identity-focused design by heather parlato

this week has a nice spread of networking, design & business education, and ends with daylight saving’s time, so exciting!

here’s what i’ll be doing

tuesday, march 9, 7:30-9am it’s tipping the scale tuesday at the LA area chamber referral network breakfast. i’m looking forward to connecting with my LA area chamber friends.

wednesday, march 10, 5:30-8pm i’m hosting the march LA biznik happy hour at jerry’s in the marina. this event fills to capacity every month, but there are a few last minute schedule shuffles, so if you’re a biznik member and you see an open spot, please join us. if you’re not a biznik member, joining is FREE and great promotion for your business.

other events for this week

wednesday, march 10, 7:30-9pm check out 3×3: starting and running a graphic design business from aigalosangeles.org. Each term Art Center’s graphic design department brings together three LA-based design professionals to discuss a particular topic. These presenters run design studios that are from 2-5 years old. They represent motion design, packaging, branding and interactive work. ALL of them are Art Center grads. i am so sorry to miss this, because i love hearing from other designers on running their businesses, but if you’re free and near pasadena, head up to art center!

thursday, march 11, 6:30pm mujer, art=genesis+power opening reception, FREE at the latino museum from aigalosangeles.org. The Latino Museum of History, Art & Culture cordially invites you to celebrate Women’s History Month with Mujer, art=genesis+power. Come and enjoy highlights from The Latino Museum’s permanent collection.

los angeles

i love ok go, and this amazing video was filmed in echo park [via the eastsider].

i have to admit, i’m totally fascinated by this documentary about kayaking the LA river.

diy

[photo: made from scratch]

diy cat table made from scratch from re-nest.com. i love this idea for a cat lounge area, using salvaged materials & giving cats a safe outdoor retreat to visit.

how to make scented linen powders from apartment therapy. i’m a total sucker for old-fashioned touches like this, and custom scented linens sound divine.

food

[photo by: gail albert halaban]

if you’re eating seasonally, don’t pass up this caramelized cumin roasted carrots recipe from epicurious.com. delicious to eat, and scents up the kitchen nicely!

wine

more from the get to know a grape series from drinksareonme.net. this week’s grapes are bastardo, black malvasia, and black muscat. happy varietal drinking!

design industry

2010/01 Michael Bierut from CreativeMornings on Vimeo.

eco-friendly business envelopes from green la girl. if you’re thinking of running a stationery package or designing one for a client, be sure to get the latest on eco-friendly envelope options!

top 10 web sites for designers [march 2010] from how magazine.

starting a successful link-building campaign from the marketing mix blog. boost your own search ranking with an intelligently-planned link campaign.

[photo: fortmakers]

fortmakers: blankets & quilts re-imagined from apartment therapy. nana spears and naomi clark use blankets and quilts found at thrift stores and flea markets to make these artfully repurposed blankets. cool!

branding

caribou coffee leaps into the future from underconsideration.com. i think this retooling of caribou coffee’s identity is really nice, and i even disagree with armin, i think the caribou doesn’t look like a jumble in all it’s trying to communicate, and reads as a great rendering.

i’m pretty much laying low this week due to lots of work [yay!] and taking a breather for the slam-packed social calendar coming up next week.

here’s what i’ll be doing

thursday, march 4, 7pm margo chase: make change lecture at art center, FREE. this is a great chance to hear from an amazing designer and aiga fellow.

other events for this week

friday, march 5, 11am–1:30pm freedom on the fence at loyola marymount university, FREE. excerpted from aiga los angeles: FREEDOM ON THE FENCE looks at the history of Polish posters and their role in the political and cultural life of Poland. Covering the period from WWII through the fall of Communism, it captures the paradox of how this unique graphic art form flourished within a Communist regime.

saturday, march 6, 10am–12pm biznik educational workshop in burbank, FREE. getting more referrals using social media i’m glad to see more biznik events popping up around los angeles. if you’re interested in learning about social media to build your business, check it out!

sunday, march 7, 3-6pm LA freelance march meetup with crystal cassidy talking “brass taxes.” Find out the single most overlooked, but most important strategy you can use to lower your taxes over your lifetime! from meetup.com

big congratulations to my client & friend gerald clayton who has recently been picked up by emarcy records! gerald is an amazingly talented musician and i have been honored and proud to work with him on two-shade. check out tracks on his web site, and if you’re in new york, check his news page to see where he’s playing!

The East Side of Los Angeles on a Sunny Day from clark vogeler on Vimeo.

diy

[photo by sarah rae trover]

homemade scented laundry booster from apartment therapy. i have so many essential oils and fresh herbs, this sounds like a really fun project to experiment with.

[photo by romulo yanes]

i’ve been eating lots of kale this winter and wanted to profile some particularly interesting recipes i found:
lacinato kale and ricotta salata salad [pictured above], and kale and white bean soup [with sausage] from epicurous.com.

another deliciously simple recipe i tried [also from epicurious.com] was this fish tagine with tomatoes, capers and cinnamon which boasts a short list of ingredients and simple preparation. i had mine with tilapia.

if you’re looking for eco-friendly seafood, santa monica seafood has moved and expanded to include a dining area and oyster bar. i went to check it out a few months ago and had some oysters and clam chowder, and my friend and i agreed the chowder was the best we’d ever had. thanks to greenlagirl.com i now know they offer a sustainability list so shoppers can make personal choices about what fish to buy. fantastic!

wine

listen to vincent price talk about wine in this 1977 recording, from theendofbeing.com

dale cruse continues his many part series on grape varieties. catch up on aurore, auserrois blanc, baco noir and barbera this week.

typography

font aid for haiti from the how design blog. two great things packaged together: love of ampersands and supporting relief for haiti. this set of 400 ampersands will retail for $20 with the proceeds benefiting doctors without borders.

justin perricone has made this beautiful poster listing all the ingredients in hot pockets in beautiful lettering. makes you think about just what’s in those suckers!

hat trick design’s typographic deck of cards & poster from underconsideration.com. these cards use typographic letter forms to create some variation of the referential suit. quite lovely!

design industry

[photo: www.helkatdesign.co.uk]
handprinted pillows by helkat design from apartment therapy. get regal! these pillows are really cute.

flaunt, by armin vit and bryony gomez-palacio from the how design blog. “Written and designed by creative power couple Armin Vit and Bryony Gomez-Palacio, Flaunt is an exploration of what it takes to make a great portfolio. The book will start shipping on Feb. 22, but the digital version is available now.” looks lovely!

vintage-inspired ceramics by heyday design from apartment therapy. these porcelain recreations of vintage jars and glassware are exquisite!

craft

[photo: psimadethis.com]
how to make adler-inspired pottery from apartment therapy. inspired by the vintage porcelain above and want to put your own spin on it diy-style? i thought this project looked really cute and a great way to reuse containers while creating a decor theme.

[photo: blog.creativekismet.com]
paper bag inspiration booklet from creative kismet via the craft magazine blog. no matter how you decorate it, i think this inspiration “caterpillar” book is such a cool fold for a colorful piece, i wanted to share it.

nature

[photo by peggy archer]
it’s time to get outside and see the wildflowers! thanks greenlagirl.com for the info!

this week is on the slower side in terms of running around town. for the most part i’m keeping it local, but there are some great design events happening as well.

here’s what i’ll be doing

eeps, i had to cancel out of everything, due to sickness!

other events for this week

tuesday, february 23, 7:30am bimonthly referral breakfast at the LA area chamber of commerce. check in with regulars and meet new business owners from all parts of LA.

tuesday, february 23, 6:30-9:30pm aiga studio tour at adams/morioka. i can’t make it to this, but i’ve seen them present various times at aiga events, and their work is phenomenal! if you’re working in design and want a look at the studio side of an amazing team, sign up for this studio visit if it’s not full already.

wednesday, february 24, 6:30-9:30pm beautiful loser film screening & director/curator aaron rose from aiga los angeles. this screening is FREE! on a first-come first-served basis.

wednesday, february 24, 8:30pm i can’t make it to the M-Z portion of the typographic bike ride but i do suggest it as a fun & educational bike ride about typography and design.

thursday, february 25, 6-8pm the all chamber roundup — west meets east held by the LA area chamber of commerce. meet even more new people from chambers all around the los angeles area.

thursday, february 25, 6-9pm stimulatté: coffee & conversation. attn: students! this is a great way to meet and network with other design students around los angeles. check it out!

thursday, february 25, 7-9:30pm durre design at ucla extension from aiga los angeles. FREE! but you must be registered.

i found this interview of maira kalman this week and wanted to share it, because she is one of my favorite people of all time in the design world. i love her children’s books, i love her blogs, i love her handwriting, i love the way her mind works and that she expresses herself so effectively with both written and visual language. i love the wacky characters she paints and her ability to convey a moment by bringing you in to her calm sense of acuity.

her latest year-long blog and the pursuit of happiness from january – december 2009 is still up on the new york times site if you’d like to read it. i suggest you get some tea and do it when you have some decompression time to spare for something wonderful!

diy

[photo: sarah rainwater]

10 surprising, green & thrifty old school hacks from apartment therapy. i love this list of simple home remedies.

food

[photo: emily ho]

citrus salad with lemongrass syrup — a deliciously seasonal fresh treat from the kitchn

citrus tilapia from epicurous.com — we’re enjoying this tasty dish this week!

scanwiches! it’s just what it sounds like: sandwiches face down on the scanner.

wine

recycle wine bottles into swanky cups — so cool! who has a wine bottle glass cutter? from seriousaboutwine.co.za

get to know a grape: arneis from drinksareonme.net. i am really enjoying this series from dale cruse’s blog spotlighting different grape varieties. this is 7th in a series, so here are links to the first 6 as well: aligote, alicante bouschet, aleatico, albarino, agiorgitiko, and aglianico. might be fun to drink along with them as an alphabetical wine study!

this week i pulled a bottle from the reserve cellar to enjoy: kenneth volk’s heirloom negrette [2004] i picked up on a trip last year through the central coast. it’s a unique and delicious varietal, dark in color. it has a very soft, smooth mouth feel with notes of leather and blackberry, maybe even memories of springtime sunsets on the finish. i might suggest pairing it with a steak or broiled pork chops, but i’m enjoying sipping it so much, i think it’s a good opportunity to try a rare varietal on its own. kenneth volk wines are an exceptional treat, make it a stop on any tasting tour on the central coast. this wine is only available at the winery.