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.

We're excited to be interviewed next week on the Read Between The Leading podcast. Today they asked us if we'd like to accept questions from our blog and Twitter followers, so we kindly said yes and thank you. Please drop us a comment here or a reply on Twitter and (hopefully) we'll get to as many as possible. Before you start asking questions, we'll get the big one out of the way: Yes, but only once.

Our Sasquatch! posters for TV On The Radio and Tim & Eric are now on sale.

1) Michael Kenna - I don't know if environmental photography can get any better.

2) Drew Millward - Really digging this guy's work. Great illustrations and very twisted concepts.

3) IAMX "Kingdom Of Welcome Addiction" - IAMX are one of my favorite bands, and this new material is among some of their very best. If you've never heard the band, do yourself a favor and check them out immediately. Album out May 19th.

4) Yes Man - I missed this movie while it was in theaters, but I ordered it through OnDemand the other night and loved it. Classic comedic Jim Carrey. The DVD is available now.

5) Loretta Lux - I've had this photographer's website bookmarked for some time now, and every time I visit, I'm floored by the beauty of the images. I can't tell how much is raw photo, and how much is manipulated in post. I really have no idea how she does it.

1) Doves "Kingdom Of Rust" - Less than a week from release date! I love this band, and have been awaiting this record for some time. Maybe I've already heard it and maybe I love it.

2) Anvil! The Story Of Anvil - This documentary looks absolutely amazing.

3) Mad Men - I LOVE this show. Last weekend, while visiting New Orleans for a friend's wedding, my wife and I were browsing around an antique shop on Magazine Street and noticed Bryan Batt (who plays art director, Salvatore, in the show- my favorite character!) quietly shopping by himself. Ordinarily, I don't like to pull the fanboy jive, but I had to introduce myself and express my admiration. Bryan was very nice and not at all put out. Definitely a highlight of the trip.

4) White Lies - Great tunes, great videos, great packaging, cool look. I love a band that has the whole package.

5) The Praline Connection - Also, while in New Orleans, it was suggested that we visit The Praline Connection. Great red beans and rice.

1) Where The Wild Things Are trailer - If you have the internet and a heartbeat, you've already seen this. That being said, where is the line between obsession and excitement? I'm not sure, but I'll take both.

2) Arts & Architecture - My Taschen set of the 1945-1954 reprints might be one of my most prized pieces of 'printed matter'. I mentioned Herbert Matter a few weeks back, see some of his best work here.

3) Uncommon Goods - All kinds of cool obscure trinkets, products and gadgets ...

4) Frank Chimero interview on Grain Edit - It was a pleasure having Frank in the office this week ... even if it was only a few hours. I hear he's enjoying solitude at a certain island near us. We're jealous.

5) Depeche Mode - I hear they have a new record coming out ...

Everyone's tweeting. Apparently that means we have to as well. We promise we'll never talk about what we had for lunch. Unless it was really good.

Here's my first installation of 5 things we're digging. Enjoy! -Ryan

1) Stussy X Peter Bagge - Seattle cartoonist collaborates with Stussy, and gives us a brief history of his career in this cool little video.

2) Noriko Ambe - Incredible topographically-inspired pieces from this Japanese artist. I especially love the Cutting Book Series with ED Rushca.

3) Office Of The Tooth Fairy - Awesome letter press Tooth Fairy kit. Very cool idea.

4) Living Things - Can't get enough of this new record. Glam for the new millennium. Love it.

5) Dave Kinsey & Mike Giant - Really cool collaboration from two of my favorites.

Excited? Uhhhhh yeah, me too.

Thanks Shane.

Ryan is out of town, so I'm filling in. As promised, 5 things we're digging:

1) Dieter Rams short documentary - I'm a little late on this, but my cousin dropped me a line a few days ago saying how cool it was. And he was right. If you're not familiar with Dieter, you know what to do.

2) Lushpad - Great idea, and a great way to boost up our economic system. Buy furniture!

3) Joe Ranft Birthday Tribute - I obviously didn't know Joe, but he is greatly missed.

4) Pinocchio on Blu-Ray - Just picked it up last night, can't wait to dig in.

5) Phoenix - LOVE this band. Do yourself a favor and check them out.

The infamous IdN Magazine was kind enough to feature IC in their new 'Craft' issue. 6 pages + an interview about the collapse of music packaging. Pick it up!

Last summer we had the idea to re-work the blog into something that would be updated daily, whether that was showcasing new work or just talking about things we were into. As time went on, we realized it was impossible to post something new each day ... and to top it off - it probably wasn't necessary.

However, Jordan came up with an idea the other day that seemed pretty cool - and workable. He recommended that we do a weekly link drop of things that are catching our fancy. Just 5 links a week that we've been digging. Seems pretty easy to me - so we'll try it out.

1) The Visual Language Of Herbert Matter - Really looking forward to this documentary. If you don't know who Herbert Matter is, google him now. One of the most under-appreciated designers of the 20th century. One of my fav's.

2) Milton Glaser in Seattle - Yes I'll be there. Yes I hope I can shake his hand. What happens when you don't read the fine print? You find out that this is a documentary featuring Milton Glaser, not the man himself. Oh well, the film was great ... and I've clearly been working too much.

3) Golden Gems blog - Why did I just find out about this?

4) Alexander Girard goodies at House Industries - Nativity sets, puzzles, shirts & more. Mouth watering & wallet killing.

5) Julius Shulman: Modernism Rediscovered - A Christmas gift from my wonderful wife. This is an amazing 3 book set featuring the stunning photography of over 400 modern gems by the master Julius Shulman. And it probably weighs 60 lbs.

OK, so there we go. We'll try to do this regularly - Ryan and I will toggle each week. Happy internet-ing.

Check out our new post over at Headbangers Blog, in which we explain the process of creating imagery for the April, 2009 issue of Revolver magazine, featuring metal heavyweights Lamb Of God. Feel the wrath!

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!

It's unfortunate that we are unable to blog as much as we were, but our excuse is legit: We are blessed with much work. This has been an amazing year for us - one that had its ups and downs (mostly in the music world), but we are thankful for a very happy ending to 2008 and an extremely optimistic view of 2009. We want to thank everyone on our list: our beloved clients and our faithful fans/blog readers. 2008 wouldn't have been the same without you guys. 

Now if it would only stop snowing in Seattle!!

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).

It's been a long time coming. We are pleased to announce our new line of t-shirts on sale now at Feed The Creature. All shirts are printed on fitted American Apparel T's, with custom IC collar and sleeve tags. 7 designs available in men's sizes S-XL*. Merry Christmas!

* Children and Women's sizes coming soon!

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!