Oji & Design

Form and function meet in a Japanese architect's beautifully understated housewares

Japanese designer Oji Masanori makes everyday living more comfortable, designing a range of objects in various materials that are as refined as they are functional. Graduating with degree in architecture, Masanori seemingly applies those tactics to building small objects, starting with the foundation and allowing the beauty of its shape to lead the design. His studio, Oji & Design, works with Japan’s preeminent manufacturers to …

Guerilla Advertising 2

A new book celebrating brand-appropriate ingenuity in today's marketing-saturated world

Today’s successful advertising campaign has evolved well beyond the simple television product spot or the full page fashion spread—formulas we’re sometimes so familiar with they almost disappear. Pointed out in Guerrilla Advertising, Gavin Lucas’ first book on the subject published in 2006, current marketing tools span all mediums and are so artfully crafted for their target audience, it’s difficult to sort out what is advertising …

Sketchbook Bags

Utilitarian backpacks handmade by a Minneapolis-based artist

After working on a “bucolic sheep farm” in rural New Zealand, artist Amber Johnson returned to Minneapolis—where she received a BFA in drawing from the College of Art and Design—and began experimenting with wool in her parents’ basement. Her seemingly innate talent for hand crafting utilitarian bags took shape, and today the young designer peddles wool and leather backpacks online under the moniker Sketchbook. Primarily …