Evening Tweed
Four design students got together in 2006 and started this design collective. There is type that makes me drool dripping all over this site. They have nice taste… worth your time to check out.

A Texas Designer’s Map of the World
DJ Stout, a designer from Texas was asked to participate in illustrating a map which would include designers from all over the country to illustrate their respective areas:

“Of course I was given the Southwest,” says Stout “which includes the great state of Texas and a few other insignificant surrounding states.

Stout pulled off this vintage style with uncanny wit. Love me some nice poster design.

Logo Design Love
Clean, well designed, and all about logos. What is there not to dig on with this blog? I’m a big fan of Brand New, but Logo Design Love is actually throwing a bone to the web community featuring a lot of online-only brands.

Wear Palettes
Perhaps you are in a rut using Kuler and getting fairly similar results over and over? Try this blog… color combinations inspired by fashion photography. Great place for ideas.
Via ABF

GlenzTees
I’m an old-school fan of Threadless. GlennzTees is a threadless designer who has branched out on his own. I like his designs because they are funny and thoughtful.

Aisleone
Lately I can’t get enough clean design. Grids, whitespace, and sen-serif typefaces… this blog is chalked full ‘em. Nice source of inspiration.

When in Virginia Beach Jim and I go to this fantastic little surf shop called Freedom Surf. A shop that embraces all the ideals of community that I value in a culture, they support local surfers and artists by carrying unique products and sponsoring events. Freedom Surf believes that surfing is more than just a summer activity, they promote it as a lifestyle and an experience. Though I don’t surf I still can become mesmerized for hours by the fantastic unique products they carry throughout their store. One of my favorite artists regularly featured is Andy Davis.

Andy has a very distinct style with flat two dimensional figures elongated and contorted to fluidly mimic the motion of the ocean waves. His imagery is seductively playful using rich earth-tones accented by strokes that elegantly very to sketch out rich female figures. It all looks so effortless, capitalizing on the negative space around each fantastic sketch for emphasis. In a way his work encapsulates the art of surfing, making the incredibly difficult task of catching a wave look like anyone can do it.

Andy has a clothing line called Ando and Friends that I suggest you check out here. Andy’s online presence is a pretty static one. But who can really blame him… I mean hes pretty busy with surfing and drawing. Here is an excerpt from his Bio:

If someone had invented a 25-hour day, Andy Davis might have had a website a year ago. But everyone has a choice to make. Andy’s is drawing, surfing, and spending time with his wife, Ashley, and their son, Noah. Much preferred options fora guy who admits he can barely send an email.

It’s easy to miss something you’re not looking for. Fantastic ad campaign, excellent message… applicable to design , the web, and life.

On multiple accounts dwellers of the off-line world have inquired about my “Blogging”. The conversations are all very similar and awkward… almost always ending with something similar to “aren’t you afraid to give your ideas away like that?”.

Maggie Mason and Heather Armstrong said it best in their SXSW panel “You get what you give”. Perhaps some see it as the “secret” but I think it just makes sense, the internet is an ecosystem, a two-way street and it works best when you participate going in every direction.

Giving surfaced as a clear theme throughout the panels at this year’s SXSW. Jim Coudal showed a clip from their Video Wall, touched on Swap Meat (which I hope to muster up the time to try and post about) and Layer Tennis, an online forum that they sponsor to match-up designers against each other for Photoshop debauchery. All of these sites serve as vehicles for giving and taking in the creative community.

Moby very candidly explained MobyGratis, a site where he gives away free music to independent film makers. I learned that it is a real pain in the ass to license music if you make a film, and he hopes to relieve some of that stress where he can. While I didn’t know much about Moby before SXSW, I am now a big fan of him (as a person)… completely uninhibited to put himself out there.

Heather Armstrong gives the most personal experiences of her life to her online community, from recounting getting fired from her job to blogging while at the Hospital suffering from postpartum depression. Heather explained that sharing the most intimate parts of her life has brought her support from well-wishers and notoriety that allows her to modestly support her family from online advertising. Winning several well-deserved bloggies and being considered the 5th most powerful blog in the world by some, Heather has earned it by giving.

I asked a developer once why he used open source software and he said “because it is free”. That guy did not get it. The web is making sharing easier than ever. Leverage it, embrace it, and give.

Check out all of my pics from SXSW 2008 here.

I am in Austin enjoying my third day at my third SXSW, and it turning out to be an awesome trip. The inspiration and motivation is abundant, panels packed with stories of innovation through creativity. Its hard to resist the contagious passion.

Last night a friend from my first trip to Austin made an interesting reference; while I can not recall his exact words, he eluded to all of the “rockstars” at the event. A word that is becoming increasingly overused in Web 2.0 community, it accuratey  describes everyone at this conference…SXSW is packed full of “rockstars”. Those who travel to the lone-star state share an insatiable curiosity; something that Jason Fried mentioned  that he looks for in new recruits for the 37 Signals team. Curiosity really sets people here apart… they know they need to seek the unkown and that there are bigger things worth exploring. I can’t turn around without bumping into a rockstar and striking up intriguing conversation about their journey of curiosity that brought them here.

One piece of advice I can give to a SXSW newbie is: call a cab, and talk to your driver. Austin has the most interesting cab drivers I have ever met, and they always manage to give me the most insightful look into the culture of the city. My first year here I met Rosie, who possibley was Janis Joplin resurrected from the dead. With a raspy texan accent she told me stories of escorting the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughn and Willie Nelson to down-home destinations. This year, while I did not get his name, our driver from Chuys serenaded us with a song he made up as he went singing “jolly ride, jolly ride” as we crossed the river into downtown Austin.

There is still more time here at SXSW and I look forward to the people I still have left to meet, the stories to be heard, and lessons to be learned . If you are at the conference and see me, say hello. If your not at the conference take a look at my photos on my flickr account to check out what I have captured on my iphone.