I subscribe to Chuck Green’s Design Briefing newsletter. The newsletter itself is full of links to interesting design site. In newsletter #186, the first was the link I clicked on took me to the Gallica, the digital library of the Bibliotheque Nationale de France.

The site is (of course!), in French which makes navigating it a bit more of a mystery, but it was fun to click around.

There are all sorts of images, maps, and much more. I clicked through many of the Fantastic Creatures from maps…

I have no idea where I might use any of these images, but it is fun to browse because you never know exactly where inspiration might come from. That said, when you visit a site like this, it’s always good to find out how you can use the images. The site says that the non-commercial use of the contents is free of charge, subject to compliance with the current legislation and the inclusion of the source’s statement. The commercial use of the contents is subject to payment and covered by a license.

Chuck Green also linked to Robert Newman, who reviews contemporary magazine covers at Folio blog. He has an impressive design bio. The newsletter link took me here, where Mr. Newman was reviewing the cover of Lucky Peach magazine. It is worth reading because what it true for foodie magazine covers it also true for quilts if you want your quilt to stand out from the crowd.

As I was writing this post, I went back to Lucky Peach only to find the newest cover and darned if the cover, all by itself, didn’t make me subscribe! I hope I like it :-). If nothing else, I’ll enjoy the covers!