Mood Board // Spectrum

I am giving myself the weekly assignment to create a mood board that reflects a current trend. I'm starting off easy; this trend has been around for quite some time with no indication of fading anytime soon...

Mood Board // Spectrum

Window Displays

I was in the Meatpacking District the other day checking out the new Highline and came across some really fun window displays. From the top: Supersized typography at Diane Von Furstenberg, giant "sale" building blocks at Stella McCartney and a playful garden gnome constructed of flowers at Hugo Boss.

Window Displays

Street Posters

I've been meaning to photograph these St. Germain street posters for quite some time. It's so refreshing to see liquor promoted in an artistic, nostalgic manner, as opposed to the typical "models and bottles" cliche. The typography is quite elegant, love the mint green/gold color combo, and the vintage wallpaper texture fits perfectly with the french boudoir aesthetic. And of course the black and white cheesecake photography is striking. Designed by Oregon-based Sandstrom Design. Read a great assessment from an advertising perspective here.

Street Posters

Alan the Gallant

I was just recently introduced to the amazing design studio Alan the Gallant (formerly itte studio) from Barcelona, Spain. I completely adore their elegant, capricious approach to graphic and illustrative projects, as well as their intricate, detailed patterns, which have been applied to an array of items including clothing, wallpaper, and even the exterior of a home! Read more about them on Pattern and Pulp here and here.

Alan the Gallant

Coney Island

I took a trip out to Coney Island on one of these recent summer-like afternoons. I'm pleased to report that it's not as devastated as expected. From a distance it still looks like the Coney Island I've grown to love, and up close it's as kitschy and colorful as always. Though I'm not certain how long this will hold true; read more about the development plan here. Oh, and contrary to rumors, Siren Music Festival will continue on the island this summer!

Coney Island

Vegas

I've never had the desire to take a trip to Vegas; gambling and partying with plastic girls and frat boys is not my idea of a vacation. However, today Design*Sponge posted a city guide to Vegas and apparently there is more to do there than I've been lead to believe. I'm particularly drawn to the Neon Museum, which has the mission to "to collect, preserve, study and exhibit neon signs and associated artifacts to inspire educational and cultural enrichment for diverse members of our international community." Rad. And there is an area of the museum called The Boneyard, which is a 3-acre outdoor site that houses their collection of non-restored historic signs. Photos above of The Boneyard taken for Design*Sponge by Becky Kazana.

Vegas

Dublin Graphics

I just got back from Dublin, where Guinness flows from the faucets. Above are some design photos I took along the way.

Dublin Graphics

Kai Kühne Website

I adore this website for the fashion label Kai Kühne. The minimal black and white color palette creates a clean, fresh aesthetic while the mixed sans/serif typefaces, set at an angle, add some punky character. Plus the page transition makes me feel like I'm scanning an oversized poster rather than mundanely clicking from page to page. I contacted them for the design credit and turns out it was designed by one of my favorite fashion-focused agencies Buero New York.

Kai Kühne Website

Lucia Soap Packaging

This soap packaging is fantastic. A. The patterns and colors are quite elegant. B. The flourished ligature between the C and I in the logo is adorable. Via Dieline.

Lucia Soap Packaging

Girly Graphics

A lot of my disposable income goes towards design books, and my favorite of late is Girly Graphics. This book, published by PIE Books, is "an interpretation of lovely, sweet and glamorous graphic design". The chapters are divided by aesthetics such as "Glamorous & Gorgeous", "Sweet & Fresh" and "Romantic & Fairy-Tale". About 300 projects are presented, including ads, catalogs, packaging, promotions, logos, etc. All work is by Japanese designers, who let's be honest, are masters of cute and whimsey. My favorite designs are for the store Laforet by Nagi Noda. See sample pages from the book here.

Girly Graphics

Mandate of Heaven

I recently came across a few Mandate of Heaven pieces at a boutique in LES and am so pleased that I took down their name to google when I returned home. Not only do I love their totally girly, 40's-glamish clothing (apparently made mostly with recycled and/or vintage material), but I'm also completely obsessed with their punky/art deco graphic aesthetic. Everything is very diy looking: single-image web pages, photos taken in lived-in apartments, animated gif-ish videos (the most recent set to this fantastic 90's gem) And everything has a touch of golden era of Hollywood flair: splashes of mint green, decorative typefaces, and plenty of feathers and cocktail hats. I just missed their Spring 09 show during Williamsburg Fashion Weekend, but luckily ThreadBanger has a video here.

Mandate of Heaven

Hello World! Part Deuce.

I've cleared out most of the old posts and am starting anew...

Hello World! Part Deuce.

Kinetic Typography

Do you remember that Men At Work "Land Down Under" video that literally acted out every verse of the song? Well, these videos take it one step further by literally spelling out the lyrics. As a type aficionado, one could imagine how excited I was when I found this link on computerlove. I've been really into kinetic typography since a professor of mine introduced me to the term five years ago. And as some know, I did my senior project on Saul Bass, the man who kinda started it all with his kick-ass film title sequences for the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Otto Preminger. More kinetic type videos here. Really nice collection of film title sequences there.

Kinetic Typography

Me fail English? That's unpossible.

Another Simpsons shtik! I almost fell off the treadmill this morning when I saw this Harper's Bazaar spread. Homer in the background with Karl Lagerfeld is the best.

Me fail English? That's unpossible.

ABC's

I love all things macabre. Blame it on my latent goth tendencies. Hence my love for The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey. It is an illustrated story of 26 children, one for each letter of the alphabet, and how each meet his or her ghastly demise. Though produced in 1963 in the U.S., it definitely has a European, Edwardian-era feel. According to Wikipedia, Gorey is recognized for an array of work, including set and costume design, screenplays, book illustration, and surrealist art. The The Edward Gorey House in Yarmouthport Massachusetts celebrates all things Gorey. Plus, some LA horror band recording a song called "A Gorey Demise" in his honor!

ABC's

The snozzberries taste like snozzberries

I love tongue-in-check design, and though in most instances design of this sort is cast off as low-brow, the Glasgow textile and wallpaper design studio Timorous Beasties has gained much praise even amongst the snootiest of critics. They were even shortlisted for the 2005 Designer of the Year award. They quite cleverly describe their design style as "William Morris on Acid". Nice! I reallllly would like their Toile de Jouy wallpaper which initially looks like a traditional toile scene until a closer look reveals crack addicts, whores, and rif raff. It's all done quite well. You can see more of their whimsy here.

The snozzberries taste like snozzberries

2012 Olympic Logo

So London's 2012 Olympic logo (designed by Wolff Olins) has been unveiled and wow people pissed. Apparently it cost £400,000 (which my pound-to-dollar converter tells me is $796,879), took a year to develop, and was inspired by graffiti art. Though intended to be "vibrant" and "youthful", the general consensus is that it is completely overpriced and an artistic flop. There is even a petition to change it! I don't hate it, but I'm far from impressed. It seems that the placement of "London" and the Olympic rings was a complete afterthought. However, the best comment I've yet to read is from The Daily Telegraph:
"What it reminds me of, and you will have to forgive me if you consider this lewd, is Lisa Simpson performing an unnatural act upon her brother Bart."
I will NEVER be able to see that logo again without thinking the same.

2012 Olympic Logo