----------------------

----------------------
©2007–2013


22 Apr 13 AM
GQ
Combat Women

------------------------------

Detailing the stories of female U.S. soldiers and personnel.

New York City dirt.

------------------------------

< >
BNR13

------------------------------

GQ's Best New Restaurants of 2013 by Alan Richman. Inspired by a 1920's Art Deco rail car menu.

------------------------------

< >
Leading Man

------------------------------

Channing Tatum with Kung Fu Grip!

------------------------------

< >
Take Her

------------------------------

Where To Take Her package, GQ 2013

Illustrations by Nick Illuzada. Thanks Nick!

------------------------------

< >
Burning Man

------------------------------

Sam Brown is a veteran of the war in Afghanistan who came home after he was severely burned. With the help of a special computer game, his otherwise painful recovery was made significantly bearable.

------------------------------

< >
Superheroes

------------------------------

Chronicling the adventures of Phoenix Jones and his fellow real life crime fighters.

------------------------------

< >
Backstory

------------------------------

Heading up the GQ Backstory page in the new year. Monthly illustrations by Michael Hoeweler. Thanks Michael!

------------------------------

< >
Ice Cream

------------------------------

Alan Richman, food critic extraordinaire, maps out the best ice cream to be had in the entire universe. No joke. It's a must read.

------------------------------

< >
BNMD 2012

------------------------------

Poster for GQ x Gap Best New Menswear Designers in America 2012

Inspired by Globe Posters in Baltimore, using Globe Gothic by Colin M. Ford

------------------------------

< >
Eating

------------------------------

An expose on the wild and wacky sport of competitive eating...

FYI: it's supposed to look super tacky.

------------------------------

< >
Parting Shot

------------------------------

A few pages I've done for the back of GQ Mag.

Ikea was enthusiastically drawn by myself.

I was very fortunate to work with Mark Todd on one of these.

------------------------------

< >
Bunny Wailer

------------------------------

Custom type inspired by Bunny Wailer, the father of reggae music, and his Rastafarian roots

------------------------------

< >
Norway

------------------------------

Chronicling the tragic events that took hold of Norway at the hands of one delusional lunatic.

------------------------------

< >
Himbos

------------------------------

Infographic depicting the rise of the 'Himbo' (male bimbo) in popular culture.

------------------------------

< >
Bball 2012

------------------------------

Dissecting the 2012 Baseball season.

------------------------------

< >
Manual

------------------------------

Samples of work done for the GQ Manual section

------------------------------

< >
Fashion 1

------------------------------

October 2011 GQ fashion section

------------------------------

< >
Killer

------------------------------

All you need to know is this: never, ever hitch hike. Ever.

------------------------------

< >
Joss Whedon

------------------------------

Joss Whedon, cult tv show hit maker and now the director of The Avengers, is posed to take over the world; nerd style.

The display type was made by me. I don't know what I was thinking.

Illustration by Cliff Chiang.

------------------------------

< >
Idaho

------------------------------

Enrico Ponzo was able to fool his family, friends and the cops for over 30 years. Hand drawn type opener was as fun to make as painting a picket fence. Which is actually really fun.

------------------------------

< >
Ted Haggard

------------------------------

American evangelical pastor Ted Haggard was placed publicly on trial after he was caught at a rest stop with a gay hooker. Placed on the proverbial cross, if you will.

------------------------------

< >
Lara Stone

------------------------------

Supermodel Lara Stone. You've seen her everywhere at this point. She is the future of international modeling and the current "it" girl. Custom type is futuristic and loosely based on classic dutch street signage, if you could believe it.

------------------------------

< >
Kush

------------------------------

Chronicles one man's journey through Amsterdam's pot empire.

Display type by yours truly.

Painting by Zohar Lazar

------------------------------

< >
Class

------------------------------

Exposing the burgeoning gap between the different socio-economic classes in America.

For the July 2012 America Issue.

------------------------------

< >
Mark Sanchez

------------------------------

Quarterback of the Jets, one of our own.
Custom type based on common urban subway tiling.

------------------------------

< >
Aniston/Rudd

------------------------------

Jennifer Aniston + Paul Rudd have an interesting relationship...
Inspired by, but not limited to, the always classy Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

------------------------------

< >
Ovechkin

------------------------------

The great Russian import to American hockey. Custom type based on old Soviet postage system

------------------------------

< >
Viral Me

------------------------------

Is it such a great thing that we are spreading our digital selves so thin?

------------------------------

< >
Suicide RN

------------------------------

Used this as a chance to explore my love of pixel art. Art is based on an early 90's Macintosh interface.

------------------------------

< >
Nicki Minaj

------------------------------

Unpublished spread on Nicki Minaj. <3
Hand drawn type taking direct inspiration from Barbie.

------------------------------

< >
Wes Snipes

------------------------------

This was the first tax form Wesley Snipes had seen in a while.

------------------------------

< >
Spring 2011

------------------------------

invite for GQ's 2011 spring fashion event

------------------------------

< >
Icons
Icon

------------------------------

Icons for GQ. 2010-13

------------------------------

< >
Illo

------------------------------

Illustrations for GQ. 2010-13

------------------------------

< >
Stamp

------------------------------

Stamps and crests for GQ. 2010-13

------------------------------

< >
Digital
iPad Icons

------------------------------

Icon suite for the GQ digital versions

------------------------------

< >
Work
Logos

------------------------------

Various logos from 2010-2013

------------------------------

< >
Portfolio

------------------------------

Sectioning off my portfolio into separate booklets to make each project a more intimate experience. Not to mention that it's always fun to make booklets. 9 books total.

------------------------------

< >
Comp Dept

------------------------------

Complaint Department is a kit of materials that facilitate passive aggressive complaining. Instead of confronting someone, why not just use a witty sticker to let everyone know your grievances?

Completed at MICA

------------------------------

< >
Arrested

------------------------------

Law enforcement agencies across the country are having unprecedented contact with immigrants as victims, witnesses, suspects and potential recruits.

The Arrested program was created to bridge the language barrier between these immigrant communities and the police through educating people of their rights under the law.

Completed at MICA

------------------------------

< >
Flatland3D

------------------------------

Reappropriation of Edwin A. Abbott's Flatland that uses stereo anaglyphs to hide and encrypt certain parts of the text.

Completed at MICA

------------------------------

< >
Grimm

------------------------------

The Brothers Grimm are the best known authors of children's folklore to have ever set quill to paper. Their stories are highly regarded for having underlying morals carried out in strange and imaginative ways.

Rebranding this age old franchise to appeal to both children and adults called for a complete identity package, including a new mark.

The title of each book serves to explain the underlying moral of the story contained within it. This demystifies each story and allows for further reflection past what is on the surface.

Completed at MICA

------------------------------

< >
Spooks!

------------------------------

During Halloween 2008, I developed a modular display typeface under the guidance of Ken Barber and Ben Kiel from House Industries.

The typeface uses vectorized scans of my eyelashes that have been grouped into three clusters to
form each letter.

This display face was used in a poster for the 2008 Annual MICA Halloween contest.

Completed at MICA

------------------------------

< >
Holly

------------------------------

Working with Ken Barber and Ben Kiel of House Industries, I completed Holly, a modular display typeface that uses four geometric parts.

The influence for Holly's design comes straight from the turn of the 20th century, a period characterized by silent film and Art Nouveau.

Monocles, vines, geometry and playful symmetry also played a significant role in Holly's form.

Completed at MICA

------------------------------

< >
NYVC

------------------------------

Working for Local Projects, I was able to contribute to several parts of the new Official NYC Information Center, including interactive design, icons and interior.

Completed at Local Projects

------------------------------

< >
MEA

------------------------------

The mission of the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) is to maximize energy efficiency while promoting economic development, reducing reliance on foreign energy supplies, and improving the environment. Under Governor Martin O'Malley, the MEA is currently focused on the "EmPOWER Maryland" initiative, whose goal is reduce energy consumption by 15 percent by the year 2015.

Completed at the
Center for Design Practice

Maryland Energy Administration

------------------------------

< >
Jubilee

------------------------------

UPDATE: Jubilee has been featured in issue 30 of Concept Magazine!
Link Here

Jubilee Arts brings the community of West Baltimore together through art, dance, music and counseling.

The Jubilee mark is based on simplified shapes reminiscent of old Baltimore architecture. It is split into four parts that represent each facet of the center.

This project is very extensive, and includes identity and signage of the entire Harris-Marcus Center, where the program will be held.

Currently completing through PIECE Studio

------------------------------

< >
Crooked

------------------------------

The Crooked Paper company specializes in producing the first ever completely dissolvable paper product, perfect for getting rid of those nasty incriminating documents in no time at all.

Spreadsheets and the past 40 years of political and corporate scandals were the inspiration behind the Crooked Paper sample booklet.

Completed at MICA

------------------------------

< >
Colorlab

------------------------------

Eco friendly paint merges chemistry and Indian culture.

Through this collection, a service is provided that would allow you to combine Colorlab's vivid colors to form your own custom colors.

Completed at MICA

------------------------------

< >
Siddhartha

------------------------------

Using cut linoleum blocks to generate a pattern.

Completed at MICA

------------------------------

< >
Hail Frida

------------------------------

Hail Frida T shirt for Worship Worthy x Rockers NYC.

The t shirt has been featured in Complex magazine, and several web blogs. Purchase the shirt here!

Completed for Worship Worthy and Rockers NYC

------------------------------

< >
About
me


Hey there. This is the website of Benjamin B Bours.

Three years ago, I finished my studies at Syracuse University The Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) after which I moved to Long Island, L.E.S, Bushwick, Long Island, Tribeca to work for GQ Magazine. So far so good.

Stay in touch:
bbours@gmail.com.

Get to know me:
Twitter
ffffound

I am currently moonlighting as a citizen of the E.U.

This website was designed and programmed with Colin M. Ford. Thank you so much, Colin.

It uses Indexhibit and JQuery.

Thanks for stopping by!

accolades


ASME:
ASME awarded to GQ for Design, under Fred Woodward, 2012
ASME awarded to GQ for Design, under Fred Woodward, 2011

SPD:
Magazine of the Year, Pub 48 2013
Gold Medal, Pub 48 2013
Magazine of the Year, Pub 46 2011
Gold Medal, Pub 46 2011

Communication Arts:
CA53: Design Annual, 2012
CA52: Design Annual, 2011
CA Typography Annual 1, 2011
CA Interactive Annual 15: Information Design, 2009

Graphis:
Design Annual 2014
Design Annual 2013
Design Annual 2012

Print:
Regional Design Annual: Best American Design, 2012

Type Directors Club:
TDC58 Annual, 2012