A scattered pile of magazines and zines on a white surface. Visible titles include “Fight”, “desktop” and “Oceans”.

Things 2013 #6: Oceanic gems, excellent illustration, nice cards, politics and fabric... Hello Things.

Words: Anna Trench
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Date: 9 February 2013; Things
Work

Here are some of the Things that dropped into It’s Nice That’s hands this week. From the deepest, bluest oceans to activists in Australia, from Kingston fabric to Portland paper to Dutch illustration, Things went to great lengths to deliver these goods. Go on, have a look.

The cover of a book titled “Oceans” features a painting of a large, red fishing net filled with fish. A small green boat floats on a deep blue sea in the background. In the bottom right corner, text reads “Things that blow my mind” and “Miranda Sofroniou”. — Above
Miranda Sofroniou: Oceans – Things That Blow My Mind

A series of layered illustrations in a small book. The top page shows a colourful, stylised scene of ships on blue water, with the word “cities” visible on a page below. — Above
Miranda Sofroniou: Oceans – Things That Blow My Mind

A collage illustration of a blue whale made from textured scraps of blue, purple and red paper. Text beside the whale reads “Blue Whales are the largest animals ever!” and a red car shape contains the words “They have hearts the size of a small car.” — Above
Miranda Sofroniou: Oceans – Things That Blow My Mind

An open book featuring a dark green and blue watercolour illustration of a deep ocean. A small yellow boat floats on the surface above the text, “The Ocean is extremely powerful. Waves can travel up to 200 miles per hour destroying everything in their path.” — Above
Miranda Sofroniou: Oceans – Things That Blow My Mind

An illustration across two open book pages shows a circular Earth divided into water and land. The right page is a deep blue sea with yellow and green fish and the text “71% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water.” — Above
Miranda Sofroniou: Oceans – Things That Blow My Mind

Miranda Sofroniou: Oceans – Things That Blow My Mind

Miranda Sofroniou is a London-based illustrator who makes a series of children’s books called “Things that blow my mind”. Full of genuinely interesting facts (did you know if you took all the salt out of the ocean and spread it over the land, the salt would form a layer as tall as a 40 storey building?) and designed and illustrated beautifully with bright paints and collage, it’s an educational and visual delight for readers of all ages.
www.mirandasofroniou.com

Four issues of Eight magazine are fanned out against a white background. The front cover features a blue and red illustration of a person sitting at a desk surrounded by keyboards. — Above
EIGHT: a young contemporary art magazine (issues 2-5)

A surreal collage featuring fragmented figures and a grey bird in flight. The composition is a mix of painted elements and sketches on a bright yellow and white background. — Above
EIGHT #4

A black and white illustration of a dense crowd of stylised figures. The characters have simple, geometric features and wear various hats and headgear. — Above
EIGHT #4

An illustration of a large, hairy creature with blue eyes and glasses, its mouth open in a shout. Small blue figures with orange conical heads climb over its head, while a satellite is held in its mouth. — Above
EIGHT #5

An open book showing two contrasting illustrations. The left page features a surreal, abstract composition of swirling purple, red and yellow shapes. The right page is a colourful comic strip depicting anthropomorphic dogs in a city street, with a sign reading “GRIMEY & DUBSTEP”. — Above
EIGHT #5

EIGHT: a young contemporary art magazine

EIGHT magazine has some seriously good illustration. The Netherlands publication dedicated to young contemporary art and artists is also dedicated to quality printing practice and urges its readers to pluck out their favourite, glossy, poster-sized artwork and hang it up. It’s sure to make your walls look pretty fine.
www.eightmagazine.nl

A collection of printed materials and brochures are scattered on a white surface. A white envelope with a green geometric pattern sits on top, featuring the text “Premier Press Holiday Pack”. — Above
Good Stuff: Premier Press Holiday Pack

An illustration of various craft and workshop tools drawn in pink and black ink on white paper. The items include a drill, scissors, a hammer and a laptop, with the text “TOOLS FOR MAKING.” appearing in the bottom right. — Above
Good Stuff: Premier Press Holiday Pack

Two black and white illustrations lie side by side. One shows a stylised owl on a dark background, while the other depicts a head with an open top and a brain inside, with a sign hanging above that reads “OPEN for NEW IDEAS”. — Above
Good Stuff: Premier Press Holiday Pack

Two graphic prints side by side. On the left, a red coffin-shaped illustration features white line art of roses and a ribbon that reads “UNTIL THE CASKET DROPS”. On the right, a white abstract shape on a blue background contains a black minimalist line drawing of a face. — Above
Good Stuff: Premier Press Holiday Pack

A wooden stool tilts precariously in a white room. A long strip of toilet paper unravels from a roll, wrapping around the seat and floating in mid-air. — Above
Good Stuff: Premier Press Holiday Pack

Good Stuff: Premier Press Holiday Pack

Portland-based Premier Press created a Holiday Pack showcasing both the talents of their hometown’s designers and the printing techniques the company itself has mastered. The result is a load of nicely printed, nicely designed large cards.
www.premierpress.com

The cover of Desktop magazine issue “#290” features a dark, textured blue background. Gold text reads “THE DESIGNERS HAVE ONLY PACKAGED THE WORLD IN VARIOUS WAYS – THE POINT HOWEVER IS TO CHANGE IT” followed by “INKAHOOTS – MMXII”. — Above
desktop: #290 Activated

An illustration in an open book shows a creature with long ears and a thin frame using a shovel. A caption below reads “I CHOOSE TO SHOVEL SHIT FOR $5 AN HOUR”. — Above
desktop: #290 Activated

A close-up of a book page featuring bold, black typography on a white background. The words are arranged in a grid and include “YOU STOP SEEN”, “RIGHT LEFT LIKE”, “DOWN UP” and “OCCUPY”. — Above
desktop: #290 Activated

An open book shows a spread titled “Occupy Design”. The right page features a photograph of a newspaper with the words “FINANCIAL CRIMES” printed over it in bold, black block letters. — Above
desktop: #290 Activated

An open book shows a spread about the magazine Oz. The left page features a collage of vintage covers and the headline “RETURN TO OZ”, while the right page shows a large, surreal illustration of a face with oversized red lips and a single eye. — Above
desktop: #290 Activated

desktop: #290 Activated

The most recent issue of Australia’s desktop magazine champions design as a force for political and social good. There’s some fascinating, worthwhile features including an exploration of Occupy’s graphics, a wander through Greenpeace’s studio, a glance back at the brilliant Oz magazine and a guided tour through the images that shaped activism in Australia.
www.desktopmag.com.au

The cover of a pale pink book features the bold black text “OOMK” at the top. Below is a framed image of three figures in period dress, with the title “ONE OF MY KIND” and a list of names printed at the bottom. — Above
OOMK: Issue One: Fabric

An open book shows a page featuring a sketch of a skull. A banner above the skull reads “CREEP”. — Above
OOMK: Issue One: Fabric

An open book shows two pages of artist profiles. The left page features a black and white illustration of a street scene under the heading “Reena Makwana”, while the right page shows a figure with a small dog under the heading “Rose Nordin”. — Above
OOMK: Issue One: Fabric

An open book shows an illustration of a person sitting and smoking a hookah. They wear a striped vest and a traditional cap, seated beside another figure in a decorated interior. Above the image, the text reads “Rama Masrisada” and “epic tales”. — Above
OOMK: Issue One: Fabric

An open book shows an illustration of a surreal landscape. Figures climb a ladder toward a cracked, moon-like sphere while a boat floats above a rocky terrain beside a large orange octopus. Above the image, text reads “SABBA KHAN” and “moon juicing”. — Above
OOMK: Issue One: Fabric

OOMK: Issue One: Fabric

OOMK (One of my Kind) is a new zine made by three girls honing their skills at Kingston and their architect friend. Themed around fabric, the first issue has some lovely illustrations, photographs and stories about making various creative things.
www.oomk.net