The most memorable part of Disney’s film, “Oz the Great and Powerful,” might be the darkly animated opening title sequence.

One of my favorite publications on book cover design, Fully Booked: Cover Art & Design for Books, now has a follow up, Fully Booked: Ink on Paper. Although the book includes a survey of contemporary book cover design, it also explores both conventional and unconventional forms of the printed book, showing impressive examples of artist books and catalogs.

Published by Gestalten, Fully Booked: Ink on Paper is edited by R. Klanten, M. Hübner, and A. Losowsky. Andrew Losowsky offers thought-provoking texts throughout the book. In his preface, he envisions an alternate world where the Digital Age precedes that of the Print medium. The overall theme is an appreciation for the tangible book and “long live print.”


The hardcover book is broken down into 5 distinct sections: The Storyteller, The Showmaster, The Teacher, The Businessman, and The Collector.


“In order to better understand how and why these print books have arrived so boldly and so beautifully in our supposedly digital world, we have divided this book into five sections: The Businessman reveals the unexpectedly creative side to corporate tales, annual reports, and catalogs; The Storyteller is filled with the most remarkable book covers and physical manifestations of conventionally told tales; The Showmaster is an unveiling of remarkable creations that reinvent the printed book all over again; The Collector echoes artwork and gallery exhibits through printed matter; and The Teacher guides its readers through clever design and thoughtful object-based content.” —Andrew Losowsky





“Fully Booked: Ink on Paper features work by groundbreaking designers and design studios such as A Practice for Everyday Life, Coralie Bickford-Smith, Irma Boom, Deutsche & Japaner, John Gall, Joost Grootens, Julia Hasting, Heimann und Schwantes, Jung + Wenig, Konst & Teknik, Leftloft, Made Thought, Peter Mendelsund, Niessen & de Vries, Prill Vieceli Cremers, Raffinerie AG, and Studio Laucke Siebein. Its stunning range of visual examples is put into context by texts from Andrew Losowsky, books editor at The Huffington Post. By documenting current experiments and future possibilities for printed publications, Fully Booked: Ink on Paper makes clear that the most exciting phase in the history of printed matter has just begun.” —Gestalten

The book also includes cover designs by Rodrigo Corral, Catherine Casalino, Matt Dorfman, Kimberly Glyder, Jenny Grigg, Heads of State, Jamie Keenan, Jim Tierney, David Pearson, Miriam Rosenbloom, Isaac Tobin, Sanda Zahirovic, and more.
Coinciding with the book release, Fully Booked: Ink on Paper - An Exhibition of Design and Concepts for New Publications is on view at Gestalten Space in Berlin until April 21st, 2013.

(thank you Gestalten for providing a review copy)

Petting Zoo app is made up of 21 animals delightfully illustrated by Christoph Niemann. The app is available for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and the iPad. In response to finger swipes, the drawings evolve or transform. The animated transitions between animals are witty and fun to engage a young reader.

The interactive design is simple and makes you smile. I found the experience worked best on the iPad. The app is available through the Apple iTunes store.














Credits:
Concept & Animation: Christoph Niemann
Developer: Jon Huang
Sound Design & Music: Markus Wormstorm
Executive Producer: Design Indaba

Artist Kenji Nakayama transforms antique hand saws with custom lettering reminiscent of old style sign painting.






(via Booooooom!)

In 1972, I. Strnad designed this colorful set of 12 Czechoslovakian postage stamps with stylized patterns of plants and flowers.

These vintage button back cards are visually more interesting than the pearl buttons themselves.

Here are vertical Japanese matchbox label designs with an illustrated graphic component. Many of them are advertising tea rooms, cafés and other dining establishments.

From books to newspapers, the new episode of PBS Off Book explores the role of an illustrator today and the history of illustration through different mediums.The video features dialogue from Steven Guarnaccia, Yuko Shimisu, Sean Murphy, and Molly Crabapple.

“Illustrators articulate what a photograph cannot. Using an array of techniques and styles, illustrators evoke stories and meaning in a variety of mediums, from editorial illustration in magazines and newspapers, to comics books, to activist media...” —PBS Off Book: The Art of Illustration

Here's a variety of vintage baggage labels for Lufthansa airlines. The older designs are labeled Deutsche Lufthansa. The original logo mark was designed by Otto Firle and in later years was modified by Otl Aicher.

These vintage, paper cut 3d Valentine’s day cards are very fragile. The ones made in Germany are often especially intricate when unfolded. The last card is from Hallmark.