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Let's start this last day of the work week a little mean, shall we? Currently making the rounds in the ad agency world is Dan Neil's scathing review of modern ad icon Alex Bogusky's latest book (co-written with John Winsor), Baked In: Creating Products and Businesses That Market Themselves. While Neil admits there are the occasional useful thoughts in the very, very slim book, he spends most of his review tearing it apart, saying that most of it is either very obvious words of wisdom ("better products tend to sell better") or not entirely grounded in reality. He sums it all up nicely toward the beginning when he writes "perhaps Bogusky and Winsor never had an editor to challenge them on some of the most evident holes in their book." It's a great picking apart of the book (we've always been a little critical of Bogusky's literary work ourselves), but also seems to have a wide spread, speaking to the many other self/business-help books that follow that "well this is all great, but how does it apply to the real world?" model.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

(Photos: Journal of Popular Noise)

The Journal of Popular Noise, the audio magazine founded and edited by graphic designer Byron Kalet, is a treat for the senses, from its expertly curated musical selections (distributed as a twice-yearly trio of seven-inch vinyl records) to its letterpress-printed, hand-folded packaging. Just in time to impress the design-savvy music fan on your holiday shopping list comes JPN's fall/winter edition (above), which will feature the music of Seattle band Foscil. We interviewed Brooklyn-based Kalet before he got too tired from hand-folding all of the new issues, which ship next month. Read on for the tale of JPN's origins, how frugality was the mother of great design, and why he thinks of Foscil as "the Dick Avedon to my Alexey Brodovitch."

How did the Journal of Popular Noise come about?
There were a couple distinctly different signs that all pointed in the same direction for me. I had been doing some research and had long been interested in the intersection of music and design. As a musician and designer, I always felt very strongly that the same set of rules and functions were at work in the decision-making process when creating in either medium. Rhythm, contrast, tone, are among many of the words that are commonly used by both designers and musicians to describe what they're up to. I wanted to try and very directly apply the basic compositional conventions of pop music to the composition of a magazine, as it seemed to me they were already almost one and the same. I was particularly attracted to magazines, as they seemed to have not only a close formal relationship to music composition but also an almost symbiotic relationship with pop music. Maybe blogs have that role now, but imagine what pop music would be like without Rolling Stone in the 70's, Maximum RocknRoll in the 80's, Riot Grrrl zines in the 90's, and then, well...blogs.

How did you decide upon the three-records-tucked-in-a-lovely-package format?
Early in 2007, magazines were still flourishing—as the record industry was floundering trying to navigate the new business of ringtones and digital downloads. Magazines are great because they offer an experience that one could never get from the internets, which is why I chose the most tactile and physically impressive production techniques. So with all that on my mind, it seemed obvious that this was the way to do it. There's a long tradition of record clubs, serial composition, and music magazines, from Aspen to Flexidiscs. I don't think I'm really doing anything new, I'm just doing it my way for what's happening right now.

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As if swine flu weren't bad enough, now the unholy enemy of all who stand upright has landed on our shores. Of course, we are talking about tripping. But this time it has nothing to do with Bilbao, bridges, or Santiago Calatrava. Instead, it's the still relatively-new High Line in Manhattan, about which Gothamist has received word that a woman has decided to sue the city for $2 million over the park's uneven walkways, which caused her to trip, fall, and break her ankle. Before you scoff, this has apparently been a fairly typical issue, with loads of uneven paths and steps eagerly awaiting their next helpless victims. However, one could also argue that maybe if people were watching where they were walking, instead of trying to get a peek at all the naked attractive exhibitionists

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

A little heads up about tonight's Project Runway, particularly for those of you in Los Angeles. The episode airing tonight of the popular designing/sewing reality show was not only shot at the Getty Center, but apparently the whole competition centers around designing outfits "inspired by the museum's architecture and artwork." Should be a fun time, considering all the sprawling, swirling bits spread across the gardens and the design of the buildings themselves. If you're in Los Angeles, the Getty has decided to host a screening of the episode in their Harold M. Williams Auditorium, with an added bonus at the end:

After the screening, the museum will hold a panel discussion featuring three speakers from the world of art and fashion, including a former curator from the Museum of Contemporary Art in Los Angeles; an editor from Marie Claire magazine; and an L.A.-based fashion designer.

Update: If you don't already have your space booked, it looks like you've missed your shot. The event is already all full.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

While architects may be facing only a 50% chance at finding a regular paying gig these days, fortunately in New York there are a couple of charitable arms out there trying to help out. The L Magazine profiles the work of The Bronx Museum of Arts and the MoMA, both of which are trying to open their doors up to architects who likely haven't been having the best couple of years. The Bronx decided to run an exhibition featuring architects' ideas for redesigning the Grand Concourse that runs through the borough, while the MoMA has opened up space at P.S.1 for research projects concerning "flood problems as a result of global warming" for the NY area. So while it's not like the museum industry has faired much better since the economy's fall, but it's nice to see one group trying to help another, despite these trying times.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The old saying goes that there are two constants in life, death and taxes. But were we to revise the list, we would say "death, taxes, and the legal battle between George Lucas and Andrew Ainsworth." You might recall our last post about that new addition toward the end of 2008, when a lawsuit was finally settled between the two, with Ainsworth, the designer of the original Stormtrooper costume from Star Wars, being found by the British court to have broken US copyright laws by continuing to sell replicas of the outfits without Lucas' permission. But it wasn't a total victory, as the judge also ruled that Ainsworth wouldn't have to pay any fines and he still hadn't broken any intellectual property laws in the UK. Now, because this issue will likely go on forever, Lucas' team has decided to try again in court by claiming the Stormtrooper attire are pieces of art and thus, copies should be punishable by British law and Ainsworth will need to shut down and pay up. It should make for an interesting trial, given Ainsworth's hand in the original creation of the works of art in question.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Are your photos worth thousands of words? Thousands of dollars? Thousands more photos? Pulitzer Prize-winning photo editor Stella Kramer will help you get the picture (and figure out where to sell it) at Mediabistro's one-night Breaking Into Editorial Photography seminar on Monday, December 7 in New York. Students will learn about how to get coveted magazine jobs and build a career as an editorial freelancer. Here's your chance to hear tips on creating a dynamic portfolio, what photo editors at top publications are looking for, and when it pays to get representation; registration is a click away.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

From left to right: Dzine beholds his custom lowrider, "The Tipping Point," while Kenny Scharf discusses "5 For 99 Cents," the mixed media painting he created for the Stages exhibition, on view at Deitch Projects in New York through November 21. (Photos: UnBeige)

We've followed "Stages," the Nike-sponsored art exhibition to raise awareness and funds for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, from its Los Angeles launch to its Paris debut, and now the show has opened stateside in a dazzling installation at New York's Deitch Projects. The aim of Stages, named for a term that can describe the progression of cancer or a cycling competition, is nothing short of "uniting the worlds of art, philanthropy, and sport in a unique celebration of human potential" through the newly commissioned works of 23 artists, a diverse bunch that includes Ed Ruscha, Cai Guo-Qiang, Christopher Wool, KAWS, Jules de Balincourt, and Rosson Crow. Armstrong hatched the idea with Nike president and CEO (and fellow art collector) Mark Parker to "offer artists a forum in which to convey the Livestrong ideals and portray what the movement means to them and how they see it changing the world."

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New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

As if you needed another good reason to purchase the fine formulations of Kiehl's Since 1851, the L'Oreal-owned apothecary brand has launched a limited-edition holiday collection of its famed Creme de Corps that features label artwork by KAWS, the artist also known as Brian Donnelly. Better still, Kiehl's is donating 100% of its net profits from the sale of the creatively labeled lotion to RxArt, which brings contemporary art to healthcare facilities. The label's mix of color planes and cartoony gloved hands marked with an "X" is indicative of KAWS's more recent paintings, which deconstruct his graphic signatures and trademark characters. The limited edition KAWS Creme de Corps is available in three sizes, and prices start at $26.50. "Continued use for 10 days will provide a skin texture heretofore unattainable," promises Kiehl's.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

It's hopefully an established fact by now that when you want a Mies van der Rohe fix, you head straight to all around good guy, Edward Lifson. We've certainly posted our fair share of links to his writing about the brilliant architect, and have always enjoyed running into him around town and hearing what new things he has to say about van der Rohe's work. So again we make the leap over to Hello Beautiful for this recent look at all the finished restoration to 860-880 Lake Shore Drive, one of the architect's most beautiful high rises. We drive by the two towers nearly every morning on our way into the office and had seen the construction for what seems like years, but now it's apparently all done and ready to be fawned over, which Lifson does in spades, sharing not only some great photos of the newly improved structures, but a rundown of what was fixed as well. Here's a sampling:

All the stainless steel around the lower eight feet of the building was replaced. Much of the rest of the stainless steel was spot repaired and polished. Doors on the south elevation of 880 that had been moved to the center were restored to their original positions.

We also wanted to post this so we could remind you of what we called back in August, "The End All-Be-All of Architecture Critics Panels." The Chicago Architecture Foundation has their program A Conversation with the Critics: Imagining the Future of the City tomorrow night at 6pm. It looks like Jonathan Glancey won't be there, as was first announced, but he's been replaced by the LA Times' Christopher Hawthorne, so that isn't a bad trade at all. Plus, you'll still get to see Paul Goldberger, Blair Kamin, and Sarah Williams Goldhagen. And to pull this all together, full circle, it's hosted by Lifson. We'll be there and we've heard there are tickets still available, so what are you waiting for?!

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The most popular vandal in all the world, Banksy, keeps on getting a taste of his own medicine. Just this year, his work has been accidentally painted over and purposefully defaced during his big show in Bristol. But as we've also seen over the past couple of years, people have been defensive of Banksy's work, even receiving requests that he show up to tag in their towns (perhaps due to some correlation with how much his work goes for at auction?). Now the news comes that while neighborhood residents and officials were meeting to discuss what to do with a Banksy on one of their walls, whether they should keep it or not (the vote was an overwhelming yes), nogoodniks were graffiting all over Banksy's graffiti. So now, we're assuming, Banksy's piece, and all of this new street art will be removed. And if that hasn't already gotten too meta for you, here's a quote from one of the neighborhood voters about why they think the piece was defaced:

"The image actually criticised mindless graffiti so perhaps it isn't surprising that the sort of people who do that sort of thing should attack it."

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

While President Obama was busy rocking it with his new Google Glasses on, we assume one of the things he got up to while looking so nerd-cool was selecting the members of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities, the list of whomhas just been released. And what an odd list it is. The ones the celebrity watching outlets will pick up on are Yo-Yo Ma, Vogue's Anna Wintour, Edward Norton, and Sarah Jessica Parker (no doubt for her efforts pitting artists against one another). For those whose interests lie elsewhere, you'll be pleased to hear that starchitect Thom Mayne also made it in, as did designer/architect Christine Forester. It's a strange group of people, for sure, and if you're a little unclear as to how they'll all be working together (we'd like to see a Norton vs. Wintour argument the most), here's a brief synopsis of the committee:

Our committee focuses on arts and humanities education, cultural diplomacy, economic revitalization through the arts and humanities and special events dedicated to recognizing excellence in these areas. Since our members include government agencies and private individuals, we provide a dynamic link between the public and private sectors. All of our efforts are collaborative, and we work primarily with the White House and our cultural partners, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

Update: The LA Times' Christopher Knight has a few more things to say about the group's makeup, like why aren't there any visual artists included?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

Andy Rutledge (who's site is well worth putting some time aside to read) has put together a great design test.

Working through the questions not only makes you realise what you are capable of as a designer (and where further study is required) - it also certainly made me better able to clarify what it is that I actually bring to a project and to explain that to others.

Definitely recommended reading.

HypeForType just released Exclusive Faces Volume 02 including one off type creations from the likes of Non-Format, Research Studios, MWM Graphics, Suprb, and Richard Perez. To celebrate this HypeForType are offering 10 free typefaces (one per person, non exclusive only) for the first 10 people to comment on the release. All you have to do is write down the font of your choice in the comments box, and it will be mailed to you free of charge. Here's a preview of Exclusive Faces Volume 02 featuring Otto, Capset, and Vetena.

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There was an error in our email subscription module which resulted in sending out a lot of email notifications from creativebits to some members. I would like to ask for apologies and report that the problem has been fixed. You won't be getting any such emails unless you specifically subscribe to them.

You can check your settings by going to My account/ Subsciptions and Settings. Let me know if you need any help with anything and thank you for being a creativebits reader and member.

Google Wave seems to be a game changer in online collaboration. It's improving every day and several people started using it seriously for real work.

Following up on our tradition of giving away invites to beta services I would like to offer up my invites to creativebits members. The first 12 commenters will get the invites.

No need to give your email in the comment. I can get it from your account.

Hope you will enjoy it!

Anyone here worried about developing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome or has anyone suffered from this? Are there techniques or exercises to offset pain or problems with the mouse wrist?

Hitachi today announced that their similar image search engine, GazoPa application will begin open beta testing and is available to the public at large. All features are available for test users without log in.

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I read about people having problems with Illustrator.

There was a forum item about filling live text with a gradient and not being able to do so. Changing an effect on an object, putting a stroke at the outside of a character, and so on

Often all those problems can be solved with the "Appearance panel". This little devil is one of the most powerful panel tools that you have in Illustrator.

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Adapted from Glitch: Designing Imperfection (Mark Batty Publisher)
By Iman Moradi, Ant Scott, Joe Gilmore & Christopher Murphy
Dateline: October 23, 2009

Q: Please outline your working ethos and history as a graphic design studio—your experimental glitch research and the commercial side. How did this way of working come about?

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