new project from Berliners Martina Flor and Giuseppe Salerno, seeks to bring together both the craft of drawing letters and the art of writing, but at the same time emphasize and celebrate their differences. Visit their blog and join in voting for your favourite ones.

She Draws / He Writes from Lettering Vs Calligraphy on Vimeo.

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November 30, 2012

NICE Magazine – Issue 9

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The latest NICE Magazine is out and available for download!  We know that it has been a while in the making, but with a new editor at the helm, we’re excited to be back on track and working hard to create the best possible magazines for you to enjoy.

The theme of our 9th issue is “Collaboration”. In it we’ve explored exceptional creative work that spans a wide and diverse range of media. In the spirit of collaboration, we got all the members of the Nicework team involved. From submitting visual features, to drawing exquisite corpses, to submitting songs for a mix-mash mixtape (look out for the broadcast happening right here on Nicework Ramble soon), everyone added their bit. We think it’s made for an exciting magazine.

Follow these instructions to get hold of your copy, it’s awesome and free!

  • Download the PDF. It’s as easy as pie.
  • If you are not interested in taking the time to download. Read the magazine online here.

 

Here’s the great local and international content you can expect to see in this issue on NICE:

On the local front we have an in-depth feature on Johannesburg wunderkinder team Jana+Koos, as well as a showcase of the new Pretoria creative hub Die Moederskip. We then hear from post-everything band The Brother Moves On, and learn how Michel Gondry’s Home Movie Factory was brought to life in Joburg. We also shine the spotlight on a great analogue community project called  Film Swap happening in Cape Town, as well as team up with Invisible Cities Pirate Radio to collaborate on our very own mixtape!

From further afield, we are very pleased to be able to share the story of talented Australian brothers, Tom and James, in an insightful interview. Then ALSO, the creators of the book everyone’s going “ooh aah” about The Where, the Why, and the How share some thoughts on collaboration. We also feature a global photographic project called The Disposable Memory Project, and hear from two creative ladies who’ve teamed up for a  collaborative ceramic exhibition called Moo Moo Woof Woof.

We sincerely hope you enjoy!

 

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September 20, 2012

Moby Dick

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Put up your hand if you’ve actually read Moby Dick… The sprawling maritime epic is one of the greatest works of literature that remains as relevant today is it was in 1851. But sadly, Melville’s prophetic tale of the ubiquitous yet elusive white whale remains mostly unread. But now there’s no excuse; the Moby Dick Big Read project takes Melville’s monumental tome online: each of its 135 chapters will be read out aloud, by a mixture of the celebrated and the unknown, to be broadcast online in a sequence of 135 downloads, publicly and freely accessible!

Call me Tilda Swinton; listen to  Chapter 1: Loomings, and start this great narrative.

Plus, each chapter is accompanied by a custom illustration by a different artist.

Source: Moby Dick Big Read

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August 15, 2012

NICE Magazine – Issue 8

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The latest NICE Magazine is out and available for download!  We know its been a long time coming (apologies for the delay). But we are proud to announce that this issue is our biggest and best yet!

The theme of our 8th issue is “Cities”. We have selected exceptional creative work from established or emergent design and art capitals of the world, including: Monterrey, Reykjavik, New York, Johannesburg, Amsterdam and Melbourne. Expect a killer line-up of inspiring art, design, fashion, photography and typography.

Follow these instructions to get your hands on one, it’s awesome and free!

  • Download the PDF. It’s as easy as pie.
  • If you are not interested in taking the time to download. Read the magazine online here.

For our cover, our talented senior designer Arline Stoffberg, created icon sets for each of the selected cities. Can you guess which one is which? We think she did a sterling job.

From the city of Johannesburg (our hometown) we feature Joe Paine, a talented industrial designer with a penchant for soap operas. We also showcase the work of creative powerhouse Sindiso Nyoni, artist Maaike Bakker and emergent photographer Hanro Havenga. From New York, Kaye Blegvad shares her imaginative drawings and delicate jewellery, Rafa Alvarez shows us his exceptional comic book-style illustrations and we get some sartorial inspiration from Brookes Boswell Millinery, as well as Au Retour. We discovered Monterrey in Mexico as a hot spot for up and coming design studios. On our list is MENOSUNOCEROUNO, Face and Manifiesto Futura. The icy city of Reykjavik offers up design inspiration from designer Thorbjorn Ingason, a sophisticated accessory range inspired by Icelandic myth called STAKA and beautiful Nordic knitwear by The Farmers Market. Raymond Lemstra and Angelique Houtkamp, from Amsterdam, exhibit their prowess in the fields of primitivist illustration and tattoo art respectively. Last, but definitely not least, we feature inspiring talent from Melbourne including: letterpress studio The Hungry Workshop, design studios Significant Others and A Friend of Mine, graphic designer Jimmy Gleeson, and typographer Luke Lucas.

We also have the usual dose of print advertising and packaging, as well as our Ten Things feature that provides creative collections of South Africans living abroad. We are also very proud to announce the launch of our stupendously cool showreel, which was 3 years in the making. Read all about it here.

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July 28, 2012

NICE Magazine Issue 8 Teaser

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It’s been awhile since we released our last magazine, but believe us when we say it was worth the wait. This issue is all about showcasing amazing creative work from emergent and established cities all over the world. The magazine will be out on Monday- be sure to mark your calendars! In the meantime, we invite you to enjoy a little teaser trailer.
 

NICE Magazine 08 – The Cities Issue from Nicework on Vimeo.

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March 8, 2012

NICE Magazine – Issue 7

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The latest NICE Magazine is out and available for download!  Our theme for this issue is “Handmade”. Expect a splendid selection of design, art, fashion, illustration, food and advertising, with a handcrafted or artisanal quality.

Follow these instructions to get your hands on one, it’s awesome and free!

  • Download the PDF. It’s as easy as pie.
  • If you are not interested in taking the time to download. Read the magazine online here.

For this issue we created not one, but four unique handmade covers – one is screenprinted, one is a lino print and the other two are stitched. We hope you like them.

NICE Magazine’s latest issue serves up a delightful mix of eye candy for you to enjoy. We feature Swedish photographer Annette Pehrsson, who takes captivating photographic portraits. We also interviewed Canadian painter Kris Knight and knitwear extraordinaire Yokoo, whose creative talents inspire and astound us. We’ve  rounded up some exceptional illustrators, designers and artists, including: Jack Hudson, jiaakuann, Elizabeth Graeber, Hanna Oh and Maria Aparicio Puentes. If you are a design or furniture fanatics, our profiles on James Mudge Furniture Studio, Ceramik B, Varpunen, Rob’s Woodgrain Bikes and Studio Snowpuppe is sure to hit the spot. For those with a sartorial flair, we have showcased local jewellery studio Skermunkil and artisan bag company Artifact Bag Co. There are also some delicious features on chocolate makers Honest Chocolate and Cape Town ice cream company The Creamery. Last, but definitely not least, we satiate the appetites of all you stationary freaks with our articles on In Haus Press and Our Paper Shop. Our regular Ten Things and Print + Packaging features are also well worth a look see.

 

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March 8, 2012

NICE Magazine Issue 7 is out later today

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Here is a little teaser….

 

NICE Magazine 07 – The Handmade Issue from Nicework on Vimeo.

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February 7, 2012

Happy Birthday Charles Dickens

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Today’s Google Doodle celebrates Charles Dickens 200th birthday. Dickens was responsible for some of the most iconic novels in the Western canon of English literature including: Great Expectations, The Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield and Oliver Twist (to name but a few).

To celebrate Dicken’s legacy we have rounded up some great design work inspired by the man himself. Jim Tierney created this great book cover for A Tale of Two Cities.

We also loved Coralie-Bickford Smith‘s beautiful book cover designs for Penguin Classics Clothbound series.

And to round things off…a Dickens-inspired comic from Kate Beaton.

 

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December 2, 2011

Virginia Woolf Redesigned

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Penguin commissioned Angus Hyland and his team to design a new series of five of Virginia Woolf’s major works. The design references authentic period elements, as well as more contemporary book styles. The dust jackets feature abstract compositions in the spirit of the textile designs of the Omega Workshop. The Workshop was founded by members of the Bloomsbury Group who included Woolf herself, her sister Vanessa Bell, and Duncan Grant.

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