Pochibukuro

あけましておめでとうございます
That means "Happy New Year!". The Japanese mark the beginning of the year with sake, family gatherings and the spreading of wealth. Although seemingly reserved for the children, Otoshidama, or monetary presents, are delivered in nifty envelopes called "pochibukuro". These envelopes are usually meticulously designed and fabricated out of the most exquisite paper. Above is a small collection that I got from a friend in Japan.

Rudolph de Harak

While he's most noted for his work for McGraw Hill that he designed in the mid 60's, de Harak's work spanned multiple mediums including environmental design, signage, and, as seen above, illustration. He's definitely an inspiration for my usage of graphic systems to convey personal history, or something I call 3 pt. line.

B/W

Click on picture and revel in the gush.

Printer MIshaps

Happy Accidents

Desktop, January 15, 2008, 11:58 PM

J Pop

One of my favorite songs from Japan's former pop sensation Judy and Mary.

A competitive spirit

Yo Joe

The Storm Shadow shirt made me nostalgic. Herewith is a small fraction of my childhood gold.

Storm Shadow

I've always been a collector. These days I tend to amass antique, foreign books that revel in modern design. But, as a kid I was GI Joe fanatic. One of my favorite characters is bad-ass Storm Shadow. He is the Cobra Ninja dressed in all white (I didn't know ninjas did that. Don't they want to be invisible?). I remember my aunt buying ninja costumes for me and my cousin back when being a Ninja was every kid's dream profession. Too bad they're black, I thought. Now that I'm all grown up, I think I'd rather be a PANDA than a ninja. That doesn't stop me from spazzing out and jumping on the furniture though.