Back in September here on NoD, we posted news about the launch of London book publisher Visual Editions and their first book, a re-imagining of the literary classic, Tristram Shandy. This month they are at it again, with the launch of their second book, Tree of Codes.

Public reactions to Visual Editions’ second book, Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer.

Tree of Codes is a haunting new story by bestselling American writer, Jonathan Safran Foer. The story is cut from the pages of Safran Foer’s favourite book, The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz. With a different die-cut on every page, Tree of Codes explores previously unchartered literary territory. Initially deemed impossible to make, the book is a production first – as much a sculptural object as it is a work of masterful storytelling.

Jonathan Safran Foer talks about Tree of Codes

For more information, visit the book’s microsite, and order your copy of Tree of Codes now from Visual-Editions.com.

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British photographer and videographer, Sean Gallagher (who we interviewed in May), was recently awarded a second grant by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

The result is a body of work that addresses a quiet crisis taking place in China’s wetlands, which cover some 65 million hectares, ranking first in Asia and representing 10% of the world’s total wetlands. As a result of climate change, and China’s rapid economic growth in recent decades, vast swathes of China’s wetlands have now disappeared. These changes have serious consequences for the millions of people who rely on China’s Threatened Waters.

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Find out more about Sean Gallagher and his work at gallagher-photo.com, and find him on twitter @gallagher_photo.
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Featuring designs that reflect China’s cultural richness, the Paper Tiger Shanghai collection comprises of contemporary, colourful and energetic gift papers made from 100% recycled paper and soy-based inks. The brand mixes traditional with contemporary to make gift wrapping fun and expressive for the giver, as well as special for the receiver.

Born and raised in New York, but of Chinese descent, designer and owner, Lucy Young, launched Paper Tiger in response to her own unsuccessful search in Shanghai for paper that reflected Chinese culture. Lucy has lived in Asia – in Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai respectively – since 1993, and currently resides in Beijing.

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For more information, visit www.papertigershanghai.com or visit their Etsy shop here.
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Conceptualised by Eric Benson, Re-nourish is the first independent online toolkit for sustainable graphic design. It is a not-for-profit project that empowers graphic designers with the tools to implement sustainable decision-making in their day-to-day work. The Re-nourish mission is nothing short of changing the design industry: helping sustainable graphic design become what it is, not merely what it “could be.” We spoke to Eric Benson and Re-nourish’s Partner Jess Sand to unearth more.

When was Re-nourish founded, and why?

Eric Benson: I started Re-nourish in 2006 as the culmination of my graduate school research. I had read a number of books, magazines and online sources for sustainable design whilst at graduate school, and became increasingly frustrated that there wasn’t a solid, easy-to-access source for this information. At the same time, the varied resources I found were mainly geared towards architecture or product design rather than communications design. The idea for an updatable, online resource seemed like the easy solution. The Re-nourish website has essentially grown into one of the leading independent resources for sustainable graphic design tools. Read the rest of this entry »

NoD: Notes on Design is excited to have been selected to lead a panel discussion of non-traditional design educators during this year’s Macworld 2011 scheduled for January 27-29, 2011, in San Francisco. NoD: Notes on Design editor Scott Chappell will lead a presentation and discussion with Gordon Drummond, chief academic officer at Sessions College for Professional Design, and Andrew Shalat, design professional and design instructor.

Mr. Drummond will showcase the online design curriculum and teaching methods of Sessions College. Mr. Shalat will explore the differences between teaching design in an online vs. a more traditional classroom or seminar setting. A third panelist has not yet been selected.

The panel format is based upon the popular live presentations of Sessions College during which senior members of the school’s academic team show a refreshingly transparent look at what the online learning process is like, and how online design instruction can be delivered in a highly-personal, one-to-one instructor to student model. Also showcased are the outstanding results of student projects. Finally, attendees are invited to ask any question they like about the effectiveness of teaching design online and the questions are fielded by the panel.

About Macworld 2011
Macworld 2011 (www.macworldexpo.com) is a four-day event that educates, entertains and immerses attendees in the Apple products community. A comprehensive expo hall offers access to hundreds of Mac products and services, paired with expert advice, demonstrations and instruction. Macworld 2011 conference programs feature industry leading minds, presenting cutting edge product training on the topics attendees most want to see. From Mac Power Users to creative professionals to first-time users to Enterprise computing professionals, Macworld 2011 has the conference content, special presentations and exhibit hall attractions that create what has been called “Mecca for Mac Users.”

About NoD: Notes on Design
NoD (www.notesondesign.net) is a curated online design magazine authored by professional designers, writers, and educators who write to inspire creativity and promote engaged thinking about today’s most pressing design topics. Subscribe to NoD and receive a biweekly newsletter recapping the most recent posts, interviews and reviews from our featured authors.

About Sessions College
Founded in 1997, Sessions College (www.sessions.edu) for Professional Design offers degree programs and professional certificate programs in the visual arts. Award-winning programs include Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) degrees in Graphic Design and Web Design, and certificate programs in graphic design, Web design, multimedia arts, digital arts, marketing design, game art, and fine arts. Sessions College provides the rigorous programs, expert instructors, and one-to-one feedback you need to get your start in the field.

Sessions College for Professional Design is nationally accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council (DETC) and regionally accredited at the certificate level by The Middle States Commission on Secondary Schools. The school is licensed by the Arizona State Board for Private Postsecondary Education.

Originally launched in 2005, Get It Louder (GIL) has been dubbed China’s “most influential and closely watched exhibition of emerging talent across creative disciplines.” Whether it can claim ownership of that title – as most exhibitions do in China – is another matter. However, with work from upcoming designers to Carsick Cars frontman, Zhang Shouwang, Ai Weiwei and Charlie Koolhaas, the line-up certainly provokes.

Get it Louder 2010 brings together more than 100 Chinese and international creatives from art, design, film, music, and literature to explore the theme “Sharism.” With Web 2.0, social media and cloud intelligence becoming increasingly popular, Sharism examines the ever more convoluted relationship between public and private realms. It also “touches upon issues of collaboration, individual agency and collective action, whilst serving as communal space, both virtual and real.” The exhibition opened in Sanlitun SOHO, Beijing on 19 September, and Notes on Design went along.

Designed by New York firm, SO-IL, the GIL pavilion is the first noticeable feature. Clad in sheets of pink metal, this freestanding structure intends to host workshops, talks and film screenings. The reflections on the outer façade of the pavilion evoke a strange sense of surrealism, a complete contrast to the polished buildings of Sanlitun SOHO. Read the rest of this entry »

Originally from Wales, Rachel Williams graduated from the University of the West of England with a First Class Honours in Fashion Design where she specialised in fashion illustration. Living and working in Brighton on the south coast of England, she is now working as a freelance illustrator. A year after graduating we caught up with Rachel to find out what she was up to now.

Notes on Design: When did you first realise you wanted to be a part of the creative industry?

Rachel: I have always been creative. At school I was always more interested in textiles, art and graphic design over more academic subjects – it was just natural to me.

Notes on Design: What is it about design that gets you excited?

Rachel: Seeing beautifully executed illustrations or design that have been thought through is just delightful. For me, it can really uplift my mood and inject inspiration when I see gorgeous work that compliments it’s partner – an illustration on a piece of crockery, print on a fabric or artwork in a right of it’s own. Putting a smile on someone’s face and being able to offer something tactile and original is brilliant! Read the rest of this entry »

Chris Welsby is a graphic designer who graduated in 2009 from Cardiff School of Art and Design with a First Class Honours in Graphic Communication. A year on since graduating and as part of Notes on Design’s ongoing Graduate Season, we spoke to Chris this month to find out more about his journey and what he’s up to now.

Notes on Design: When did you first realise you wanted to be a part of the creative industry?

Chris: I got into art and design during my teens as a way of avoiding organised sport in school; I didn’t really have many other options when I left school so I decided pursuing design at college would be a good idea. It was during my time at college that I began to learn about the role of design and it really resonated with me.

Notes on Design: What is it about design that excites you?

Chris: Design for me is about communication and it is the challenge of communicating in an efficient and engaging way that really gets me excited. I relish variety and enjoy being really tested as I believe that it forces me to consider what I am doing and refine my work. I am excited by the broad role of design and its potential, I believe it can range from just making something easy to understand or look good, right through to profound effects on a personal or cultural level. Asides from being excited by being a designer I am also really thirsty to engage with design and really enjoy that moment when you see something that is perfectly considered and executed and really stops you in your tracks. Read the rest of this entry »

Asia is home to roughly 60% of the world’s population—around 4 billion people in over 50 countries—yet the continent covers less than 9% of the world’s surface. With China and India leading in growth, and Japan being the most technological place on the planet, Asian graphic design has a lot to contribute to global creativity. The aesthetics that have developed in the region, blending tradition and a forward-looking approach to contemporary culture, cannot be seen anywhere else.

Brought to you by Taschen Editor, Julius Wiedemann and co-authors, Bruno Porto and Sadao Maekawa, and featuring some of the best and most recent advertising campaigns, posters, brand-design projects, corporate identity, package design and editorial design from Asia, Asian Graphics Now! is an inspirational book for any creative student or professional.

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For more information and to purchase a copy of the book, visit Taschen.com or preview here.

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Graphic Designer Narani Kannan’s design process revolves around a message-driven design discipline that involves thought, considerable research, conceptual development and image development which is carried out by functional aesthetics and fine execution in every project. Her work has been recognized by many online design galleries and design blogs, and has recently featured in some reputable international magazines and books. Notes on Design spoke to Narani this week to find out more about her career journey.

Notes on Design: When do you first remember being creative?

Narani: My first memory of being creative was with my father when I was about 3 years old. I remember picking up my new box of crayons and my father teaching me how to draw a picture of a fishing scene with a boat and a man fishing. I remember that night quite clearly. My father was pretty strict on me when it came to coloring, making me color inside the lines and in one direction (well, instead of just scribbling all over the page). That night, I remember my father teaching me how to draw fish, clouds and a bright yellow sun.

I also remember when I first started school I was one of the talented kids who knew how to draw and color, while other kids were drawing stick figures. I believe my ability to draw came from my father and grandfather who are both artists as well. When my father would paint I would get inspired to start my own little projects – watching him paint during the wee hours of the night certainly helped my drawing skills develop. Read the rest of this entry »