This masterful debut novel was so astonishing that Oprah had to share it with the world. Watch the video down below to find out what Oprah loved so much about Ayana Mathis’ The Twelve Tribes of Hattie. Published by Knopf, 256 pages, in stores now. For more information about how to join Oprah’s Book Club, just CLICK HERE!

On March 24, 2012, the University of Southern California had an event where they had Gary Panter and Chip Kidd as Lecture Guests. Here’s a nice sample of video showing the proceedings:

USC Roski School of Fine Arts and Visions and Voices present “Shelf Life 2: A Big Day for Small Press”, a unique one-day event that gathers a diverse group of independent publishers, writers, artists, and designers whose voices and images have questioned and pushed the boundaries of popular culture. In addition to speaker presentations moderated by writer Byron Coley and featuring artist Gary Panter and Graphic Designer Chip Kidd, there will also be a series of hands-on workshops in zine publishing, e-publications, and blogging as well as a Bazaar with one-of-a-kind goods from a variety of vendors. Organized by Ewa Wojciak and Haven Lin-Kirk (USC Roski School of Fine Arts).

The first video is the main introduction and then Gary Panter’s lecture, the second features Chip Kidd, and then the last one is a discussion with both. Here they are down below, enjoy & share.

If you have been reading this awesome website for a few weeks then you might remember a blog post we did awhile back where we mention a documentary called, “TOKYO TOY GUY”. You can see that post by clicking right HERE. Anyway, TOKYO TOY GUY is a brand-new film being created by our friend Yuji and it’s all about Vintage Batman Toys. Yuji spent five years traveling all around the world to speak with major Batman Toy Collectors. The fun thing is that Yuji came to New York City where he talked with Chip Kidd. Up above is a film still showing Chip talking about his collection. Then, down below, is the brand-new movie trailer which features some new footage and we also get a chance to see some of the other people that will appear in the movie. We’re really excited about this and can’t wait to see it. The movie has a new release date around December 2012. Stay tuned to CHIPKIDD.COM and as soon as we have more info, then so will you!

Posted here, for your learning enjoyment, is a new video in which John Green kicks off the CRASH COURSE Literature mini-series with a reasonable set of questions. Why do we read? What’s the point of reading critically? John will argue that reading is about effectively communicating with other people. Unlike a direct communication though, the writer has to communicate with a stranger, through time and space, with only “words on a page.”

Since this website is Chip Kidd’s Official Blog we knew we totally have to mention that Universal Pictures is going to be re-releasing the Classic JURASSIC PARK Movie ( Directed by Steven Spielberg ) soon and it will be in 3D!! The Release Date is set for April 5th, 2013. Yes, here’s a chance to view this film on the big screen again but this time the Dinosaurs will be jumping out at you, literally! Up above is the One-Sheet Movie Poster ( that features the JP Logo designed by Chip Kidd ). Then, please be sure to view the video of the new movie trailer we placed here, down below.

Also, as a special treat, here is Chip Kidd’s original artwork for the Michael Crichton Book Jacket Cover, which later became the logo for the movie. Wow, we can’t wait to see this film again!!

Still undecided? Think about the future.

Does the “Woman Voter” in this Mitt-Ryan Advertising Banner remind you of anyone? ( No offense intended to any McDonald’s Employees out there. It’s just that this is the “Jobs & Healthy Economy” they’re talking about ).

OK, here’s a pretty cool “photo trick” you can do with your Digital Camera ( or any camera for that matter ) that will create some interesting shots. It’s called, “Levitation Photography”. Basically you just try to capture your model as they are jumping in mid-air. The main thing for your Model to consider is to try to look very casual as they reach the high point of their jump. The finished photo creates the illusion that they are “flying” or “floating in air”.

Check out this recent video from Kia over at DigitalRev TV. He tries this technique with some success. The real trick is to take many photos & hope for that one fun accident where everything just works out, ha ha! Also, Kia was inspired by an Artist named Natsumi who has a Photography Blog called YOWAYOWA CAMERA WOMAN DIARY. We have shown a few of her photos here but please be sure to check out her website for some major inspiration!

Tokyo Toy Guy Japanese Batman Toys and Memorabilia Movie

Check out this AWESOME Movie Poster & Teaser Trailer Video ( down below ) for TOKYO TOY GUY, The BATMAN Toys and Memorabilia Collector Movie!! Yes, this is a film our Good friend Yuji Ueda has been working on for over 5 years. He traveled to 6 different Countries around the World to focus his video camera on some of the most major Batman Toy Collections in the world!! Now, not to brag or anything, but Chip Kidd makes an appearance in this film. Yuji traveled to the United States and made a special visit to Chip Kidd’s New York City Apartment. While there, he filmed a few super-rare Batman Toys that will appear in the film!

Seriously, this Documentary Movie will completely torture every serious Vintage Toy Collector out there because it has some of the most amazing, and super-rare, museum-quality stuff that you will probably ONLY ever EVER see in this film!

It’s still in post-production right now but please be sure to look for it to appear around November 2012. Also, please stay tuned to the CHIPKIDD.COM website because as soon as we have more information we will pass it along. Yes, we’re seriously excited about seeing this movie!!!

The reason for this post is two-fold. First, it’s cover was designed by Chip Kidd. Second, this new book written by DAVID QUAMMEN, “Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic”, is getting quite a bit of serious attention since it’s Oct 1st release and is quickly becoming a very important book in the world-wide Scientific community. We have included 2 videos down below: The first one is from the Author & the second one is the Official Book Trailer. The basic premise of the story is this:

The emergence of strange new diseases is a frightening problem that seems to be getting worse. In this age of speedy travel, it threatens a worldwide pandemic. We hear news reports of Ebola, SARS, AIDS, and something called Hendra killing horses and people in Australia-but those reports miss the big truth that such phenomena are part of a single pattern. The bugs that transmit these diseases share one thing: they originate in wild animals and pass to humans by a process called spillover. David Quammen tracks this subject around the world. He recounts adventures in the field-netting bats in China, trapping monkeys in Bangladesh, stalking gorillas in the Congo-with the world's leading disease scientists. In Spillover Quammen takes the reader along on this astonishing quest to learn how, where from, and why these diseases emerge, and he asks the terrifying question: What might the next big one be?

Here’s a fun video we discovered last night on YouTube. It’s one of those demos where they “open a new product they just bought”. This one features the opening of a brand-new BUILDING STORIES Graphic Novel Book Boxed Set by Chris Ware ( Published by Pantheon Books & on sale now! )