This is a wonderful, quietly gorgeous video from illustrator Xaver Xylophon (not sure if that’s his real name or not, but if it is, props to his parents). It wordlessly follows a day in the life of a Bangalore auto rickshaw operator. The work looks like it was done digitally but it nevertheless communicates considerable warmth.

You can watch the video here and find out more about Xylophon here.

The Olympic Games are nearly upon us again, and in what has become an accompanying tradition, that means it’s time to lament the current installment’s graphic design. The look of this year’s games is, well, it’s terrible, but every recent Olympiad must contend with what is widely considered the high watermark of design for the franchise: Otl Aicher’s seminal work for the 1972 games in Munich.

For those too appalled by the 2012 graphical identity, starting at the end of this month you can drive ninety minutes outside of London to Canterbury, Kent, where the University for the Creative Arts is hosting an exhibition and symposium on the design legacy of Munich ’72 The project draws on the personal collection of Ian McLaren, who was a senior designer for that Olympiad, and the companion Web site Munich72.org previews much of the material. For completists, be sure to also check out the unaffiliated site Otl Aicher and the 1972 Munich Olympics.

French artist Soasig Chamaillard creates sculptures that play with Christian iconography — the Virgin Mary in particular — and modern popular culture. His most striking works are probably mashups of the Virgin Mary and various familiar entertainment franchises, e.g., Superman, My Little Pony, Mario Bros., etc.

Full portfolio here.

Starting with his first appearance in 2003, All Things D is now offering all of Steve Jobs’ on stage interviews at their annual D conferences in both audio and video podcast formats. There are actually six total appearances, as he did two in 2007: one solo, the other with Bill Gates. I downloaded them to my iPhone this morning to listen to while walking the dog. Fascinating stuff. Find out more here.

Patricia Belen and Greg D’Onofrio of Kind Company curated this exhibition of Modernist graphic design from the USA, Italy and Switzerland spanning the years 1934 through 1966.

Graphic Modern brings together works from famous names such as Herbert Bayer, Lester Beall, Alan Fletcher, Max Huber, Alvin Lustig, Herbert Matter, Bob Noorda, Paul Rand, Emil Ruder, Ladislav Sutnar and Massimo Vignelli, among others.

The show is open now until 26 July at Fordham University at Lincoln Center on West 60th Street. There is an informal walk-through on the evening of Fri 15 June, with other dates available by appointment. More information here.

From FontFeed: AUT University design student Briar Mark specializes in beautiful and somewhat ironic posters that bridge computer-generated typography and craft.

Read more here.

Bastion of high-brow fancy-writin’ The New Yorker takes a deep dive into the far end of the pool this week with its first-ever science fiction issue. Befitting such a break with tradition, the magazine’s editors have gone far outside their comfort zone to feature works by folks you’d never, ever expect to see between the covers of most issues of The New Yorker, including, um, Margaret Atwood, Jennifer Egan and Jonathan Lethem. Everyone else must have been busy. Hey, I kid because I care.

Anyway, at least there’s an amusing cover by Daniel Clowes, who has long been a hero of mine.

If you have a subscription, you can access this issue’s contents here.

This kind of blew my daughter’s mind: a US$0.99 iPhone app that simulates a FaceTime call from her favorite Sesame Street monster, Elmo.

I offer it here because what I generally hear about FaceTime is that no one uses it. But what I see is that it’s one of the most successful bits of technology that the rest of my family have taken to; in our house, FaceTime calls are a regular feature of almost every weekend. Thuy’s grandparents, aunts and cousins all relish the ability to talk with her via FaceTime. It seems unlikely we’re alone in this, which is borne out in the fact that this app mimics the FaceTime look and feel, and not Skype or Google Hangouts. It’s a useful reminder that, increasingly, the true audience for mobile technology is not the technically savvy, but the technically indifferent.

Anyway, if you have a toddler, it will keep them entertained, for sure. Get it here.

A directory of workspaces for creatives. If you have a spare desk or studio area that you’d like to rent or sublet to artists, designers, musicians, etc., you can list it on Open Studio Club. Interested parties email the listers through the site.

The name is perhaps a bit misleading, as the “club” is really just a directory; no account creation or login is required, which keeps things very lightweight and fluid, though club rules advise caution for everyone involved. There are listings from all over the world, though most seem to be in Europe. More here.

A project from SVA IxD students Tash Wong and Tom Harman (and dreamed up in a class taught by my friends Gary Chou and Christina Cacioppo): Coastermatic lets you turn your favorite Instagram photos into coasters. The results look something like this:

The coaster themselves are made of sandstone and are surprisingly substantial to hold, so these aren’t just digital prints on thick paper. A set of four costs just US$25. I expect this to be a hit. Get yours here.