The video for Franz Ferdinand's new single "Right Action" makes us long for the simple and bold graphics of intermediate school textbooks. Directed by Swedish animator Jonas Odell, who also did "Take Me Out," it might be the most graphic-design-reliant video we've seen in some time.
Current, the editorial arm of the Criterion Collection, has a new oral history about the design collaboration between Dot Graphics and Janus Films. The feature collects anecdotes from Dot Graphics' original partners, Lee Reedy and Robert Clayton, about the golden age of pre-Adobe design, during which black paint doubled as blood, a typewriter was new technology, and film clips were cut with an X-Acto knife and colored by hand.
Check out the gallery and read more war stories at Current.
Somewhere in Italy, there's a very Kubrick-like scene at an abandoned resort as dozens of all-white futuristic cabins sit in disrepair. The cabins, called BANGAs, were constructed with a combination of foam and glass reinforced plastic, and built to house roughly four vacationers at once. The original designer of the cabins is actually unknown. But restoration architect Pamela Voigt has already found a German company willing to take on the restoration project provided they can find an investor. 
Photos courtesy of Pamela Voigt.
All images courtesy of the artist and Monya Rowe Gallery, New York
For his latest series of paintings Jake Longstreth replaced the saturated colors and sharp lines of his earlier architecture-centered work, with softer tones, gradients, and more visible marks. The subjects are different this time, too. Instead of suburban landscapes, his imagery is closer to the photo he shot for the cover of the collaborative Dirty Projectors and Bjork album, Mount Wittenberg Orca.
Advertising can be clever and get its message across when done well—even when advertising major label metal. In the case of the posters for Black Sabbath's 13, Janus Hansen and Andreas Rasmussen from McCann Copenhagen did well by Universal Music Denmark. The creatives dug their way deep through the many layers of new release and live show posters that cover the city's urban spaces, and placed the new and classic-but-tough design for 13 underneath. It appears as if the Black Sabbath poster has been there for years—or at least months. It's a brilliant way to remind passersby of the band's influence and legacy, considering it is its first new album in three decades. Rather than trade on new trends, it builds off a legendary past.
Useful Photography has a shared mission for both its books and gallery shows: to recontextualize "underwhelming images created for practical purposes" as compelling imagery. In the past, the series has examined found imagery created for the pornography, weddings, and war industries.
For the eleventh issue, the editors collected images used for human targets during shooting exercises at gun ranges. The unsettling portraits, including child abductors and a variety of armed aggressors, represent what gun manufacturers think Americans find the most frightening.
Issue 11 of Useful Photography is forthcoming from Kessels Kramer Publishing.
A recent article on Bangladeshi textile factories noted that only about 5.5% of clothing sold in the U.S. is made in North America, much less in the U.S. itself. That might be shocking to those of us hopeful about the resurgence of American-made menswear as an option in the marketplace. It is, truth be told, a very small movement. So, while we we were in the process of rounding up our favorite American-made items for summer, we noticed some of our favorite online shops were flying the flag for made in the U.S.A. goods this week. Here's a starter list if you're feeling strongly about supporting American garment and goods today and don't mind celebrating the Fourth by excercising your right to charge something to plastic.
Unionmade Goods
Their Made in the USA page features throws in boat stripes, as well as shorts and jeans by Save Khaki.
Schoolhouse Electric
No special promo, but Schoolhouse either makes our sources heavily from the States. Check out the US Navy Blanket, made in Faribault, Minnesota.
Oakstreet Bootmakers
Handcrafted American boots aren't cheap, but they're made to last. The new Trench Boots are designed in Chicago and made in New York.
Ball and Buck
The Made in USA Boston brand carries sturdy summer Oxfords of its design as well as Tellason denim and Ghurka bags. And it gets its name from a George Washington instruction to the army during the American Revolution. If you're feeling sorry for their Stanley Cup loss, by all means, order something extra.
Left Field NYC
Specializing in American looks filtered through the streets of New York, Left Field offers its own high quality slim fit polos, work shirts, twills, tanks and a focused range of knakis, jeans and chinos.
Graphic designer Zaven Najjar is a massive hip hop fan. On his Tumblr, Rap Posters, Najjar isolates single lines from new and old rap songs, and illustrates the lyrics in a bold graphic poster using a single image and a consistent typeface. He posts a new one every day, working in equal parts with silly lines from tracks like Lil Wayne's "Lollipop", more ominous verses from Mobb Deep, and French language rap verses from the Malian rapper Oxmo Puccino.
The last thing that comes to mind when most people think about high school gym class is a courtyard designed by Danish architects. But when the administrators at the Gammel Hellerup high school realized the size of the student body had outgrown its current athletic facilities, they commissioned BIG to build a gym below grade that would double as a useable courtyard space above ground. Instead of the boxy high ceilings of a typical gym, BIG used a wave-like ceiling that resembles a small hill from the exterior, one that invites after-class hanging out. The space, like most high school gyms, can work for non-athletic functions as well, and with the included solar panels it reduces the school's carbon footprint. [via Dezeen]
