January 2011
33 posts
The Century House
Yesterday was my first day at The Century House, and I still can’t get over how excited I am to be working there. The people are incredible and I get to photograph and design for one of my favorite places in Madison. Among the pieces by Marimekko, Blue Dot, Herman Miller, and Knoll, I have found bliss.
See the store’s website here. And take the 2 or 15 metro bus from campus some...
WatchI swear I’m not a crazy old bird lady (though my hips do pop a lot and I’ve recently developed an incapacity to stay awake past midnight)- but this video which follows bird flight patterns in real time (no manipulation!) is incredible. See more on the original post at The Fox is Black.
Pantone 18-2120
When Pantone announced Honeysuckle as their color of the year earlier this January, my reaction was somewhere between “eh” and “ugh.” I like that they’re changing it up a bit, and I think by declaring a shade of pink as the annual hue they might start to challenge our associations of the oft-feminine variety. Still, it’s easy to see how “Honeysuckle”...
Nordstrom Hosiery
Awesome packaging facelift for tights and nylons by Nordstrom; beautiful interaction between the imagery and the typography. I also love how the photos add a little more spunk than one would normally envision paired with those font choices. Maybe I just love tights a little too much.
Via LovelyPackage.
Mixtape: Resolve
Hey there, loyal readers/subscribers (of whom there are apparently more than I realized). I’ve been working on this mix for the past couple of weeks and it’s finally ready for your grubby little hands. Or your clean little hands, or iTunes libraries.
The inspiration for the compilation was the setting and breaking of New Year’s resolutions and the motivation and wallowing...
Behind the Scenes with Don Draper
Mad Men set photos by James Minchin III.
See more at BOOOOOOOM!
Giant Pin
Love this coat hook concept and the simplicity of its result.
Via Effektive Blog.
The Gent
I aspire to this persona. Understated, punchy, timeless. His freckles and his hands are so elegant, and you can tell he understands this.
Original post at The Sartorialist.
WatchI don’t know anything about Malmo- but this makes me happy. Via ISO50.
Savasana
I have yet to understand the runner’s high. But there is most definitely a yoga high.
Miranda July
Lately, I have wanted to be Miranda July. Can you blame me? I just found what is, I think, my favorite of her work. She takes film stills and recreates herself as the extras in the background- such a simple gesture. It’s been criticized as being too reminiscent of Cindy Sherman’s film stills, but other than the fact that they are women dealing with cinema, I don’t see the...
If nothing else, I will laugh this semester
Three perfect quotations from three different academics.
Some people look at this print and say, “That’s so cool! It looks so old-fashioned!” Yes, it does look old-fashioned, but it’s also ugly as hell. Letterpress instructor
On the train to Berlin we had a huge basket of food and liquor and I got very drunk and had a lot of fun! Then I took a nap. Design professor
Does...
Adam Cruft
Work by illustrator Adam Cruft at The Fox is Black.
See more of Adam’s work on his website.
Sensational Circus Spectacular
Student concept branding for a modern circus. Via The Dieline.
DIY Cake Stands
Having my own kitchen has turned me into a bit of a self-proclaimed foodie. That said, cooking (and entertaining) are expensive, especially when you’ve spent too much time in Williams-Sonoma to remember that Wusthof knives are not “essential” items. That is exactly why I love these DIY Cake Stands. How fun would it be to serve guests with a colorful collection of these?
(Via...
WatchColin Firth took home the Golden Globe last night for Best Actor for his performance in The King’s Speech. To me this indicates that the world’s sense of justice is, at least temporarily, in proper order. This is also supported by the fact that Best Actress was awarded to Natalie Portman for Black Swan. I have a huge crush on Mr. Firth, which my mom doesn’t understand (and thus...
Society 27
Amazing footwear packaging, via Lovely Package.
Starbucks, Simplified
I’ve read a lot on the unveiling of Starbucks’ new logo in the past week and wanted to hold off expressing my initial nod of approval until I had some time to mull it over. That being said, I stand by my opinion that the rebranding is a smart move.
I think the argument I hear most often against the change is “what does a mermaid have to do with coffee?”
What does an...
The Value of Working for Free
Yesterday, one of my favorite working designers, Jessica Hische, posted this great flow-chart on her personal conditions for taking on a project without pay.
That’s great for already-successful designers, but more often than not, students are expected to work for free. I hear a lot of debate from both sides of the issue: my mom and design professor think it’s generally unreasonable to...
Elinor Carucci
Born in Jerusalem and living in New York, Elinor Carucci has a great body of work. I love her the eerie ambience her photos project. She currently has some work at MoMA in their exhibition Pictures of Women.
Via BOOOOOOM!
Happy Hangouts
Reading Apartment Therapy in my RSS feed makes me wish that I had an apartment I could really decorate (and a pretty hefty budget to do so). Of course, I scour the updates for little bits of charm that are cheap, impermanent, and likely to go over well with my roommates.
I love the idea of hanging mugs, especially considering how often we use them in our place. Between coffee, tea, hot chocolate,...
Animal Canon
I recently discovered the website of Madison-based design collective Animal Canon, which hosts an unbelievable portfolio of screenprinted work. I’ve seen some of their posters hanging around the humanities buildings before, but never knew who was responsible. It’s pretty great to see some Wisconsin alums producing work this tight. Now all I want is some free time in the serigraphy...
Poster Child
My family and I have been spending my winter break where we have always spent free stretches of time: at the movie theatre. Mark and Paula, my parents, are notorious for the number of movies they see at the box office, and I am more than willing to entertain their hobby. Throw in my boyfriend and brother, who are definitely film buffs, and we have one happy moviegoing unit.
This particular Oscar...
Icon
Stunning redesign of Icon by Ken Leung, who previously art directed Monocle.
Via Quipsologies.
Graci
Beautiful design for Graci Premium Cider by brainCELLS.
Via LovelyPackage.
Mercedes Helnwein
Beautiful drawings by the daughter of Gottfried Helnwein. See the post by BOOOOOOOM! for more (here).
Flagpole Sitter
Public School, a creative studio from Austin, developed this genius idea to increase productivity and maintain morale in open-space work environments. I can’t get over how innovative this is. This kind of environment is exactly where I hope my career takes me. Read more about the flags here.
These Blocks Aren't Wooden
Letterpress prints made with legos! These are so charming- I’ve already emailed the link to my book arts instructor. Wonder if I can experiment with this next semester. See more here.
Stranger & Stranger Absinthe
Can’t get over this beautiful, intricate absinthe packaging. See more images in the Dieline’s post (here).
New Horizons
Loving this work by French illustrator/graphic designer Stéphane Massa-Bidal. See the rest of his portfolio here.
(Via Quipsologies)
