Tired Giant

The web portal Design is Kinky is now accepting orders for "Permanent" - a home grown book of graphic design, illustration, graffiti, photography, and a bunch of open source toys on a shiny CD-ROM. Quite nice.

I know what I'm about to write isn't...God forbid, a "hip" thing to say, but when looking at the book's contributor list, I can't help but feel this whole Obey Giant scene has really worn thin.

Look, I thought the stickers were funny about six years ago when they first appeared on telephone poles around Charleston, SC, but I can't believe the imagery is still being produced. What started out as a joke-slash-social experiment has morphed into a commercial product disguised as a symbol for youth-driven, urban, underground design and attitude. With a dash of socialist style, of course.

But Shepard is a talented guy, and I don't understand why he doesn't branch out more. I'm sure the imagery is quite profitable for him, considering all the t-shirts, hats, and posters that I see, but the Giant motif has become a mockery of itself, and smells like expired Warhol.

I know the kids dig it, but please, let's move on.