It’s been a few months since the last Sights & Sounds wallpapers, so I figured it was time for more music influenced wallpapers. This time around we’re going to visualize the music of Animal Collective, the Baltimore based weirdo-rock outfit who are always expanding their sound.
To curate this round of wallpapers, I’ve asked Baltimore designer Andy Mangold to gather the troops and create a well-rounded group of creative individuals. Andy is a phenomenal graphic designer who creates inventive logos, beautiful posters, creative branding and so much more. He’s also the founder of Friends of the Web, a team of designers building websites and mobile apps, as well as Love & Utility, which collects beautiful paraphernalia.
There are eight wallpapers total, and I promise that all of them are stunning. I was really excited by how well they all turned out. I think you’ll be excited too. The first wallpaper will be released at 10AM PST, so be sure to check it out and come back every Wednesday for more.
Bobby
Micah Lidberg
About a month ago I was approached by SVEDKA, wondering if I’d be interested in doing a sponsored wallpaper. As most of you know, I’ve never really done anything like that before, but I figured it couldn’t hurt, so long as it wasn’t heavy handed and I was able to get you something cool out the deal. They wanted to create a wallpaper around the idea of “celebrating the epic all-night moments you’ve had”, which I thought was a pretty great concept, especially in the hands of the right artist. So I decided to ask my buddy Micah Lidberg to help out, and I think he’s done an amazing job.
Some of you might remember Micah’s first wallpaper, which is still to this day one of my absolute favorites. Micah has such a unique style which feels so stream of consciousness, like he picks up some pencils and somehow ends up hours later, waking up from a groggy stupor, with a beautiful piece of art in front of him. I love that this wallpaper has so much randomness going on, it’s totally embodies what happens on an night long bender.
I’d also like to point out that by using this wallpaper your co-workers might think you’re one of two things: an alcoholic, or the most fun person on earth. A big thanks to SVEDKA for supporting the site. And don’t forget, drink responsibly.
Bobby
I had the pleasure to be apart of another issue of Afterzine, the infrequently published art magazine that’s run by my good buddy, Hamish Robertson. This issue centers around Los Angeles, which I have lots to say about, but here’s what Hamish had to say:
“What began as a single-section issue with invited interpretations of “coincidence” by chance evolved into an exploration of the city of Los Angeles—a place I had mistakenly assumed to be lacking in happy accidents.”
The issue features a ton of creative people involved like Mike Mills, Miranda July, Zooey Deschanel, Andrew Andrew, Ben Jones, Peter Mendelsund and lots more. From these previews I’d definitely say it’s going to be a great read.
Bobby Solomon
Kyle and I actually contributed together, putting together a map of our 10 favorite places in Los Angeles. We’re pretty opinionated, and we tend to frequent a lot of local places. I thought it would be fun to release our map as a wallpaper this week, since I was pretty happy with how it turned out. Everything was hand-painted by myself and then put into Photoshop to be tweaked.
But, in order to see why we love these places, you’re going to have to buy the issue. They’re only $10, and worth every penny. And just to reiterate, if you’re in Los Angeles on Friday, be sure to stop by the launch party at Skylight Books, more details can be found here.
Bobby
Philipp Dornbierer
We’ve got a very special bonus to the desktop wallpaper this week, something that’s never been done before. It comes from Philipp Dornbierer, also known as Yehteh, is an illustrator from Zürich who might sound familiar since he won the Great Gatsby Re-Covered Books contest. Since his work is so great and original, I had to have him be a part of The Desktop Wallpaper Project, and he didn’t let me down.
Not only do you get a beautiful wallpaper, but he’s also created some really wonderful folder icons that blend into the wallpaper seamlessly. You can see a sneak peek of the folders in the image above, but there are 4 to choose from in total, so you can mix and match how you like. To download the folder icons you can simply click here. A huge thanks to Philipp for putting so much work into this, I hope you all enjoy the goodies.
Bobby
Jon Contino
Since the 4th of July is less than two weeks away, I figured it was only fitting that there should be a rad wallpaper celebrating the date. Oddly enough, this is the first time I’ve actually done an Independence Day wallpaper, probably because 50% of you readers are from the U.S. and the other half is everywhere else in the world. Nonetheless, I had written the extremely talented Jon Contino to see if he’d like to do a wallpaper, and the idea of him doing something around the concept was too good to be true. I wrote about Jon’s work not too long ago, but in case you missed it he’s a New York based illustrator and designer who’s style is reminiscent of days gone by. He’s so damn talented, and it comes across in his handmade type and his eye for crafting unique compositions. He also co-owns CXXVI, one of the best lifestyle brands around right now.
And as for his wallpaper, this has to be one of my favorites yet. It features a super muscle-y version of Uncle Sam with a body full of tats, proudly displaying the foundations of America. I think it’s a really lighthearted adaption of Independence, not trying to take itself too seriously but still showing respect. I also have to give props to Jon, who stayed up till 4:41 this morning working on the wallpaper because he was so excited by how it turned out. Like I said earlier, this is one of my favorite ones yet.
Enjoy the wallpaper, have a happy and safe 4th of July, and check back next Wednesday for another amazing desktop wallpaper.
It’s gloomy here in Los Angeles today, June Gloom is in full effect. So it seems fitting to put up today’s desktop wallpaper by British illustrator Ryan Chapman. I’ve been a big fan of Ryan’s work for a while now. He’s got this really beautiful, simplified style that uses minimal color palettes and really nicely rounded shapes. I bought one of his paintings a while back as well, there’s just something really pleasing about them. For his wallpaper he took his signature style and threw in a little black fox to spice it up a bit. I love that flute guy too, the fact that his head is made out of flute smoke is pretty great. Thanks for the rad wallpaper Ryan!
Bobby
