According to Greg Washington, print is dead. Well, maybe not quite dead – but on a respirator, losing consciousness, and rapidly deflating from the monster that is was to the mouse that it will be.

As the Art Director/Photographer of online culture magazine Inquiringmind, Washington is arguably one of the only people with the right to make such a claim. Unlike other online publications hoping to take the place of our periodical standbys, Inqmnd seems to believe something that its fellow compatriots fail to grasp: It’s a magazine. A magazine, traditionally speaking, is beautiful; it is composed page by page, word by word, and is as much art as it is literature. It is something you flip through, not something you scroll down, and it’s something you keep on your coffee table. What makes Inqmnd different than members of its genre is that – were your computer in the business of shape shifting – you’d want to keep it on your coffee table.

The reason that Greg Washington believes that print is dying is probably the same reason we want to believe him. For print to die, we need a damn good reason to pull the plug. Give us beauty worth looking at; give us words worth reading; give us an online magazine that is better than a print magazine. Give us Inquiringmind.

Joshspear.com: You have a thorough history in design and art direction with companies large and small. Where were you, and what did you learn, on the way to Inquiring Mind Magazine?

Greg Washington: My first design gig was for a very small company who did direct marketing. The pay was low and the task was simple; I handled anything that needed graphics. I ended up doing quite a bit of boring product catalog design work. It sucked having to trek out 1.5 hours for minimum pay and boring work so I decided to spice it up by designing my own personal t-shirts during work hours. When the boss found out what I was doing… it was a wrap.

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Got a t-shirt idea you’ve been itching to get out there? Are you a master of making incredible designs with a minimum of materials? Are you just sick of the clothes you’re finding in the store like I am?

Design portal/website Design is Kinky is hosting a t-shirt design competition called One Color Comp to hype up their next t-shirt release. The rules are pretty simple: it has to be an original design in one color made for a t-shirt. That’s it. Leaves the playing field wide open. So go make something awesome, because my closet it starting to look skimpy and I could use a new stockpile of tees.

And if you haven’t explored the DiK site before — they run those super fun Sketchel contests as well — take a wander through; they’re sporting some seriously excellent interviews and artist features.

Get your mind out of the gutter: Kinkyform is everything but the urban definition of the term. The German furniture company has been collaborating with up-and-coming artists to create illustration-laden pieces, and one of their selected works, aptly titled “The Chair featuring Electric Heat,” is as much a work of art as a piece of furniture. There is just something about an intricate, embellished design I find intriguing, like if I stare at it long enough I’ll discover something I hadn’t noticed before. What I really love is that the gold detailing is striking enough to add character to an otherwise simple piece, but subtle enough to complement other furniture in a room. As a former all-white furniture addict, these chairs are motivating me even further to add a touch of black to my apartment. Each chair comes complete with designer Nigel Dennis’ signature on the side. If his designs leave you yearning for more, be sure to visit his gallery at Electric Heat.

–Stephanie Young

Chicago based Jay Byrnes, who’s the principal of the Creative Studio Adapt, just updated their site with some new goodies. Head over to have a look at what they’ve been up to lately. Some of their clients have included Heineken, Salomon Snowboards, and Flavorpill. My favorite contribution though, is Jay’s submission for the Jeremyville/Design is Kinky Sketchel Exhibition (shown here). Keep up the great art-driven work Jay and Adapt!

Looks like Design is Kinky and Jeremyville are hosting a competition for the best new functional, custom-designed satchel bag. Jeremyville is responsible for the Vinyl Will Kill Book!–the first full scale book on the designer toy movement. In his book he inteviews toy designers around the world. Details on the competition are a little bit vague right now, but they say more info is coming soon; I think this will be very cool.