Why the sea is salty, a Karelian folk tale
On a recent trip to Estonia I came across this Russian children’s book in a second hand shop. I instantly fell for the style, colours and character illustrations. Once home I discovered the book is…
Running the Yorkshire 10 mile for Accessible Arts & Media
We are raising money for York’s Accessible Arts & Media by running the Yorkshire 10 Mile on 14 October 2018. Accessible Arts & Media provide inclusive creative learning programmes for disabled people, young people,…
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Svenskt Tenn
Svenskt Tenn is a Stockholm interior design store set up in 1924 by Estrid Ericson, an art teacher who produced pewter objects. In 1934 the Austrian architect Josef Frank was given safe haven by Ericson…
Maraid Portrait by Mariery Young
Mariery Young is the founder of Mezclao Studio in Panama. She specialises in bold, colourful, playful illustration and surface patterns. We spotted her work during the recent #artvsartist trend which included a wonderful green haired…
Beat Back at Leeds Industrial Museum
We love museums so when Lee Goater asked us to get involved in a project to bring a new audience to Leeds Industrial Museum we jumped at the chance. The project became Beat Back, our…
A day in Nowa Huta, Krakow, Poland
I was initially drawn to Nowa Huta for the Brutalist Architecture. During the visit I found so much more. Nowa Huta (which translates as The New Steel Mill) is a planned secular socialist realist settlement….
Wio, Leokadio! Polish book illustrations
Since the 1950s Polish illustrators and publishers have been recognised for their unique and high quality work. During a recent trip to Krakow I spent lots of time in second hand and art gallery book…
Hema Dutch Matchbox Labels
HEMA is a Dutch store that sell homeware often made by the chain itself with original design. Founded in 1926 the store is still going strong. These wonderful 1970s matchbox labels illustrate their wide range…
Vintage Bulgarian lottery tickets
I have Tobias Frere-Jones to blame for this new obsession. His new Conductor font is influenced by Vintage Bulgarian lottery tickets and I have to agree they are things of beauty. He told me French…
Maraid Christmas Card by Adam Higton
We asked York Illustrator Adam Higton to design a Maraid Christmas Card. Our first brief was to be riding jet skis with Christmas hats on but in the end we settled for the traditional Christmas…