With the recent home release of J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek I though I would post these gorgeous portraits by illustrator Jesse Lefkowitz. The line work, color, and use of texture are distinctive of Jesse’s work. I’m loving the decidedly retro qualities and the relationship that exists between the individual pieces thanks to the supporting elements found in the background. Lefkowitz, a Virginia native, attended the Rhode Island School of Design and now works out of and resides in Berkeley, California.

You can find more of Jesse’s work on his website or check out his blog for a WarGames inspired editorial illustration about the economy and a satirical illustration of Jessica Simpson’s larger-than-life rump for BUST magazine.

The last couple of weeks have seen the printing of three delightfully geeky shirts over at the always pleasant Threadless.com. What’s more, each of the three designs happen to picture our little green invader friends. These fresh prints include Alien Autopsy by Chris Rowson, They’re Real by Jean Salamin, and, the winner of the recently concluded Threadless Loves Geeks competition, I Be Au Sm by Lawrence Villanueva. Check them out, pick them up, put them on!

Glenn Jones is constantly churning out stunning and humorous work and then making it available for you, the consumer, from his site Glennz Tees. An Auckland, New Zealand native, Glenn got his start on the community driven t-shirt design site Threadless, after they printed a whopping 21 of his designs he decided it was time to go solo. In keeping with his roots, each design is made available for voting before it is printed (this also helps ensure a particular design isn’t going to flop). In addition to tees, you can also snatch up prints, laptop skins, or compile your own desktop calendar. As if that wasn’t enough, you can also help yourself to a number of free iPhone or iPod Touch background wallpapers.

The above images come from a series called Videogame Classics by graphic designer and illustrator Olly Moss. The self initiated series utilizes subtle textures and simple “Ah-ha!” graphics that push the images to be as charming as they are attractive. Inspired by the timeless design of classic Penguin Books, each piece faithfully recreates the Marber Grid that heavily adorned the publisher’s books during the 1960s and ’70s. Head over to Olly’s site to have a look at the entire series and the rest of his portfolio.

I’m really enjoying this series of plunger button inspired badges from the online boutique Supermandolini. Pin them to your person or your stuff to add instant interactivity. The shop, managed by founding designers Emanuel Lakoutsis and Ellie Kakoulidou, offers specialty apparel, accessories, and housewares, including a series of floppy disc coasters. Launched in 2007, Lakoutsis and Kakoulidou tightly control all aspects of the site, starting with the visual identity of their website and continuing down to the photography, packaging, and promotion of their products. Stop by their site to have a look at the rest of the shop.

Issue number 121 of Computer Arts Projects, published March, 2009, was devoted to the art of video games. The cover illustration, detailed above, was produced by graphic designer and illustrator Niark1. For more of Niark1’s crisp illustrations head over to his site or keep up with him on his blog. Computer Arts Projects is the spin-off of Computer Arts magazine, you can learn more about them both by clicking here.

Threadless has reprinted Sean Mort’s t-shirt design The Gaming Revolution. The tee features game controllers of every generation compiled to resemble a fist. For what purpose? One can only guess that Sean is fighting the good fight of awesomeness. Click here to add The Gaming Revolution to your ensemble or here to peek at the rest of Sean’s portfolio.