Weekend Links 3/30

+ cool notebooks

From Ribbon Squirrel on Etsy via Fossil.
I love these fun notebooks! The bright colors mixed with black and white make for a really cool design.

+ diy orb light

From Design*Sponge.
I love this DIY project! It looks so high-end—who would have thought that it's decorated with cupcake wrappers?

+ color block bobby pins

From urBunny on Etsy.
These are so cute! I love the bright, clear colors and design.

+ ugmonk wallpapers

From Ugmonk.
How did I miss this? I just found that Ugmonk has free desktop wallpapers, and I love them!

+ loft resumes

Via Swiss Miss. 
What a great idea—to make resumes "style conscious."

+ dotz bib necklace

From Piperlime via Design for Mankind.
This necklace is so cheerful and fun!

Do you like these finds? Any favorites?

Witty Design

It makes me smile when good design is combined with a witty use of words, as in the menu and other items for Unforked. Whoever came up with the idea of using part of the restaurant name as a versatile pun had a good thing going. This identity is a lot of (f)UN.

And those french fries look yummy!

HT: Art of the Menu

Exposed Brick Walls

This is going to be a little bit of an odd post, just to give you an advance warning. I realized recently that I love exposed brick walls in houses, and I saw several "sneak peeks" on Design*Sponge recently featuring houses with exposed brick. So I just though I'd collect some pictures of this style that I enjoy.

michael friemuth's house (read about it)

Ah, the brick! I love the way it gives the home a little bit of a rustic, artsy look. And the open layout of this house is pretty neat as well.

paul and megan wilkes' house (read about it)

This home definitely has an open layout and I love that big, long brick wall. It's a small thing that doesn't really matter in the big picture, but brick walls do make me smile.

Do you like them, too?

Lovely Lettering (Frances MacLeod)

I found Frances MacLeod via Design Work Life, and while I like all her work, her lettering is what really impressed me. Take a look at some pages from her lettering sketchbook.

Wow. Aren't these stunning? I wish my sketchbook looked like this. Right now mine is a lot of empty pages.

I love looking at the variety of type styles Frances uses—it's not just normal handwriting; she truly explores various types of type.

I think this page is my favorite. I love the way the ribbons intertwine!

Check out more of Frances' lettering sketchbook! And if you're looking for some finished products, take a look at her Abraham Lincoln typeface and her William Faulkner book covers.

GooGoo Re-brand

As we've seen with JCPenney, not all re-branding projects are a success. But recently I found one on Brand New that definitely is a success: the re-brand for GooGoo. Here's what the old version looked like:

The metallic colors are kind of weird, the typography was weak and had a few too many outlines on it, and overall, it looks to me like the packaging for some type of undesirable soda.

But the new version? Totally different. And totally a lot better:

Everything's simplified and retro-fied. The typography is less in-your-face, the colors are more subdued and pleasant, and the design just looks calm and appealing. In my opinion, even the image of the actual GooGoo on the front looks more delicious on the new version. Here are some more views:

I love how the different flavors all match, but have their own identifiable color. Everything about this is so happy: it has a retro feel, but it doesn't look old. It looks fresh.

GooGoo even has a great website design! Check it out.

What do you think of GooGoo's re-design? Is it a winner?

HT: Brand New

Adie Music

I just came across Adie's music through Pandora, and I really like it. Give a listen if you'd like and check out her website.

Weekend Links 3/23

Hi everyone! Here are some fun weekend links for you to enjoy. I'm taking a break over the weekend, so you won't see any posts from me until Monday, but if you'd like to look at my archives or browse my portfolio, feel free.

+ pony planters

From CB2.
These fun, industrial looking planters are really neat! They'd be great on a balcony or deck.

+ lead the pack lunch bag

From ModCloth.
I adore this lunch bag. I'm very into hamburgers and I'd love to take this to work or school with me.

+ mini sketchbook set

From Ugmonk.
I love Ugmonk's products, and this mini sketchbook set is no exception. It's adorable and I love the packaging too.

 

+ vintage lego ad

Via Swiss Miss.
Seeing this vintage ad warmed my heart. I love Legos.

+ embroidered postcards

Via Design for Mankind.
These postcards by Shaun Kardinal are really cool. I love the vintage look.

Print Design Week: Menu

It's been awhile since I've featured a menu design on my blog, and I think that's because I just haven't come across any menus that caught my fancy...until now, that is.

This menu for Food+Lab (via Art of the Menu) is so interesting.
 

It's so very simple, but I think the simplicity makes it stand out. Not many menus look like this, do they? It's a seemingly "obvious" design, but it's executed well which makes it quite excellent.

I'd love to know what you think of it. Also, see lots more images on Art of the Menu.

Print Design Week: Business Cards

I'll share a couple business card designs today...I love business cards because they're such a small space, but there's so much variation and creativity to be seen in how people design them.

First up are the business cards for Eighties Bangs (via FPO). I like the holographic foil mixed with simple typography and a high contrast design.

 

These cards really do a good job of balancing simplicity with interest. And the other card I want to show you is the smallest business card ever (Beast Pieces via Design Work Life). I love this.

The typography and letterpress are great, and I think the fact that this card advertises bookkeeping for small businesses is pleasantly ironic.

What do you think of these business cards?

Print Design Week: Bound Book

Books are a big part of print design. I love seeing larger print projects like books, and how the designer handles making a product with a lot of pages look cohesive and strong.

This financial planner designed by Bunch (via Design Work Life) is really nice. Look at these pictures:

 

 

 

I love the foil number on the front, the yellow pages inside (so bright and fun!), and the exposed binding. From the page spread above, it also seems like this planner is simple and not cluttered on the inside&mash;that's a really good quality too.

Do you like this bound book too?

Print Design Week: Packaging

This week, I'll do four posts about print design! Most will just be one or two print items, but today I thought I'd start off with a collected of three examples of good packaging design.

First, a student redesign of Pringles packaging that I found on Lovely Package. Some of the comments over there said that this doesn't fit the product and wouldn't sell well and all that, but I still think it just looks so cool anyway. Don't you agree?

Niklas Hessman, the designer, definitely put some thought into the upscale Pringles flavors and how to best capture them. The typography is very distinctive, and Niklas' use of contrast is excellent as well.

Some more student work (also found on Lovely Package) is this set of items for 100x100, designed by Adrian Froufe. I like the natural style to the packaging.

The typography choices are a bit similar to the Pringles package...I see a bolder sans serif font and a handwritten cursive font. This packaging also uses contrast quite well, especially between the kraft colored paper and the white labels.

The packaging for Bernhard Wilhelm nail polish is also really fun. I came across it on Design*Sponge. I usually don't think of nail polish packaging as something that can be a canvas for design, but this certainly is. It has a great simple look that focuses on the color and the typography.

The typography itself is pretty cool, too. It looks handwritten, but the gloppy style actually reminds me a little of the texture of nail polish. I like how only one font is used—it really keeps things focused, which is good since the design occurs on a small nail polish bottle. And as a side note, these are really fun nail polish colors that I wouldn't mind having!

What do you think of this packaging inspiration? I'd love to hear what your thoughts are!

(From Tumblr)

Every now and then I like to share a few quotes from what I post on my Tumblr. Since I've been thinking about hope lately, I thought I'd post some hope-related quotes today. For more, check out my Tumblr.

When God calls us to wait, it doesn’t mean he isn’t actively at work in our lives. Sometimes God makes us wait to teach us to trust and depend on him. Waiting humbles us – it reminds us that we’re very limited creatures. Waiting reminds us God is in control and our times are in his hands. Waiting strengthens our prayer lives as we seek God again and again for an answer. Waiting makes us compassionate toward others in their trials. Waiting builds patience, faithfulness and long-suffering. And waiting makes us all the more grateful when the wait is over.
—Mark Altrogge

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Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you.
—Psalm 116:7

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He who would glorify his God must set his account upon meeting with many trials. No man can be illustrious before the Lord unless his conflicts be many. If then, yours be a much-tried path, rejoice in it, because you will the better show forth the all-sufficient grace of God. As for his failing you, never dream of it—hate the thought. The God who has been sufficient until now should be trusted to the end.
—Charles Spurgeon

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    I love the LORD, because he has heard
        my voice and my pleas for mercy.
    Because he inclined his ear to me,
        therefore I will call on him as long as I live.
—Psalm 116:1–2

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The Lord may not give gold, but he will give grace; he may not give gain, but he will give grace. He will certainly send us trial, but he will give grace in proportion thereto. We may be called to labour, and to suffer, but with the call there will come all the grace required.
—Charles Spurgeon

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When I thought, “My foot slips,” your steadfast love, O LORD, held me up. When the cares of my heart are many, your consolations cheer my soul.
—Psalm 94:18–19

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O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as you are, O LORD, with your faithfulness all around you?
—Psalm 89:8

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Always the same! It is this which makes the gospel so excellent and precious. We do not bid you depend on anything less than the tried corner-stone, the fountain whose water shall never fail—the city of refuge whose walls shall never be broken down—the sure Rock of Ages. Churches may decay and perish; riches may make themselves wings and fly away—but he who builds his happiness on Christ crucified and union with Him by faith, that man is standing on a foundation which shall never be moved, and will know something of true peace.
—J.C. Ryle

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www.tositathisfeet.tumblr.com

Weekend Links 3/17

+ ikea / h&m diy's

From Brigg via Poppytalk.
I agree that Ikea and H&M are a good combination for a DIY project!

+ embroidered journal

From Nickel Plate Press on Etsy.
Such pretty colors, and I love the idea of embroidery on paper.

+ pantone colors book
Via Design Mom via Ellie.
A friend forwarded this to me and it's right up my alley. Teaching kids their colors with Pantone? Sounds like a good idea to me!

+ gorgeous office design

From Weekday Carnival via Design for Mankind.
I love this office. The neutral colors and organization are excellent.

+ what to wear notepad

From Ruche.
This is a fun idea, especially for someone like me who thinks filling out forms is fun.

+ airplane doorstop

From Chiasso via Swiss Miss.
This is probably the loveliest doorstop I've seen. It's very well designed.

+ fluorescent friendship bracelets

From The Purl Bee via How About Orange.
I've made some friendship bracelets before, but these are lovely and I like the idea of using fluorescent colors.

+ happy notes

From Tokketok via Bloesem.
I love the gold text, and wouldn't it be fun to send someone a "happy note?"

I'd love to know what you think of today's links. Any favorites?