It's Nice That

Work / Photography

Photography series Metamorphosis reimagines iconic female characters as 21st century women

We don’t remember reading the part that depicts the Virgin Mary as a tattooed matriarch with a nose ring and knuckle dusters? Or the painting that shows Venus to be a body-building athlete with groomed hair down her legs? These representations may not have made it into our history books, but Amsterdam and London-based photographer Lois Cohen and New York-based stylist Indiana Roma Voss have given the female protagonists centerstage in their latest series Metamorphosis. Together the duo reimagine female archetypes from a range of geographical areas and cultures and place them in recognisable contexts in order to transform them into 21st century women.

Daphne Milner — 23 April 2018

Daphne Milner — 23 April 2018

Work / Digital
Google Fonts Korean becomes interactive by manipulating path data

Initially launched in 2010, Google Fonts is an online collection of fonts available for designers and web developers to embed on their websites, for free. Until very recently, the collection was unable to support Korean. However, Google has now devised a more efficient means of serving Chinese, Japanese and Korean (CJK) font files, which have very large character sets, resulting in large file sizes.

Ruby Boddington — 23 April 2018
Work / Opinion
Environmental Activism: Why We Need To Shake Up the Visual

Graphic designer Claire Matthews founded independent campaign group Clean Air Now alongside Vasilisa Forbes in 2016. Clean Air Now advocatew for positive environmental change in London and across the UK, through billboards, subverts, videos and street art placement.

Claire Matthews — 23 April 2018
News / Set Design
Es Devlin draws on afrofuturism to create a powerful and innovative set for The Weeknd at Coachella

British designer Es Devlin is revered in her field. Not only for the clients she has designed stages for — think Beyonce, Kanye West, Miley Cyrus — but for her ability to translate the core of an artists presence into a visually arresting and enlightening work of art. Yes, Es Devlin does more than design stages, she reaches into the core of those who she designs for and expertly creates powerful sets to communicate what she finds.

Laura Isabella — 23 April 2018
Media Partnership / Illustration
Charlotte Dumortier on her identity for this year’s ELCAF and what she’s looking forward to most

From 22 — 24 June a global range of illustrators and comic artists will descend on London, filling The Round Chapel and The School Rooms in Hackney for the annual East London Comics and Arts Festival. 2018 marks the seventh edition of ELCAF, a weekend packed with a programme of talks, workshops, masterclasses, screenings, installations and exhibitions, as well as some of the world’s most exciting illustration focused artists selling their goods too. Tickets are now available in advance of the weekend in June and more information is available here.

Lucy Bourton — 23 April 2018
Work / Animation
The Art of Shinkansen animated gif series celebrates the Japanese bullet train

The Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) has launched a series of 15 short gif animations by various Japanese and international artists to celebrate the bullet train or Shinkansen. The Art of Shinkansen project heralds the iconic trains’ perpetual movement, innovative technology and impeccable service, specifically the original line joining Tokyo and Osaka, in an eclectic range of animated artworks spanning illustration styles and subject matter.

Jenny Brewer — 20 April 2018
News / Digital
Ikea included a Narnia-like secret portal in its augmented reality app

Appealing to Easter egg fans and Ikeaphiles alike, a hidden detail of the Ikea Place app allows users to place a “magical” wardrobe anywhere and travel through its doors to a secret portal.

Jenny Brewer — 20 April 2018

Latest

View all latest

Regulars

Bookshelf

Google’s Tea Uglow’s Bookshelf includes “Second-wave cyberpunk” and “print wizardry”

Pentagram’s Luke Powell and Jody Hudson-Powell’s Bookshelf from their teenage years

Charlie Engman’s eclectic bookshelf includes Japanese display design, London barber shops and bugs

Penguin book cover designer Janet Hansen on her favourite books

Illustrator Nadine Redlich on her most-loved books

Buffalo Zine editors Adrián González-Cohen and David Uzquiza on their favourite books

Photographer Nina Manandhar shares her most inspirational books

The New Yorker’s design team shares its favourite books in this mammoth Bookshelf

Lisa Simpson’s bookshelf: from the curator of Instagram’s Simpsons Library

Latest

Regulars

Bookshelf

This Month's Most Read