Occasionally it seems that what makes a piece of print design great isn’t so much what it looks like as how impossible it is to reproduce in any other medium. This week, we delve into Mickey Mouse’s past, become slightly obsessed with a women’s wear look book, and wallow in the creative anarchism of an artist’s notebooks. (For previous Cool Designs of the Week, click on over here.)
‘The Mickey Mouse Treasures’ Design
If you’re a book lover, you’ve probably come across the various “vault” books that not only dive into the history of a specific franchise textually (e.g., “Star Wars,” Stephen King, etc.), but also include numerous loose reproductions of memorabilia from the subject’s past housed in various pockets throughout.
“The Mickey Mouse Treasures” book is a particularly intriguing example of this not only because of the length of time it covers (Mickey dates back to 1928), but also because of just how ingrained the character is in American history. Included here: a letter from Eleanor Roosevelt to Walt Disney, an animation cell, and an honest to goodness Mickey Mouse Club membership certificate, among other rarities. (Images: WinkBooks)
Draw in Light Look Book Design
When approached to create the branding for Draw in Light’s women’s wear label, the UK’s Weareuseful developed a look book like no other, incorporating a limited edition, numbered and screen-printed poster to boot. Excellent, excellent work.
Bob Fisher’s Sketchbooks
It probably won’t come as a huge surprise to you to learn that Bob Fisher, creator of the website Sketchbob, was once an art director at Cartoon Network. His artistic style exudes the same manic inventiveness as that cable channel. Yet, after suffering creative burnout there he returned to something far more basic – sketchbooks. The collection he has posted online is a marvel of creativity that goes far beyond anything we’ve ever seen in this medium. Stunning!
