Superstylin' the World

Drop Dead Gorgeous June

2009-06-07T10:16:00.000-07:00

The monthly fashion clubnight in San José at Fahrenheit is here again!

Retro Love

2009-06-02T07:12:00.000-07:00

I have some oldies for you to enjoy again, that is, if you enjoy oldies music. Most of the songs below can also be found on the The Boat That Rocked soundtrack.

The first one is a single by the Isley Brothers called "This Old Heart Of Mine". The Isley Brothers are a legendary R&B/Soul group that was founded as early as the 1950s and has been a prolific group ever since. Over the past 5 decades they have spanned two generations of Isley siblings. Whether I agree with their music and image they display these days, I'm unsure. But I can't deny the quality of this tune.

Secondly "Lucy In Disguise" by John Fred & His Playboy Band. A spoof on the Beatles tune "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". A truly catchy upbeat song by an interesting band hailing from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Unfortunately John Fred is not with us anymore, but he's left us with this fun tune.

Tommy James & The Shondell's song "Crimson & Clover" is one of those songs that has always been in my head, but never found out who the artist or the name of the song was until a few years ago. I blame my dad who had a simply awesome 60s and 70s record collection, and probably exposed me to all this greatness as a toddler in the 80s. Tommy James & The Shondells have a lot of great music, also check out "I Think We're Alone Now". The vocal effect toward the end of Crimson & Clover is both equally legendary as delicious.

Fourth tune is "With A Girl Like You" by The Troggs. All I need to say is "Ba ba ba ba ba ba ba ba". This is another song that's been in my head since way longer than I can remember. The Troggs are most famous for their song "Wild Thing" more or less famously covered by Jimi Hendrix. As for the Troggs, I really like the vocal sound of their lead singer Reg Presley.

Finally. A band most of you will have heard of called Mungo Jerry. I would be selling them way short by posting "In The Summertime". Their huge, huge hit in the early 1970s. Fact is, they've created a lot more great songs. I'm not even going to post another one of their old songs. I was surprised to find out that they're still recording great music, and so I'll be posting one of their new songs. A great feel-good song "Going Up The River"

Alright, fine. Here's In The Summertime:

More Retro Love another time!

Ziggo cable television

2009-05-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

Television commercial of Dutch cable tv provider Ziggo. At this moment, there are two different versions, each with a famous Dutch personality discribing his or her favorite tv night. In this one Leo Beenhakker (world famous football/soccer coatch) talks about his favorite night watching "a good war movie, some tennis, and Animal Planet. Great concept! Enjoy!

Electric cars. Prius? Not really...

2009-05-16T15:10:00.000-07:00

Respect to Tesla, who have displayed a wonderfully smart piece of market insight. Toyota started the trend with the horribly ugly Prius and quickly the ostentatious rich and famous jumped the parade showing their undoubtedly sincere environmental concern and, well, fashionability.

But despite the self fulfilling nature of owning a Prius, a Toyota is not really a car for the rich and/or famous. It's not even a Lexus...

Enter the Tesla Motors company with their first model, an all electric sports roadster, surprisingly named "Roadster". Which is not bad looking at all, especially considering the looks of the Prius. Not a cheap car by miles, going at close to $100.000. Speeding up to 100km/h (60mph) in just 4 seconds, which means it can measure up to a whole bunch of roadsters and sports cars out there which are in the same price range. The same goes for the even better looking Model S as it is named, which is a real looker if you ask me. Going at around $50.000 and racing up to 100km/h in just 6 seconds.

Anyways, time to make my point. Tesla very smartly saw that the people who were likely to buy these trendsetting vehicles, at least in this point of time, will be the financially prosperous. Those whose mode of transportation will be documented in tabloids and that need conversation topics when they're at their country club. And face it, it'll be a whole lot more fun to show off your Roadster or Model S than your Prius.

Haha

2009-05-16T12:43:00.000-07:00

see more pwn and owned pictures

Bat Country

2009-05-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

Design I did a while ago, thought it would be interesting to post it with the cut from Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas with Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. Still not sure about the title, call it "Can't Stop" or just "Bat Country" haha.

And some Death Kennedys from the soundtrack with shots from the movie:

Twitterfeed

2009-05-11T10:51:00.001-07:00

Trying out Twitterfeed because I never have anything much to share in mini-blogs on Twitter, figured it would be useful to have something that automatically links my blog posts on Twitter. So consider this just a test to see if it works.

Clique May

2009-05-11T00:02:00.001-07:00

Another Clique event! If you're in San José, go check it out!

Had some fun with this one in particular. Tried to emulate one of the first designs I ever did that (in my opinion) led up to my usual "style" I have these days.

Argh!

2009-05-10T13:37:00.000-07:00

Blogspot is pissing me off lately. When uploading images you can choose if you want a medium, small or large version in your post. Sometimes when I select large, it is shrunk down to maybe 100 pixels wide, then at other times when also selecting large it appears so large it even goes behind the boundaries of the blog.

I wish I could figure Wordpress out, but I'm a complete html-and-other-web-stuff-o-phobe

Eric Carl

2009-05-10T13:33:00.000-07:00

Beautiful design by Eric Carl. I only just found out about his work, but it's very inspiring. Have a look at his website!

Football Crest

2009-05-08T23:26:00.001-07:00

Durign the 60s and 70s some football clubs featured beautiful crests. Some of these crests still survive today, while sadly, others have been replaced.

One example, which is not that famous is from a Portuguese lower division club Academica:

I might dig around and try find some more to make it more interesting.

Big Bang

2009-05-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

Another event in San José. Big Bang at B4 Twelve. As always, check it out if you're out there! Bit of a retro comic book superhero/villain look on this one.

Visual Fixation

2009-05-05T12:05:00.000-07:00

Design for the Visual Fixation event at Fahreheit Ultralounge in San José, CA. If you're in the area, check it out!

One day out drinking, 1 digital camera + a few minutes of photoshop

2009-05-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

Queensday and Queensnight in the Netherlands is a great event. This year's celebration was overshadowed by a frustrated person trying to drive his car into the Queen, failing and instead killing 8 innocent spectators to the Queen's parade.

Self portraits are so self indulgent.

Hmmm... Beatles

2009-05-02T17:23:00.001-07:00

Soulwax

2009-05-01T13:55:00.001-07:00

Just two Soulwax remixes. These Belgian guys also know as 2 Many DJ's are one of my favorite remixers/dj's out there. It's insane what they can do to pretty much any kind of music. Enjoy!

The Rolling Stones - You Can't Always Get What You Want (Soulwax Remix)

MGMT - Kids (Soulwax Remix)

Buy our car insurance pt2

2009-04-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

After complaining about bad television commercials, I thought it's only fair to show at least one commercial that does everything right. In my opinion at least.

The company is Allsecur, a Dutch car insurance company (yes, car insurance again, just like the link above) that I actually DID have my insurance with. This commercial aired in Holland a few weeks ago and I love it. It's a simple, clear yet creative concept. It builds anticipation and has an appropriate climax. This is what I meant with "staying true to the product or feeling you are trying to sell."

Something to think about

2009-04-23T06:12:00.000-07:00

"If all the insects were to disappear from the earth, within 50 years all life on earth would end. If all human beings disappeared from the earth, within 50 years all forms of life would flourish."

Jonas Salk

Buy our car insurance...

2009-04-20T08:36:00.001-07:00

Today I ran into a commercial on the Dutch national TV trying to get me to buy a car insurance. Who comes up with these ideas and what the point is is lost on me... I can't find the commercial right now. But the synopsis:

An employee of the insurance company is shown working overtime, coming up with great ideas of new types of insurances. Then there's a shot with a baby and a voice over saying that a father's role in a family is easily replaced. The next thing you see is the family parrot raising the baby because the father, the employee of the insurance company works overtime so much... I mean, really? Is this supposed to make me want to buy a car insurance from them?

There have been great creative commercials in the past that kept it simple, they stayed true to the product or feeling they are trying to sell. Creative ideas are fantastic, that's what it's all about. But lately more and more of these concepts seem to go way over the top. They just loose the point for the sake of being "funny"...

Update: I found the commercial, it's in Dutch but with the above synopsis you should be able to make out my point. Here it is:

The BPA

2009-04-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

Leave it up to Norman Cook, aka his most famous alias Fatboy Slim, but in this case named The BPA (Brighton Port Authority) to make videos with unique concepts. Have a look at "He's Frank" featuring nobody else than Iggy Pop! Great video, and a pretty sweet tune as well!! Such a hilarious idea... and the face on the Iggy Pop doll!

Clique April

2009-04-19T09:36:00.001-07:00

This month's Clique event in San José, CA. Check it out if you're out there!

Good commercial, bad spoof

2009-04-19T09:00:00.001-07:00

An example of a very good commercial and a bitter competitor wanting to do better. The Heineken beer commercial called "Walk In Fridge" and the Bavaria beer spoof on the same concept.

I honestly have to say I saw the Bavaria one first, which naturally makes no sense at all without knowing the Heineken original. Which is on it's own a bad thing, making a commercial that makes no sense...

A little background information, as the commercials are in Dutch. They're both housewarming parties where the male and female show their friends around the house.

The Heineken original:

The Bavaria spoof:

Judge for yourself :)

Welcome to Psychedelia

2009-04-14T22:41:00.000-07:00

I was doing some research for an upcoming design, and figured I'd share part of that research here. Enjoy, some of my favorite psychedelic designs all found at pooterland.com, some insane color combo's!

Joker Shirt

2009-04-13T12:24:00.000-07:00

I didn't make it, so if you dig it as much as I do, I can't point you to where you can get it. If you do know how to get it, then PLEASE let me know... It's bad ass!

Just Like... shirts

2009-03-18T11:29:00.000-07:00

Not a lot of updates since I'm in the Caribbean from the beginning of March till the beginning of April.. skipping the last part of winter :)

Last November I posted a draft of a shirt I did for Foot Traffik, a store that'll open in Boston this coming Saturday. They'll sell exclusive Nike's and their own line of shirts as far as I know, probably more.

Now we know the final look of the shirts. The color of the print and shirt may vary depending on their judgement, as well as which of the two prints will be used... they might both get used, I'm not sure.

Go check them out if you're in Boston this Saturday! They're supposed to have a pretty cool grand opening!

3 times David Letterman

2009-02-25T15:22:00.000-08:00

I would like to think that Joaquin Phoenix is just pulling one huge elaborate prank on us that extends way beyond his appearance on David Letterman. But it turns out he was only one part in a series of 3? This just can't be unplanned... I know I'm setting up a big "duh" here, but I just had to post them. It's so funny.

What The Fuck #1: Joaquin Phoenix

What The Fuck #2: Crispin Clover

What The Fuck #3: Andy Kaufman

The Wrestler

2009-02-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

Saw one of the most touching movies I've ever seen last week. Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler with one of my all-time favorite actors Mickey Rourke.

The movie is based on such a simple story, but that brings out the quality displayed by the director and especially Rourke so much more. This movie has made it into my top 3 movies of all time for sure. Pretty good poster too I have to say. Displays the mood and content of the movie very well.

It also features a kickass 80s based soundtrack as a backflash to The Ram's glory days as a world famous wrestler. A small selection:

guns n roses - sweet child o mine

scorpions - animal magnetism

bruce springsteen - the wrestler (written for the movie)

Great movie poster "Enter The Void"

2009-02-13T20:28:00.000-08:00

Enter the Void is the new movie by Irréversible director Gaspart Noé due to be released sometime 2009. But more importantly is it's stunning movie poster. It's a mix between abstract, neon and classic architecture. Which figures since the movie is set in Tokyo. It's about a Western drug dealer doing his business in Japan. Have a look at the poster below:

Playing the bongo

2009-02-09T00:00:00.000-08:00

Came across this video on the interwebs. I think it is somhow related to the Diesel fashion brand but the link is vague and distant... Still it doesn't make it any less funny. Have a look!

Don't worry it's suitable for minors..

Diesel's SFW XXX Party Clip

I shall call him...

2009-01-26T09:10:00.001-08:00

Something I found on "the internets". I know this is old news, and that it's most likely not even true mostly because I think McCain had some pretty different views on a lot of things than G.W. had, but it's still friggin' funny.

The new Apple laptop!

2009-01-20T07:05:00.000-08:00

Apple Introduces Revolutionary New Laptop With No Keyboard

Haha, this is great. I honestly do not understand the fascination a lot of people have with Apple computers.

Splatters!

2009-01-16T05:04:00.001-08:00

You know, there's a right and a wrong way to use splatters... taken from the Photoshop Disasters blog.

Best movieposters

2009-01-12T10:24:00.001-08:00

Movieposters are such a fascinating medium to me. They combine two things I love the most, identities and posters. Obviously a movie poster should communicate the content of the movie it represents, but to me it's also important that it does this as to the point as possible. Above are some of my favorite ones.

Playing a game

2009-01-11T02:06:00.000-08:00

Proof that gaming too much is not bad for you:

I feel sorry for those who speak German and can actually understand what he's freaking out about...

Moscow rapid transport map

2009-01-05T00:06:00.001-08:00

Ran across the rapid transport map for Moscow. I love how clear, functional and colorful it is. I know these kind of maps can be found in cities all over the world, but I haven't seen one that I wouldn't mind hanging on my wall as much as this one...

Especially dig the great representation of rail that circles the city as an actual circle on the map.

2009-01-04T00:55:00.000-08:00

I recently rediscovered Cat Stevens. My dad is a big fan of his, which explains why some tunes seemed carved in my head already without even knowing or realizing it was him. Cat Stevens is a English singer/songwriter who was at the height of his fame during the 1970s, but already released his first hit single in 1966. His song "The First Cut is the Deepest" has been covered by many high profile artists such as Rod Stewart, along with many more of his songs. During the late 1970s Stevens converted to the Islam and is now known as Yusuf Islam. He has spent the last 3 decades of his life traveling around the world, spreading peace and trying to teach people to understand and appreciate different religions.

What I enjoy most about his music is the subject and how he approaches the subjects in his songs. He has a very interesting view on the world. I've added a small selection of my favorite songs of his;

Peace Train (1971):

Don't Be Shy (1971):

Matthew and Son (1967):

Wild World (1971):

I Love my Dog (1966):

The best thing is, he has made a new album after not having performed for over 25 years until a few years ago.

Wanderings Tour Poster

2009-01-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

Well, we're in the new year! Yay! Anyways, here's the european tour poster I did for Steve Savage.

Have a look at his myspace and tell me if you think the poster fits with the vibe of his music. You can also check the tour dates there, so if you're in the north-western region of Europe, you know where to go!

Foot Traffik

2008-12-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

Was asked to do some t-shirt concepts for an upcoming exclusive Nike footwear store in Boston called Foot Traffik. This is one of the concepts, there might be more in the future. I'll be sure to blog a link if these go into production.

Barcelona Pavilion

2008-12-26T10:05:00.000-08:00

A prime example of modernist architecture, Barcelona Pavilion by German architect Mies van der Rohe, to me clearly shows how architects think in lines, something I very much personally relate to. It is lines that create a sense of purpose in the positioning of elements in any design.

van der Rohe is known as one of the founding fathers of modern day architecture, as opposed to the architecture that was dominant up to the first and second decade of the 20th century.

Barcelona Pavilion was constructed for the 1929 World Fair in Barcelona, to me it is the simplicity in the design that gives it it's intricate complexity. Sometimes it takes something that looks insanely simple but is in fact unimaginably ingenious.

Here are some of my favorite shots and angles taken from danda.be and here

He achieved this magic floating like look to the building by very smart positioning of walls that carry the structure to make it appear as if they are not, while at the same time making it look like very thin beams are carrying instead.

Also take note of the awesome Barcelona Chair (I know, he's an architect, names appear to not be his strongest point)

Eat the Moon - Will Ferrell

2008-12-23T13:21:00.001-08:00

This is so brilliant, Will Ferrell impersonating Harry Caray, a legendary sports commentator.

I know there's another sketch of Ferrell doing Caray which was just as funny, but I can't find it now. I'll upload it when I run into it.

Harley Davidson & The Marlboro Man

2008-11-29T04:11:00.000-08:00

I can't resist, must... have... desire... to own... this machine!!

Manufactured by a wonderfully retro company called Derringer Cycles and designed by an industrial designer that goes by the name of Adrian van Anz. It's modeled after racing motorcycles from the 1920's and can do 35 mph, that is 50 km/h. Pretty friggin sweet for getting around the big cities here where a car is no good and public transport is just not as much fun.

On the road again

2008-11-29T03:32:00.000-08:00

Just setting the mood with good ol' Canned Heat since I'll be moving again. Last time I went from the Caribbean back to the Netherlands, this time I won't be going quite THAT far. I'll be moving from Amsterdam to the city where the Dutch government resides called The Hague (Den Haag for the purists or Dutchies).

We'll be moving into a nice attic appartment in a historical building in the center of the city. Beautiful I must say, but a pain in the a** to move into!

For my new address please check the contact page on my website.

"Sounds like a plan, Stan"

2008-10-20T03:12:00.001-07:00

I've been using it to be lame for as long as I can remember, but I can't for the life of me figure out where it's from. I know a hell of a lot of people know the quote "Sounds like a plan, Stan" too, but no-one really seems to know where it's from. Does anyone know?

Apparently you should reply by saying "I'm down like a clown, Charlie Brown"...

Clique

2008-10-14T14:29:00.000-07:00

If you find yourself in the San Jose / San Francisco area Saturday 18th of October go and check out Clique. It's a bit too far out of the way for me, but would dig to hear how it was!

1970 modernist architecture

2008-10-06T02:27:00.000-07:00

Ran across an example of some sweet modernist architecture yesterday, Villa Spies built on a small island off the coast of Stockholm, Sweden. "Googie" as the style is named after the first coffeeshop that used this style featured many buildings representing the fast paces car-age times with a desire for the galaxy.

At the time many people expected to be living in space colonies by 2001. "Googie" was prominent in the 40's, 50's and 60's and I suspect Villa Spies to be built in a related futurist style on the haydays of this stream. Although this might have been built in the dying days of this awesome architectural style, I still think this is one of the most beautiful examples of Jetson-esque architecture. The round shapes are made in the phylosophy of creating a house around a person rather than placing a person in the more regular square box homes. I just wish there were more homes designed like this so I could actually look forward to living in a futurist Jetson-esque home one day.

If you want to read more, you might want to check out this awesome book, it's not cheap but I think I'll order it for inspiration sake.

Hugocreate

2008-09-30T11:19:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I took part in the Hugocreate competition from Hugo Boss. Back then I was lucky enough to be one of the 10 winners of that round. It seems like they're running the last round of this year right now and it's themed after the holidays. Here is my entry:

If you still want to participate you have to hurry up because the deadline is on the 6th of October!

The Bank Job

2008-09-27T02:13:00.001-07:00

I can't say I saw the movie. We walked out of the sneak preview showing about 2 weeks ago because my girl told me the movie wasn't that great (she saw it overseas already). I'll probably end up seeing it sometime anyways.

But damn, that poster is perfect. It might appear a bit boring to the average public who is used to screamy colorful posters full of explosions, but it is a really good representation of this style of movie posters from the 1970s the time in which this movie plays.

I dig how they placed the photo in the design in such a strong way not being bugged by any text. At the same time they weren't affraid of leaving empty space in the text area where most would have filled up the whole width of the design with the title.

If anyone knows who created this design, please let me know!

Kings of Leon

2008-09-27T02:01:00.000-07:00

One of my consistantly favorite bands over the last 5 years or so is Kings of Leon. Their new album "Only by the Night" was released on the 19th of September and I've seen and heard their first single "Sex on Fire" come by loads of times in recent days.

Totally deserved I'd say because it is an amazing song again. I am really in awe of how they evolve and can adapt new styles and influences and make it their own. Something I always consider a vital trait in any form of art.

There was just one disappointing thing about this release though...

I have to say the record cover borders on trendwhoring, but trendwhoring as it was done a few years ago. Maybe it's just a designer talking and I'm sure it's great to 95% of the world population that doesn't consider him or herself a designer.

But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It comes as an alternative cover which in my eyes is pretty damn good and smart. Especially when compared to the actual cover.

I really enjoy how they toyed with a thing that has been done before (portraits of the band members) and experimented with how they relate together.

How to create a logo

2008-08-20T07:24:00.000-07:00

Somebody mailed this to me today. A logo study of the Beijing 2008 Olympics

R.E.M.

2008-07-08T12:21:00.001-07:00

Never been a big fan of R.E.M. I didn't even like the overly popular "Losing my religion" too much. But then I heard "Hollow Man" from their latest album on the radio. Man, that's one hell of a song! It sounds so honest and sincere. I don't know why it comes across so overwhelming to me, but it does. Check it out, it has a pretty interesting video too.

Sabotage US Edition

2008-07-07T05:38:00.000-07:00

If you're around San Jose this Friday, go check out Sabotage at the Fahrenheit Ultralounge. Dammit why do I live in the wrong part of the world (though nothing but good words about the Amsterdam party scene....)

And enjoy the Beastie Boys - Sabotage remix by DJ Kue!

YUMMM Killing on the Dancefloor

2008-06-28T12:46:00.000-07:00

I know, it's been a while since I posted something. And I never really post anything interesting. Guess I'm just not a born blogger.... oh well. This is YUMMMMM, MSTRKRFT - Street Justice

New album soon, should be interesting!

Fahrenheit E-flyers

2008-04-29T12:52:00.000-07:00

Been having the privilege to design a few e-flyers and print flyers for parties held at Fahrenheit Ultralounge in San Jose, CA lately, check the designs out below and have a look at their website. More to come in the future!

Don Diablo ft. Bizzey - This Way

2008-04-05T09:28:00.001-07:00

Tasty song from Don Diablo (Dutch) & Bizzey (Dutch)

Hugo Create Winner!

2008-04-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

Joy and happiness! Today I was told I am one of the 10 winners from the Hugo Create contest. Apparently my design "The Skyline Is The Limit" (Above) was liked by representatives from Hugo Boss and other parties that were in the panel to be one of the 10 best among over 4800 entries!!

Not sure what's gonna happen now, but I'm sure I'll find out. Anyways, to sum it up... neato!

MGMT

2008-03-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

MGMT from New York, to speak with someone else's words: "Fucking amazing". Check out here for Time To Pretend or below for the song Kids:

Kubus & BangBang - Stop The Problems

2008-03-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

Just an awesome tune by the boys BangBang on MC from the UK and Kubus on the beats from Holland. Nice, dirty and hard... and not to mainstream, dig it!

Justice - DVNO

2008-03-15T11:29:00.000-07:00

Another great video from Justice, after the award winning We Are Your Friends and D.A.N.C.E. I honestly have no idea what DVNO stands for, and I'm not sure if this is my favorite Justice tune, but man that video is so awesomely retro! Seems like they are always spot-on on the cool trends (not the shitty mainstream trends that is haha). I can't help but feeling the inspiration rubbed off from RA909's stuff in the video though, but that's not a bad thing at all.

Just Enjoy 3

2008-03-12T12:17:00.000-07:00

I know most of you won't be... but if you do happen to take a wrong turn and end up in the area of Hoorn in The Netherlands check out the 3rd edition of Just Enjoy! No themes, no bullshit just dance till you drop to a hugely eclectic mix of popular styles. I'll be there!

Back In Action

2008-03-09T04:06:00.000-07:00

With some kind help from the patriarch I got a 21" CRT screen. It's not new, but it's a beauty... 21" on a regular (non wide-screen) tube is pretty big! Especially with a classic CRT with those giant boxes behind it, it looks like it's eating my desk, but I'm more than happy with it. So... I'm back to work and readily available for any projects again.

Monitor broken

2008-02-28T07:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday night I found out my computer screen died. It had been coming for a long time seeing how often I use my pc and that it was already aging. Anyways, it couldn't come at a worse time than now since I spent my backup funds on the new appartment and am flat broke.

I can't do any design work without a screen either... just got my laptop here which can just about handle digital designs. So if you or anyone you know is looking to have some web flyers made or other digital graphics, I'm all yours for a reasonable price, just send me a note. Figure if I do a lot of smaller jobs it could add me up to a new screen faster haha.

Anyways, I'm not gonna go for a high-prize screen, just a mid-range of a reasonable size... feel free to leave me any tips if you know any good ones around 20" of about 250-350 euros ($325-500).

Thanks!!

Vampire Weekend

2008-02-26T10:31:00.000-08:00

I love this song, and along with it comes an awesome video too. Doesn't get any better than that! The song is called "A Punk" by Vampire Weekend. As the youtube link says "The video was directed by the Hammer & Tongs guys (Blur, Pulp, R.E.M. and Hitchikers Guide To The Galaxy)." Apparently they are from New York and their music is inspired by South African music, reminds me a bit of Paul Simon's "You Can Call Me Al" which is a damn fine song too... check it out!

HUGO Create Contest

2008-02-24T11:07:00.001-08:00

I entered a contest for Hugo Boss called HUGO Create. Thought I'd have a go at these contests for once. I had only entered a contest once before a few years ago. Maybe a nice fresh change to my usual style, just to show I don't "only do retro stuff" haha

Featured on Phase02

2008-02-21T10:54:00.000-08:00

Much thanks to the guys at phase02.org who were kind enough to feature me on their blog. Have a look at their cool site for posts on music and design!

The Skyline Is The Limit

2008-02-21T09:19:00.001-08:00

Hugo Boss has a competition at hugocreate.com which is open to entry. Every period the theme changes and currently the theme is The Skyline Is The Limit. For my entry I created a slightly retro-comic oriented design. If you're creative, go to the website and take part ;) They even have a shop section where you can select elements and create your contribution online, so you don't need any of the fancy programs that I've used to participate!

Online again!

2008-02-12T10:21:00.000-08:00

Alright, quick update after yesterday. My internet is working on my work pc so you can reach me again on edwin@edwinservaas.com

Above a little quicky done on my laptop with the touchpad (gahhh!!!) announcing my alter-ego The Trash Sheik ;) So if you see any weird work from my front in the future... it wasn't me, it was the Sheik!

Moving again

2008-02-10T04:40:00.000-08:00

Been a good month since I last posted, but it was for good reasons. I've moved to a great new apartment just around the corner of where I already enjoyed living. I currently don't have access to my workmail (edwin@edwinservaas.com) so you know why if I don't reply. You can always try me on edwinservaas@gmail.com if you want to contact me, and I'll let you know when my work pc is up and running again.

If you need to send me mail in the meantime and you happen to check this blog then this is my new address:

Superstylin'
Prins Bernhardlaan 103
1111 ES Diemen

I'll update my website info too when I get my work pc hooked up to the net.

Work is also slow at the moment due to the moving houses, but that doesn't mean all the fun is gone. I met up with Steve Savage of Beggars Fortune from the US a few days ago here in Amsterdam and had a blast. You can see the designs of the poster I did for his tour in the post below (I'll also upload his promo shirt and tour EP design soon). Also went to see one of his gigs here, which was just amazing. I was there with some of my friends who all were more than impressed so If you have some time check Mr. Savage out on his european tour (see few posts below for the dates/locations).

Beggars Fortune European Tour

2007-12-30T07:53:00.001-08:00

This great band from Tenessee gave me the honor of designing some cool stuff for their European tour called "The 808 Tour". Their singer Steve Savage will be touring countries in Europe first before they hit it with the full band. Here's the schedule, check him out live and accoustic if he's anywhere near you:

20.jan.2008 Steve Savage @ Songwriters Guild Den Haag, NL
21.jan.2008 Steve Savage @ Pony Bar Hamburg, DE
24.jan.2008 Steve Savage @ Cafe Soundgarden Amsterdam, NL
29.jan.2008 Steve Savage @ Kafe Nonnetje Live Amersfoort, NL
01.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Dwaze Zaken Amsterdam, NL
01.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Dwaze Zaken Amsterdam, NL
08.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Club Meander Amsterdam, NL
09.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Night of the Stars Burbach, DE, Rheinland-Pfalz
12.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Kinky Star Gent, BE
13.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Radio Kinky Star Gent, BE
14.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Bare Bones Acoustic Cafe Alkmaar, NL
15.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Oranje Koffiehuis Arnhem, NL
16.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ New Orleans Cafe Siegen, DE
18.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Werk Stadt Witten Witten, DE
19.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Toms on the Rocks Ratingen Ratingen, DE
20.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Solaris Dusseldorf Dusseldorf, DE
21.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Irish Pub Wesel Wesel, DE
22.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Steinbruch Duisburg Duisburg, DE
22.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Studio 47 (TV Apperence) Duisburg, DE
23.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Schafer Bottrop Bottrop, DE
24.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Hard Rock Cafe Munich, DE
26.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Mausefalle Bonn Bonn, DE
27.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Total Bar Zurich, CH
28.feb.2008 Steve Savage @ Tarterre Bern, CH
01.mrt.2008 Steve Savage @ Kaff Frauenfeld, CH
02.mrt.2008 Steve Savage @ Grenzwert Bar Basel, CH
06.mrt.2008 Steve Savage @ Verein 08 Vienna, AT

They'll be selling cool promo stuff there such as tour shirts, The 808 EP and posters. All design by me, so support them and pick up something neato after the concert!

The Baby Fratellis

2007-12-30T07:37:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted, have to get used to this whole blog thing. It's tough to determine what would be interesting to post and what not haha.

Anyways, I've been listening to this album almost non-stop the past week or so and figured I'd share it with you all. The album Costello Music is by a Scottish band hailing from Glasgow called The Fratellis. It's delicious garage retro party rock, just as I like it. Honestly all the songs are good on the cd, but the songs that get to me the most are the real party rockers mainly "Henrietta", "Country Boys and City Girls", "Baby Fratelli" and the probably already pretty famous "Chelsea Dagger"

Check out their website too www.thefratellis.com

Robotrock

2007-10-05T05:43:00.001-07:00

The DJ's of Robotrock have been rocking the Amsterdam clubscene for two years and celebrate this saturday 6th of October in Club 8. Go pay them some tribute, see you there!

Darth Vader has a posse

2007-09-22T03:56:00.001-07:00

Some of you might be aware of the OBEY Giant campaign, some might even know that it came from a stencil project in the 80's called Andre The Giant has a Posse. It has now turned into an icon of not only the advertising world but maybe even more the subvertising world, culture jamming and all that cool jazz.

I felt that Darth Vader, as an icon of popular culture and at the same time commecialism which the whole Star Wars franchise is would make a great icon for a revival and tribute to the OBEY campaign. So I went and had some fun.

Alpha Dog

2007-08-25T04:09:00.000-07:00

Whaddaya know, got dragged to see "the new Justin Timberlake movie" by my girlfriend yesterday. It turned out to be a pretty damn good movie actually. The movie seems very true to life, the thoughts, the emotions, the actions, it all seemed very believable to me. Don't be put off by the fact that Justin Timberlake is in it, he actually did a good job.

The trailer actually doesn't do the movie justice at all, they make it look way too over dramatic:

I'm from Holland...

2007-08-18T01:53:00.001-07:00

4000 miles

2007-08-17T09:14:00.001-07:00

It was about a month ago that I flew back to Amsterdam from the Caribbean where I had spent a year working at a studio. I have been busy setting up my life here again in Amsterdam, meeting with friends, finding an appartment and moving into the appartment. All the crazyness seems to be clearing up slowly so I will start updating my website more regularly again and posting new work in the near future.

Anti-pirating commercial

2007-08-11T03:32:00.000-07:00

Fine, I can't say I don't do it myself, but still this is as close a anti-pirating commercial has ever gotten to me paying attention to it. It's just really funny, the clue is "Original Software Works Better" or something to that extend:

Just Enjoy 2

2007-05-28T08:28:00.000-07:00

The 2nd edition of Just Enjoy sold out last Saturday, Just Enjoy is a party concept by Jetreaction Productions that I am glad to do the visuals and part of the concept development for. JE2 selling out is a great motivation after the excellent but far from sold out first installment. The location was different, but still in the same town. Word of mouth was a good thing, the promotion for JE2 worked great, the organization was fantastic and afterall... the concept really worked!

I'll be back in Holland for JE3, so it'll be the first of the parties that I will actually be around to see. Maybe we'll come up with something extra special to celebrate!

28 Weeks Later

2007-05-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

Went to see the movie "28 Weeks Later" a two days ago. I really enjoyed the first movie in this series called 28 Days Later which was about a virus called "RAGE" that turned humans incredibly blood thirsty, and transferred through blood or saliva. 28 Weeks Later picked up a few months after where the first movie ended, hence the name 28 Weeks Later. Have a look at the trailer:

If you're interested you can see the trailer of the first movie "28 Days Later" here:

Wonder if there is another 3rd installment in the planning. Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised. I think these two movies are some of the most potent horror movies around, combining elements, genres and with a huge potential for experiments.

Pumping On Your Stereo

2007-05-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

Wanted to share this delicious video of the banging "Pumping On Your Stereo" song by Supergrass from the UK. I've known this song and it's video since it came out in the 90's, but recently re-found it after I heard the song in a movie soundtrack.

Have a look at this psychedelia meets the puppets meets Alice in Wonderland video, and enjoy the rockin' song!

Website improvements

2007-05-19T16:45:00.000-07:00

After some feedback I'll be making some improvements to my website. The main improvement will be the clickable artworks. At the moment you can only see the "letterbox" images of my artworks, but soon they will be clickable with extended information, larger views and in case of commissioned jobs more items within that job.

The problem is the slow internet on this island, and the large quantity of images that need to be uploaded to make these improvements. I am returning back to Holland in the beginning of July of this year, so I might save releasing (uploading) these improvements until I am there.

Superstylin.nl

2007-05-19T16:39:00.000-07:00

I launched my personal website on the 1st of May 2007, have a look here: www.superstylin.nl

I think I'm going to start using this blog for general news, thoughts, feelings, plans, rantings etc. pretty much the usual blog stuff.

So, if there's no new news here for a while don't get mad. Instead have a look at my website. There might be some new things there ;)

"Don't Smoke"

2007-04-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

This design won me a cash prize in a stock photo manip contest at Fexboards. Don't Smoke.

"She's A Lady"

2007-04-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

Design made for my girl for our anniversary, based on 1960's psychedelic gig-poster art. It was also featured in the international artgroup daGroove.

Website Launch

2007-04-04T17:24:00.000-07:00

Decided to take part in the May 1st Reboot event. This website/event has been around for I believe six years now. It's a worldwide event where people in the graphic industry submit their new website or new website design all on the same day at the same time.

I had been working on my personal website for about 6 months now, only held back by my annoyance with my lack of knowledge. I am looking for a decent host to put my website on, I'm probably going for Media Temple. It's an obvious choice, but a lot of people are using it so I guess that means something...

Now I'll just have to ask around and figure out how this whole deal goes from having the files on your computer to having a working website. Stay tuned, the website will be uploaded on May 1st 2007 at 2pm GMT on www.superstylin.nl

"Discow Moscow"

2007-04-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

This is what happens if a poster would be made in 1979 promoting a Soviet themed disco party using 60's style poster art. Discow Moscow...

Interviewed!!

2007-03-27T16:53:00.000-07:00

The good people of design studio Etcetera were so kind to interview me on their website, it turned out to be a very refreshing and useful experience for me which I've learned a lot from.

Read it on Etcetera

"The Groove Project"

2007-03-24T08:30:00.000-07:00

"The moonlanding on July 19, 1969 was a hoax. The US never landed there, it was daGroove."

Propaganda poster for daGroove. www.feeldagroove.com / daGroove.deviantart.com

The Digital Funk Initiative

2007-03-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

Have a look at daGroove. This is a group of artists who produce packs and magazines based on certain themes of which I am proud to be able to say that I have been a member since summer 2004. November of 2006 marked a big return for this group as they released their first art pack since the summer of 2005 appropriately called "The Comeback". In February 2007 daGroove released their 7th art pack named "Stick To Your Groove" which was a pack of artworks suitable for stickering and the first artpack released in a magazine format with additional information on the artworks and the artists.

You can find the AP7 magazine "Stick To Your Groove" at www.feeldagroove.com/ap7 or visit the website at www.feeldagroove.com

Knows no html.

2007-03-24T07:48:00.000-07:00

Artist in desperate search of HTML knowledge. Desire to customize blog header into a .gif image. Good with kids, not so steady income.