Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Custom Holiday card design

Here's a holiday card we recently created for a good friend who does custom art framing out of Houston. This year, he was looking for something a little more special and custom to mail his friends, family, and co-workers. The only stipulation was that there be a tree or wreath in the design. Knowing that he has a lovely collection of intricately engraved art prints (from architectural to floral) adorning his home walls, delicate flourishes and other details in a golden hue seemed the appropriate design for his greetings.



Friday, December 11, 2009

Holiday photocards on Clark Lara Photography

Check out our designs for holiday photo cards, now available on photographer Clark Lara's website. We're very pleased to compliment your family portraits and holiday messages with our designs!




Thanks Clark & Rica!

Monday, November 16, 2009

Holiday cards on Cranky Pressman



He's right, it is the magical time of year again! Check out the Cranky Pressman's site for a series of posts on holiday cards and more that they've printed—past and future. Imagine our delight when discovering the vintage embroidery inspired holiday sleigh cards we designed are the first in the series. Check out more on Cranky's site here.

To purchase your set of our lovingly designed and letterpress printed holiday cards, click here.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Le Clique Foto on Etsy!



Bare walls? We have a solution for you.

In our continuing association with Le Clique Foto we're proud to announce the new Le Clique Foto Etsy storefront!

Now you can purchase prints of many, if not all of the amazing photos posted on Le Clique Foto. The storefront is literally brand new so check back frequently for new additions.

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Le Clique Foto October contest


We've just announced a creepy photo contest for the Le Cliquers! Stay tuned to Le Clique for new posts. See more info here. If you're interested in joining Le Clique, contact us .

Friday, October 2, 2009

PS in Stationery Trends Fall 2009 magazine

Take a peek at the Fall 2009 print of Stationery Trends, The Occasions Issue. You'll find amongst all of the other amazing paper designs, our very own "Thanks A Shipload" postcards included under Show Me More. The postcard is so new, that we've not yet added it to our store. 





For more info on the postcard or our other products, contact us.

Thanks Sarah!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

What's On My Desk- Super High Score Edition

Sweaty palms, chocolate milk, lazy Saturdays, offers by mail and a Polaroid camera. Today's What's on My Desk again takes a fast train to geektown and presents some badges of honor so rare that most people are unaware of their existence- Activision Atari 2600 high score patches.



Gamers have always tried to achieve the near impossible. The high score on the Frogger arcade game at the pizza shop, beating Super Mario Brothers straight through without warping, or unlocking the full 1000 gamerpoints for Halo 3 on the Xbox have led to countless sleepless nights, numerous skipped classes, and a pile of undone homework that would reach sky high. There was nothing better as a kid than being able to boast of indeed beating Contra, and doing it without the infamous cheat code that all of your loser friends had to use to make it through. Your usual reward for the monumental, the herculean, the sheer impossible of gaming milestones? Usually just bragging rights. However, back in the day so to speak, Activision rewarded Atari players for their achievements with something much more tangible.



In a move which doubtlessly inspired Microsoft's current digital Xbox achievements, Activision offered a mail order reward program for its most hardcore, high scoring players. Each game had an established high score or objective and players meeting the qualifications could take a photo of their TV showing the score, mail it to Activision and receive a truly spectacular corresponding patch for the game (list of games and corresponding hi scores for patches here). Additionally, as below Starmaster patch illustrates, some games had multiple tiers of achievements, each being rewarded suitably.



As you can probably surmise these patches are rare. Most Gamers were unaware of the program and those in the know not only had to actually earn the patch (which for some games was incredibly difficult), but also go through the hassle of photographing and mailing a photo in the days before digital photography. Couple that with the fact that some of the games were fairly obscure even by 1980s standards (You may have heard of Pitfall and River Raiders but how about Dolphin or Plaque Attack?) and it becomes near impossible, and pricey to assemble a complete set.



I can't think of a more suitable or charming reward for a million points in Laser Blast or twenty thousand points in Pitfall. Each patch is a mini artwork standing in testament to a hard fought digital victory that will last through the ages. Or at least until the patch fades.



So with sore thumbs, red eyes, and a heavy dose of nostalgia I sign off from today's What's on My Desk. With a quick salute to Activision and all those high scorers of gaming's golden age I wish our readers as many track records, win streaks, 1ups, and flawless performances as they can muster.

U,U,D,D,L,R,L,R,B,A,START

Thursday, September 24, 2009

What's On My Desk: May the nerd be with you.

What's On My Desk today takes a turn into the wild, the wooly, the nerdy.

While recently going through some old boxes at my parent's house I made a startling and welcome discovery, the likes of which I would place on par to finding Jimmy Hoffa's body in the pantry next to the Oreos. In an innocent, and on first inspection quite mundane, cardboard tube I found the gathered paper ephemera which comprised my ....wait for it.....STAR WARS FANCLUB membership!



That's correct. Let me say it again: Star Wars Fanclub. The most holy brand of nerdom which states "I am not just a Star Wars fan. I feel so strongly about the trilogy that I must, dare I say need, to mail away a self addressed stamped envelope to profess my love."



So what benefits dare you ask does membership entail? An awesome ID card, exclusive offers to fanclub goddies like jackets, tees, etc, and most importantly the bimonthly "Bantha Tracks" newsletter. Additionally it would appear upon initial sign up you recieve a sweeet Empire Strikes Back pencil (which I still have somewhere), an amazing art decoish ESB Darth Vader decal, and a spectacular selection of posters and glossy mini posters.





The mini posters included the usual oft seen variety of "Millenium Falcon fleeing Star Destroyer" and "Yoda staring pensively into the sunset" ilk but additionally had some different, almost thrown together varieties seemingly culled from stills and unused promo shots which were, inevitably, my favorites.





This only scratches the surface of the find. There were numerous other pamphlets, mini posters, and forms all of which I will hopefully photograph and share with our loyal fans post haste. In the meantime enjoy the pics, use the force, and DON'T try to pass my membership ID number off as your own.

Friday, July 31, 2009

The case of the lost magazine



This is apparently where one of our favorite magazines, Wired, has been getting delivered for the last few months. It makes my heart sad to think it was sitting there in front, wrapped gently in it's sneak peak plastic cover, getting warm in the sun.

Thursday, July 9, 2009

Alphabet Drawers

Holy Moly! I was surfing on the Poppytalk blog and found the sweetest piece of furniture ever. Behold, the Alphabet Drawer chest! It's apparently produced in the UK by Kent and London, and is made from solid oak with exactly 26 drawers. This thing goes for £2700.00, which really isn't that bad, but it's currently out of my need and budget range. Bummer, I'll just have to drool over it for now. 



Images from the Kent and London website.

Friday, July 3, 2009

What's On My Desk: Halo 3

Being a man I have been societally conditioned to have an aversion to certain things: romantic comedies, form fitting male underwear, Rosie O'Donnell and most of all couple's date night. Oh yes, couple's date night. The phrase that strikes terror into the hearts of men followed by sweating, a burst of cold adrenaline and a fabrication of the most outlandish of excuses. Yes, I was this man but my friends- no more.

Our double dates have been revolutionized by the white monolith of internet fueled fury, oh thee of the all seeing glowing green eye which peers into the deepest corners of a man's soul and speaks softly and suggestively "I can give you what you want". I speak of course, of the siren song of the Xbox 360. No more couples walks on the beach or trips to the shopping mall for us. We have traded flowers for a crushing blow from the gravity hammer, Lionel Richie for the staccato pops of small arms fire, and dressing up for a dressing down of those unlucky enough to oppose us all delivered via Xbox live. We have walked the plains of post apocalypse DC, stormed the beaches of Normandy together and tasted the saccharine sweet victories as well as the most heart rending of defeats. Most recently we have tested our mettle against a never ending horde of prepubescent warriors in the most vaunted of online arenas- Halo 3.



For those not familiar with the game one of the coolest features is the ability to take in game screenshots of your exploits and then upload them to your computer. The resultant images are both haunting and beautiful with jarring colors and the occasional capture of a sweeping panorama.



So reload and aim high while their shields are down, I present to you What's On My Desk:Halo 3 Screenshots featuring the exploits of us here at Product Superior in conjunction with our good friends Moo and Matt.











Wednesday, July 1, 2009

What's On My Desk: Great Oudoors

Summertime is here and for most folks that means mosquitos, aloe vera, and sand stuck in unmentionable places. For us it means loading up the truck and fleeing civilization for some solitude in the great outdoors in the form of biking, camping, and hiking. As a salute to the dog days What's On My Desk! will be throwing some mud, spraying some deet, and hoping for the best with some outdoor related features.

Now I like trail mix, fear of bear attacks, and filthy clothes as much as the next dude, but what really sets off camping for me are the gadgets. Size matters and in camping you want small. Waaay small. You also want to eat. Combining the two is today's piece de la resistance- the MSR Pocket Rocket camp stove.



Weighing in at 7 oz (including fuel cell!), and priced less than $40, it will boil a liter of water in about three minutes and has a wind clip to prevent blow outs. All that is great but the real reason I love this stove is the fact that it handily folds up ala the Transformers to be stored in it's own tiny, form fitting red carton.







Oddly enough it is packaged with nine, yes nine, individual instruction booklets for every conceivable language. Informative- yes, over the top- maybe.





So get out there and get cooking! Oh, and are you going to finish eating that freeze dried icecream?

Friday, June 19, 2009

The Diver in the Dark Cave

We've got more exciting new products in the works than you can shake a stick at. Case in point: a new aquatic print currently being illustrated featuring a diver exploring the depths of a dark, submerged cavern. Enjoy the photos and don't forget to hold your breath. It's a long way down.



Wednesday, June 10, 2009

"Police that moo-stache"

I dare say, excellent use of the infamous silhouette!


T-shirt found on Gizmodo



Pencils found on HOW's blog

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Renegade Craft Fair coverage on Sub-Studio design blog



We were lucky enough to get a little coverage on the Sub-Studio design blog round up from the Renegade Craft Fair last weekend. While you're there please do take a few moments to peruse their site. They have some nice design work and some beautiful products as well. the lure catalog and specimen catalog prints are some of my favorites!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Renegade Craft Fair in Brooklyn- This weekend!



We'll be at the Renegade Craft Fair at Mc Carren park in Williamsburg, Brooklyn this weekend June 6-7. Should be great weather and loads of fun. Stop by and say hi!

Saturday, May 30, 2009

NSS coverage on Oh So Beautiful Paper



Nole over at Oh So Beautiful Paper was kind enough to include us in her extensive coverage of the 2009 National Stationery Show. Stop on by and make sure to peruse her tremendous blog- it's a veritable encyclopedia of paper goods so vast that it's almost overwhelming. Some really beautiful objects from a lovely lady who has a tremendous passion for paper. Thanks Nole!

Product Superior business cards on FPO blog



We've been lucky enough to have our fancy new die cut business card featured on Under Consideration's new blog FPO: For Print Only. For those unfamiliar with the blog, FPO is dedicated to interesting and solid graphic design with a focus only on objects destined for print. We here at Product Superior definitely believe that print is still very much alive and doing just fine. We'd like to extend or thanks to Bryony and Armin at Under Consideration/ FPO for including us and doubly so for their inspirational blogs.

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Lego Architecture

Holy moly! Why hasn't Lego already done this??? See more on Gizmodo!


Image courtesy Gizmodo

Saturday, May 23, 2009

"New to Me" on BirdDog Press


We were recently graced with a brief mention and picture of our tradeshow weary mugs on the BirdDog Press blog. When you stop by make sure to check out the storefront and homepage. Some great work and eco-friendly to boot! Product Superior would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to Allison at BirdDog press for the kind words.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

New Products!

We here at Product Superior are the not the kind of folks that let Summer come roaring in while we sit back and sip beverages with fruit slices and tiny umbrellas. We are the kind of folks that welcome the dog days with fresh, red hot new products. Some are available now, some will be available very shortly. We're very excited and hope you will be too!

New! All Around Town NYC: Rooftops & Watertowers
8x10" Letterpress Print, available now





Coming Soon! Let's Party & BBQ Letterpress folded card




Coming Soon! Let's Celebrate & BBQ Letterpress folded card