A Little Bit, III

I came across Vanity Barcodes through a roundabout route: this via this via this. :) I had never heard of such a thing before, but I think it's a great concept. Who knew you could make barcodes into shapes? Yet it really makes them look artistic and special. Here are some examples.

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What do you think of this idea? Do you have a favorite barcode?

A Little Bit, II

I really like these business cards for Red Square, seen on FPO. I think the concept of making the business card work together to form an image is really cool. I would never have though of this, but I love it.

I also really like the texture and color applied to the photograph. It's a wonderful bright red color, and the texture looks a little pixelated in a very artistic way.

Do you like these business cards too?

A Little Bit, I

Today I thought I'd do three little posts featuring things I've seen around. This is the first one!

I saw this before and after of a logo redesign on Brand New recently and I was stunned by the difference between them. Usually logo redesigns aren't this drastic, but this one sure is a surprise (and a big improvement!).

The first logo is, if you don't mind me saying so, absolutely dreadful. A logo in Papyrus? What could be worse? But the new one is a home run! Here's what I love about it:

• The simple, organized swirls. They're uniform and symmetrical so they look very professional and orderly.
• The sans serif typeface with lots of breathing room. It makes things feel calm and sophisticated.
• The way the logo with the "C" inside can stand alone well or work with the type. It's recognizable without the type, but it also works well with the type.
• The way the lines of the swirls mirror the lines of the type.

I think this is a truly excellent branding image. What do you think of the change?

Posters & Prints

I thought I'd post a collection of posters and prints for some design inspiration today. I hope you enjoy these different print items!

First up, the office letterpress print from Eight Hour Day.

What's not to love about this print? It's just exactly my style. I love the colors (!), and the layout of lots of fun, cheerful items with a wide white border is excellent. It's busy enough to be interesting, but the white space around the edges gives the eyes some breathing room. And the print is letterpressed, too! Wow!

This poster for AIGA is way cool as well! I saw it on FPO.

I love that it's double sided and that the two sides contrast so well. It's a little unusual that the two sides are so very different, but the neon colors tie it together. The typography is also very good. And the book pages on the main page, covered with bold text, makes for such an interesting visual statement.

This abstract poster is another good one (found via David Airey).

The design reminds me of the Sunglass Hut logo. In contrast to the other two designs, this one is more simplistic. But it still makes a huge statement. It's probably even more attention-getting than the other two because of the big, bold oval shape and the bright gradient color.

What do you think of these posters and prints? I'd love to know your thoughts on them too!

Dana Tanamachi + West Elm

Enjoyed reading about Dana Tanamachi's recent collaborations with West Elm. The alphabet paperweights she designed are way cool.

Here's one of her chalk illustrations in a West Elm store, too. I love Dana Tanamachi's chalk lettering work. It's a very specialized skill but I think that's the reason I love it - it's interesting and unusual. And typographic, too, which is also great.

Read more about this collaboration here!

Weekend Links 12/16

Some fun things for you all to enjoy this Friday...

+ wood camera iphone case

From Photojojo via Design*Sponge.
I love wood iPhone cases - they're so fun. This camera one is really cool!

+ one year of white pages

From A + R via Design for Mankind.
Very fun journals - one for each month. I like the holes punched to identify which month is which.

+ hand-embroidered notecards

From Design*Sponge.
What a pretty DIY idea! I love this.

+ tourne eraser

From Brook Farm General Store via Design*Sponge.
I like the typography on this eraser. It would sure make erasing fun.

+ designy tent

From Field Candy via SwissMiss.
Field Candy has some pretty weird designs, but I like the concept of a cool looking tent. This one is pleasant.

+ recycled advent calendar

Via Poppytalk.
I really like this DIY idea. A simple and fun advent calendar!

+ olive juice

Via Bloesem.
Loving these kid clothes. I agree with the post in saying that I wish they came in my size. So cute!

What do you think of today's weekend links? Do you have a favorite?

Coralie Bickford-Smith

I had seen these books before, but it was only recently that I found out who designed them: Coralie Bickford-Smith. She does some really wonderful book design work that I'd love to feature here. Probably the most familiar things she's designed are her clothbound series (some pictured above). There are many, many, many of these - I was impressed with just the volume of them that she has designed! You can find them on her website. Here are some more images.

I love how each book is unique and yet goes really well with the rest of the series. The colors are also right on. In such a big series, I think it would be hard to find enough varied colors, but she did a great job choosing colors. I love the patterns on the fronts of the covers, too - they're interesting but not too busy or overwhelming. I mostly just love how elegant these books are. They look like a treasure - like something special to own.

But that's not all the nice work that Coralie Bickford-Smith has done. I like her designs for some F. Scott Fitzgerald's books. The black, white, and gold designs are elegant and fancy. And I love the shiny metallic texture!

I read The Great Gatsby and it wasn't my favorite book, but I love this design for it! The scallop design is very cool.

I like that she put a quote from the book (the final sentence if I remember correctly) on the cover jacket as well.

The Great Food series Coralie designed is also really nice. I love the rainbow effect! The covers also look wonderfully Victorian and vintage. I like the intricate typography lettering (done by Stephen Raw).

So that's some of Coralie Bickford-Smith's work. What do you think of it? I really like her style and I'd love to know your thoughts on it, too!

HT: Design*Sponge.