Through the Gyre

Whether infographics come from programming or painting, data display is an art. GOOD magazine sports some of the best around, and always on a hot topic. Check out this frightening beauty on an unsettling topic, the Great Pacific Gyre. Illustration by Jacob Magraw-Mickelson. Check out the GOOD Flickr collection of infographics.

For more information on the "Great Pacific Trash Heap," look to Miriam C. Goldstein, the chief scientist on the SEAPLEX team. To hear an interview with Miriam, check out the NPR Science Friday story that aired July 31, 2009.

Lower 48

Ben Fry has created a stunning bit of visual data that is at once alluring and appalling. All Streets is an image of 26 million road segments across the lower 48 United States. The darker the line clusters, the higher the road (and thus population) density. Here you can see the entire U.S., as well as a close up of each coast with focal points on the San Francisco Bay Area and the Appalachian Mountains. It's worth the read to have a window into his process.

David Trubridge

Living with a woodworker and craftsman has opened my world to the sculptural wonder of timber. In the cache of heroes is David Trubridge — internationally acclaimed designer and maker. Trubridge is an inspiring and enviable guy. He's a self-taught furniture maker with a degree in Naval Architecture (boat design). He designed and built his own house, but only after sailing around the world for 5 years on a yacht with his family. He exhibits, curates, teaches, and travels internationally, while also running a design partnership, Cicada Works, and student design studio, Cicada Studios.

Roam and Click

If you enjoy luscious, luminous, highly-lickable color you simply must check out Roam and Click, the photoblog of photographer Trevor Christian, aka Bones, aka T-bone (to me). He even includes cool specs like focal length, aperture, exposure, and ISO. Simply sublime.

Deanna Halsall

Deanna Halsall is a very talented UK-based illustrator who makes splendid images. Subsequently, she make my heart very happy.
Be sure to check out her blog.

Fruit Juice Packaging by Naoto Fukasawa

It is impossible not to love well executed, high concept packaging. Japanese industrial designer Naoto Fukasawa has this to say about his look-alike fruit juice boxes: "I imagined that if the surface of the packaging imitated the color and texture of the fruit skin, then the object would reproduce the feeling of the real skin". Indeed!
[via The Dieline via toxel.com]

Banana Bonanza

My mom recently taught me the secret to a healthy sweet treat fix: chopped up frozen bananas. All the satisfying flavor and consistency without the guilt! Faith Durand at The Kitchn takes it one step further with blended over-ripe frozen bananas. Inexplicably it tastes just like ice cream, only without the sugar or fat. Try adding a spoonful of other ingredient(s) like honey, vanilla, or peanut butter, for a flavor twist.
[via Instructables via CRAFT]

Naturally, bananas will never take the place of ice cream. (Did I mention I'm eating Grasshopper Pie as I write this?) Especially not if you happen to live, as I do, so close to so many amazing ice cream parlors. If you're in San Francisco's mission district, be sure to check out BiRite Creamery, Humphry Slocombe, & Mitchell's.

Personally, my favorite flavor is salted caramel. Check out this fab recipe from CRAFT, by David Lebovitz.

Twitcher

As children, my dad used to drag us kids out in the field at ungodly hours with the promise of funds for positive identification: 10 cents a species. $5 for a golden eagle. It's no small wonder I never much cared for birdwatching, but I did develop a love of the flighted subjects. These two are the beginnings of what I hope to expand into a series of bird portraits. Stay tuned.

Sharky the Tea-Infuser

I've always been a big fan of playing with food — so why not tea? Sharky, by Pablo Matteoda, won 3rd place in the Beyond Silver competition by designboom.com in collaboration with MACEF.
Over 3,566 designers from 89 different countries submitted.
[via Looks Like Good Design]

Stella McCartney & Disney

Stella McCartney & Disney. Need I say more?
[via Cyana Trend Land]

The New York Times Style Magazine covers

The New York Times Style Magazine does it again. And again.
And again. [via FFFFOUND! via GraphicHug]

Wordbirds

Speaking of creative wordsmiths, check out Wordbirds, a fabulous blog dedicated to portmanteau, nonce words, and other newly minted gems: "a lexicon for the 21st century". Canonbail = guilty as charged.

We Make Words

We Make Words is comprised of Amy and Luci who state, "we like words. and we like arranging objects. and we like taking photos too". Their dialog of alternating word selections are paired into heartwarming sequences of familiar phrases or associative articles. Playful, gorgeous, and an addictive delight. Hats off.

Brandon Blommaert

Brandon Blommaert is an awe-inspiring audio and visual artist from Alberta. The above work is from a series called eco station — fantastic handmade creatures set in epic storybook landscapes. Check out the build process. [via Kitsune Noir] The above video reads "an animation about a scientist in a computerized cave."