Maggie Macnab is a woman who cares about presentation. Her new book Decoding Design: Understanding and Using Symbols in Visual Communication is a look into common corporate logos and designs that contain hidden meanings. Even the relevance of basic shapes, numbers and symbols in communication is a strong subject matter throughout the book. For designers looking for symbolism around every corner, this is the book for you.

Readers will find an array of deconstructions of famous logos including Aerosmith’s  logo, the yin-yang and even the logo for the retail store Target. Revealing common symbols within everyday design, Macnab portrays deep meaning through an otherwise overlooked logo. It’s available at Amazon.com for only $23.10 - so check it out.
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If you live in a major city, you know about the crazy homeless religious fanatics which turn up every so often at a major street corner, clutching a Bible to their chest and preaching about the upcoming apocalypse and how we’re all going to burn in hell. Meanwhile, Pastor Hobo over here is chugging booze through out his whole sermon.

For true drunken religious fanaticism, you need an expert solution for hiding your booze. And since most of these hobos remember every verse from the Bible anyway, they luckily don’t need a complete book. The Good Book from Suck UK is truly a great book for the nomadic preacher, hiding a 4oz flask within its “pages”, and would sure make an awesome prop for the next Tarantino flick.

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When we got our first Walkman for Christmas we were so damn excited. We slipped in our Green Day Insomniac cassette, maybe followed with a little Ace Of Base, and just listened for hours in our Grandma’s rocking chair. A cool mod project can retrofy your modern gadgets to experience the same excitement as you had with the ancient ones, while also acting as an anti-theft measure.

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Wong. James Wong. Or so we imagine, some Asian “James Bond-esque” spy using this Gum Wrapper Camera to gather information about a crime organization. The little spy camera is made to fit into an empty gum wrapper, to disguise your true espionage identity.

The little gadget records both video and audio, recording the media onto MicroSD card. If the criminal overlords become suspicious when you offer them a piece of gum, just comment on their horrendous breath. That should at least clear you of any spy suspicions, or at the very least give you a few seconds to run away as they try to check their breath. — Andrew Dobrow

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