Author: patricia

MAKI:minimag_Bruno Munari_ABC_Cover

ABC

Published by patricia

First published in 1960 this imaginative ABC by Bruno Munari is a real gem. With lots of white space splashed with colour, children can learn how fun letters are. From an Ant on an Apple to a Blue Butterfly to a Cat in a Cage, Munari pairs words in a whimsical manner and prose like style. Until Fly frees itself from its page, lands on the Hat, buzzes near the Ice Cream and provides the final sound for Zzzz! Zum ersten Mal wurde es 1960 herausgegeben und ist ein echter Kinderbuch-Schatz: das fantasievolle ABC von Bruno Munari. Mit viel Weissraum und bunten Farbakzenten können Kinder lernen, wie viel Spass Buchstaben machen können. Von einer Ameise auf einem Apfel, über einen blauen Schmetterling bis zu einer Katze im Käfig kombiniert Munari Worte und Begriffe auf skurrile Art und in fast prosaartigem Stil. Bis die Fliege sich selbst von der Seite befreit, auf einem Hut landet, um eine Eis schwirrt und den letzten Ton liefert: Zzzzz! Het werd voor het eerst  in 1960 uitgegeven en is een echte prentenboek-schat: het …

MAKI:minimag_kids magazines_Georges_numero-pomme

Georges // kids magazine #1

Published by patricia

Since we discovered the French kids magazine Georges in 2011 we are huge fans. And in fact it was THE inspiration for our own kids magazine MAKI – which we are working on at the moment. To show you a little bit more about our research and inspiration we will present some of the most lovely children magazines from now on. And we start with Georges. Three times a year a new issue is published, about themes as Pop, dinosaurs, apples or elephants. The magazine aims at children from 7 to 12 years old and is for everyone interested in beautiful graphic design. It offers a mix of stories, games,  little interviews and experiments. http://www.magazinegeorges.com Seit wir 2011 das Französische Kindermagazine Georges entdeckt haben sind wir große Fans. Und ehrlicherweise war es auch DIE Inspirationsquelle für unser eigenes Kindermagazine MAKI – an dem wir momentan arbeiten. Um Mal einen Eindruck zu geben, was wir alles gefudnen haben und was uns inspiriert werden wir von jetzt ab verschiedene, großartige Kindermagazine präsentieren. Und wir fangen mit Georges an. Drei mal im …

MAKI:minimag_David Carter_1 roter Punkt

Pop Up Art

Published by patricia

The book “1 roter Punkt” (One red dot) by David A. Carter is a true piece of artwork made of paper. It received the Hans-Christian-Andersen-medal for the best artistic picture book in 2005. On every of the 10 double pages a refined paper construction unfolds – filigree, stunning, in elementary colours and forms. And in every paper-architecture a red dot is hiding. While following the numbers from 1 to 10 and searching for the red dot one is thrilled by the surprising diversity of shapes. It is fun to fiddle about the construction of paper lids, wheels and garlands – no matter what age! Das Buch “1 roter Punkt” von David A. Carter is ein wahres Kunstwerk aus Papier. Es wurde 2005 mit der Hans-Christian-Andersen-Medaille  für das beste künstlerische Bilderbuch ausgezeichnet. Auf jeder der 10 Doppelseiten entfaltet sich eine raffinierte Papier-Konstruktion  –  filigran, verblüffend, in elementaren Farben und Formen. Und in jedem Gebilde steckt „1 roter Punkt”. Man folgt den Zahlen von 1 bis 10 und freut sich an der Vielfalt der überraschenden Gestaltungsideen. Neugierige und Tüftler jeglichen Alters …

MAKI:minimag_Libuše Niklová_GIraffe_1971

Plastic Fantastic

Published by patricia

Ladies and Gentleman! Let me introduce you to one of our toy heroes: „Giraffe“ is an inflatable, sound-producing toy, designed in 1971 by Czech designer Libuše Niklová. Up to the 1960ies design for children was pretty conventional, mostly offering miniature versions of adult styles for children. Inspired by the principles of pop art from the 1960ies on the approach to kids design became more inventive and playful with vibrant colours and characters. New materials that offered new forms were supporting this development. After World War II wood and metal as materials for toys became too expensive. Plastic seemed to be THE solution. It was soft, light, flexible, hygienic and colourful. And it was relatively cheap. One designer that mastered the design of plastic toys to perfection is Czech designer Libuše Niklová. She designed toys that embraced the qualities of this new material rather then trying to imitate other materials and forms. Libuše Niklová started with squeaking animal toys in molded rubber, later on she created a famous series of blown PVC figures. At that time designers …

Shock`n Sugar

Published by patricia

Looking for a children´s book about animals, flowers or rainbows? Then “My First Nursery Book” is NOT what you want. A killed cock, a gingerbread men eaten by foxes or a burnt wolf are not the kind of things you expect in a sweet little children´s book. Illustrated by Polish/British avant-garde artist and publisher Franciszka Themerson “My First Nursery Book” is full of surreal, offbeat, macabre stories. Lots of death and horror – but then in wonderful sweet colours. A charming combination of block colour prints and red line drawings. In 2008 it has been reissued by Tate in its original 1947 form and includes four classic stories: “Who Killed Cock Robin?,” “The Gingerbread Man,” “Three Little Pigs,” and “The Three Bears.” A moral shock therapy for little ones – but with sugar coating! Auf der Suche nach einem Kinderbuch über Tiere, Blumen und Regenbögen? Dann ist „My First Nursery Book“ NICHT das Ende der Suche. Ein ermordetes Rotkehlchen, ein Lebkuchenmann verspeist von Füchsen, und ein verbrannter Wolf sind nämlich nicht gerade die Geschichten die man …

MAKI:minimag_Vaclav Spala_devil

Sweet devil!

Published by patricia

↓ Scroll down for German/Dutch version! Sweet devil! Czech Republic has a large tradition in artisticially designed (wooden) toys. This little „devil“, designed by artist Václav Špála, is a beautiful and fun example for a Czech avant garde toy, designed in the 1920ies. Václav Špála was a Czech painter, graphic designer and illustrator, influenced by Fauvism and Cubism. He was a member of Artel, an innovative group of applied artists promoting the beauty of artistic work and taste in daily life. Their main inspiration came from folk art, and their toys were full of individualism and handcrafted quality. Not mass production, commercialism and realism, but uniqueness and a way to fantasy is what they wanted. “Devil” is completely from wood, painted in black, white ,red and yellow and has a small opening, some sort of safe-deposit – may be for hiding candy? This is a reproduction by the way, made in Prague, it is handmade and handpainted and you can get it here.     Süsser Teufel! Tschechien hat eine lange Tradition auf dem Gebiet …

MAKI:minimag_Atop a hill...by Daniel Frost

Atop a hill in Frostville

Published by patricia

↓ Scroll down for Dutch/German version! A book without words. Is that possible?!? Yes, it is – as Daniel Frost, a young, London based illustrator proves. His first children´s book is called „Atop a hill in Frostville“ and is a wordless story. A boy and his dog wake up on a sunny morning and go on a walk through town. This is the beginning of a long, adventurous chase! Every page bristles with visual energy and humour, extraordinary and exaggerated characters, inventive street scenes and colourful details. For hours you can look, laugh, discover and invent stories….   Daniel Frosts style is modern and fresh, with a nod to 1950/60ies illustrations and their limited colour palette. Using watercolour paint, crayons and collage and a simplified imagery he creates quirky and funny worlds and characters. Inspired by the strangeness of everyday life.  For little ones and grown ups!  More of Daniel Frost and his current work here. Atop a hill in Frostville is published by Little Otsu, Portland.   Een boek zonder woorden. Is dat mogelijk? Ja, is het – …

MAKI:minimag_Sparkle and Spin_Ann&Paul Rand

Sparkle & Spin. A book about words

Published by patricia

Do you like ice cream? Then we have got something for you! *Sparkle and Spin* is a book about words and – adorable enough –  dedicated ” to all children who like ice cream“.:) It is the second of four children books which designer Paul Rand and his wife Ann did together. The book is full of Paul Rands playfulness and humour and a virtuoso book for the audience he got so much inspiration of: children! Ann Rand, an architect by training, wrote the text in short sharp rhymes and rhythms with a clever awkwardness that makes you hear a child speaking. Paul Rand combined  simple forms, a selective colour palette and plays with paper cut-outs, doodling, collages and typography for his illustrations. The book got very good reviews and the New York Times chose it as one of the ‘Ten best illustrated Books of the Year’! in 1957. With its bold, playful interplay of words and pictures, the lyrical text explores what words are and how they are used. And it highlights some characteristics such as that some words sound like what the mean, …

MAKI:minimag_Rain!_Cover

Rain!

Published by patricia

↓ Scroll down for German version! Rainy days are not really a big fun thing. May be that is why RAIN!, the book by  illustrator Christian Robinson and author Linda Ashman caught our attention immediately! So colourful, fun and full of energy – it just made us smile!!! Rain can STILL be fun!  A little happy boy and an old grumpy man both go out on a rainy day and meet in a cafe by accident. Their attitudes could not be more different! The little one is happy to wear his frog-rain coat, is having fun with jumping into puddles and enjoys the trip to the cafe to munch cookies. The old one is complaining about the nasty galoshes, the hat that ruins his hair, the water in the streets. When they meet at the suitably named „Rain or Shine Café“ the question is: Which mood will be more contagious, the good or the bad one? Which one will win out – the ill-humor or the happiness? Robinsons illustrations are highly expressive mixed media collages, he paints, draws …

MAKI:minimag_Delphine Chedru_Spot it again!

Spot it again!

Published by patricia

Delphine Chedru, author and illustrator of Spot it! must have enjoyed hiding little animals. And so she came up with a second edition: Spot it again! Find more hidden creatures! Another book full of beautiful, graphic patterns, colours and striking seek-and-find challenges:) And this time there are lift-the-flaps on many pages for extra fun! Some of the lost characters can be found in the design, others are hiding underneath the flaps. We at MAKI:minimag like this stylish follow-up even better than the first! Delphine Chedru, schrijver en illustrator van Spot it! moet ervan genoten hebben om dieren te verstoppen. En daarom heeft ze een tweede editie uitgegeven: Spot it again! Find more hidden creatures. Nog een boek vol met mooie, grafische patronen, kleuren en seek-and-find uitdagingen:) En deze keer zijn er papieren deurtjes op bijna elke pagina om open te maken – voor extra zoek-plezier! Sommige van de  beestjes zijn in het design te vinden, andere verstoppen zich onder de flappen. Wij bij MAKI:minimag vinden deze stijlvolle follow-up zelfs nog beter dan de eerste!  Delphine Chedru: Spot it …