The Design Observer Twenty




11.25.09
Eric Baker | Today Column

Today: Holiday Cards 2009


Here are Today’s images. This week, we are previewing a special collection of holiday images, curated by the Eric Baker, which are simultaneously available as holiday cards, produced by Mohawk Fine Papers. Eight images. Two colors, red and green. Sixteen cards and envelopes. $20.00. All available through Felt&Wire.
















TODAY is a weekly jewel box of seemingly random, yet thoughtfully selected images. At times tender, wicked, nostalgic, amusing, and dazzling, each edition is presented without narration, editing or explanation by its author, designer Eric Baker. "It all began as a goof. One day I sent a good friend about 50 random pictures of cheese. I don't know why, but to me cheese is funny, perhaps it is the word itself and its various connotations. Eventually I began looking closer, or should I say broader at 'things'. Things lost on the fringes...ordinary, odd, beautiful things. Esoteric images, old diagrams, typography, cartography — visions of a once promising but now extinct future."





Comments [8]

I love your blog every week and the images that you choose, but these don't seem to work for me. The red and green background colors are too vibrant and saturated compared to the wistful faded images. Instead of the picture, I focus on the phenomenological effects of the vibrancy on my eyes' ability/ies to register an unmottled color field. Maybe this effect is partially the result of the backlighting provided by the computer monitor, but it detracts from the images nonetheless.
boggy
11.28.09
03:03

Boggy: are you kidding? It's Christmas! Merry Christmas!
MATThew Aubie
11.29.09
10:04

Nice retro feel about it all. Brings back old memories. The red and green primaries work perfectly well. Adds to the fun really.

3 thumbs up out of possible 5.
Ashley Adams : Online Printing
11.30.09
08:32

Boggy. Are you serious?!
Blas
11.30.09
10:59

Agreeing with Boggy, at least on the fifth and sixth ones. But I like the choice of images -- they really fit the theme of "seemingly random, yet thoughtfully selected" :)

Pet peeve: advent doesn't start before December, though, so you should've waited.
Christer
12.01.09
05:56

Like the philosophy here. Don't enjoy the layout. Enjoy the images here. Don't enjoy the abrupt colors taking away from the nostalgic "art". Certainly enjoy the, "visions of a once promising but now extinct future.
Area36
12.01.09
04:50

Boggy was serious. Completely serious. Although it may have alot to do with what kind of computer monitor you look at these on. Right now I am using my MacBook which is not as bright and high-def as my home monitor and the colors here look more muted and candy-like. At home it is hard to even see the pictures for the op-art vibrancy of the background colors. But since actual *paper* colors are never as bright as backlight computer images it might be okay.

I look at pictures for a living so I am just extra nitpicky about things. I'm not saying they aren't fun.
Boggy
12.03.09
06:54

I do like the off-centeredness of the image placements though, and how they are off on all the margins...
Boggy
12.03.09
06:56


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