Blog
Tag: Design
Happy Birthday Saul Bass!
by Dan
Design & Typography / May 08, 2013
I've talked about my love of Saul Bass here on the Raincoast blog before (more than once!), and so I was overjoyed to see today's Google Doodle which marks the legendary designer's 93rd birthday:
The animated 'doodle' is based on Bass' film title credits, film posters and corporate logos. Bass passed away in 1996, but if you would like to see more of his work be sure to check out Saul Bass: A Life in Film and Design, written by his daughter Jennifer Bass with design historian Pat Kirkham. Published in 2011, it was the first book to be published on Bass, one of the greatest American designers of the 20th Century, and it has more than 1,400 illustrations, many of them never published before. It really is the definitive study of Bass's work.
My Favourite Books of 2012, Alisha Whitley
by Alisha
December 12, 2012
Typography Sketchbooks
Edited by Steven Heller and Lita Talarico
I have come to the realization that I am a full-fledged typography nerd. Seriously. My laptop’s font book is excessively large... and filled with typefaces that serve absolutely no purpose in an everyday context, but are just so pretty. This book has been one of my go-to ‘I feel like being creative on this lazy Sunday, but can’t actually illustrate fonts, so I’m going to admire them instead’ pieces since I received it as a birthday present this year (that lucky giver was subject to a great deal of squealing and jumping up and down – I seriously need to control myself when given made-for-me gifts). Safe to say, this is the perfect gift for anyone who creates typefaces, or simply adores them.
Alisha Whitley, Marketing Coordinator
Coast Modern Screening in Toronto and Vancouver
by Dan
June 11, 2012
I first wrote about Coast Modern way (way, way) back in July 2010. Now, FINALLY, the documentary about the west coast's unique modernist architecture is about to get some serious screen-time in Canada. Running from July 6th-12th, Coast Modern will be screening both at the Bloor Cinema in Toronto AND at Vancity in Vancouver for the week.
Entirely coincidently, Gibbs Smith will be publishing West Coast Modern by Zahid Sardar (with photographs by Matthew Millman) in September this year. The book showcases modern homes that respond to the deserts, mountains, plains, and coastlines of the west, including work by renowned architects and interior designers like Ricardo and Victor Legorreta, Tom Kundig, Jim Jennings, Steven Ehrlich, Marmol Radziner, Aidlin Darling, Paul Wiseman, Terry Hunziker, and Gary Hutton.
As happens we already have books on amazing work of contemporary architects Tom Kundig (two in fact) and Marmol Radziner, but if the retro mid-century modern style is more your thing, you might also want to get some design ideas from Atomic Ranch and Atomic Ranch Midcentury Interiors by Michelle Gringeri-Brown, or read Design Research by Jane Thompson and Alexandra Lange, which charts the history of the store that became synonymous with modern interior design in America.
...Then again, you might also want to look at It's Lonely in the Modern World just to remind yourself that people in glass houses aren't necessarily happy... 
Job Posting: Marketing Manager at Raincoast Books
by Dan
Job Posting / March 19, 2012
Raincoast Books, based in Richmond, B.C., is seeking a marketing manager to start in April.
Raincoast is the Canadian distributor for 25 English language publishers and we emphasize the role of new technology in our sales and marketing work. We are looking for a creative and organized professional with a wide range of marketing experience who has excellent communication and technical skills.
Our marketing manager works with our graphic designer to develop channel marketing materials, and plans marketing campaigns in conjunction with our VP of Marketing, publicists, and senior sales people. The marketing manager also plays a key role in the development and maintenance of our proprietary digital catalogue application.
There will be some national and international travel involved and the possibility of managing staff.
The successful candidate will possess:
- superior writing and copyediting skills
- project management and scheduling experience
- a basic proficiency in HTML
- a minimum of three years of relevant media, marketing, publishing or senior book retailing experience
The following technical skills will be an asset:
- inDesign and Photoshop experience
- a familiarity with FTP clients
- a familiarity with Filemaker Pro 11
- an understanding of how scripting languages can improve workflow and create shortcuts
Candidates should send their résumé and cover letter by March 26 to:
Jamie Broadhurst
VP of Marketing
Raincoast Books
We regret that we can only acknowledge applications from candidates selected for interviews. No phone calls or agencies, please.
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design marketing raincoast vancouver
My Favourite Books of 2011: Siobhan (Marketing)
by Siobhan
Art & Photography + Craft + Food & Drink + Gift & Stationery / December 20, 2011
Yesterday Dan talked about his favourite book of 2011. I can't quite narrow it down to ONE, so instead I've picked one favourite book for each day of the week... plus a little something extra for Sunday. This is essentially my ideal week, in book format.
Monday. We all know what Mondays are like. The day you need a hit of inspiration. And a cup of coffee. This book will give you a double shot of the former (sorry, you'll have you grab your own latte.) Paper Cutting: Contemporary Artists, Timeless Craft is totally gorgeous and full of amazing work by talented artists working with paper.
Tuesday is when you really start to wake up for the week. And you'll need your wits about you when you grab your scissors and a fresh sheet of paper, then fold, pleat and crumple your way to creating the incredible shapes in Folding Techniques for Designers: From Sheet to Form.
(P.S. If you're into paper folding, you'll love this documentary I recently saw on the Knowledge Network, Between the Folds.)
Wednesday is a funny day. Come on, hump day. Time for the brilliance and hilarity that is Hark! A Vagrant. If you don't already know Kate Beaton from her website, trust me, your life will be better once you do.
By Thursday, your work week is in full swing, and you can take on anything. You can even build a toaster... from scratch! As in, hey, let's dig up some precious metals out of the ground with my own two hands and make some wire, then figure out how to make plastic... Or at least you can read about a guy who really did this in The Toaster Project: Or a heroic attempt to build a simple electric appliance from scratch.
Friday is when you start to wind down, dream about the weekend that's oh-so-close.... a dream which involves owning a big old house in the country with chickens running around the yard, and your husband making you breakfast in bed, with poached eggs laid by your very own chickens. (Reality: let's just go out for brunch downtown.) Chicken and Egg: A Memoir of Suburban Homesteading with 125 Recipes is full of lovely design and photos, stories about keeping chickens, and recipes for both cooking up eggs ... and chickens (sorry, chickens!)
A Saturday behind the pottery wheel is a good, good day. If you don't have clay or a kiln on hand, check out The Ceramics Bible: The Complete Guide to Materials and Techniques.
Sunday is a perfect treat. Much like Miette: Recipes from San Francisco's Most Charming Pastry Shop. These are some of the cutest, most perfect looking cakes you'll ever see (and maybe even bake). The book's pages are also scalloped for an added dose of cuteness.
And last but not least, for a litttle extra on Sunday (cause you know everyone wants to extend the weekend just a little bit more), I'm also going to include my favourite non-book item from 2011. I am admittedly biased here, but hey, this is my list. Shoegazing Notecards were put together by the gorgeous and always inspiring UPPERCASE magazine, based on a photo story they did in their magazine: UPPERCASE asked readers to send in photos of their feet. I was lucky enough to have a couple of photos in the spread... and now UPPERCASE partnered with Chronicle to put 20 of those photos onto notecards. Mine's the one on the red carpet with all the brightly coloured shoes. A friend of mine also has her feet on one of the notecards, wearing her roller derby skates. Here's the spread from the magazine - the notecards are also super cute and designed with classic UPPERCASE style.
So, that's my week in books for 2011. Looking forward to 2012!
Happy 20th birthday Laurence King!
by Danielle
Architecture + Art & Photography + Design & Typography + Film + Reference / August 12, 2011
Well Laurence King the publishing house, not Laurence King the founder himself (I think he's older than 20).
Established in London in 1991, Laurence King Publishing is now recognized as one of the world's leading publishers of books on the creative arts.
Their books are acclaimed for their beautiful design and authoritative text as well as the quality and care taken over their production. They publish books in the fields of art, graphic design, architecture and fashion; just to name a few.
Mark Lamster of Design Observer took up the chance to interview Laurence to hear his thoughts about the state and future of design publishing, and what makes a design book (and book proposal) successful.
...Even with this distinguished catalog, few Americans are likely to know much about King or his press, as until recently most of his titles were sold in this country by other publishers, who purchased their rights. I got to know him this way, both as a buyer and a seller, when I was an editor at Princeton Architectural Press. We worked on many books together — some winners, some losers — and it was always a pleasure. King is one of the true gentlemen of design publishing, self-deprecating and charming in the classic British manner... ~ Mark Lamster
Full article can be found here.
This Fall LK has some pretty amazing new books that I get to publicize (yep I do!). Please pre-order at Amazon.ca, Indigo. ca or take a walk to your local bookshop, they can order a copy for you. Below are just a few. There's planty more to come! I'll keep you posted!
And what's a blog without some cool Laurence King videos? Enjoy!
Angus Hyland on Design Matters
by Dan
Design & Typography / July 19, 2011
British designer Angus Hyland recently talked to Debbie Millman on the design podcast Design Matters about Tintin, how dyslexia led him to design, getting a job at Pentagram, the peace sign, Deutsche Bank, the London Olympics, and his new book Symbol co-authored with Steven Bateman.
You can download the Design Matters podcast from the itunes store, or directly from the Design Observer website.
There is also a short interview (accompanied by some lovely images of his work) with Angus at It's Nice That. Asked what makes his day, Angus answers:
Breakfast, or more precisely my perfect breakfast, which would be coffee (Illy or Lavatza made with UHT milk), a newly baked brioche from Ottolenghi and some fresh strawberries – preferably English. I would also settle for some fresh figs.
That sounds pretty good to me! 
Symbol
by Dan
Design & Typography / May 31, 2011
I have to confess, I could spend A LOT of time looking at icons, symbols, trademarks and logo designs.
I already have more than a few books on my shelf but Symbol by Steven Bateman and Angus Hyland is a welcome addition. The book features over 1300 symbols, organized by the visual characteristics such as 'Curves, Crescents and Arcs', 'Wild Animals' and 'Birds.'
Each category has a brief introduction with expanded captions providing details about the symbol and there are short case studies on classic symbols still in use, such as the symbols for Penguin Books and Continental Airlines, as well as some exceptional new designs.
And if Symbol takes your fancy, you might also be interested in the fantastic American Trademarks: A Compendium by designers Eric Baker and Tyler Blik — an extra-chunky paperback featuring 1,000 trademark designs, published by Chronicle Books last year — and/or Logo by design journalist Michael Evamy which is packed with over 1,500 contemporary, international logo designs, published by Laurence King in 2007. Both are great looking books for design junkies.
Pulled
by Dan
Art & Photography / May 24, 2011
Andy Warhol popularized it in the 1960s, and screen printing remains a favourite with artists, illustrators, designers and crafters today — it's versatile, cheap, fast, a little dirty, and (let's face it) really, really cool.
Designer Mike Perry screened his first shirt in college (and wore it later that night!) and his new book Pulled collects the work of more than 40 contemporary artists who are doing new and interesting things with the technique, including Aesthetic Apparatus, Deanne Cheuk, Steven Harrington, Maya Hayuk, Cody Hudson, Jeremyville, Andy Mueller, Rinzen, and Andy Smith (among others). The book is a survey and a how-to, a collection of prints and an idea bank. And (let's face it) really, really cool...
AND if you like the sound of Pulled, you might want to check out Mike's two previous best-selling books Hand Job: A Catalog of Type and Over & Over: A Catalog of Hand-Drawn Patterns. They're also really, really good.
Beer
by Dan
Design & Typography + Vancouver / April 25, 2011
I just arrived this morning in Vancouver for Raincoast's Fall 2011 Sales Conference and, with 4 days of meetings ahead of me, my mind has (strangely enough) already turned to beer!
Fortunately, we hold our conference in the lovely Listel Hotel in downtown Vancouver and, coming in from Toronto, it's always great to have some local beer and catch up with my west-coast colleagues in the bar at the end of the day.
This sales conference tradition is also the perfect excuse to post this hilarious video for Vancouver Craft Beer Week 2011, which starts May 6th:
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beer design events funny typography vancouver