A book cover has to work that much harder than say, a CD cover for the obvious reason that sampling a book actually requires you to read it. In the case of the best work, a books narrative begins with the visual narrative of the front page.

The Book Archive not only gives kudos to book artwork that works harder than most, it acts as a pretty resource into the book designers, their use of fonts and the genres in which they specialize. The archive lets you view over 1350 covers for the ‘Purposes and Appreciation and Cateragization’, meaning in this case, you can judge a book by its cover.

You’ve 2 days to catch The Insomniax‘s debut on Earnest Endeavours as part of the Gilles Peterson show on Radio 1. Sure we’re chuffed at the airplay, but this only the very start of the journey. The track forms part of an upcoming promo release that’ll introduce the world to the EE roster; and what a fine little roster it is.

There’s a lot of exciting times ahead for us as we build The Insomniax brand. We plan on making daydreams a reality in 2012.

I’ve been known to do a little doddle on my shoes, even had the fabulous Brennan & Burch doodle on some old Adidas trainers for me. So when Bucketfeet caught my eye it nearly made me open up a new pack of felt tips.

Bucketfeet is a footwear company that collaborates with global artists to produce colourful graphics for basic pumps. The philosophy is that each pair of pumps are a blank canvas for a means of expression and an opportunity to contribute to the founders passions. Providing arts and sports programmes for poor children around the world, with 5% of their profits going to their charitable partners.

Love the concept. Love the product. However what I wasn’t so amoured with the ‘brand’. The fashion industry is a tough market and taste maker fashion is an even tougher gig, usually reliant on a bunch of trendies to take said style to heart and proliferate to the masses while they move on to the next thing.

For a style conscious brand with an actual conscious, it’s important to be able to compete on all levels as your competitors. That means paying attention to the total communications package. A slick website, beautiful photography and a brand proposition that screams ‘buy me’ are must haves. The good news is that this is something Bucketfeet can easily rectify in time, allowing them to access an even wider market and share more profits with their chosen causes.

If you know anything about the living legend that is Lance Armstrong then you’ll know that he’s still alive because he is a legend, which is why the Live Strong adage makes sense. For those of you that need bringing up to speed, Armstrong is a record-holding seven-time winner of the Tour de France and cancer survivor.

The Lance Armstrong Foundation unites, inspires and empowers people affected by cancer and anyone with a pulse. When it comes to a story like Lance’s you don’t really need to sell it, you just need to tell it, courtesy of a minimalist booklet designed by Hort and co-signed by Nike.

Visual humour. A play on words. Very serious issues: The Economist‘s brand has tone of voice and visual identity on lock.

Limited Edition Daft Punk Coca Cola bottles, complete with 925 sterling silver and 18k gold logo branding. Pop music well and truly goes ‘pop’.

When was the last time you heard a song from Daft Punk? I haven’t in ages, which only goes to re-inforce the point that when a brand transcends the product it’s originally known for then you’ve reached what I call a branding nirvana.

The Insomniax Radio Show on Nasty FM is a weekly musical journey that covers everything from Grime to Soul, Indie to Electro and Dubstep to Hip Hop.

You can catch them tonight and every Monday night from midnight til 2am, but if you have problems staying up past your bedtime, then simply pop to Mixcloud, where you can catch up on a months worth of shows.

American Men – Claude Speeeed (IKONIKA AND OPTIMUM remix) by Ikonika

Only recently has the face behind artist moniker Ikonika (oh the wordplay) stepped out from behind the brand. I was immediately drawn to the bold typeface and use of golden section references in the design. WIth such well crafted design you’ll be glad to know that the music doesn’t disappoint either.

I’d only recently discovered that this artist / producer DJ / label owner is in fact a ladyyyy, which in a male dominated underground scene makes Ikonika a premium in marketing terms. But as with all artists with a view to longevity the focus has been on putting out premium product.

Ikonika’s remix for American Men is a case in point. Hotness.

Achi (Andreas Neophytou) sheds new light on the braille typeface for MTV.

Under 30? A Virgin Media Pioneer? Sign up for our Young Entrepreneur Special on the 14th October at the British Library.

Oh yeah did we say it’s FREE? Visit www.lets-be-brief-business.eventbrite.com to sign up.

I’m an F1 addict. if you know me then you already know this. Symptoms include an ability to slide the topic into any conversation, severe hypertension before the red lights go out and mild nausea in between races.

I fill these days with the amount of re-runs I can watch, sites I can read and articles I can write for my F1 blog. The McLaren brand team has obviously been inside my mind. With their site intro and screensaver, they’ve managed to capture that obsession with a countdown to next race measured in seconds, drivers’ blinks and car updates (of which their better be plenty) amongst some other unusual measuring tools.

As well as stepping the performance on their car, McLaren have upped the anti on user interaction and engagement with their fan-base this season with a website that goes some way in reflecting their commitment to beautiful yet functional aesthetics. Openness and transparency has been the Formula 1 promise over the last year-or-so. McLaren have also added a tone of voice, which manages to keep junkies like me in check until race time.

Mars Blackmon was a Spike Lee alter-ego who starred in his seminal She’s Gotta Have It ’86 movie.

The character gained cult status as iconic front man for Nike’s Air Jordan commercials in the late 80′s early 90′s, and they’ve given life to Mars once more through designer / art director Markus Eriksonn’s website and iPhone app work for Nike.

Go to the site (or customary iPhone app), choose your best body double, upload your pic and you an excellent way of bringing two iconic brands to you, the new ‘Mega-drive Generation’.

Do y’know? Do y’know? Do y’know? Well you do now.

You know Jay- Z the artist, you definitely know Jay-Z the brand, but anyone for Dan Tobin Smith the photographer? Didn’t think so, but Tobin-Smith, along with Nicola Yeoman, and Greg Burke are the trio responsible for Jay-Z’s recent album art for Blueprint 3,

At first glance you’d be excused for thinking it was some Photoshop magic, but delve a little deeper and you’ll be rewarded by work that is not just a strong concept, but an elaborate feat of production. The album’s aesthetic and concept actually owes more than a little nod to Tobin Smith’s earlier work for Athlete’s Tourist album, and uses some clever plays on perspective.

So why some keyboards in a corner you might ask. Well Dan (first name basis and all that) refers to the gathered instruments by saying: “These things are like the forgotten pieces in hip-hop…”

Did you realise that the 3 stripes were actually painted onto the instruments themselves? Me neither, but check out the behind the scenes video to appreciate the craft that goes into such a project, or for more from the horses mouth, go to itsnicethat.com, where Dan goes into great detail about the whole process.

The only question left to be asked is: Is New York really running it, or a couple of young designers from London?

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via Sleevage

Delphic – This Momentary from Delphic on Vimeo.

Stunning artwork from Indie band Delphic, by one of our favourite agencies Non-Format.

With stylish photography, well crafted typography, and die-cuts* to die for, you don’t even have to like the music to appreciate the band’s brand, though the music does have its benefits too.

Need proof? Then check out the This Momentary video, beautifully shot amidst the hardships of life in Ukraine.

*shapes cut from paper or other materials