Get Graphic With Ashkahn.

Ashkahn puts the graphic in graphic designer, and then he takes it back out. I mean, you would think a tote bag featuring the evolution of the muff would be shockingly inappropriate for public use, right? But the funny sketch on the side of a canvas carry-all is rendered gentle enough to be almost, well, cute.

What? I mean I think it's cute. Ok, if you don't like the idea of muffs on your accessories, maybe you'd rather sport a triple-decker hamburger or a Nina Simone print on a tee?

Either way, you should totally consider signing up for the Ashkahn fan club, where among other things (mainly cache and clout) you will receive this lovely, personalized, autographed headshot from the artist:

Totally worth the $2 fee and the SASE he asks of you. Totally.

Click any image for ordering information.

Teach Shirts

It's time to get wild like they did back in the day.

The creators of Emperial Nation clothing are out to prove that you are never too cool to get schooled. In fact, they'll school you and make you cool(er) all at once. Started by a team of business-minded streetart buffs, the company takes inspiration for its graphic tee designs from the annals of history. Their collections are organized like history books. Topics include the Civil War, Harlem Renaissance, and the French Revolution. The rebel spirit is alive and well in their subject matter, so there's no need to worry about boring your friends with your dusty old lessons. There are plenty of gun-toting revolutionaries, rise-up types, and system stompers on the tees to keep things lively.

Tees featuring Five Points founder Paul Kelly (l) and Civil War soldier Andrew Benton (r).

Fraterni-tee: a print of Alpha Phi Alpha.

A healthy respect for the past is an important asset at any time, but our knowledge of history is usually used as a way to keep things from repeating again and again. In these times Emperial Nation's historical tees can be seen as sartorial calls to action. Need some inspiration to fight the good fight? Look down at your chest and see a portrait of Alpha Phi Alpha, the first African American inter-collegiate fraternity who formed to fight racial discrimination at Cornell Univeristy in 1906. Need to do tough battle with someone or something? Check your chest and get a glimpse of Civil War soldier Andrew Benton. Feel like going gangster on someone (figuratively of course)? Wear your mugshot tee featuring a cop-captured portrait of Paul Kelly, who founded the Five Points Gang and ran New York City until the fuzz caught up with him. Maybe a mugshot tee isn't the most positive place to get inspiration for action, but it certainly is badass and when the cookies are crumbling all over, who doesn't want to feel a little badass? As long as you keep the violent tendencies to the front of your shirt, it's all good. Besides, maybe Kelly's mug will deter people from messing with you, then it's definitiely all good. You want your own histor-tee, don't you? Visit the Emperial Nation website and scope their stuff. Priced at $37 to $41 they can be a reasonable, historical investment in your future.

Type it To Me

A bookshelf arranged by Post Typography to spell "HOME" for a design exhibition.

I like clever, and graphic design is full of clever. Not too much clever, of course. In the good stuff the clever is balanced out by actual smarts and classic design sense. Clever for clever's sake always makes me think of that scene in Fight Club where Tyler Durden turns to Jack on the airplane after he made a little joke about single-serving friends and says, "Very clever. How's that working out for you? Being clever?" Jack is flummoxed and his clever moment evaporates under scrutiny.

Post Typogrpahy's stationery system: Business cards, letterhead, and snail mailers.

Nobody's going to vaporize the work of Post Typography. The Baltimore-based graphic design studio started by duo Nolen Strals and Bruce Willen has all the ingredients for lasting impact: smarts, sight, and humor. They spilt thier time between illustrating for The New York Times and designing posters for punk bands.

Illustration for an article about two partisan Bush-bashing books in The New York Times



Concert poster for the band Les Savy Fav.

They also find time to throw in a little apparel decortating, post-it note wallpapering, and vandalizing. Good times.

One/One-Thousand: REED + RADER

Photo Duo Pamela Reed and Matthew Rader (REED + RADER) are fresh faces in fashion photography. The 25-year-old recent SVA grads were just featured as one of the 13 Emerging Artists in American Photo Magazine's 30th anniversary issue. They combine their fairly common fashion photography style with hot graphics to make a new statement in the pages of fringe magazines. My favorite examples of their work feature teeny-tiny replicated pattens of femmes, but they don't reproduce so well here. You can see them in all of their glory at R+R's special site, which includes a blog by their studio cat, and an opportunity for you to play fancy photo editor and take a virtual flip through their portfolio. Fun stuff happens at around the 3:12 mark.

Graphic, Sexual Content

Whenever I think of Narciso Rodriguez, I remember a behind the scenes segment that aired right before the final season of Sex and the City where SJP picked up a Narciso dress and said, "Now that would be very flattering on a woman's fanny". The guy knows how to fit a dress and his most recent collection will make many a fanny happy. Full of heavy, bold stripes that look like electrical tape gone glam, the show was strong and sexy in a way that made even the lithe models look like slick warriors.

The ninja star graphics and bandage dresses were oh so femme fatale. Life is good when you can look like you kick booty while rockin' a kickin' booty.