Moved!

At long last, I've decided to move. I was a tad tired of mm and have been thinking about developing a line for etsy - so I decided to start fresh and see where things go.

Feel free to visit me and tell your friends! I so look forward to this new journey!

Here: Oak & Olive

...

Coldplay's 10 Rules

1. ALBUMS MUST BE NO LONGER THAN 42 MINUTES, OR 9 TRACKS.

2. PRODUCTION MUST BE AMAZING, RICH, BUT WITH SPACE, NOT OVERLAYERED. LESS TRACKS, MORE QUALITY. GROOVE AND SWING Drum/rhythm are the most crucial thing to concentrate on; diff. between bittersweet and science of silence

3. COMPUTERS ARE INSTRUMENTS, NOT RECORDING AIDS.

4. IMAGERY MUST BE CLASSIC. COLOURFUL AND DIFFERENT. COME BACK IN GLORIOUS TECHNICOLOUR

5. MAKE SURE VIDEOS AND PICTURE ARE GREAT BEFORE SETTING RELEASE DATE. And highly original

6. ALWAYS KEEP MYSTERY. Not many interviews

7. GROOVE AND SWING. RHYTHMS AND SOUNDS MUST ALWAYS BE AS ORIGINAL AS POSSIBLE. Once jon has melody, twist it and weird it sonically

8. Promo/review copies to be on VINYL. Stops copying problem, sounds and looks better.

9. Jaqueline Sabrido, ns p c c, face forward

10. Think about what to do with charity account. Set up something small but really enabling and constructive. Ref; j oliver fifteen

from here.
via here.

Evert Nijland

I am completely inspired by the work of Evert Nijland - I want to be completely surrounded by it - I want to dress like it, decorate rooms like it... it is so incredibly prefect.

via Another Shade of Grey.

Antoine et Manuel

Antoine and Manuel are my go-to for graphic design inspiration. Awe-inducing, crazy-making, I never know what to expect - except that it will undoubtedly be new and challenging; I might even not like it - hello gold cardboard. It's that whole let's-do-this-just-because-it's-not-being-done-and-just-because-i-want-to attitude that I love. So French.

Mary Emma Hawthorne

Here is some serious collage love, by Mary Emma Hawthorne. I enjoy collages, not only because of their intricate quirks, but also because they inspire me, they give me great ideas for graphic elements and pattern - see - stitches, stripes in cirlces, paint splotches, ovals, italic caps... Via Love Made Visible.

This Colour

Art by Tom Burrows. Medium: cast pigmented polymer resin. Luminescent. I want to swim in it.

Rain Rain

Living on the west coast, you have to do everything possible to try to enjoy the rain, otherwise this season is totally unbearable. Wellies, raincoats, rihanna on the radio, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. So, this season I have embraced the gum boot. I searched high and wide and found a few lovable (ie. not too obnoxious) options. Hunters, Tretorn, and Chooka, are legendary around here. Then I ran into Moov Culture and was quite impressed ~ love their cut-and-paste graphics too.

But, just when I thought I had seen all rubber boots imaginable, I spotted a girl on the street with boots painted in that victorian/grunge look that is so fabulous. Assuming it was a brilliant diy project, I looked it up and found this and this. So, I'm now mighty tempted to pick up some basic boots,
krylon and stencils and see what happens....

Eco Graffiti

Moss typography! by El & Abe. Part of their manifesto reads: "We hope that not only the words will be noticed, but also the moss itself, put to the forefront through it's sculpting, fashioned into a form we can understand."

via Trendland, who are forecasting eco graffiti to be the next big thing. Tutorials are available, like this one at Instructables. Now I'm thinking of ways in which nature can be drawn ~ the possibilities intrigue me...

Luved

So, after a long hiatus from blogging, I decided to jump back in with something completely different - clothing! No worries, I don't plan on switching to clothes coverage as I am no expert, but I found these sweaters by a Canadian label called Luved at a local Christmas craft fair, and totally fell in love with them. Perfectly snuggly cozy for this time of year.

The Colours of Kozyrev

Sure, I love visiting sites like Color Lovers and My Pantone but, other times, I really think painters do it best. The above, most beautiful paintings are by
Dimitri Kozyrev.

Journaling

I sat back, admiring my midnight E doodle, picking out shapes: raindrops, leaves, a mustache, sperm, goggles, nothing entirely unexpected. Then it hit me. I saw a bird, landing on a large piece of driftwood, nestled in the sand. Do you see it?

I love moments like this, when I have no expectations, and no vision - when I just follow my pen. Even when the results are ok at best, there is always something that draws me back and feels a little magical.

It's not often that I write my own experiences in this blog, or share my own stuff - and often I wonder, why? I'm starting to feel too safe. Well, we'll see.

Olofsdotter

I love the illustrations of Linn Olofsdotter (Sweden). I am completely drawn in by the delicate line and pretty shading and odd subject matter. Lovely.

When I see sites like this I'm always aching to pull out my own watercolours, ink, brushes and pencils. A career in illustration has always appealed to me ~ I long to get off this keyboard, out of this desk, this office. I wonder if it's in me. It feels good to be wondering out loud. I think it's time to hit the moleskine again.

Exciting news: she's also on Etsy!

Daniele Buetti

I am crazy inspired by the artwork of Daniele Buetti (Swiss living in Berlin). Crazy inspired. It is totally glamorous yet thought provoking, commentating on fashion and advertising, beauty and identity. I would love to see one of these lightboxes in person - I'm sure they are a whole nother universe.

See more here and here.

Kleenex & JWT

I know this campaign has been out forEVER, but I think it warrants a mention, as it continues to make me smile, even after seeing it a million times (and even though it may be totally choreographed). Yes I still love it. Why? They stepped away from those generic, safe guarantees that most commercials throw at us. This campaign says that viewers are emotional, and we want to experience and feel and share and connect. I think it hits a little deeper. But, at the same time, it makes sense for the brand. Tissue is naturally connected to crying. But it's not sad, it's a release.

The campaign was created by JWT. In reading about this campaign, the idea of advertisers as anthropologists kept coming up. I think this is a good example of that, although I am kind of tired of people in the design/marketing fields trying to rename themselves, creating bizarre titles.

Posters

Tauba Auerbach has fun with type.

And - comments on a peculiar trend.

And - download MM Paris' 2008 Poster Catalogue.
It's crazy, beautiful, wonderful.

Dieter Rams: Ten Commandments

Source, and larger, more legible version here.

Design Police

Made me laugh. Learn color theory. Ha. via Josh Spear

While we're at it, ruthlessly making fun of the less design-inclined, check out clientopia.

Cafe Revive

The identity for Cafe Revive at Marks & Spencer was created years ago, but I still think it's rather brilliant. Can this be a formula? Repetitive action becomes simple icon becomes pattern. Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it just feels too trendy. But in this case, it's all fun, and it's perfect.

Designed by Graphic Though Facility (London). They are also the genius behind Habitat.