Paul Smith turns his attention to commemorative stamps with this edition for the Isle of Man celebrating London Olympics 2012. Always one to stay involved in all areas of design, Sir Paul was driven by his love of all things bike related.  ”A lifelong follower of world cycling, Paul Smith was honoured to be asked to participate in this project by the Isle of Man Post Office. The Isle of Man has strong cycling connections as it is the home of heroic Olympic cyclist, and good friend of Paul Smith, Mark Cavendish.”  The Isle of Man Post Office shop carries a selection of collectable packs with an accompanying book also available from Paul Smith online.

Happy New Year 2012 from the staff and writers that encompass the Titel Media family.  We thank you for the strong readership and support in 2011. We hope to make 2012 an even stronger year with some changes and additions to our offerings. More on that as we roll into the new year. In the meantime, we look forward to the usual market weeks, the further integration of social into everything now, and the Euro 2012 tournament (most important).

As an end of year 2011 wrap up, we asked various friends and industry insiders to give us a view into the music they they listened to 2011. The focus was not on compiling a best music poll for 2011, but more to get a sense of the diverse musical interests of those in the community. Take a moment and read through their picks – the lists are a mixed bag of singles, albums and more.

ps: the above image from the great I Love You magazine has nothing to do with New Year’s 2012, but everything to do with my favorite magazine cover… from 2010.

Again, Happy New Year 2012 to all… click below for more…

Some nice video action from Secret Forts, a peek into the world of NY outerwear label Owner Operator. “Launching their second season of classically inspired, mountain ready outerwear, Owner/Operator, the New York based, two man Mountain apparel making team, continues to evolve both technically and design-wise.”  Simple technical-wear with a classic feel made by a couple of snowboarders. Good stuff.

Crane tv give us a look around one of the most impressive 2012 Olympic Venues, the Velodrome. Six thousand seats and described as the most sustainable venue in the Olympic park, Engineers Andrew Weir and Klaus Bode talk through the structures eco credentials as well as its striking double curved shell.

London’s Design Museum hosted Puma’s launch of their sponsored Africa Kits for 2012. Each of the ten partner team jerseys were designed by artists from the Creative African Network (CAN), Puma’s platform for bring together creatives from across the African continent. Teams include: Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Algeria, Namibia, Senegal, Togo, Gabon, Burkina Faso and the newest member to the Puma line-up, South Africa. Look for the new Puma kits to shine during the Africa Cup of Nations.

More look after the click.

A great compliation of the best moments from the O.C. video booth from Fashion’s Night Out 2012.

NYT is reporting that New York has finally made a decision on who will run their 600 station, 10,000 bicycle share program that will bring the much needed program to the Big Apple. “The program will encourage participants to purchase long- or short-term memberships that include an unlimited number of trips of up to 45 minutes; additional fees will apply for longer trips. A yearly membership will cost $100 or less; other pricing details have yet to be made final.” While the article discusses implementation of the program and the fact that more than 250 miles of bicycle lanes has been added to the city, it does pass over many of the common hurdles cyclists are facing today in Manhattan and the boroughs. We wish this program the best.

The NYC Bike Share, once implemented, will be the largest deployment in the world.

Clearly, the beautiful photography found in the 2012 Pirelli calendar may not be the most SFW, so NSFW alert. Kat Moss looks to have some play in the new calendar as shot by Mario Sorrenti. Vanity Fair Italy drops a preview of what’s coming down the road. The 2012 Pirelli Calendar launches this December in New York City. ps: Word has Milla Jovovich making an appearance as well.

Curated looks at the 2012 calendar from Jacques Magazine. “The Jacques Calendar is an oversize [ 12" x 17" ] edition of girls from the pages of Jacques Magazine.” I goes without saying that we’re fans of the magazine. The calendar is a nice bonus. Coming in July.

Pre-order from Amazon.