articles

creative inspiration

| heather parlato


doyald young talks about and demonstrates drawing type.

typography

dreams
[image: seb lester]
take an in-depth look at the creation of this amazing typographic limited-edition poster, and other works by seb lester. outstanding!

remember that design your own type contest by design sponge? it’s time to vote for your favorites! right now, today!

if you need a primer or reminder on how to combine type styles, check out smashing magazine’s: best practices for combining type

diy

handpainted
[image: imprint.com]

imprint takes a look at sign painters, a new documentary from faythe levine and sam macon on the timeless art of hand-painted signs. so much hand-lettered goodness in there!

speaking of diy projects, have you ever considered making your own wrapping paper? i often use plain brown paper anyway, but this design sponge post made me think i should dress it up a bit. diy project: handmade gift wrap.

design industry

the latest report on co-working talks about mixing things up by hitting the road: creative co-working: take it on the road!

how about a contest that breaks all the rules and awards the worst logo ever? i think this is hilarious: how low can your logo?

more on color by jude stewart: the wonderful color wheel, part 3

packaging

jeremy winery
[image: thedielinewine.com]
stunning packaging for jeremy wine co. by 6 west design. not only is it dually typographic, it’s a diecut wrap label that uses the negative space to create the letterform. excellent work!

beyond design

the coming of thanksgiving heralds the onslaught of how to posts on choosing the perfect wine. you know what it comes down to? you can drink anything you want. but if you want to sort some of this out, here are a grip of posts that will lead you down myriad trails, at least there’s wine at the end of each one: sparkling wine & champagne, chardonnay, gewurztraminer, zinfandel, pinot noir, a selection of reds that go well with thanksgiving fare. also, the huffington post has an opinion. and if you’re not into wine, there’s artisanal cider.

but there are other things you can do besides drink for the holidays [you can always have an apple]. you could participate in machine project’s pop up pie shop in which you may purchase a pie kit and know you’re not only getting a complete kit for baking your thanksgiving pie—you’re also funding the los angeles food bank. why? because machine is awesome!

but look, if you insist on drinking AND fundraising for good causes, and you feel i glossed over beer, take this: harvest beer festival at the echo & echoplex this weekend, benefiting 826LA. bam!

on the more foodie end of the spectrum, i am loving this salad of fall flavors from hot knives: hot rad winter salad.

if you’ve been hitting up the farmer’s market and creating original concoctions at home, write them up and submit them to epicurious’ farm-fresh recipe contest!

and it’s not that i want to end this post on a dark, gothy note or anything, but i found this feature from los angeles magazine totally fascinating: the end. death in LA can be an odd undertaking. trust me on that one.

article of the week

| heather parlato

crowd-sourcing design: the last frontier by steven heller for print magazine

bring up crowd-sourcing in a design community, and you’re sure to get an uproar of protest against it. bring it up with fledgling small businesses, and it’s seen as a cost-effective alternative to professional design services by many, though i wouldn’t say there’s a majority opinion. i think it’s important to address this topic beyond the design arena, and i think heller took great care in pointing out the you-get-what-you-pay-for facts.

if you really believe you need a logo before a brand strategy, and you’re willing to sacrifice the process that might make it meaningful to your business, by all means, hire yourself as art director and crowd-source away. here’s a tip though: some very successful businesses out there got started with a small client base, getting recommendations on the merits of their work before they ever had logos. put your work first, use the materials you can afford at startup, and make identity design a savings goal. there’s no need to rush, gaining all the setbacks that rushed behavior brings in the process.

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

sneak peeks

Legacy of Letters from Luca Barcellona on Vimeo.

alissa walker shares a slideshow perfect for creative inspiration: a look inside the sketchbooks of 12 top designers.

want answers to all your design questions from a design master? logodesignlove.com brings you an interview with sagi haviv.

if you’re inspired by these sneak peeks and want to make some of your own great ideas happen, smashing magazine wants that for you too: how to make innovative ideas happen.

design industry

topographical art cards from crafterall
[image: crafterall]
the color palettes and textures in these custom-cut art cards by crafterall are so inviting!

keep your clients happy & committed to you [overlooking the cheesy champagne toast shot] with this guide from freelance switch: the components of a successful client relationship

have a presentation coming up? are you nervous about making sure everyone’s into it rather than bored—or worse yet, tweeting about boredom [because that doesn’t get anyone unfollowed]? run through this guide to captivating presentations on slideshare: steal this presentation

i’m loving all these “real stories of mad men” crawling out of the wood work, here’s another: the original mad man, from reason.com

beyond design

if you’ve ever wondered about how white wine is made, this is a great step-by-step from thekitchn.com: winemaking 101: how white wine is made.

i don’t know that i’ve ever experienced the feeling of apple overwhelm, but if you have “too many” and you want to try to hide them in places like salsa, serious eats has a suggestion for you: apple salsa fruits serious heat.

article of the week

| heather parlato

efficiency is free by seth godin

it’s more of a blog post than an article, but a simple thought that’s been a lesson i’ve learned in my own experiences and a philosophy that drives how i live and run my business. invest in the best practice upfront, build the right system, do the right thing.

& have a great weekend!

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

typography: halloween!

scary type cards
[image: will staehle]
this week, everyone is nuts about typography, so i’m going with it. first up, send your friends these cool b-movie typeset cards by will staehle for a tastefully retro spook during halloween week. thanks, how magazine for the link.

typography: in print!

ligature, loop & stem poster
[image: ligatureloopandstem.com]
this stunning typographic elements poster by ligature loop and stem was featured on the FPO blog this week. it’s already so clean and stylish, but then they even ran it as letterpress. bravo!

typography: wine packaging!

vina sios
[image: thedielinewine.com]
this packaging for viña siós uses a simple type treatment, but it’s bold, unique and elegant in its simplicity. nice work!

typography: make your own!

design sponge veer alphabet contest
[image: design sponge]
after a week of type-related design posts on design sponge, a contest was announced that i can really get behind. design sponge has challenged people everywhere to create a typeface, and veer has donated a cash & credit prize to the winner. the best part–this isn’t one of those crowdsourcing spec deals where veer takes rights, it’s really just to get everyone excited about creating stuff, sharing it and appreciating it. cool!

if you really want to get down and dirty, kernspiracy, cinema speakeasy, echo park film center and machine project present A TYPOGRAPHIC JOYRIDE, in which you can carve type into potatoes, create a group typeface, and then watch a typographic documentary. type-tastic!

beyond design

back to halloween: serious eats wants you to send them pics of the pumpkin you carve. it’s a contest!

speaking of pumpkins, you can use them like a terrine and bake soup right in them. neither i, nor saveur, would ever joke about something so delicious: pumpkin soup in a pumpkin.

and speaking of fall, and things like leaves, i hate leaf blowers. i guess i just thought everyone else loved them and invited them to my neighborhood every week, but i’m glad i’m wrong. the leaf blower wars, thanks utne reader.

and finally, we weren’t speaking of this, but i love it when LA natives rediscover our city and get all i ❤ LA about it: must see list, from los angeles magazine by anne taylor-fleming.

article of the week

| heather parlato

Kill Your Inner Cynic by Haris Fazlani

maybe it’s feel-good friday over here, or maybe i’ve just noticed how much better everything goes when people connect with positivity in their lives and careers. either way, if you’ve got some nagging voices dragging you down, fazlani’s guest post for succcess.org will give you some pep talking on how to squash it.

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

illusration

work life by darren booth
[image: darren booth]
this piece was a monday inspiration pic on fudgegraphics.com and it’s easy to see why. what a great combination of words, hand lettering and illustrative awesomeness!

i’m an undying fan of maira kalman, and as any undying fan should, i promise to post any article on her that crosses my rss reader. this week, she’s the focus of what’s in your toolbox, from designsponge. take a peek inside her studio!

typography

finishing touches by hoefler & frere-jones
[image: typography.com]
the people at hoefler & frere-jones have done it again with an outstanding post outlining the finishing touches of typeface design in which they show you how they mind your p’s & q’s.

if you’re looking for a good review of the latest web font embedding services, smashing magazine offers: review of popular web font embedding services so you can choose your tools wisely.

print techniques: letterpress

letterpress cards by lulu dee
[image: lulu dee]
one of the great letterpress artists i saw at the 2nd annual LA print fair recently was lulu dee, who’s work has just been featured on for print only. her work is so cute, pairing song lyrics with delicate illustrations.

design industry

if you do packaging design, HOW and thedieline.com have partnered to bring a conference just for you: the dieline package design conference, presented by HOW.

this week in the biz ladies column: biz ladies: how to create digital products, from design sponge. if you’re thinking of writing a white paper, an ebook or selling other digital assets online, they’ll help you get started.

if you’re looking to make sustainable choices in your future print projects, check this out: choosing sustainable paper made easy, from the living principles. find the most sustainable paper that’s appropriate for your project!

beyond design

did you just ask what’s going on in echo park? well… if you’ve known we’re going to drain the lake and update the plumbing system, and you have questions, the city is offering 3 rehabilitation pre-construction tours to anyone interested. we’ve also got the rock n roll los angeles half-marathon running right through our neighborhood this sunday!

in food news, this weekend is artisanal LA, where you can do home gardening & food prep workshops, learn about all kinds of neato techniques, and taste a selection of wonderful artisanal foods! from the seasonal eats corner, if this completely insane rundown of apple recipes isn’t enough for you, consider enflorinating your tastebuds with this lavender recipe rundown from thekitchn.com. and for the non-recipe food piece, the utne reader pointed me to this very interesting our meals, ourselves: a short history of food writing, from themillions.com.

article of the week

| heather parlato

Why George Lois is Wrong about Mad Men: A Conversation with Mel Abert by Michael Dooley

i have enjoyed dooley’s lectures whenever he opens his art center design classes to the public, and this piece for imprint.com is no exception. inspired by the recent apala event mad men of LA, dooley sits down with mel abert for comparative recounting of how the ad business was in the 60s. whether you’re in design or advertising and watch the show for its similarities to today’s industry, or if you just love mad men, this is a great look into some of the stories that fuel the scripts.

creative inspiration

| heather parlato


check it out, fallen fruit has a video about mapping public fruit. they’re walking all over my neighborhood!

identity

de vine vineyards label
[image: de vine vineyards / thedielinewine.com]
this identity system for de vine vineyards by hired guns creative is absolutely beautiful. you can see a full photo shoot of all the pieces involved at thedielinewine.com.

another outstanding sample that caught my eye was arido by estudio amaya pulenta, also featured on the dieline wine.

typography & maps

axis type maps
[image: axis maps]
more map love, this time with typographic interpretation, from axis maps. check out the profile on fastcodesign.com. i love how the type is so well chosen for each area it represents.

speaking of maps, the cartography of bigotry, from utne reader has some interesting, humorous & un-pc maps according to different cultures & groups.

design industry

sayl chairs
[image: herman miller / fastcodesign.com]
WANT! want want want. this chair is so fantastic, and knowing it’s herman miller, i’m sure it’s supportive and comfortable too. love the white frame with red seat. it’s okay to surprise me with this as a gift, anytime you like.

in the spirit of insinuating myself everywhere, i am back on the creative freelancer blog again this week: one designer’s marketing mix, where i talk about what new things i’ve added to shake up my promotional funtimes.

beyond design

i’ll take a break from recipes this week to bring instead: the food lab’s top 6 food myths, from serious eats. bust those myths already!

seeing green: visions of LA’s new cleantech corridor, from fastcodesign.com. woah, wait–we have a cleantech corridor?! just outside downtown!?