Weekend Project: Salon Wall

I have spots of quasi salon walls in my apartment, but I've always wanted something to reach from floor to ceiling, far left to far right, full of energy and life. I keep running into fabulous photos of salon-like walls, so I'm taking it as a sign, and finally tackling it this weekend!

The above photos are from Dania and Co on Flickr (top) and
Decor8, who blogged about Liza Giles.

I also love this wall, styled by James Leland Day.

This also has to go on my wall. I's just so great.

On Walls

Or, Wanting to be on my Walls.

Left to right, top to bottom:

• Lisa Congdon at The Shiny Squirrel.
• Michael Sowa (inspired by Amelie) at The Poster Shop. I often forget about posters, but really, all they need is a nice big frame and voila. I always love budget that doesn't look like it.
• Tapies Exhibit Poster at All Posters.
• Wilson Hsu at Thumbtack Press.
• Ashley G at Etsy.
• ISO 50.
• Cole Gerst/Option G at Little Paper Planes.
• The Black Apple at Etsy.

Verb List

Richard Serra, Verb List Compilation: Actions to Relate to Oneself

"When I first started, what was very, very important to me was dealing with the nature of process. So what I had done is I'd written a verb list: to roll, to fold, to cut, to dangle, to twist...and I really just worked out pieces in relation to the verb list physically in a space. Now, what happens when you do that is you don't become involved with the psychology of what you're making, nor do you become involved with the after image of what it's going to look like." (Richard Serra) Read more: Man of Steel

Gathering Colour and Pattern

This image of fabrics, colours and patterns has been floating amongst my boxes of stuff for a long time. For some reason, it never tires. It must be that girly-without-being-girly-girl type of aesthetic that I always love.

So, when I came across the Colour Palette Generator, this image immediately came to mind. Basically, the Colour Palette Generator takes any image from any website and pulls out a palette of corresponding web colours, both dull and vibrant (as shown in the second image above; the image is a scan from a magazine, elle decor uk i think).

To use the generator, you will need to obtain the url of an image from a website. How? "Ctrl-click" on the image, click on "properties," and it should come up with an "http//www.-site-.jpg" under "location." (This is for a mac, but is similar for pc).

To get a screen shot: shift-command-3. A Picture file will save to your desktop, which can then be opened in PhotoShop, if needed.

These are things I only recently learned, but have used them so many times since... how did I ever get along without them?

My Moleskine

I have a fairly hefty collection of scrap papers: images from magazines, type samples, doodles, postcards, colour swatches... When feeling creatively drained, sometimes I like to collage them into my journal. It is a complete experiment of layering, cutting, tearing, gluing. It is about embracing a hand-made, almost wabi-sabi aesthetic: learning how to work with mistakes, use intuition, and play. It is about combining things in new ways, stretching possibilities and keeping an open mind.

The above pages are displayed through an awesome tool called Pictobrowser via Swiss Miss. It allows you to display sets of images from your Flickr account. Super easy too.

Tourist Type

Just ran into a wonderful Flickr set of touristy labels collected by Cotton Candy Hammer. I'm totally drooling over the above type of aesthetic; it's so classic and sophisticated in it's use of typography and colour. It's great inspiration for creating logos, and expanding them into an identity system.

I also love this one and this one and this one and many more, but I'll stop at three. By the way, CCH also has a fairly extensive flickr set of vinyl. This set is so appealing as a whole, with all the shades of yellows.

Alt Pick Deck

Alt Pick is a great resource of and for commercial artists, from photographers and illustrators to stylists and animators. They have just produced The Alternative Pick Deck of Cards, a fun promo full of talent and inspiration. It includes the work of Alicia Buelow, Jared Eastman, Elliott Golden and Alicia Vergel de Dios. I already placed an order. I just love projects that emphasize the idea of community and working together.

Some other online graphic design communities: Nice to Meet You is my current obsession for its killer design blog, Computer Love is also supplemented by a great blog, Designer ID takes a more professional approach, Die Gestalten is brimming with bookmarkables, Design is Kinky is of course a design star, Lounge 72 is an ezine with a nice pdf calendar that often makes it to my wall, All Maple is Canadian, and Coroflot is another which I often consult. These sites are great because not only do they introduce great artists, they are also perfect for networking, finding jobs, meeting other designers... promotion and inspiration, hand in hand!

Wow, that's a lot of links in just one post... but I couldn't leave any out; I use and like them all!

It's a blur

Whenever I begin a new project, especially one involving brand management, I like to collect. I collect images, paint chips, objects, words... and lay them out on my table and take some snapshots. Due to lighting, they are often blurry. But regardless, I love the process.

Currently I am working on a project that is all about warmth and earth and wholeness. Warm, neutral shades, yellow and green undertones, antiques, yellowed paper, texture, handmade, handwritten, brush strokes, hot cocoa, leather, wool, clay, a splash of red.

Also feeling incredibly inspired by Jenny's images and jewelry, based on the story of the secret garden. So full of heart.

... I always adore these early stages, where nothing is quite certain, possibilities are endless, and inspiration is everywhere.

Flickr Quilt

Whenever I need a quick dose of visual inspiration, Flickr always delivers. Above (and here) are some of my recent favourites. I see colour creeping back into my life. like wishes for Spring.

A few more inspiring photo sites:

Ball-saal, via port2port

PDN's World in Focus: The Ultimate Travel Photography. PDN also has a great Top 30 list from 2006.

The Collection at File Magazine is also fun to browse. JPG Magazine too.

The Fluxkit

I have been a long time fan of Fluxus. Organized by George Maciunas in the 1960's, the Fluxus group worked in a wide range of media, from poetry to film, objects to events. Always questioning, always exploring and playing and defying. Unlike most art movements, Fluxus was concerned with bringing art into the everyday.

They created posters, stamps, playing cards, as well as boxes / Fluxkits (Spell Your Name With These Objects is shown above). Their methods were inexpensive, often commercially reproduced, and always encouraged the user to participate.

Sound familiar? Many of these methods are used today. Street art, guerrilla art, mail art, collage, zines, atc's... It's interesting to see that a very conceptual art movement from the past can be translated into something that is totally relative and accessible today.

Flickr Quilt

Above is a sampling of my choice old flickr favourites. The full gamut of images and creators is here.

Sometimes I believe the things I like say just as much about me as the things I create. Especially when these things are grouped, when sometimes unexpected things keep popping up. It's also a great way to develop a specific taste and style. Like a mood board, or inspiration palette.

More recently, I've been adding more shots of red to my flickr favs. But, I still lean to lush textures, muted colours, greens, blues, browns, mustards, striking composition, ink, spots, swoops. Somber beauty. Drool.