A collection of magazines and booklets are scattered across a surface. One cover features the title “ideas ILLUSTRATED” above a hand making a gesture, while another reads “SOAP” and “LINGUISTIC LANGOUR PLAGUES THE PRESS”.

Things is here – lounging with hip LA kids, learning how to make beer and loving new YCN mag

Words: Catherine Gaffney
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Date: 16 June 2012; Work

The weather this week has been a frenzy of unpredictability; now and then it looks like summer’s going to make a reappearance, and then the rain comes pouring down, slamming on the glass windows at the top of our studio and leaving a mountain of soaked umbrellas by the door. But at least – thanks to our wonderful contributors – we can always rely on Things to brighten up our day! Today, we’re looking at all sorts of publications showcasing beautiful illustrations, rom-com stills, the cool kids of Los Angeles, supercool layouts, aaaaaaand lessons on how to make our own beer and soap!

A magazine cover titled “ideas ILLUSTRATED” lies on a blue surface. The cover features a hand in a yellow glove and a red-and-white striped sleeve against a pale yellow background. — Above
YCN: Ideas Illustrated

An open magazine showing a double-page spread. The left page features a colourful illustration of Las Vegas landmarks above the headline “A Loser’s Guide to Las Vegas”. — Above
YCN: Ideas Illustrated

An open magazine shows a colourful, stylised map of New York. The right page features a large “New York” headline and a green area labelled “Central Park”. — Above
YCN: Ideas Illustrated

Ideas Illustrated: No. 05 – The Luck Issue

What it says on the tin. An awesome tin packed with amazing images – varied, beautiful, and illustrating all manner of subject material, from women’s sport and the British penal system, to mathematics and a piece entitled, A Loser’s Guide to Las Vegas. YCN have rung the changes with their publication and there’s a lot of wonderfully presented representational material, with lovely abstract pieces by Andrew Clarke. There’s also a little booklet called My Week with Woody by Thomas J. Hughes, wherein the writer and illustrator depicts an imaginative week with the director – which, amusingly, fails to live up to expectations.
www.ideas-illustrated.com

A black booklet lies on a bright blue surface. A white graphic on the cover resembles a barcode with the words “ROMCOM DEATH TRIP” written across it. — Above
Charlie Behrens: Romcom Death Trip

An open booklet featuring four images printed in yellow and grey. The top left image shows a person smiling, while the others are distorted, glitchy versions of the same portrait. — Above
Charlie Behrens: Romcom Death Trip

A close-up of an open booklet with pages curling upwards. One page shows a blurred red and purple image, while the other features a green and yellow abstract pattern. — Above
Charlie Behrens: Romcom Death Trip

Charlie Behrens: Romcom Death Trip

Next up is former Student of the Month Charlie Behrens. Behrens this week dropped in his new book, Romcom Death Trip, which meditates on the similar levels of predictability involved in the viewing of both romantic comedies and slasher flicks. The result, with its grainy mash-up of film stills in a variety of colours and layouts, is an intriguing re-representation of source images. The silver barcode-style title on the front cover is also beautifully done.
www.plethoralondon.wordpress.com

A yellow book lies on a blue surface. The cover features two photographs, one of which includes a sign that reads “STAY COOL” with a black arrow. — Above
RJ Shaughnessy: Stay Cool

A spread from a lookbook featuring three photographs of a person with a bicycle. They wear a white shirt and black trousers, with a long yellow fabric trailing behind them in the wind. — Above
RJ Shaughnessy: Stay Cool

An open photobook displays a series of snapshots. Images include a person on a bicycle, a close-up portrait, a traffic light, and a street sign that reads “Wilshire”. — Above
RJ Shaughnessy: Stay Cool

RJ Shaughnessy: Stay Cool

Nothing like a bright burst of Los Angeles to warm up a rainy London day. LA-based photographer RJ Shaugnessy sent us this book, a compilation of images of youngsters taken out and about on the freeways, boulevards, and avenues of the much warmer city. Flowers, palm trees, street-signs, wire fencing, and blue skies all feature in these sunny compositions; there’s a keen sense of place, youth, and whimsy – it makes you want to run off and do nothing but scale traffic lights, lounge around on skateboards, and splash about in fountains. Oh to be young, oh LA!
www.rjshaughnessy.com

Two white instructional booklets lie side by side on a blue background. One reads “HOW TO MAKE SOAP” by Jenny Elesmore, and the other reads “HOW TO MAKE NETTLE BEER” by John Wright. Both are labelled “SKILLSET: BEGINNER” and include simple icons for time and duration. — Above
Joe Baker: The Makers Project

A close-up of a printed instruction manual for soap making. One page lists materials under the heading “WHAT YOU WILL NEED”, including ingredients like caustic soda and various oils. — Above
Joe Baker: The Makers Project

A folded infographic titled “British Seasonal Fruit & Veg” features a grid of red dots marking availability across the year. A white instructional booklet rests on top, showing a step-by-step guide with the heading “Prepare the oils”. — Above
Joe Baker: The Makers Project

Joe Baker: The Makers Project

We were delighted to receive these little guidebooks on how to make soap and beer _ we hadn’t really given their manufacture a thought before, but are very much looking forward to trying it out! Especially as it’s nettle beer (which the booklet guarantees doesn’t sting…). Very beautifully composed and executed, they have the style of old-fashioned manuals but very sophisticated layout and symbolic considerations. Joe Baker made them as part of his self-initiated The Makers Project, which emphasises the importance of actually knowing how to make stuff. The physical element to the work is also very important, as it’s interactive – you open it up and on the reverse side is a poster!

The soap booklet has a lovely poster about shirt patterns, and the beer booklet features a beautiful and extremely useful chart that shows you which fruits and vegetables are in season at any given time of the year. The orange print also contrasts fantastically with the black soy-ink printed recipes. Love it!
www.joehenrybaker.co.uk

An open magazine lies on a blue surface. A red page features a white line drawing of a fly above the text “LINGUISTIC LANGOUR PLAGUES THE PRESS”. — Above
Simon Rogers: Linguistic Langour Plagues the Press

A close-up of several layered, translucent sheets of paper with printed text and images. One page features a blurred portrait and the words “THE PROB”, while another reads “HETIVE: PAUGHT”. — Above
Simon Rogers: Linguistic Langour Plagues the Press

A printed page featuring two photos of shoes side by side. The top pair is labelled “NOT WINKLEPICKERS” and the bottom pair “WINKLEPICKERS”. To the right, a headline reads “NOEL GALLAGHER SICK OF MEN WEARING WINKLEPICKERS”. — Above
Simon Rogers: Linguistic Langour Plagues the Press

Simon Rogers: Linguistic Langour Plagues the Press

Here in London the Leveson Inquiry has been going on for what feels like about five years now – and despite its avowed aim to restore journalism standards in the UK, it seems mainly preoccupied with funny text messages and horses (don’t ask). Luckily Simon Rogers is cutting to the chase and writing to members of the press and challenging us to help save some endangered words such as scurryfunge, slubberdegullion and jirging. A neat concept executed in an engaging and interesting way, this is thought-provoking done very well. Take that Lord Justice Leveson!
www.sixfootfour.co.uk