Holiday designs, reading

On the iPod: "Talk About The Passion" - R.E.M.

With the holidays upon us, we're seeing no shortage of the cookie cutter advertising, images and decorations. But believe you me, there is some interesting stuff out there if you take a little time to look for it. Over the last two years, I've taken a closer look at how holiday ads are designed - from the color schemes to the imagery used.

Editor&Publisher did a nice little piece on the Holiday advertising forecast, but I'd like to focus more on holiday print campaigns. AdCritic, has a host of interesting print campaigns (some holiday, some not) featured on their site at the moment.

A holiday design reading list

I've been doing quite a bit of holiday reading this year as well, here's two books I'd recommend in the design arena.

1. Kurt Andersen, Graydon Carter & George Kalogerakis
Spy, The Funny Years
Miramax, 2006
Part nostalgia, part history lesson, all interesting, "Spy, The Funny Years," explores the famous New York magazine's history, culture and influence on a generation that grew up in the 1980s. Not only is it interesting, it's beautifully designed to boot.

2.Philip Hoare & Chris Heath, editors
Pet Shop Boys Catalogue
Thames & Hudson, 2006
Even if you aren't a fan of the Pet Shop Boys, there is a lot to take in here. It's visually stunning at 336 pages, filled with great photography, anecdotes and the musings of one of pop music's most influential songwriting duos. It would serve as a great coffee table book for any pop music fan this holiday season.

Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm really trying to be better. Really.