Our friends at frog design have unveiled a new website for their boundary-pushing publication, design mind, along with a new print edition of the magazine. The latest issue (the eighth so far) is entitled "numbers," and so revolves loosely around digits. Especially noteworthy is this issue is Chelsea Holden Baker's chat with designer Erik Spiekermann (pictured at left), who discusses the three-dimensional typographic challenge he took on when commissioned to create sets of house numbers for Design within Reach. While numbers are tough, Spiekerman says that he can't bear to delegate their design to others. "They're just too pretty."

But most people do not design numbers because numbers are hard. As you can see on the street, most numbers are standardized. They tend to be very generic because people are scared of numbers; redesigning numbers is like redesigning the Latin alphabet. The way we write our numbers comes from Arabic, although they've been abstracted. The three used to slant down, like a 2 or something. You see this angle in Arabic, with the stresses on the bottom. Our normal numbers—real, legible numbers—are a little bit clunky, because they're tall but narrow. They have weird diagonals. It's a nightmare.

Photo: Roman Signer

Today's Friday photo goes out to those craving air conditioning (or at least ice cream) on this steamy July Friday. It's "Tisch (Table)," a 1994 photo by Swiss artist Roman Signer, best known for his "temporary sculptures" such as this large white table bobbing off to commune with the glaciers in Iceland (click "continued..." to see the table's explosive fate). Signer is one of 18 photographers to have made the recently announced shortlist for the Prix Pictet, a major new global photography prize focused on sustainability and sponsored by Pictet & Cie, in association with the Financial Times. The theme of this year's competition is water, and other shortlisted artists include Chris Jordan, David Maisel, and Edward Burtynsky. The winner of the Prix Pictet, who will receive CHF 100,000 (approximately $99,400), will be announced on October 30 at a dinner at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, where shortlisted images will then be exhibited through November 8.

continued...

We confess that we cancelled our subscription to 02138 magazine shortly after the September/October 2007 issue's cover photo of a seemingly dyspeptic/vaguely menacing Al Gore (pictured at right) gave us terrible nightmares, many of them involving Carl Sagan. But today's news that Pentagram's Luke Hayman will be leading a redesign of the magazine for and about Harvard alumni is enough to convince us to find it in our Crimson-bleeding hearts to resubscribe.

And there's more. Legendary art director George Lois has been tapped to create the cover for the winter 2008 re-launch issue, which will feature a managerial and editorial changing of the guard to go along with the artistic one. Jamie Hooper, a veteran of The New Yorker and Maxim, and founder of Giant, will serve as publisher/CEO while David Blum, former editor of the New York Press and The Village Voice, will take on the role of 02138 editor-in-chief. We're offering our congrats by dispatching to each of their offices messenger penguins bearing pints of Cambridge's finest ice cream.

While we can't guarantee it will make you any more likely to receive an early morning visit from the Prize Patrol (and in all likelihood employees are ineligible for company sweepstakes), we did want to alert you to the fact that Publishers Clearing House, they of the plentiful pay-by-installment magazine subscriptions and cash prize promises, is looking for a web designer to join its Port Washington, New York office. The winning candidate's responsibilities will include designing and developing promotional materials for online contests, mailings, and e-mail campaigns while maintaining and organizing project files and images (many of them probably depicting giant piles of cash!). And don't forget to ask in advance to be paid by direct desposit rather than in giant novelty checks.

Learn more about and apply for this Web Designer, Publishers Clearing House job or view all the current mediabistro.com design/art/photo jobs.

Last month, we told you about Shoot the Day, online photo community PhotoShelter's plan to set aside this Sunday, July 20, to "focus energy and close the gap between buyer demand and what photographers are shooting," and so it is almost upon us. PhotoShelter has selected the lucky 20 photographers who will spend the day on all-expenses-paid shoots in five image categories, while hundreds of others join photo editors and photo buyers in a day of demonstrations and panel discussions at the Shoot! The Day event in New York City. Among the speakers is aphotoeditor.com's Rob Haggart, former director of photography at Men's Journal, who will present "Editorial Bootcamp" (on how photographers can get the attention of photo editors) before leading a discussion with photo editors from the likes of Time and Travel+Leisure. Rachel Rein, senior art buyer at ad agency Hill Holliday will present "From Start to Finish: Finding the Perfect Stock Photos for a Major Campaign." Those who can't make it to the sponsored events can participate by spending the day taking a whole lot of photos or, for the lazier among us, watching Blowup on DVD.

The big problem we've always had with collecting stuff, of whatever variety, is that eventually you're going to die and then your friends and relatives are going to break it all up and sell it all off, making the whole exercise relatively pointless. But while we would be spinning in our hobbyist graves if we were a) hobbyists or b) deceased, we certainly can't speak for how Yves Saint Laurent feels (who belongs in both categories). By way of ArtInfo, we learned that it's been announced that his partner, Pierre Berge, has decided to auction off all $600 million dollars worth of Laurent's art collection, filled to the expensive brim with Picassos and Goyas, among others. So let that be a lesson to you, if you find yourself incredibly wealthy and have a collection of something really cooking and you want to keep it all together: start a foundation.

Alphaville Design has gotten themselves into a brawl with the furniture manufacturer and retailer, Knoll, over who owns the rights to Mies van der Rohe's entire Barcelona line of furniture designs. First, Knoll sued Alphaville's customers after they were found to be selling Bacelona merchandise, a suit that was fought in court and eventually dismissed. Now the company is hitting back at Knoll, trying to get any and all ideas of exclusive patents Knoll thinks they have on van der Rohe's designs removed. Here's their plans from Alphaville's president, David Lee:

"We are delighted that the New York courts dismissed Knoll's lawsuit against one of my customers after we joined in their defense. Our case will clarify the law and show that Knoll cannot keep others from using these 1920's designs that have been made by a myriad of manufacturers for over 40 years. We seek a full cancellation of Knoll's trademark registrations with the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office."

The American Institute of Architects has been on a roll ever since their "America's Favorite Architecture" campaign last year and, as we reported a little while back, they've become addicted to the popularity. So next in their ploy to keep on top is the announced release of "Shape of America," a series of short films on each of buildings they highlighted in last year's aforementioned top picks. There are only six available right now, from the Empire State Building to Taliesin West, but we're digging the quick, easily digestible mini-documentaries on some of the greatest pieces of building the country has to offer and we're hoping they keep it up.

The windows of Macy's stores natonwide are spotlighting the new line of t-shirts that feature iconic Rolling Stone covers (the $36 purchase price includes a free one-year subscription), and now comes news that the magazine is pondering a major redesign and looking to readers for feedback. The New York Observer's John Koblin describes a test issue recently sent to some subscribers as "a tighter, smaller, glossier version of the current issue of Rolling Stone," with covercandidate Barack Obama smiling down at his American flag lapel pin.

The test issue is the same size as your Vanity Fair, your Gourmet, your Lucky. It's glossy and perfect-bound (goodbye, staples!), and the spine has all sorts of type on it making it perfect for your bookshelf: the dates, the issue number (RS 1056/1057), and a peek of what's inside: BARACK OBAMA / BONNAROO / AMY WINEHOUSE / RUSH / GREENLAND. The logo-type in the test issue is a brighter shade of red and smaller.

While we patiently await publication of The World According to Santino Rice, Project Runway finalist Daniel Vosovic is joining Tim Gunn and Nina Garcia in parlaying his appearance on the Bravo reality show into a book. Between honing his skills working for established designers and creating uniforms for staffers at a new line of chain hotels, Vosovic found time to write Fashion Inside Out (pictured at left), which is set to be released in late October. It includes a forward by Gunn and is chock full of photos by Michael Turek. Publisher Watson-Guptill describes the book as "combin[ing] practical information on fashion design with an intimate look at the fashion scene today," including "a detailed overview of the design process, plus insightful advice on connecting with the right people, promoting and selling, and much, much more." As for the cover, we get the Chanel-esque treatment of "Daniel," but we're getting a strange vodka branding vibe from the rest of it. Meanwhile, we hear that last year's Project Runway winner, Christian Siriano, has also got a book in the works. The topic? How to be fierce, of course.

The Olympic Games (and their latest troupe of quirky mascots) are almost upon us, and the School of Visual Arts' MFA Design Criticism department is celebrating with an evening of sports-themed design reading at KGB Bar in New York's East Village. The fun begins next Tuesday, July 22, at 7 p.m. Check out the all-star lineup:

Michael Bierut, co-founder of Design Observer, laments stadium architecture's tendency to nostalgia. Metropolis contributing editor Jennifer Kabat scrutinizes Nike's new uniforms for the Chinese Olympics team. ESPN sports uniform critic Paul Lukas explores the cultural history of the humble baseball cap. Finally, The New York Times car critic, Phil Patton considers the curious conflation of celebrity athlete shoes and cars.

U.S. News and World Report (you know, the newsmagazine obsessed with ranking things?) has debuted its new look, which includes a retooled logo, an expanded features section, and an increased focus on reader feedback. According to editor Brian Kelly's July 14 letter to readers, the design itself is "a little more relaxed, with a more readable typeface." Frankly, those blocky periods after the "U" and the "S" in the logo make us anything but relaxed, but Kelly assures, "That new logo you see on the cover is not just a cosmetic makeover. It signals a new era for U.S. News."

Part of the new era involves moving to a biweekly publication schedule for the magazine that Kelly describes as a "a refuge from the din of the Web and cable TV." FOLIO recently sat down with U.S. News president Bill Holiber, who "said the redesign, in the works for over a year, reflects a shift in the company's editorial strategy, moving the brand away from a newsmagazine toward becoming a consumer guide of personal and 'public service' journalism." And the #1 source for lists great and small, including this week's rundown of "4 Dumb Ways to Get in Trouble at the Airport."

Our friend Steven Heller is back on the trail with his latest entry on the NY Times' Campaign Stops blog. This time around, he's talking lapel pins and all the trouble they cause when they aren't worn. And like many of his Campaign Stops entries, he's once again assembled a talented group of designers to come by and submit their interpretations of the lapel pin phenomenon. Our favorite was from painter and illustrator, Ray Bartkus, who figured out the easy way to deal with the debate: simply remove the lapels all together. Brilliant.

Our pals over at Karma Loop were kind enough to pass along this piece of interesting video: an interview with Amanda Fairey about the space she founded with her husband, Shepard, the Subliminal Projects Gallery. Really nice to see her getting some camera time for a change. Here's the video:

If you're heading to Chicago this weekend to catch the big Pitchfork music fest, we highly recommend skipping the massive, sweaty crowds for a good chunk of the day and heading over to the Flatstock 17 poster convention. Because really, who needs to see a band when you can just go get a fantastic, limited edition screenprinted poster promoting said group? We say this, of course, in all seriousness, given that our house is full of posters for events we never attended and bands we don't really even like all that much. But whatever your preferences are, if you're in town, it's well worth your time checking it out and meeting some of the best designers working today. But before you go, we highly recommend heading straight to the source by checking out this forum on American Poster Institute's site for a whole slew of Flatstock details.