In response to the devastating earthquake in Haiti, a collection of designers and developers teamed up and contributed their talents to help raise funds for clean water for the Haitian people. I was honored to be asked to participate in this endeavor. Visit Thread & Water to find out more information and to browse the shirts and prints available for purchase (100% of the proceeds will be donated). Please pass the word so we can make as big of an impact as possible!

Special thanks to Kory Westerhold for organizing this whole thing.

I can’t wait to watch this DVD. To have been at that concert in Hyde Park would have been absolutely incredible! This article on Pitchfork shows the set list from the show, which looks just fantastic.

I’ve been using Nathan Smith’s 960.gs system for awhile now and love the framework, but the templates he provides for Photoshop aren’t really set-up in a way that works best with my workflow for the following reasons:

1. Grid layouts are split into 2 separate Photoshop documents.
2. Columns for each grid are on their own individual layer.
3. Grid opacity is set at the per column layer level.

So I tweaked the template and came up with my own master document. This screenshot below shows my layer setup:

When I start designing wireframes or comps I often don’t know if I’m going to use a 12 or 16 column grid, so having both in one document is extremely helpful. I also collapsed all of the columns into a single layer which gives me the ability to quickly extend down the grid if my comp exceeds the height of the template, which happens often, as well as change the color of the grid if I want. I also set each column layer to 100% opacity and control the grid opacity at the folder level, which means I can quickly adjust the intensity of the grid anytime I want.

The one drawback to having both grids in a single PSD is that you lose the guides set-up for each column layout. I personally never use the guides in the provided templates so I don’t miss them, but if you depend on the guides then this template probably isn’t for you.

Fantastic work by Dutch illustrator, designer, and typographer Esther Aarts. (via @rogieking)

North Kingdom is a digital agency located in Sweden and easily one of my favorites. Their work is consistently inspiring and at a quality level few agencies are able to reach. David Eriksson, NK’s CEO and Creative Director, shares a little insight into the company and walks through how they made one of their most popular and awarded projects, “Get The Glass“.

I love how the crew at NK built a physical model for the island in the Get the Glass campaign. Their production methods are akin to those used in the feature film industry and their attention to detail is obvious in their work. I was inspired to stretch myself with my work, to love every pixel, and to expand my mind to potentially include more hands-on approaches to projects.

The other day Joshua Blankenship tweeted a link to Jamie Cullum’s cover of Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music”. He was impressed by the cover. I had never heard of Jamie Cullum and I’m somewhat familiar with Rihanna’s catalogue (”Under my umbrella…ella…ella…eh…eh…eh), but I do enjoy cover songs when they’re done by an artist who’s music is substantially different from that of the original.

Watching Jamie’s version got me thinking about other cover songs I’ve heard that were equally impressive, especially for their creative interpretation. Here’s Jamie’s video for “Don’t Stop The Music” plus 3 others that I enjoy. I’d also love to hear of any that you enjoy, so leave me a comment.

“Don’t Stop The Music” – Jamie Cullum (original by Rihanna)
After hearing this song I’m inclined to check out more of Jamie’s stuff. I hear his style is jazzy, which is alright by me. Plus he’s British, so double bonus!

“Hey Ya” – Obadiah Parker (original by Outcast)
I love the fact that this is acoustic and sung by a guy who looks about as far removed from Andre 3000 as you could get. Obadiah (if that’s his name) sings this song with such heartfelt conviction that it truly feels like he’s the one who wrote this song to begin with.

“All is Full of Love ” – Death Cab for Cutie (Original by Björk)
This video is a fan-made video. There is a video of Death Cab performing this song live in 2001 (back when I saw them perform it in a total dive of a venue) but the quality is poor and I prefer this album version. Let it be know that I still prefer Björk’s original, but Death Cab’s cover is great, especially the drumbeat.

“Mad World” – Gary Jules (Original by Tears for Fears)
I became familiar with this song when I heard it used in Joseph Kosinski’s (who I’ve written about before) brilliantly directed video for Gears of War. It’s mood is melancholic, but paired with a beautiful video directed by Michel Gondry. When I first heard this song I didn’t know it was a cover, but recently found out that Tears for Fears wrote it in the 80’s. Their version is nowhere near as emotional and in my opinion total crap.

Alex Roman’s film “The Third & The Seventh” is unbelievably gorgeous. While I’ve embedded it here I highly recommend watching it on Vimeo, in HD, fullscreen, and with headphones.

Oh yeah, it’s also fully CG and enough to make you want to give up and quit your job.