20th C Italian Pen Nib Packaging

Most of these small pen nib packages are printed boxes not much larger than a matchbox. Others are labels attached to small boxes. There are many standouts here, but this last particular design really does send me into orbit. 

Via: Kallipos 

The Spirit of No.12

Source: 20six Fresh

Source: Fun For All

Win or lose a competition, you have to love the game spirit. Seattle faces San Francisco today in the NFC championship to determine the next Superbowl contender, and the fans are bat-shit crazy. I readily admit, that I'm the last football fan, but I've become quite amused with Seattle Seahawk's team spirit and embrace of the number 12, signifying a tradition of the "12th man"—the team's greatest fan. The number 12 can now be seen in every possible orientation, fontstyle, size and spacing—at the top of the Space Needle, in corn mazes, on pizzas, in the produce aisle...I even saw a homeless man sporting a 12th man flag on his backpack. Recently spotted on the gum-covered bricks of Seattle's Post Alley gum wall was the number 12 gum "collage".

Source: Chromix

Source: Darla Lorbeski on Seahawks fan page

Source: Me

Source: Idalina on KUOW FB page

Source: Tacoma News Tribune

As traditions go, Seattle cannot rightly claim the "12th man" as their own. Legend has it, they stole it from Texas A&M University where it originally began in 1922. Despite this claim—the mystery remains. In a recently unearthed 1870 photograph from the Washington State Historical Society, mountain climber's, Hazard Stevens and P.B. Van Trump, are seen holding an official 12th man flag which they carried to the summit on the first ascent of Mt. Rainier (previously known as Mt. Tacoma). They've got game.

Counting on Winning Numbers

I'm painting by numbers today—all sizes and styles. Really there are no bad numbers, just poorly designed ones. Even though there are an infinite amount of numerals, they still count as much as each letter of the alphabet. Pictured below are some of the most well-mannered numbers I have recently encountered. The ornate No. 100 is an engraved 1878 tax revenue stamp from my own files; No. 5 is from Vintage Collective; No. 15 is a tile from the San Angel barrio in Mexico City, shared by Mosh Echacuervos; the set of beautiful lead numerals are designed by Hermann Zapf for D. Stempel in 1953. They belong to Interrobang Letterpress; No. 69 is part of a 1969 calendar designed by Herb Lubalin in 1968 from Nick Keppol; Numerals 1 through 9 are printed on a game board from Pilllpat of Agence Eureka; The bold numero Uno postage stamp from Brazil honors 100 years of Brazilian stamps in 1943, from Karen Horton; No. 9 is part of a pizza box from Alistair Hall; Nos. 933 is Corey Holms's betting ticket from some dog race which N.18 appears to be a French architectural address and belongs to Clio20; No. 7 is from a series of many beautiful wood type prints from Joey Hannaford. See them all here; The mosaic no. 61 is from Raffaele Mariotti. Lastly, this lovely paint by numbers set is from Gale 47.