Today, 09.26.09

Born in 1915 in Kalofer, Bulgaria, Stefan Kirov Kanchev — the son of an iconographer — studied mural painting in the National Art Academy with Dechko Uzunov. His studies as an artist eventually led him to graphic design, and a long career during which he produced book covers, typefaces, trademarks, stamps, posters, logos and more. In 1971 he was honored with the Bulgarian title of National Artist, though to date, his work remains largely unknown in many parts of the world. In an effort to to preserve his life-long accomplishments, a Bulgarian website has collected a number of examples from Kirov’s impressive body of work, a selection of which we are delighted to share with our readers today.

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.”

Editor’s Note: All images link to their original source and are copyright their original owners.