By Mark Kaufman
We're planning a trip to italy in December, and I wasn't planning on travelling to Torino this time out, but I just changed my mind! I must make a pilgrimage to the Art Hotel Boston so that I may experience a fitful sleep beneath the gaze of Diabolik. Photo of room on top, example of the Diabolik ouvre at bottom. FANTASTICO!

By Mark Kaufman
Here's a new spot I did for The Stranger this week about raising money for Democrats. Which got me to thinking about doing my part and setting up a new Act Blue page. It's called 2008 / Trophy Wives For Thompson which along with Flip Flops for Romney, Dictators for Thompson, McCainSurge 2008, Thompson/Montechristo 08, Cokefiends for Guiliani, and Hunter/Coulter 08 ask for your support in fighting against hypocrisy, Hollywood values GOP style and saying and doing anything to win votes and influence people. Won't you do your part and donate either at my Act Blue page (see convenient link at right) or set up your own page?

By Mark Kaufman
The Bush administration, the Supreme Court, Man Coulter, the GOP defeating theEmployee Free Choice Act (for now), dead 'rasslers, Bill O’Reilly, etc., have given me a fucking headache this week, so please enjoy a spread from one of my sketchbooks.

By Mark Kaufman
Great article on craft/DIY movement in the New York Times Style section yesterday. Very funny, and an interesting perspective of hipsters, designers, faux mustaches and the never ending quest for the next big indyground thing.

By Mark Kaufman
Check Gabi’s blog for a very nice visual comment on the Heads of State lecture I moderated for AIGA Seattle last week. Gabriel is a wonderful illustrator and a great guy, so a hearty thanks for coming to the event and documenting an illustration centric talk with a drawing! Two thumbs up.

By Mark Kaufman
Here are the covers to 3 Drawmark promotional pieces that I will have coming out soon. Each will be a tri-fold oversize postcard. The covers just about say it all I think. I'll keep you posted as to when these are printed and ready to go.

By Mark Kaufman
As usual, thank god for Steven Heller. When I started out in this business close to 30 years ago, long before the advent of the laptop that I am writing this on, the art of typography, especially special effects lettering was a mysterious craft. If you wanted your headlines, expanded, compressed, or rendered in perspective, you had to send it out to a typographer where chain smoking craftsmen would magically create amazing galleys for you to cut out and paste up on your layout boards with rubber cement. Little did I know that this wonder of the graphic arts trade was the invention of one Martin J. Weber who died last week at the age of 102. In addition to inventing and patenting the typographic device he was an amazing designer and art director, working for CBS, ABC, NBC, Monsanto and Esso, and developed posterization, a technique prevalent in the late 1960s which has made a comeback today thanks to Photoshop and the screen print/rock poster revolution. Thank you Martin J. Weber.

By Mark Kaufman
I have an ear infection this week. I blame it on Marty Allen. I caught his act last week in Las Vegas, he was amazingly great, but the jokes were so old that I figure I must have caught something upon hearing them.  What does this have to do with illustration? Well, I was looking at Drew Friedmans Old Jewish Comedians book at the Fanatgraphics store yesterday, and I thought “Hey, I just saw Marty Allen!”, so there.

By Mark Kaufman
Only one week left to register for The Heads of State lecture at Roq La Rue Gallery. Go here to register! Here are some mini posters you may see around town. I hope to see you there!

By Mark Kaufman

By Mark Kaufman
God save the Queen!  Bloody Hell! I just got wind of the newly unveiled London 2012 Olympic logo. I do not know what to say, except that people of all sorts will be talking about this for many, many years to come. Apparently there is quite a fire storm of controversy in the UK about this. I really do have to look and think about this a bit. Is it bloody awful (Yes, I am talking with a cockney accent whilst I type), but am I missing something? Is it way beyond my tiny designer mind? I don't want to sound like Prince Charles with his traditional English country gentleman design sense, but I am absolutely stunned that this logo is so appallingly bad. Is it constructivist? Is it broken? Is it amateurish in it’s execution?  Is it faintly (or overtly) Fascistic? How can something so odd come out of a country with such a bold and innovative design ethos? As compared to the exciting things going on in design, and architecture for the Beijing Olympics this is truly a sad day. Where is  the Village Green Preservation Society when you need it?