Cool Hunting

Every year for the past five years Minneapolis-based designer Ben Levitz has been making letterpress desk calendars featuring the work of five designers he hand-picks from around the globe. Ben asks each to come up with images for two of the months and he takes care of the rest, resulting in a wonderfully eclectic mix to keep you inspired throughout the year. The just-out 2007 edition is the first he's produced since leaving his corporate job to head his own firm, Studio On Fire, and includes the work of Colorblok, Brian Gunderson, Rinzen, Plain Gravy and Faile. Opening with Ben's own Phoenix rising from fire (pictured above right) for January, an appropriate way to start the new year, other designs range from LA-based duo PlainGravy's retro New Wave graphics (they're the ones behind the controversial “Pharrell Can’t Skate” tee) to the masked girl by Berlin's Rinzen. All provide a modern contrast to the finely detailed, tactile quality of letterpress, which is flawlessly executed on Ben's vintage Heidelberg machines. Limited to an edition of 1000, you can order a calendar ($30 plus shipping) by sending an inquiry to info [a] studioonfire [dot] com. See more images here.