Cool Hunting

Letter by Letter: An Alphabetical Miscellany
The 26 letters of the Roman alphabet operate almost subconsciously once ingrained in young minds. The resulting familiarity proves invaluable in life, but also makes it difficult to step back and examine letters as standalone objects. In "Letter by Letter", designer/calligrapher/artist Laurent Pflughaupt aims to do just that with an exhaustive overview of each letter in the alphabet. He begins with a historical look...

Jason Polan
Artist Jason Polan's work involves a playful examination of the nature of the artist/collector relationship. His skillful drawings are often packaged in a way that involves a thoughtful interaction with the buyer . Hand Project, for example, offers three takes on the artist's hand. He created 200 unique photocopies of his hand which are available for purchase for $20 each, as well as twenty original...

Mario Mandala Colouring Book
Mandala, a Sanskrit word of Hindu origin, most often refers to a symmetrical detailed pattern representing the universe and the unconscious self. In some religions it serves as an aid in meditation or to establish a sacred space as well. For Japanese artist Mario Tauchi, who illustrated 108 black-and-white versions of Mandalas for Trolley Book's "Mario Mandala." the motif plays a slightly different role....

Mister Lonely
Nieves, a Swiss-based indie publisher, recently released "Mister Lonely," the third script from film director, producer, screenwriter and author, Harmony Korine. Released 10 years after the widely acclaimed Gummo (1997), his third feature film, "Mister Lonely," examines what happens when a Michael Jackson impersonator (played by Diego Luna) meets a Marilyn Monroe impersonator (Samantha Morton). Released in conjunction with the movie's release in the...

Edgar Martins: Topologies
"Topologies" is Portuguese photographer Edgar Martins' first book with significant distribution taking selections from each of his major series of large-format photographs. The images, which abstain from any digital manipulation, were taken in Portugal and Iceland and focus on what may be the world's least photographic scenes: barren landscapes with no conventional subjects. Instead, he opts for cold, isolated locations. But despite the lack...

Carta, Inc.
I first discovered the delicate hand-bound books of Angela Liguori nearly eight years ago, while working at a design shop in Ann Arbor, Michigan, where she happened to be a resident teacher at Hollander's School of Book and Paper Arts. Now based in Boston, Angela continues to produce custom-made invitations, business cards and books through her graphic studio, Carta, Inc. In addition to her...