anaise

An interview with David Weissberg, a graphic designer based in Los Angeles.
He has designed for a wide variety of clients including Mayle, The Standard Hotel, Stella McCartney, and Kristin Elspeth. His stellar, imaginative work is dear to me as he created the logo and design for Anaise. On the side, he runs an excellent cover versions blog, Versions Galore.

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+ What inspires your work?
Japanese design and architecture (and the aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi as a whole), old Graphis annuals, old type books, vintage luxury items from brands like Hermes, YSL, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, Art Deco, particularly the 70's/early 80s re-incarnation of it, The New Romantics/Blitz kids era, Wood, Nature, Astronomy and Science, the Polaroid SX-70 and all the accessories and culture that went with it, vintage archery arrows, vintage Pachinko machines, scrabble.

+ Favorite local places
A Grocery Warehouse.
A Vietnamese market where you can find bizarre and hard to find vegetables, roots, sauces cooking oils and spices.

Necromance.
An amazing treasure trove of esoterica and natural history.

Maxfield
My favorite 'look but don't touch' store. It's my Tiffany's and should the place ever get robbed, prepare to see me in a lineup somewhere.

The Ennis Brown House
One of Frank Lloyd Wright's masterpieces and part of his 'textile block' series of residences. Unfortunately it was also one of his worst constructed homes, as a few years back the concrete used in the bricks started to disintegrate, rendering the facade a crumbling mess. Fortunately for me however a chuck of one of those bricks managed to crumble, roll down the street and then somehow magically ended up on my fireplace mantle. They have since restored the house with newer bricks.

Surfing Cowboy
A great mix of mid century/Scandinavian furniture, vintage surfboards and surf related items like surfer comics magazines and movie posters.

Izakaya Haru Ulala
The only place you can find Okonomiyaki in Los Angeles

Zankou Chicken
Got two words: Garlic Sauce

+ Favorite Websites/Shops
Huffington Post
McSweeny's
Ebay (where I cruise for Japanese designers and denim)
Juno.co.uk (not only for new music but I love looking at album covers)
Paleofuture
Nasa
The Sartorialist
Dazed digital
Showstudio

+ Favorite Magazines/Books

Purple
Richardson
French Vogue
i-D

Books: anything by Will Self, Martin Amis, Gore Vidal, Bart Ehrman, Christopher Hitchens, Mike Davis and Sam Harris.

+ What is on your wish list?
An old Bonsai plant

+ Dinner is...
the most important meal of the day. I like to cook. I like to eat. Thank god for Gold's gym. Fave new spice: BALTI

+ Listening to...
Jape, Ethiopian jazz, House/Acid House music circa 85-88', Jamaican music circa 1950 - 75', Spiritualized/Spacemen 3, Cosmic disco/electro (both new and old), electronica in general, Serge Gainsbourg, Chet Baker, Billie Holiday, Tortoise, Dif Juz, old David J records, Brian Eno (both early Ambient and Glam), Tame Impala the Black Angels, The Durutti Column, and........ silence.

+ What do you enjoy doing on the side?
Gardening, Cooking, Eating, Hiking, Urban exploration, Swimming.
Also watching movies, lots of them: Mike Leigh, Kurosawa, Ozu, John Cassavetes, Whit Stillman, Fassbinder, Herzog, Coen Brothers and 70s/early 80s SciFi.