It’s that time once again, for everyone to sum up the last year (which of course, flew by quicker than any year before it).  It’s a good time to reflect, and relax, and try to step back from the painting to see the big picture.  While it may not be quite that easy for some, myself included, there are ways to force ones’ self to take a quick break…and listing out “best of” picks is a great exercise.  I think the best way to go about doing each is to pick a category and post up the most memorable from this year.  Please feel free to comment, discuss, dispute or whatever in the comments!  Let’s talk about 2009…

Best Design Blog of 2009: Grain Edit

The team at Grain Edit has grown immensely over the past year.  They present a model of what the greater-than-just-a-blog should aspire to be, a cultural barometer that doesn’t just look at classic design anymore.  They have interviewed some of the best artists and designers around, held wildly popular giveaways, and even launched a new job board.  It looks like Grain Edit is set to continue this growth into the next year, let’s just keep reading and hope that one day we’ll win one of those giveaways.

Runner-up: Booooooom!

Best Artist/Designer: Mike Cina

I think 2009 was a big year for Mike Cina, an artist with an entrepreneurial knack and an ear for good jazz.  He continued to build upon his impressive catalog of album artwork, while working hard at building and growing his creative resource shop and design culture beacon You Work For Them.  His music-related artwork is focused on a very important principle around Blog.H34: creating a visual extension of the music.  And he has managed to do this quite successfully.  I hope he will continue to lead in the coming year, and continue to be maintain such an important and progressive role in the evolution of the designer as more than just a designer.

Runner-up: Mark Weaver

Best Artist/Illustrator:

With the release of Prefuse 73’s excellent Everything She Touched Turned Ampexian, appreciation for Dan McPharlin’s Roger Dean-esque illustration style, along with his mind-bendingly cool mini-papercraft synths, Dan McPharlin’s work has shown up everywhere this year, and for very good reason.  This artist has picked a few crafts that interested him and quickly placed himself among the best, with great opportunities coming his way, it looks like 2010 will be an exciting year for Dan.

Runner-up: The Norik

Best Photographer:

I am rarely blown away by black and white, minimalistic landscape photos, but when I saw Vladimir Zivkovic’s photo series, my jaw hurt from how hard and fast it hit the floor.  I am by no means and expert in the philosphical and psychological effects of framing and presenting various scenes in photography, but I can definitely pick up on something being communicated on a subconscious level by his photography.  The pictures communicate sensations we’re all familiar with, scenes we’ve all witnessed ourselves at one point, something we can all relate to.

Runner-up: Tim Navis

Most Promising New Designer: Alex Cornell

While still only a graduate student, few have made as large a wave as Alex Cornell.  As studio assistant at ISO50, Alex was given a voice to share his thoughts and projects, and much like Jakub’s music posts, his contribution clicked right into ISO50 Blog, and garnered an unprecedented response.  Since he started, Alex has been posting must-see design-related reading and viewing, and sharing his own projects, which spark debate, conversation, and heaps of praise.  It is clear that Alex is developing a very appealing visual style, his print layouts are flawless, and many are excited to see what kind of output 2010 will bring from this new face in the industry.

Runner-up: Shelby White

Posted in Blog.H34 and Design Posted by Alex on Dec 23 2009 12:00 pm

Tags: Alex Cornell, Dan McPharlin, Grain Edit, Mike Cina, Vladimir Zivkovic