I have to confess that since this school year began I have been absolutely in love with Tavi of the Style Rookie. For those of you who haven’t heard of her, Tavi is a 14-year-old blogger with an insanely daring and informed sense of style who can reference more obscure art and pop culture from decades past than anyone I have ever heard of. It’s crazy that someone her age seems to have the world so well within their grasp- but then again, it’s crazy that someone of any age is as completely brilliant as I understand her to be.
 

There is all sorts of buzz about her on the internet (she has worked with Rodarte, was given pieces by Miu Miu, the list goes on forever)- but her personal blog can be found here. She also has a tumblr, where she compiles the most beautiful images and insightful bits of knowledge (here). If you are at all like I was when I discovered her page, expect to spend the next few hours scrolling through her archived posts and drooling over her clothes and experiences.

There have been no updates lately due to my body and schoolwork hating me, but I would like to give a big shout-out to Jess for making me feel like this blog is cool enough to be worthy of an update.

Last week some friends and I went to see The Cove, which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary this year. Despite being interested I have to confess to being a bit skeptical at first, but this movie completely blew my mind. It was surreal in its intensity; I can’t believe things like this are actually happening. The movie also found time to be funny, though, and explained things in a way that I think any viewer could relate to.

One of the things discussed in the movie in relation to the dolphin slaughter in Taiji is the IWC (International Whaling Commision), whose main job is to protect whales and similar species from danger of extinction. In the film, it is revealed that there is a ban in place to protect hunting large Cetaceans (whales) there is no such ban for small Cetaceans (dolphins, porpoises), leaving them vulnerable to cruelty and/or extinction. Though this was shocking, I was most shocked to check my email the day after seeing the film to discover that the IWC is planning on lifting its large Cetacean hunting ban.

Even if these politics do not interest you (to be honest, they didn’t have much pull for me prior to seeing the film), you should really see The Cove. 

I love when designers interpret what different typefaces would be in certain tangible forms, but using dogs is so clever. This is definitely one of my favorite posts.



(via swissmiss) 

For as long as I can remember, I have mused that my future home will contain a personal library with a sliding ladder, but seeing these photos on Apartment Therapy (here) have sealed it. The kitchen and office are amazing, too- when can I move in?

I am obsessed with these extraordinary photographs from the highly controversial artist; she handles portraiture in such an enigmatic manner. Read her Art:21 biography here.

Amazing color photographs of Berlin by Matthias Heiderich. So flat, graphic, and vibrant! I’m ready to hop a plane to Germany. Who is with me?

Check them out on the Behance Network (here).

Michigan-based portrait artist Eric Daigh creates massive portraits using only push-pins. Visit his website here and be sure to use the zoom feature to see meticulous detail shots of each piece.

(via Drawn)

After presenting me with the merits of Kid Cudi for a little bit tonight, my friend Maegan finally got me to watch the video for one of his singles, “Day ‘n’ Nite.” This, alongside his song where he samples Lady Gaga’s acoustic version of “Poker Face,” played a major role in converting me to team Cudi.

If for nothing other than the amazing animation, watch this video. It was directed by Jonas Francois with collaboration from graphic artist So-Me, who were apparently also the main forces behind Justice’s incredible “D.A.N.C.E.” music video.

Bruce Mau Design has an awesome list of tips for designers on staying fresh and developing your career. You can read the list here. Written in 1998, it is 43 points long and is never quite done growing (much like the designers it aims to help).

There are a lot of ideas in this manifesto that stretch far beyond the design world, though. Anyone who wants to get their ideas out there or achieve personal success should take them into consideration. Many of them are ubiquitous (and explained in greater detail on the website): love your experiments, study, stay up late, listen carefully, take field trips, and so on.

My favorite point on this list, though, is number fourteen.

14. Don’t Be Cool
Cool is conservative fear dressed in black. Free yourself from limits of this sort.

Whether in graphic design or human behavior, I think we can all agree to hope for a bit more of this attitude in the world. Someone remind me of this when I need to hear it!

(via Kitsune Noir)

Lovely hand-drawn work from Daren Newman at his website, Me & My Pen.

(via FormFiftyFive)