Although I’m preparing Part 6 of the crossword web app feature for tomorrow (after an unfortunate two week posting hiatus), I wanted to quickly point out the new “inspirations” module, included in the sidebar.

For years now I’ve admired the works of many of today’s top visual designers. Through regular visits to the Iconfactory, an icon design house, I’ve come to appreciate the illustrative styles of a select group of visual designers. David Lanham is one of these incredible designers. Lanham’s designs are remarkably otherworldy. Though his creations are born from fantasy and bewilderment, his attention to detail is uncompromised. David’s contributions to the Iconfactory can most publicly be seen in icon and title art he created for the Frenzic iPhone/Mac game and the Twitterrific application.

I’ve included one of his vector pieces, Samurai Monkey, above. On his site Lanham writes, “Most of my work is made to be fun and enjoyable, which works out well since I have a really good time creating it.” And that simply is what good design is all about. Making magic and having a fun time doing it!

To view more of David Lanham’s art, visit his Web site at www.dlanham.com. You can also follow him on Twitter at dlanham.