Graphic design has the advantage of being an even-footed occupant of two different worlds: the dollars-and-sense arena of business, and the unpredictable, imaginative, explosive world of art. While most work we feature here is that which fuses the two, there are some occasions when the utility of graphic design is overtaken by lush, unstoppable creativity.

Such is the work of designer Scott Hansen: whether acting as creator or curator, the pieces that Hansen posts are intricate, elaborate masterpieces. It’s a refreshing wind to anybody who is in need of a little inspiration — a little reminder that yes, graphic design is for artists, too.

Signal vs. Noise is the official blog by infamous web design company 37signals. Focusing on usability in web, software and product design, Signal vs. Noise (or “SVN,” as it is abbreviated) does a fantastic job extracting timeless design principles from ordinary life. While many design blogs simply gawk at the beautiful, SVN also aims to learn lessons.

5 Best Recent Posts from Signal Vs. Noise:

1. Screens Around Town
Signal vs. Noise excels at spotting examples of smart design in everyday life. One particularly interesting section is “Screens About Town,” a feature dedicated to applauding well-thought out interfaces online. Here is one of the most recent entries, concerning zip codes and sign-up forms.

2. Writing Better Help Wanted Ads
“Write an honest, thoughtful, clear ad and you’re more likely to hear from candidates with those qualities. Spout a lot of buzzwordy nonsense and you’ll attract people fluent in BS.”

3. But there’s only so many ways to do something, right?
“Whenever I run into designer’s block or just need visual design inspiration I turn to the world of wrist watches.”

4. Bike Sheds and C. Northcote Parkinson
During development meetings, “it’s easy to have pile-ons that don’t really accomplish much. Someone has to blow the whistle every once in a while and say, “Is this conversation really helping?” Calling out “Bike shed” is a quick way to do that.”

5. Shattered Still Life
A quick “look at this” post about a photographer that drops ceramic figurines onto a solid surface, then snaps their photograph the second they begin to break into a million pieces. Gorgeous photos, and an incredibly brilliant concept.

We only recently discovered Brian Kroeker, and we’re fans already. A designer that lives, works and rides his bike in Toronto, Brian was part of the team that developed the new Winners/Homesense identities (as he divulged to us in this comment). His work isn’t restricted to corporate identity or just retail work, either. As evidenced by his design portfolio, he’s done work for everybody from rock bands, to magazines, to flatware companies.

He’s also got an interesting personal blog experiment, in which he spends two hours designing a book cover based on a song he’s listening to. It’s called Cover Songs. Let’s say he pops in Neutral Milk Hotel and listens to “Two Headed Boy,” he’ll mock up a book cover with the songwriter’s name and the song title. The result, in the case of this example, was this:

Brian’s work is original and ambitious, and we look forward to seeing future projects that have his name attached to them.