After the New York Times linked to our site in their article about Pac-Mondrian, I came across an angle to the story that might be interesting to graphic designers.

If you just can’t get enough of the kitchy game, the creators of the pop art video game are selling fine art. They are selling sets of four postcards that document the concept, model, production, and product of Pac-Mondrian. For only $200 you get a set of postcards presented in a navy binder complete with “Avery’s high quality acid-free heavyweight polypropylene sleeves that meet the exacting archival standards of any serious Deltiologist.” Unfortunately, the eBay auction for the proofs is already over with an ending bid of $12,100. A closer look at the auction shows signs of being fake, but who knows. More Pac-Mondrian merchandise is in production with plans for cashing in on stamps, screenprints, and a can’t miss Pac-Mondrian vacuum cleaner.

While the creation of Pac-Mondrian was mildly entertaining, this stunt doesn’t do much for me. After the game made its viral spread accross the net, and after a New York Times review that took the game way too seriously, it seems that Pac-Mondrian has jumped the shark. We could discuss the implications for art and design that this story raises, but to do so might give the game more credit than it deserves.

You would think that a fairly prominent graphic design magazine would try its hardest to be original and not imitate other designs in general. It is even more surprising when one design magazine copies another. The *Print Magazine* cover on the left is the *1999 European Design Annual.* Considering their unique approach and use of symbolism, I thought it was a well-designed cover.

The spread and enlarged detail on the right are from the September issue of *Graphic Design USA*. If you can’t tell at this low resolution, both magazines converted the overused Mona Lisa into a close up of halftone color separations. I do not hold *GD USA* to very high standards, but this seems too hard to miss. I find it surprising that no one on staff at *GD USA* had seen this issue of *Print.* I wonder if Steven Heller will point this out in Print’s column *Separated at Birth.*

In an act of promotional prowess that would make the king of Pop Art proud, the Warhol Foundation has teamed up with the Stock Photo company, Corbis. The partnership’s goal is to make “it incredibly easy to obtain all necessary clearances for commercial use of Andy Warhol artwork and images, and even his famous quotations.”

Normally I would object to a corporation making a profit off a dead celebrity, but Warhol is a unique situation. His insight into popular culture, the concept of being a celebrity, his business sense, and his corporate commentary make it a perfect match. I wrote about Campbell’s Soup’s Warhol promotion last April, and thanks to continued corporate sponsorship, Andy lives on in modern pop culture. Would he have wanted it any other way? I doubt it.

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I can’t pass up stories about PacMan. I made a post a while back about Pac-Manhattan, and today I saw that a new game combines the art of Mondrian with the classic Atari game. Its called Pac-Mondrian. It’s not the most playable game in the world, but it is a fun idea. If you are interested in reading the history of the best-selling coin-operated game in history, here is a link to some Pac-Man trivia. I think I will go home and dig out my Atari 2600…

I heard a story on NPR today about Paul Curtis who goes by the name “Moose.” He is a Brittish street artist who makes his graffiti (if you can call it that) by cleaning his images out of the dirt and grime of the walls, streets, tile, and anything dirty. You can see some of the stunning work he has done at symbolix.com

There are two really interesting angles to this story. First, he has gotten in trouble with the police for vandalizing property. The thing is, his graffiti usually only lasts a couple of days. The only marks he makes leave the surface cleaner than before he was there. Can you convict a person for cleaning a public place? Better yet, would you convict a child for writing their name in the steamed up windows on a public bus?

The second interesting angle is that Moose has been using his graffiti as advertisements for high profile companies like Big Brother and X-box. The Big Brother work is especially cool. It is just a huge logo of an eye looking out from walls, windows, pillars, and roads. It says Big Brother perfectly.

Moose’s work is fascinating becuase it adds a new dimension to the art vs. vandalism issue that makes graffiti so controversial and intriguing. When you add corporate sposorship and subtract the damage to property, this takes graffiti to a new level. I love this concept, and I wish I would have thought of it first.