I gotta be honest, apparently I've been living under a gigantic rock and hadn't heard of the awesome NOTCOT until today when they posted a really cool write-up titled Art Of The Gift Card showcasing some of the new holiday Gift Cards at Target. They even went above and beyond and devoted a special something to our 'Winter Fishing Hole' Gift Card/Game. We've actually been getting reports that they are selling out at stores (that's a good thing, right?) but you can find them online through 12/31.

Oh, and yes I'm multi-tasking by kicking myself while adding the NOTCOT RSS feed to my daily visits.

The holidays at Target are always fun. So, naturally we were pretty excited (okay, thrilled) when they asked us to create a board game for one of their charming holiday Gift Cards. Our Winter Fishing Hole! Game is in stores and online now until the new year. 1 - 4 players. Spin The Fish!

Here are 3 recently finished album covers. Had a lot of fun with all of these. All great records too!

Just wrapped up both (regular & special edition) packages for the new DevilDriver record. I'm a big fan of the band, so it was an honor to work with Dez and the guys.

Spring has hit Seattle (well, a little) so we thought it'd be a good time to update you on what's happening in IC world ... and of course shamelessly plug ourselves all at the same time. We're having a ton of fun at the shop lately, so why not share in the joy a little bit?

The Takeover interview - Short and sweet.

RBTL podcast - This was a lot of fun to do, but maybe I shouldn't have had so much coffee before recording.

IC on Twitter - Sign up! Updated regularly with IC happenings and random pretentious garbage no one needs to know about. Oh, and this may soon take the place of '5 Things We're Digging'. I wish it wasn't so addictive, but it is.

Sasquatch! Festival - It's coming up hot. Thankfully, we have a new set of limited edition screen-printed posters available to help celebrate its arrival. Coming soon.

Coalesce 'OX' - This project was a blast in many ways, but I had no clue the band would want to feature the art on so many stinking cool pieces of merchandise. Icing on the cake. Limited edition (signed) art prints, a flask (with super cool box), quality hoodies and shirts, etc. Take that, Fugazi.

Having fun with new projects from Nike, Target, Wired, Devildriver, August Burns Red, Coalesce, The Not-It's, KEXP, Brother Ali + Rhymesayers, etc. We'll be showcasing these new projects (and much more) on our new website and store towards the end of August. Very excited to be working with the masterminds at Gridplane & Instrument.

There is much more to talk about, but not enough time to do so. Thanks to everyone who has made the IC blog a part of their daily RSS feeds. 6,500 and counting!

Oh, and special thanks to Cale Glendening for the above photo.

Check out the cover we recently created for the new Falling Up album, "Fangs!" The illustration is based on the very interesting story told within the lyrics- having something to do with poison threads and foreign planets. Drawn with ink, colored in Photoshop.

Here is a cover that we did for a documentary about The Doors, titled "When You're Strange." Unfortunately this cover was rejected when it turned out that the band just "wanted a band photo" instead. We thought we'd show it to you anyway, as we're rather fond of it.

Here's the cover for Demon Hunter's new "Live In Nashville" record. For this album cover we wanted to execute our "demon skull" logo (which graces every DH cover) in a new and unique way. If you focus on the black negative space, you'll see it. Album available January 27th!

Here's a cover we recently finished up for Tooth & Nail newcomers, And Then There Were None. The theme of the artwork is based on a gold disc that was sent into space on the Voyager 2 in 1977. The disc (clearly not a CD like shown on the cover- we know) contained various files depicting life on earth- in the event that an extra-terrestrial being might happen across it.

Just finishing up the artwork for new Solid State band, The Ascendicate. This is actually a band that I sought out and recently helped sign to the label. I'm very excited for the release of this record. The above image is the final cover (sans sticker, which displays the band name, album title).

We're just as shocked as you are, but it looks like we've received our 4th Grammy nomination in a row. This time it's for our CD package/board game for Hawk Nelson's latest album 'Hawk Nelson ... Is My Friend'.

We're beyond grateful for the nomination - as well as the years prior. That feeling doesn't seem to get old. Many thanks to Hawk Nelson and Tooth & Nail Records for the opportunity. My wife and I will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary the very same weekend as the awards, so we're excited to have another reason to dress up.

Oh, if anyone is keeping score out there, Don and Ryan are tied for 2 apiece. I am thinking we may have set some sort of record for brothers in general. Is there a separate award for that? No?

There was a lot of great album artwork this year, but here are 10 that really caught my eye. Enjoy.

What do you get when you cross a pirate store, Office & Dave Eggers? Brilliant packaging, apparently.

We've been posting fairly frequent blog entries over at MTV's Headbangers Blog, giving in-depth views into various design projects. This time, you can read about the artwork for Demon Hunter's forthcoming 3-disc release, "45 Days."

Here's a glimpse at some imagery that we're working on for the new record by Becoming The Archetype, titled "Dichotomy." The theme of the album is loosely based on C.S. Lewis' "The Hideous Strength," wherein Lewis writes of the dichotomy between man and machine. Brutal! Oh, and the album slays. Buy it November 25th!

Fact #1: Reid Miles is a personal design hero of mine (as evident in my approach for Chris Cornell's Carry On album).

Fact #2: Japanese website Vintage Vanguard just made my year. 

Via Drawn!

As mentioned last month, It's Nice That starts their new exhibit next Monday at Plymouth College of Art in Plymouth, England. Our 12" vinyl packaging for Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace will be on display among many other fine works of art - all submitted by It's Nice That guest authors. Photographs of the show coming soon.

Sleevage has posted a feature on our work for Joy Electric's album, "My Grandfather, The Cubist." You can read an in-depth explanation of the process and view initial concepts for this project here.

The Batmobile from Batman Returns movie is being auctioned off at the 38th annual Kruse International Auction, which will be held on Labor Day weekend (August 28, 29, 30, 31, September 1 & 2 at the 480 acre Kruse Auction Park) in Auburn, Indiana. The car is # 3 of 5 Batmobiles actually used in the BATMAN RETURNS MOVIE. 

Keep in mind that Batmobiles have sold for as much as $550,000 in the past, which means owning one is definitely attainable.

Video: Mort Walker on Wall Street Journal

Via Drawn!: A piece by the Wall Street Journal about Mort Walker’s (Beetle Bailey) efforts to create a National Cartoon Museum. His collection of cartoon art is valued at over $20 million.