SITE OF THE DAY: "Grain Edit" Relishes Vintage Graphic Design

Everything old is new again at Grain Edit. Or at least classic design from the 1950’s-1970’s. Authentic work from the period is featured alongside modern-day work inspired by it. Interviews, articles, and designers’ libraries make up the bulk of the site, as well as rare examples of period design annuals, typeface, posters, and even vintage children’s book artwork. If all this inspiration has you itching for new opportunities, head over to the site’s respectable job board to see if the grass is really greener.

SITE OF THE DAY: "Dribbble" Lets Creatives Take Their Best Shot

Dribbble.com (that’s 3 B’s…) is a place for artists and designers to share their work in short, easily-digestible “shots.” It’s been described as “Twitter for Creatives,” but it’s really much more.

The community is divided into “Players” (can post shots and comments), “Spectators” (can view but not post), and “Prospects” (spectators who are looking to be “drafted” in order to contribute their own work). This unique social curation allows players to vouch for one another and their work in order to draft them to full Player status. Players are limited to 24 shots each month, and the community can reply to each with a “rebound.” It’s an interesting and effective way to connect creatives with each other and potential clients.

Dribbble takes the community approach into the real world by organizing local Meetups in an ever-growing list of cities around the world. The stated team attended one in NYC a few months back and connected with a nice mix of established and up-and-coming creatives.

See if Dribbble is for you.

SITE OF THE DAY: "I Need a Guide"

At “I Need a Guide,” the mission is simple: to curate a daily posting of art, photography, architecture, and “creative stuff” from around the world. And it does just that with a simple blog design that gets out of the way of the gorgeous flow of artwork sprawling across its page. Be sure to check out yesterday’s striking photorealistic paintings by Norwegian artist Henrik Aarestad Uldalen and Korean artist Gwon Osang’s “photography sculptures”. Plenty of fascinating photography, industrial design, and architecture is also represented, and submissions are encouraged.

Making the Shoot: Win an LA Photo Celebrity Shoot for The Lab Magazine

Making the Shoot (MTS) is an international photography competition hosted by The Lab Magazine (a recent stated “Site of the Day”) and Photoculture, created “to offer life-changing opportunities for photographers worldwide, find and promote emerging talent, and cultivate a new standard in juried competitions.”

Making the Shoot describes the competition. “Taking the step from being a photographer to a ‘working’ photographer can be a big leap, and as artists ourselves, we’ve been there. What is ultimately needed to move a career forward—access to a great subject, working with experienced hair/make-up/wardrobe, top tier production tools, and the ability to have your work published and seen in a great platform—can seem out of reach for many. We can amend that.”

Making the Shoot will be offering several prizes from their sponsors, but it’s also a great opportunity for the selected photographer, who will be flown to Los Angeles in January 2012 for a fully-financed celebrity photo shoot to be published in The Lab Magazine’s issue No. 5, on stands worldwide in March 2012.

An impressive lineup of professional judges has been assembled to critique submissions.

To enter, visit www.makingtheshoot.com and submit your work to have it seen by some of the top photographers, agents, stylists, managers and creative minds in the industry.

The Project Solution Makes a Direct Impact

We first met Joe Gonzalez when we interviewed Jimmy Aquino, his co-host for the Comic News Insider podcast, at New York Comic Con last year. Gonzalez has since left the podcast to devote himself to The Project Solution, a non-profit philanthropic organization he co-founded with Tara Bracco.

The Project Solution’s goal is simple: to apply funds directly to specific, low-cost, and attainable projects in distressed parts of the world. With many organizations, when a someone makes a donation, it’s difficult to know exactly where their money actually goes. When a donation is made to The Project Solution, the donor knows exactly where and how their money is spent and what—and who—their contribution affects.

Just a few of the young organization’s many completed projects include:

• Building a new roof for the Foyer d’Orelph Orphanage in Haiti
• Extending a water tap to the Cameroon village of Fuli, bringing fresh water to 500 locals
• Building a new bathroom facility in the Indian village of Bachevra to serve the local school and villagers
• Building a bathroom facility for a primary school of 150 children who previously had no facilities
• Purchasing a computer for orphans at the Africa Hope Center in Kenya through “The 10-Cent Project,” Solution program,” which works with schools to give students the opportunity to help children throughout the world with dimes
• And too many more to list…

The Project Solution continues to grow and expand its many programs, offering community outreach and informational events, as well as showcases of student artwork from around the world with its Art Project Solution. They also make it easy to get involved, offering an annual “Subscription for Change” option at reasonable levels.

Check out the video below and visit www.theprojectsolution.org for more info.