distinctively crafted

Some sweet infographics

2011-07-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

Animated style!!

Japan-The Strange Country (English translated ver.) from Kenichi on Vimeo.

This is Dare. Are you? from thisisdare on Vimeo.

Oil'd from Chris Harmon on Vimeo.

Woot!

2011-07-10T10:17:00.000-07:00

AIGA holds its' annual Design Show in which very talented designers and firms submit very beautiful printed pieces such as posters. packaging, books, among branding and website design. I decided to give it a go and submit by Gothic Novel book covers. To my happy surprise I was one of the winners!

My very talented classmate and friend, Jackie, also won for her awesome Burly Bread packaging!

Ikea

2011-07-08T10:16:00.000-07:00

My office/sewing room is once again in disrepair and in some bad need of pretty storage. So where does one find cheap yet stylish options? Ikea of course! I ended up buying two candy-apple red Helmer drawer carts. Two episodes of Glee later one of them was done.

While in the store I also took a gander at all the beautifully designed objects.

Dee & Lala

2011-06-06T07:06:00.000-07:00

Gorgeous Letterpress cards, clocks and more from Dee & Lala

Star Wars

2011-05-15T15:45:00.000-07:00

Yep, pretty freaking sweet. From Restyleshop.etsy.com

Oxford Urban Farm

2011-04-15T13:33:00.000-07:00

Happiness is involving a radish in a photo shoot. Campaign for a non-profit community garden.

Book Jackets

2011-04-12T15:27:00.000-07:00

My pride and joy. I redid my book covers over winter break and couldn't be happier with how they turned out. I created collages from old medical textbooks that depict the main character of each story.

Portfolio show

2011-04-10T15:23:00.000-07:00

I have had the extreme pleasure working with an amazing group of fellow designers and friends to help create our senior portfolio show. You should come because it's going to be pretty awesome. Check out our amazing created from scratch website. It's also pretty awesome.

So True

2011-03-26T20:11:00.000-07:00

From Freshthrills

The Tape

2011-02-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

From Etsy shop Sparkle Power

From Etsy shop Brave Moon Man

From Etsy shop Stellar Cheri

Thomas Paul Fabrics

2011-02-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

Get your fix here.

Info Graphics

2011-02-12T19:51:00.000-08:00

Nonsensical

Cute

Type - oriented

Beautiful

Awesome

Sewing Illustrations

2011-02-10T07:49:00.000-08:00

I have hopes to use these in a large project involving a fictional fabric shop and packaging.

Vintage Office Supplies

2011-02-08T14:25:00.000-08:00

Some illustrations I have been playing around with. Perhaps something will come of this?

Big Shooter Brewery

2011-02-06T19:35:00.000-08:00

The label for BSB beer. Influenced by vintage railroad posters, broadsides, and most importantly beer.

Help Choosing a Font

2011-02-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

There are so many fonts out there - good and bad - that choosing can be hard. Smashing magazine put out a useful little article. Want to add to your library? Some useful books:

Typography Essentials: 100 Design Principles for Working with Type

1000 Fonts

Type: A Visual History of Typefaces and Graphic Styles, Vol. 1

If you can't tell already, images from Amazon.com

Web Design

2011-01-30T07:38:00.000-08:00

Webdesignerdepot.com put together a really helpful article on retro web design. The information translates to the print end of design as well.

Office Fun

2011-01-15T07:15:00.000-08:00

From Knock Knock

Think storage for paperclips and other tiny things....

From Anthropologie.com

Victorian Package Inspiration

2011-01-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

Images from Lovely Package

Beer Print

2011-01-03T05:38:00.000-08:00

My husband and his brother have been home-brewing beer for over 6 months now and I loved the look of this print, Doublenaut by Andrew and Matt McCracken.

Liven up the office

2011-01-01T05:28:00.000-08:00

Looking for some fun office supplies? I came across Present & Correct, a group of graphic designers based in London who also happen to sell paper goods.

Great Gatsby Business Card Print

2010-12-29T05:15:00.000-08:00

From The Heads of State, a gorgeous poster of business cards for the characters in Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. It's beautiful typography and vintage aesthetic make it drool worthy.

Ink and Wit

2010-12-23T06:21:00.000-08:00

Ink and Wit does beautiful letterpress and offset printing of cards, gift wrap, notecards and more. They also do design and web work. You can download the portfolios and take a look.

Things I love on Purl Bee

2010-12-16T09:11:00.000-08:00

If I had lots and lots of free time, space and money I would make these things.....

Linen and Measuring Tape Towels

Rose Barettes

Little Forest Quilt

Printed Napkins

Charlie Harper

2010-12-14T13:12:00.000-08:00

Charlie Harper (1922-2007) was an prolific illustrator who worked for Ford Motor Company’s magazine, Ford Times, as well as many conversation-oriented organizations such as zoos and national parks. His works are mostly of nature - birds, fish, bugs, cats and much more.

Images from charleyharperprints.com

Purl Soho has Charlie Harper needlepoint kits!

Other fun Charlie Harper goodies:

Christmas WIshlist: Design Books

2010-12-13T08:37:00.000-08:00

All images from Amazon.com

Snowmygod or Snowmageden

2010-12-12T09:46:00.000-08:00

Yep, that's a tractor pulling a city bus.

So not exactly a design post, I have to show off how freaky the state of Minnesota is. In the course of about a day we recieved and average of over 17 inches in the Twin Cities. Some parts of Minnesota reached over 20. Add 30 mile per hour winds and you get drifts that partially covered doors, cars, and most of the roads.

Images via wcco news

Even our Metrodome suffered. The roof caved in.....

Yep, the white stuff you see on the field is snow. Looks like the Vikings won't be playing here on Monday.

Want to see it cave in?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAyLX2hY7E0

So what I have learned from this event is that Minnesotans, while they can be passive-aggressive, will come out of their cozy homes with their shovels and help you shovel your car out. It's also important to own a wool hat and scarf, a sturdy shovel and a pair of long johns. The upside of this is that I live in a climate where because everything freezes over to a white hell, I never come across large bugs or snakes.

Packaging Love

2010-12-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

Lollia

http://www.lollialife.com

Voluspa

Honey Jar Labels

2010-12-03T20:36:00.000-08:00

Love how these images turned out!!!

Project: Non-Profit Revamped

2010-12-01T20:45:00.000-08:00

The Non-Profit campaign was a major undertaking and I'm sure far from over. I wanted the pieces to have an urban edge, but a little grit and earthiness to them as well. I choose brown and green as the main colors for their obvious relation to nature and added the orange and blue for contrast and for that edge. The advertisements were for an event that our garden was a part of (yes, this is a real community garden). The pieces were a postcard, poster, a promotional seed packet and a member newsletter.

Postcard Front

Poster

Newsletter

Seed Packet

No Coast Craft O Rama 2010

2010-11-22T09:19:00.000-08:00

This poster designed by Sara Lintner of Too Many Suitors is gorgeous! I'm really bumed that I had to turn it down this year but I couldn't be happier that my good friend Kelly of Table Tin will have a table!

Swatch Books

2010-11-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

We just did a project where we were to design a series of three related paper swatch book covers. The theme was plants and the typography was to work with any supporting images.

I have to first show some gorgeous swatch books that French Paper has put together...

My three covers:

In a paper store I saw a stamp that looked like a very intricate flower. Upon closer inspection I saw it was actually a doily. I thought this was a brilliant way to create an abstract image of a flower and then play around with size and placement. I scanned three different doilys and then did a live trace in Illustrator. There is no transparency on these, but you still get an illusion of this with the optical blending of colors.

A Logo in the Making

2010-11-12T09:13:00.001-08:00

As one of our last assignments, we were to create a personal logo and identity. This has been in the back of my mind for quite awhile but when it came time to start I was hitting a brick wall. What did I want to identify me? What is my personal style?

A logo should:

Look as good in black in white as it does in color
Look good when it's very small. Tiny details get lost.
Be seductive - it should hold attention
Have contrast
Represent the business, person, whoever. It should fit the client.

So the first round of digital roughs:

I really didn't like....... So onto round 2.....

Ok, better, but still not there. The shape in the last row was starting to intrigue me. What would it be like solid?

Ok, now for the first time that day I wasn't swearing up a storm. This was getting much better.

Ta Da!!!!!

French Paper

2010-10-25T09:10:00.000-07:00

Besides having gorgeous paper and equally gorgeous paper swatch books, French Paper also has a wonderful extensive collection of illustrations.

Design Books: Girly Graphics

2010-10-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

The authors of the book, Girly Graphics, wanted a collection of works that showcased advertising that marketed to women. The collection is broken up into themes: "Glamorous & Gorgeous," "Sweet & Fresh," "Cute & Lovely," and "Romantic & Fairytale."Can you decide which is what?

Pretty Hexagons

2010-10-13T21:39:00.000-07:00

A quilt long in the making....

Project: Non-Profit

2010-10-12T07:13:00.000-07:00

Our assignment is to create at least three printed pieces for a non-profit of our choice. The exception is that it needs to be small (so not the Red Cross or YMCA). I choose our neighborhood community garden (urban farm) Oxford Urban Farm. First piece - a poster advertising our participation in the Parade of Gardens:

Design Books: Naive

2010-10-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Greatest Book Ever. An illustrators dream to look at. Naive is a collection of classical graphic designs that are a nod to the designs of the 40,s, 50's, and 60's. While certainly retro, there is a very modern feel with many of the works.

Macbeth

2010-10-11T07:10:00.000-07:00

The assignment was to create a postcard and poster for The Guthrie's Macbeth. The focus was to be on the typography and any graphic elements were to be abstract. The font used for Macbeth itself was part of another assignment. That was created from scratch.

Postcard Front

Postcard Back

The Poster

Wedding Goods

2010-10-10T21:28:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of working with the most relaxed bride ever - my new sister-in-law. I designed all the printed goods for their wedding - the invitations, place cards, table sign and programs. Randi wanted the theme to be black and white so I choose to emphasize the typography and a simple but recognizable pattern that could be used in the various pieces.

More pictures to come!

The Zoo That Grew

2010-10-09T21:22:00.000-07:00

Awesome find in the clearance dollar bin at Half Price Books.

Illustrated by Lisl Stich. Text by James Krüss. Published in 1970.

Project: Farmer's Market (The End)

2010-10-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

Several weeks and many alterations later I have a completed packaging for the honey jars as well as a pamphlet. I wanted to give them an identity that was elegant but also clean and a bit old fashion. The colors needed to pop but not overwhelm.

Did you really just say that?

2010-10-04T10:43:00.000-07:00

Ever want want to throw something hard at someone's head? Well you can't. But you can at least laugh about it afterwards. Check out Clients From Hell.

Awesome little books

2010-10-03T20:35:00.000-07:00

A very crafty and talented woman, Sara Lintner (http://toomanysuitors.com) told me about this awesome site that will print your designs on little Moleskin - like books.

Sara's Design

Check out Scout Books and take a look at their selection. You can order some gorgeous designs or do your own illustration. Very nifty!

Room and Board

2010-10-02T09:23:00.000-07:00

I stopped in a bit ago and loved the color scheme they are using this fall. Lots of calming colors (blues, grays and a soft paprika) and wonderful uses of texture. Silk and velvet pillows. Ruffles and rosettes.
Room and Board by rwinter on Polyvore.com

Everything is better with the F- word

2010-10-01T13:45:00.000-07:00

Need some sage graphic design advice? Try this site sent to me by my friend Kelly. You will laugh and then some.

Past Project: Farmers Market Ads

2010-09-27T20:58:00.000-07:00

This project was from my Photoshop class a couple of semesters ago. The objective was to create two ads for the Minneapolis Farmer's Market that would be posted on the side of the city bus and at the bus stop.

Judge a Book by its Cover

2010-09-26T13:33:00.000-07:00

All images from Penguin Books

I started thinking more about the book jacket asignment. Reading the forward to Pemguin 75..., it made me think of what the book cover actually is. Chris Ware put it rather well:

"Concomitantly, the book cover has evolved from a simple protective wrapper into something of a contemporary striptease between author and reader, both as a means of drawing attention to and selling the book, or amplifying and even extending the book itself into the reader's mind and fingertips."

How much do we rely on a book's cover when we are deciding to buy? I would say it depends and yes I know that's so vague. If this is an established class - say Pride and Prejudice - then cover art is less important in terms of selling. If this is a new work, then I would agree that a really cover cover design can be so enticing and pull the buyer right in.

Project: Farmer's Market

2010-09-26T06:52:00.000-07:00

So this is what I have so far: thoughts?

Designer: Coralie Bickford-Smith

2010-09-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

All images from www.cb-smith.com

Design Firm: The MVA

2010-09-25T12:36:00.000-07:00

The company I work for is in the smelling business. It's kind of hard to explain so I will let you check it out for yourselves: http://www.fivesenses.com/. Anyway, for a number of years we have been lucky enough to provide the nasty and distinctive smells for the Soap Factory's - an art gallery in Minneapolis - haunted basement. While there I noticed and picked up their very awesome looking show flyer.

So yes, my post is now getting to the point.


From The MVA

Wanna buy some fonts?

2010-09-23T13:00:00.001-07:00

From http://www.type.co.uk/

http://www.adobe.com/

http://www.chank.com/

http://www.fonts.com/

http://www.linotype.com/

http://www.1001fonts.com/

http://www.sudtipos.com/

www.suitcasetype.com/

Project: Book Jacket Design

2010-09-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

The Project:

Design a series of three related (genre, style) dust jackets. We have an option of varying hardcover novel sizes.

I'm very excited for this project. I've always been drawn to book jackets, namely vintage ones.

From Design Related

From Found in Mom's Basement

I was at a used bookstore yesterday and fate was smiling at me because I found a used copy of Penguin 75 Designers, Authors, Commentary (the good, the bad...). Paging through it I think I may have found a calling.

Past Project: Coffee House Ads

2010-09-13T06:24:00.000-07:00

This was a 3 part series of ads we created for a coffee house of our choosing. I choose Nina's in St. Paul which is in walking distance from home.

Two things were standing out to me when I did research for these ads. The first was that Nina's had this great eclectic mix of old furniture that made it unlike any chain coffee house you ever visited. The second thing that stood out was that a healthy two thirds of the customers stayed for long periods of time and worked or read while they sipped their beverages. This wasn't an in and out sort of coffee house. I wanted to capture both of those feelings in these ads.

Project: Farmer's Market Campaign

2010-09-11T19:13:00.000-07:00

The Project:

Create a series of marketing, promotional and packaging pieces for a business at a local farmer's market. Interview the owner to learn more about their business philosophy, the product, the customers and the competition.

I instantly think of honey producers and soap. Your standard veggie stand (here in Minnesota) doesn't have much in terms of an identity let alone a need for product packaging. I have visions of beautiful honey jars with elegant fonts and maybe a nod to rural simplicity. Or there is cheese. I like cheese.

Apparently she likes cheese too....Or she's plotting someone's death...

Some honey inspiration:

From Designer Liz Cox

From Designer Chad Landenberger

From Savannah Bee Company

Etsy

2010-09-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

From Annajoyce

Helvetica

2010-09-09T12:32:00.000-07:00

How does a font become so popular and a cultural (worldly?) icon that a documentary is made about it?

So where have you seen this font? How about:

American Airlines

American Apparel

BMW

Jeep

Microsoft

Target

Toyota

Verizon Wireless

From Etsy Seller Afavorite

Helbotica T-Shirt from Chopshopstore

From Etsy Seller Plastique

Digital Collage

2010-09-08T22:01:00.000-07:00

Online Collage by rwinter

Ever heard of Polyvore? It's a clever way for business to basically advertise their goods in a way that doesn't seem so obviously advertising. Still, it's virtual dress-up, Photoshop and fun all mixed into one!

RGB Baby

2010-09-08T15:50:00.000-07:00

If you have ever needed a good source for RGB colors and their digits (hexadecimal codes) then this is the site for you:

Cloford.com

How to Design Fabric

2010-09-07T18:52:00.000-07:00

Image from Burda Style

Check out this wonderful interview from Liesl Gibson on BurdaStyle.com. She explains her design process when creating a line of fabric. One day I would like to use my mad skills to create something that would actually be used to cloth someone. I justify my ever growing collection of fabric - especially rare vintage fabric - as a designer's resource. Maybe someday I could even do it as a business expense? Or maybe not.