Keri Smith

Posted on February 17, 2013 by Kim

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I came across a few books by Keri Smith today at The Sweden Shop and instantly became a fan. Her books remind me of the blog post I did on the book Let’s Make Some Great Art. They aren’t really books… they’re more like prompts for 100+ activities to let your inner kid go wild. They’re written in such a way that you feel like she’s talking to you and only you. Like she knows every thought you’re having and is 1 step ahead.

You know how you’re always told to not write in a book, dog ear the pages or get the book wet? She wants you to do the complete opposite — she asks you to cut, write in, scratch out, paste, spill, drench, tear and rip her books. There’s even a spread that just says “Take me in the shower with you.” The point is to make art with no rules. I love the message. And the ideas are just as fun.

Paris vs. New York

Posted on August 6, 2012 by Kyle

In the fall of 2010, during a long stay in New York, Vahram Muratyan launched his first blog, Paris versus New York, a tally of two cities. After being viewed 4 million times, Penguin published it as a book, which became insanely popular, and we understand why. The illustrations are simple, clever and creative. These are just a few examples from the book. We stumbled upon the book and bought a copy at Colette in Paris. Vahram, we hope you do a Chicago version! It’s also available on Amazon.

Let’s Make Some Great Art

Posted on September 15, 2011 by Kim

Another great book that I plan on adding to my collection, “Let’s Make Some Great Art” by illustrator Marion Deuchars. Meant to be for all ages, this book is packed with ideas to spark your imagination. This is one book that you’ll let your kid write in. Again and again. I love the interaction it brings and the many ideas it inspires. Support Marion and get your copy here.

An Object of Beauty

Posted on June 1, 2011 by Kim

Canadian typographer and illustrator, Darren Booth, designed this cover for Steve Martin’s most recent novel. We get to see his mind at work with the unused iterations he tried before landing on the final version. If you look close, you’ll see that the type is hand-drawn and has an imperfect, crafty charm. I love what he did with the end sheets. Be sure to check out some of his other works on his site… he shares some really beautiful type specimens.