An illustration of a crowded, bustling cafe filled with people and anthropomorphic animals. Large, white hand-painted text across the centre reads “THE WEEKENDER”.

The Weekender: Get the squirty cream out, it's our weekly supplement of art, design and nonsense

Words: It's Nice That
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Date: 10 January 2014; Work

Here we are! The luscious weekend! The second in a long, long year of toil and strife. If you think about the year as a long weekend, then January is basically Saturday morning. You know what that means as well, coffee in bed and bacon every meal until Sunday (or mid-June, in this game). Hoozah!

A person with messy brown hair looks at the camera with their tongue poking out. They are set against a plain, light blue background. — Above
Emily Stein’s bubblegum portraits

6. I mean really, who doesn’t enjoy poster design?

Especially these incredible ones by design master Tom Eckersley.

5. American pet shows photographed by Amy Lombard

We all knew pet shows were weird, but these photos are really weird. As Maisie put it, Toddlers in Tiaras but with animals.

4. Photos of kids blowing bubbles in their gum

Emily Stein’s other photo projects are great as well, but this one really tickled us.

3. You can’t go wrong with a bit of synchronised swimming

Especially when that’s the main theme of a music video for Bombay Bicycle Club’s new track.

2. A new Guardian advert that’s got everyone smiling

One dad goes from normal to absolutely mental in this hilarious advert by BBH. SHED’S ON FIRE!

1. Portraits of smiley bus drivers, anyone?

I mean sure it’s like living in a dream world, but let’s play out this happy fantasy for just a little bit more.

The orange monster Frazzle from Sesame Street sits in a green chair. White hand-drawn text laid over the image reads “Friday Mixtape”. — Above
Image taken from Becky and Joe’s *Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared 2*

Earlier in the week we asked you to submit your artwork for a chance to be involved in the wonderful Secret 7" project which for the past two years has taken some of the world’s best songs and asked people to design record sleeves for specially printed vinyl in aid of War Child. If you haven’t entered yet, do it now. If you already have then sit back and press play on this fantastic mixtape curated by the man behind Secret 7" himself, Kevin King. This mixtape is a selection of songs that Kevin would like to give the Secret 7" treatment to in the future. Go on, Kev! Go onnnnnnn.

A collection of printed materials and a small black notebook are scattered across a bright pink surface. A magazine cover reads “ZEIT MAGAZIN” and “The Berlin State of Mind”, while a white card displays the name “Patricia Body Jones”. — Above
This Week’s Things

This week’s Things encompasses mountain ranges, magnificently theatrical gas, gig posters, album artwork, cool colourful photography and the most charming travel planner to ever try to organise our lives around. Don’t be shy!

A collection of printed materials and a CD case laid over a bright pink background. The CD cover features a purple circle and the text “Patricia Body Issues”. — Above
SAVWO: Album Artwork and Posters

A blue and black illustration on a white poster shows a person reclining and playing a guitar. Bold text above reads “I DON’T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE”. — Above
SAVWO: Album Artwork and Posters

A black and white poster on a pink background features a distorted, skeletal figure. The text at the bottom reads “Wolf Eyes” and “Plus Guests”, with event details for the Soup Kitchen on 12 September. — Above
SAVWO: Album Artwork and Posters

A square album cover in a plastic sleeve, set against a bright pink background. The cover is split between a deep blue left side and a black right side, featuring a circular, textured illustration of a face. A white label in the bottom left corner reads “PATRICIA BODY ISSUES” above a list of tracks. — Above
SAVWO: Album Artwork and Posters

SAVWO: Album Artwork and Posters

In spite of the walls being covered with all the images we can lay our hands on (quite a lot) and an entire universe of post-it notes, the It’s Nice That HQ doesn’t really lend itself to mascots. That is, however, until the mysteriously-named SAVWO sent in a green print of a happy looking dog, which is now perched contentedly behind Editor-in-Chief Rob Alderson’s desk, wearing a gold tinsel halo. Yes.

Evidently we decided we needed to know more about the elusive creator responsible for this work of art; presenting to you, then, album artwork and gig posters by the fair hand of the very same John Powell-Jones, illustrator, print-maker and fine artist extraordinaire. Nice, innit?
www.johnpowell-jones.co.uk

An open booklet shows a landscape photograph across two pages. A winding river flows through a green valley towards snow-capped mountains under a pale blue sky. — Above
David Boyson Cooper: Climb Every Mountain

An open book laid against a bright pink background. Two landscape photographs show rocky, autumnal hillsides with small figures of people scattered across the terrain. — Above
David Boyson Cooper: Climb Every Mountain

An open book displays a landscape photograph across two pages, set against a bright pink background. The image shows dark, rugged mountain peaks emerging from a thick blanket of white clouds. — Above
David Boyson Cooper: Climb Every Mountain

An open book laid flat against a bright pink background. The left page contains black text under the headings “Thanks” and “Colophon”, while the right page shows a photograph of a person standing on a rocky outcrop overlooking a lake and mountains. — Above
David Boyson Cooper: Climb Every Mountain

David Boyson Cooper: Climb Every Mountain

Mountain photography is an excellent photographic genre, isn’t it? David Boyson Cooper is taking it to the brink (sorry) with this publication, which was made as part of a workshop for the Independent Photography Festival in Melbourne, Australia. The book compiles a collection of beautiful images taken on or around jaw-droppingly mountainous impressive landscapes, and also features an excellent essay by Max Olijnyk entitled “The Longest and the Loudest” about the most impressive burps and farts he has ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Magnificent.
www.davidboysoncooper.tumblr.com

The cover of Zeit Magazin features a person standing in front of the Chrysler Building in New York. The headline reads “The BERLIN STATE of MIND”, with a list of names including “Kate Moss” and “Selena Gomez”. — Above
Zeit Magazin: The International Issue #1

An open book shows a surreal illustration of several pale, fragmented figures in a bedroom. The figures are posed in various states of dress and undress around a bed with orange pillows. Text at the bottom of the right page reads “BEDTIME STORIES” followed by a short poem about dreams. — Above
Zeit Magazin: The International Issue #1

An open magazine shows two black and white photographs of Iggy Pop. On the left, he wears a grey blazer and glasses, standing beside a Coca-Cola vending machine. On the right, he leans against a window frame in a denim jacket. — Above
Zeit Magazin: The International Issue #1

An open book shows a black and white photograph of a funeral service. A person lies in a casket beside a football helmet, while others look on. The facing page features the headline “A GAME OF LIFE AND DEATH”. — Above
Zeit Magazin: The International Issue #1

Zeit Magazin The International Issue: #1

Okay, so we may be a little bit late on this one, but we’re happy to admit that the International Issue of the brilliant Zeit Magazin is an exciting enough event for us to forgo the usual rule of sticking to brand new of the moment stuff and talk about this publication, which came out very late last year. Hearing more and more that editorial staff from the excellent magazine “wished they could read” the photography-led pages, Time decided it was high time (teehee) that an English “best-of” version make its was to us non-German speakers, too. And here it is, suitably glossy and full to the brim of all the excellent stuff which has graced the pages of it German counterpart of the last few weeks. What a fantastic idea!
www.zeit.de

A white book cover with bold black typography reads “Ohne Ende”. Smaller text at the top and bottom reads “Sebastian Helsewe” and “Kunstverein Speyer”. — Above
Sebastian Haslauer: Ohne Ende

An open book with a text-heavy left page and a photograph on the right. The image shows a person standing on a beach at sunset, their silhouette cast against a glowing orange sky. — Above
Sebastian Haslauer: Ohne Ende

An open book with black pages features a colourful illustration of a beach scene with palm trees and a sun. White hand-drawn text across the centre reads “WHY IS EVERYBODY MAKING ME SO MAD?”. — Above
Sebastian Haslauer: Ohne Ende

An open book displays two comic-style illustrations of exploding rocks against a bright pink background. The left page shows a large explosion of blue shards with green radial lines, while the right page features a smaller, similar scene with pink radial lines. — Above
Sebastian Haslauer: Ohne Ende

Sebastian Haslauer: Ohne Ende

“Greetings Earthlings, my name is Sebastian Haslauer and I am an artist living in the land of fantasy.” So proclaims the info section of Sebastian’s website, and that’s more or less what I can discover about the creator behind the excellent Ohne Ende, a giant magazine-come-exhibition catalogue full to the brim with paintings, drawings, collages and sculptures. Anyway, it’s colourful and we love the pictures, and for more info (in German) you can click here!
www.hasimachtsachen.com

A black notebook lies flat against a bright pink background. Gold text on the cover lists numbers from “01” to “12” separated by dashes and arrows, with “Whimsical Agnesiga” and “2014” printed at the bottom. — Above
Whimsical Agnesiga: Travel Planner, 2014

An open book features a guide to London with the headline “Don’t miss the city in London”. The page includes a black and white photograph of a person and a small gold-coloured sculpture of an elephant. — Above
Whimsical Agnesiga: Travel Planner, 2014

An open notebook shows a watercolour map of the world on a bright pink background. Red markers and text highlight “Tulum”, “London”, “Paris” and “Kyoto”. — Above
Whimsical Agnesiga: Travel Planner, 2014

An open book laid against a bright pink background. The left page contains two perforated postcards, while the right page shows a person standing in turquoise water and a black and white illustration of a birdhouse. — Above
Whimsical Agnesiga: Travel Planner, 2014

Whimsical Agnesiga: Travel Planner, 2014

This might just be the sweetest damn travel guide we ever did see. Colourfully-dressed Latvian blogger Agnese Klein chose the destinations covered by travelling to all of the places where her friends were – and those places were London, Paris, Tulum and Kyoto, the lucky devil. On her return she has compiled all the tips she received into a handy week-by-week guide with removable postcards, space for notes and tips and most important, loads of nice pictures.
www.whimsicalagnesiga.com

Tweet of the Week

Can't believe Americans say a can of whoopass when they mean a tin of hooraybum.
— Monk D'Wally de Honk (@Monk_Wally_Honk) January 5, 2014

Best happy birthday song ever of the week

Unless of course you don’t like Neil Young or Willie Nelson. But then if you don’t then I’m not sure we can hang out anymore.

“Go on, let’s have a BuzzFeed list” of the week

It’s a really good one. It shows you how plants grow out of the ground. WTF pineapples?!

A vast field of pineapple plants stretches across a gentle slope under a pale sky. The spiky green leaves surround the ripening fruit in neat, repeating rows.

The Simpsons anime special of the week

Woo! It’s got a tonne of Studio Ghibli references in there too! Whoever said the new issues were rubbish…

Terrifying internet warning video for kids of the week

Best advice you’ll ever get of the week

And it’s all in one handy list. Seriously, this guy knows what he’s talking about!

A shirtless person with a long beard and a pointed black hat holds a long, rusted axe above their head. They stand outdoors in a cluttered yard next to a weathered building. — Above
Raaaaaaargh!

Small island that will blow your MIND of the week

I never thought geography could be so unbelievably satisfying!

Ducks with cold feet of the week

A group of mallard ducks stand and walk across a frozen, cracked lake. The ice is a pale blue-grey with dark, jagged fissures branching across the surface. — Above
Wah!

Further Info

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It's Nice That

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