The Nature of College by James J. Farrell | Milkweed Editions
Thursday, November 4th, 2010 | Pop Culture Notions, Power & Politics, Tonky Graphic Design | No Comments

Check out the cover I designed for the book The Nature of College by James Farrell.
The Nature of College | $16 | Milkweed Editions
It’s a very nice read and especially worth buying for people in or entering college.
I pitched various ideas to the publisher Milkweed Editions and they went with the “Modern Day Vanitas” concept.
Each chapter sheds light on a different aspects of college life: The Nature of Parties, The Nature of Sex and (Sometimes) Love, The Nature of Politics, etc.
So I created an allegorical still life, much like the Dutch ‘vanitas’ paintings. In this modern day example, each object symbolizes a different facet of the book’s contents. Special thanks to Ward Yoshimoto who photographed the still life for me. The raw hi-res image is simply gorgeous.
enjoy,
Tonky
The still life wraps around the spine and back. Here is the full spread sans text and title.

New vs. Old and Consumer Loyalty
Thursday, November 4th, 2010 | Pop Culture Notions | No Comments

I recently purchased identical new versions of two products that have served me well. Both were durable and exactly what I needed in terms of style and function.
- New Balance 990 Sneakers
- Perry Ellis Bi-Fold Wallet
The New vs. Old picture is fun and so I wanted to share it.
Let’s also think for a moment about good design vs. planned obsolescence. Many companies sell new product lines by focusing on how the old version is no longer worth owning. In truth, innovation doesn’t happen as fast as they would have you believe. As consumers become more and more savvy, I hope corporations will focus more on research & development as opposed to the smoke and mirrors of marketing.
-Tonky
VOTE Today – Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010
Tuesday, November 2nd, 2010 | Power & Politics | No Comments

Civic Duty Y’all. Get on out to the polls!
The image above is a crop from a much larger image I made for the cover of a newly published book called “The Nature of College” by James J. Farrell. Just $16 at Milkweed Editions: The Nature of College
I’ll post the full cover design this week if you promise to VOTE!
-Tonky
Billion Dollar-o-Gram
Saturday, October 16th, 2010 | Pop Culture Notions, Power & Politics, The American Diorama | No Comments

Sheisa,
A killer visualization from David McCandless and InformationIsBeautiful.net. Pretty to look at and shitty to think about.
-Tonky
Shangri-La Wall Graphic | Blissliving Exclusive
Thursday, October 7th, 2010 | Tonky Graphic Design, Tonky Limited Editions | No Comments

Ye-all,
Check out the NEW design we produced exclusively for Blissliving Home.
The Shangri-La Wall graphic comes in a set of 4 for $75 and is available in “Storm Grey”
What’s cool about this design is that the grey will match any color wall and you can tile multiples as shown above.
Order at BlissLivingHome.com
-Tonky
Gummy Bears Look Unlike Actual Bears
Friday, September 17th, 2010 | Pop Culture Notions | No Comments

Just tinkering around with my Canon S90’s macro functions and realized how little gummy bears resemble actual furry bears.
Deep huh?
-Tonky
Hot Pink Pantsuit VS. Bright Green Carpet
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 | The American Diorama | No Comments

I was just going through some pics I snapped last week at NYIGF and found an image that will fascinate anyone that has studied color theory.
This nice lady entertained my fascination with the electric dissonance between her hot pink outfit and the event’s bright green carpeting.
-Tonky

