The elegant, discomforting porcelain work of Kate MacDowell.

(via digg)

Digging these limited edition 2010 Maple Leaf iPhone/iPod Slider Cases by Incase. Sold exclusively in Canadian Apple stores.

(via DesignNotes)

MakingOf has posted a video clip of the Up In The Air film title sequence, created by Shadowplay Studio. Shadowplay was also behind the titles to Jason Reitman’s Juno and Thank You For Smoking films.

In this interview, Reitman said this about collecting the aerial footage seen in the titles:

(Shadowplay) came up with this idea of vintage moving postcards, the most complicated element of which was getting this aerial footage that seems like film. I figured you put a camera in a plane, you put it up in the air, you point down, you get aerial footage, right? I really thought it would be that simple. It was so complicated. Every time you see aerial footage in a movie it’s from a helicopter at 12,000 ft. To get it from 25,000 ft, first we went up with a jet and we had a camera that was going through this bubble system, except the optics weren’t good enough and atmosphere was giving us trouble. Then we went up with a propeller plane and the pilot had to wear an oxygen mask to get up that high; we took a camera out on a wing, we went digital instead of film, and then the camera would not go straight down, so they’d have to put the plane into a dive to get the camera to go down. I mean it was just like unreal how hard it was to get this footage. But I’m really happy with the results and of course it made for fun opening titles.

Additionally, Apple has a short featurette about Shadowplay and the Up In The Air titles.

Mobius Ampersand by typographer Dave Bailey. It’s an ampersand, and it’s mathematically non-orientable. What’s not to love?

Unsurprisingly, I’ve geeked out Möbius-style before.

Update: I just learned that Bailey’s ampersand is one of many collected for Font Aid IV, a collaborative typeface to consist entirely of ampersands (note that the project’s theme is “Coming Together”). The completed font will be sold with all proceeds going to the Doctors Without Borders effort in Haiti. You can see more of the ampersand submissions in this Typophile thread.

Designer Beverly Hsu has made these delicious Helvetica Cookie Cutters for those of us who lick the type specimen sheets when no one else is looking.

Come on. I know you do it, too. I’ve seen you at our support group.

(via swissmiss)

This beautiful unassuming two-story library building in Thailand was built with natural lava stone from the site, concrete, wood, and bamboo. The project was a cooperative between Rintala Eggertsson Architects and students from NTNU Trondheim University for the children of Ban Tha Song Yang villiage’s Safe Haven Orphanage.

The task was to use local materials and building technics to create a building that would solve the problems of education in the orphanage the best possible way. At the same time, natural ventilation systems and sunshades were studied and introduced into the building.

(via Young and Brilliant)

I really love these lathed wooden Jar Lamps by Noon Studio. Rotating the lids switches them on and controls light intensity.

(via TOTONKO)

Subtle references take the forefront in these understated movie poster concepts from Jamie Bolton. You can pick a few of them up here.

(thank you Jamie)

I’m in awe of the shapes, palettes, and overall sophisticated style of 21-year-old Matthew Lyons’ stunning illustrations. Hopefully, most of you have already experienced his work. If you haven’t, go do it now. Your eyeballs and your brain will thank you.

Be sure to check out his Flickr and Inspiration Tumblr, too!

(via grain edit)

Lauren Adams is a Brooklyn-area ceramist with a great collection of functional porcelain pottery with hand-painted surfaces.

(via of paper and things)