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Comic books are many things: pieces of artwork, hot movie properties and connections to childhood memories. But comic books are also a product and comic book covers are the product branding. These are six current cover artists who exemplify the aesthetics of good design and product identity.

1. Brian Wood

Wood is an indie favorite writer-artist, currently writing DMZ, Northlanders, and The New York Four. His cover designs are provocative and rely heavily on graphics rather than character portraits (the usual comic book trend). The covers also draw inspiration from graffiti, whether stenciling, overspray or plain ol’ social commentary.

2. Dave Johnson

Johnson is a prolific cover artist, most famous for the one hundred covers he provided for the complete run of the critically acclaimed 100 Bullets. Many of the covers were either optical illusions or pushed character portrait to new limits. Johnson also makes great use of type, often making words part of the cover landscape.

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Dezeen Wire: London furniture company and Dezeen office-mates Chest of Drawers have been awarded a Guardian Sustainable Business Award for their system that rates the sustainability of each wooden product.

More information on the Guardian Sustainable Business Awards »

See all our stories about green design »

See our story about Dezeen and Chest of Drawers’ headquarters »

Here are some more details from Chest of Drawers:

Local David is a match for the Goliaths at the Guardian’s Sustainable Business Awards

Independent furniture retailer Chest of Drawers scooped a Guardian Sustainable Business Award last night. Beating fellow finalists and multi-nationals Unilever and Lend Lease, the London-based business scored a shock victory in the supply chain category. Other category winners were Tesco, Levi, British Land and Marks & Spencer, but Chest of Drawers showed that you don’t need to be big to be innovative and make a difference.

The award particularly recognised Chest of Drawers’ Environmental Grading Scheme, which gives customers information on wood sources, workshop practices and transportation issues for individual furniture pieces.

The Environmental Grading Scheme is the only initiative of its type helping consumers make informed decision about the manufacture, sourcing and environmental impact of furniture. While food and clothing retailers have become more transparent about the origin of their products, furniture is still shrouded in secrecy. Yet nobody wants to find out that the chair they love comes from a protected hard wood or was built in a workshop with illegal employee practices.

Director Kim Corbett said “This means so much to us and all our staff, and of course credit belongs to our loyal customers too. We have always concentrated on long lasting, well- designed furniture from sustainable sources, but we never thought we could win an award in such salubrious company. We see this as simply another step in a long process of showing that businesses, large and small, can be run with a responsible attitude to the environment. This is a challenging time for small businesses so any recognition is hugely appreciated.”

There has been extensive coverage recently of “the death of the high street” and independents being squeezed out by larger chains, but Chest of Drawers tries to show that you do not need to be large to innovate. Small businesses may be perfectly placed to move quickly in response to changing customer priorities, as this award helps to demonstrate.

Chest of Drawers sells solid wood domestic furniture, lighting and accessories from three London stores and online. Its furniture includes its best-selling Caspian bedroom range made from reclaimed wood and bespoke solid oak dining tables. The emphasis is always on distinctive designs but made from traditional methods, often hand crafted. In many cases lifetime guarantees emphasise the confidence provided by the use of premium solid woods, no veneers and no flat pack self-assembled pieces.

Chest of Drawers has operated from its branch in Upper Street for over 25 years, with other branches now in Chiswick and Kingston.

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Mathematical formulas lay the foundation for a series of hearty Italian wines

After many decades of visiting the Isola d’Elba, just off the coast of Tuscany, Milanese engineer Giuseppe Camerini decided to cement his love for the beautiful land by creating Cecilia Vineyards along the Etruscan Coast wine route. Camerini, passionate about math and science, applied his mechanical knowledge to wine-making, creating a customized temperature control system and special filters for his cellar, where wine is aged in small 225-liter barrels.

Camerini’s penchant for numbers also extends to Cecelia’s graphic identity, based on the aperiodic set of tiles devised by renowned physicist Roger Penrose. Founding Cecelia in 1990, Camerini now manages the entire activity together with his nephew, but still heads up the unique label design.

Cecilia produces the most traditional wines that made Tuscany and Elba famous among aficionados, like the sweet Aleatico and Moscato wines, as well as the delicious Elba Bianco and Elba Rosso blends.

The vineyard is open for visits and direct purchase of wines.