Today I’m going to post something purely aesthetic. Something so geometrically simple that I wish I had thought of it myself. I’m talking about Facemaker/Shapemaker by Millergoodman.

Millergoodman (Zoe Miller and David Goodman of Brighton in the UK) creates modern, classic, artistic, inspirational open ended books and toys for kids and adults, such as the wooden block games ShapeMaker and Facemaker. As evidenced by the image below, the possibilities are endless, and it seems as though these sets are just made for a graphic designer such as myself.

And it’s not just the symmetry, clean lines, or elementariness that impress us. It’s the purity of the design, and the yearning for youth that it produces. Each set contains 25 wooden blocks (recalling our first toys, co-incedentally painted in primary hues) which have been hand-printed and made of environmentally-friendly rubber wood, giving the sets a sincerity sincerely lacking in many modern toys. The sets allow you to juxtapose your blocks to create your own faces and designs in a never-ending game, engaging for both kids and adults. The variety of patterns and images that can me made is simply astounding. In fact, with my 30th birthday just around the bend, it might be high time to return to my roots!

So if you’re as impressed as I am (or are a child reading this), please visit the Millergoodman Shhhop, where you’re sure to find a reason to pull out your credit card, or that of your mother and father.  – Tyler