New Fonts

My new Mac came with a  bunch of really great fonts on it. I am so beside myself that I get to play with all of these, especially the Helvetica. It came with a lot of different weights of Helvetica, so I'll have a lot of flexibility!

I love all of these, but I think my favorites have got to be Helvetica and Futura. Do you have a favorite of these fonts?

Hello Again (And Some Fun Packaging)

I know it's been quite awhile since I posted, but my life has been a little crazy. I moved 600 miles to a new city this month and also got a new computer (a Mac!). So in all that transition, I haven't gotten around to blogging.

But I'm back today with a little something to share. I saw this candy packaging on Lovely Package and thought it was just that—lovely!

Don't you think it is? I just love the cursive typography, the glass jars, and the bright-colored tags.

 And the yellow lids are so wonderful! I love the bright color pop they bring.

What do you think of this packaging?

Botanicadiet

I ran across this packaging on Lovely Package, and at first I didn't know what it was for. I just thought it was cool-looking.

But it's for a diet! What do you know? I guess this is like the Nutrisystem of Spain? I almost want to go on this diet just because of the graphics.

I love the textured paper that the boxes are made out of; the earthy, vintage colors; and especially the wonderful, transparent, layered type. 

The overall look of this packaging is just lovely. It's simple, creative, and memorable. I love it.

What do you think of Botanicadiet's packaging?

Artist Spotlight: Bryan Patrick Todd

I really like Bryan Patrick Todd's colorful, typography-rich design work. To start with, his logo is really nice. The custom initial is really well done, and I love the bright color.

This mural he did for the outside of a store is really excellent. I love seeing design so big like this. The typefaces he chose give the whole design a very cheerful look.

I really like this album cover he did for a split EP album that two different artists collaborated on. There's continuity between the two different designs, but the two colors distinguish the artists as well.

The black and white inside cover is pretty cool, as well. I like the way he stylized the pictures of the musicians.

I like the detail of this type treatment Bryan did. It's Akidenz Grotesk (an early sans serif font) with lots of fun colors, shadows, and outlines. It has a very vintage feel to it, I think.

Do you like Bryan's work too? Is there one of his pieces you like best?

HT: Share Some Candy

Weekend Links 7/13

+ handwriting chart
From Present&Correct.
This is really cool. Typography, handwriting, chalkboard look...right up my alley.

+ mirrorbook air
Via Swiss Miss.
Definitely a fun idea for an Mac lover.

+ lego my house
Via The Blazing Center.
This tool lets you put in information about your house and find out how many Lego bricks it would take to build it. So cool!

+ fleece laptop case
From Poketo via Swiss Miss.
These are really cute! And they're gray, too.

ACRE Stationery

I really love the color scheme, typography, and overall style of this stationery for the design firm ACRE (via Lovely Stationery).

I love all the yellow, and the baker's twine and gingham tape are really neat. I like the way those items contrast with the typography, which is big and bold.

I like the use of white space in all the print items. The design of all these materials is simple and memorable.

Do you like this stationery too?

Alex Creamer: New York Spaghetti

I ran across Alex Creamer's work through Form Fifty Five, and I especially liked his packaging for New York Spaghetti. This project is so innovative, creative, and just cool.

The white box and simple typography are neat looking, but what's especially wonderful is the shape of the pasta. You push this wood thing into the end of the box and the pasta looks like the Empire State Building!

It's like a box of a pasta that's also a toy. Isn't this a great idea?

Do you like this idea, too?

It Is Our Bliss

I read this amazing quote by Spurgeon in Beside Still Waters, and I wanted to make a poster of it. The layered background is made from three photos I took in Maine, and the style of the poster is inspired by these really cool things by Jeff Martin.

The version you download is 8x10 inches and won't have my watermark at the top. Please enjoy!

download:

it is our bliss poster (JPG, 1.31MB)

fonts:

wisdom script
theano old style

Geometry Daily

I've been enjoying the Geometry Daily blog recently (found via AisleOne). Each day, there's a new geometric design. There's a lot of variety in the designs, even though they're all based on simple geometric shapes. Here are a couple recent ones that I like.

This one is really cool. I love that it's an allusion to Piet Mondrian, a very interesting artist.

 

I love the color of the background in this piece, and the simple, varied-width lines.

This subtle, bright one is really nice, too. It reminds me of stitching with thread.

And this red one is really cool as well. I love the grid look.

Do you have a favorite?

The Unrefinery

I came across a shop called The Unrefinery via Design Work Life. This shop, full of t-shirts and decals, features designs by Dan Horan. I really like Dan's vintage and retro, yet also simple, design aesthetic. And some of his t-shirt designs are a little humorous, too. Here are my three favorites:

ampersand

html army

check yourself

I especially like the "check yuorself" one (and the fact that it's in Helvetica makes it even better!).

link:
the unrefinery

Fashion Fun II

Here are some more ModCloth outfits. (See Part I for more.)

This outfit is a flashback to my red and turquoise phase. Do you remember when I loved red and turquoise so much? And my entire blog was covered in them? Personally, I'm glad those days are over and I like the white and yellow much better now, but I still love the color combination of red and turquoise, especially when it's the deep red-orange of this skirt and shoes.

No. 1 // No. 2 // No. 3 // No. 4

Here's another outfit. I love the big platform shoes! And I think the striped bag adds a nice pattern into the outfit since everything else is solid colored. This has a similar color scheme as the above outfit: with red/orange/pink and white. But while the first one is very bright and fun, this is a little more calm and subdued.

No. 1 // No. 2 // No. 3 // No. 4

And let me just point out that I didn't use yellow in either of these outfits! Would you believe it? Maybe there are nice colors in the world besides yellow... :) But don't get me wrong, I'm still a yellow fan.

I'd love to know what you think of these outfits!

Nicole's Classes Free Tutorials

I ran across Nicole's Classes through How About Orange, and Nicole has some really interesting-looking free tutorials. I haven't tried any of them yet, but it's something I'd like to do. She has lessons on Photoshop, InDesign, and Illustrator as well as photography and design principles. The technical ones on the Adobe programs will be really helpful to me!

Check out the free tutorials.

Maine

I went to Maine a couple weeks ago, and it was so lovely. I loved the variety of the scenery we saw, and also the opportunity to take out my camera! I haven't been taking many pictures in the past several months, but I enjoyed taking lots in Maine. I thought you all might like to see a few: