Liquid Treat

Pink is so yesterday. Octopuses completely overdone. It's just a small sampling of the wisdom you'll pick up from Died Young Stayed Pretty. This documentary from director Eileen Yaghoobian follows the inner circle of indie rock poster designers. You'll hear everyone from Art Chantry and Rob Jones to Print Mafia wax on about their aesthetic fetishes. The artists are funny, insightful, kooky … and don't always seem completely comfortable in front of the camera. But there's a raw, honest enthusiasm for their work that makes this flick throb with creative energy.

by Michelle Taute

Rather than the critical eye of the Times Book Review, field-tested books prove their merits in the glaring light of the real world. This year Coudal Partners invited dozens of writers to review books based on the places where the commentators read them. See how environment—everywhere from an airplane to a remote cabin in the woods—colors the reading experience in the resulting collection, Field-Tested Books. You can take in all the reviews online or buy the paperback for $17. Just don't miss former LiquidTreat writer Alissa Walker's take on Bukowski.

by Michelle Taute

Parsons alum Julian Hector makes his children's book debut this summer as the writer and illustrator behind The Little Matador. This book's enchanting artwork and imaginative storytelling trace the story of a young man who doesn't want to follow in his family's long line of bullfighters. He'd prefer to draw a bull, or almost anything around him, than fight in the ring. Check out some of the original black-and-white sketches for the book on Hector's blog or take a sneak peek at the final artwork on Amazon.

by Michelle Taute

Over and Over is the kind of eye candy you can take to a family-friendly beach or the neighborhood pool with no worries ... because this catalog of hand-drawn patterns doesn't incite lust so much as an immediate and intense visual fervor among those who, for fun or profit, put pencil to paper. Mike Perry, author of the memorable book Hand Job (about hand-drawn typography), here collects more than 250 mesmerizing patterns from 50 different designers. Over and Over combines the ever-changing delight of a kaleidoscope with an artist's eye.

by Michelle Taute

"Democracy is the Helvetica of politics." That's according to one poster in the Thoughts on Democracy exhibit at the Wolfsonian in Florida. The show features posters from 60 artists and designers whose names are worth dropping—including Paula Scher, Ellen Lupton, Ken Carbone and Kit Hinrichs—all putting a modern spin on Norman Rockwell's "Four Freedoms" posters from 1943. The real-world show runs through Dec. 7, but you can see these civic-minded works online and even order a favorite from the museum shop (ph. 305.535.2680) for $25.

by Michelle Taute

People buy those blind grab bags at discount and secondhand stores hoping there will be something surprising, even life-changing, inside. But if you're a designer interested in changing the world, you can save your dollars and head for the relaunched Project M Lab. Technically, the site revolves around Project M—a summer program where young designers focus on making a difference. But it's also full of inspirational treasures, ranging from articles and links to inspiring bios, to help jump-start the high-minded side project you've been daydreaming about.

by Michelle Taute