creative inspiration

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

books

maps everywhere
[image: from here to there on imprint.printmag.com]
i may have mentioned, even yesterday, that i love maps of all kinds. enter this gem maps, maps everywhere! from print magazine and now i not only know there’s a new book on hand-drawn maps, from here to there, i know there is a hand-drawn map association, which puts me over the moon! [don’t worry, i can map it for you.]

six novels in woodcuts
[image: how design blog]
a 2-volume set of six novels told in woodcuts doesn’t need much more explanation, but the idea that lind ward chose to create this body of work is pretty unbelievable: wordless novel, from how design blog.

typography

recherche script by laura worthington
[image: myfonts.com]
laura worthington creates beautiful original script fonts for myfonts.com, and this month she talks about design and hand-drawn type here: creative characters: laura worthington.

design industry

if there ever came a time to redesign american currency, there would be endless ideas abounding everywhere, it’s an interesting proposition. utne reader pointed me to this piece dowling duncan redesign: US bank notes in which a really cool set of US bills have been revised with a modern twist and more of a spin on our history of achievement rather than leaders.

following up from last week’s piece on buying design, mule is back with presenting design like you get paid for it outlines all the best points on how, why & when to present your work.

biz ladies: promoting your business tastefully online, another infinitely helpful how-to from designspongeonline.com.

little lies and small promises, from seth godin is a nice reminder about how your work ethic can be a slippery slope.

international freelancer’s day is coming up in september, with a free online conference especially for solopreneurs!

animation

lab still by don shank
[image: don shank]
print magazine’s imprint blog got it right when they said i may not know don shank by name, but i know his work. i’ve actually been a longtime fan of his animation for samurai jack and the powerpuff girls, so it’s not surprising that a spin through his prints and original work have already set off an imaginary wish list. i love this stuff!

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=4249739&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=1&color=&fullscreen=1&autoplay=0&loop=0

Hi-Fi from bante on Vimeo.

branding

secca animated logo
[image: pentagram]
this brand & identity for secca by pentagram is not only stunning, it moves! read up on it here: pentagram’s luke hayman on how multimedia is transforming branding, from fastcodesign.com.

print design

lan su visitor guide
[image: sockeye creative]
this lovely print specimen by sockeye creative for the lan su chinese garden in portland is rich in details that make the experience of interacting with it really rewarding. a custom die-cut window over a stylized illustration invites you in, then the unique binding of a gate fold over stepped pages detailing the vistas makes you want to flip through and study each one. fantastic work! see more here: lan su visitor guide, from underconsideration.com.

web design

a series i found on uxbooth.com included some useful articles i wanted to share for web designers. a complete beginner’s guide to design research, overcoming the obstacles of usability testing and the complete beginner’s guide to web analytics and measurement.

creativity

bottle rainbows by johnny miller
[image: johnny miller]
amazing rainbows and color gradients created with colored glass and light, by johnny miller. thanks, oh joy for the link!

since creativity is about how you think, here are 2 articles i found interesting from around the tubes this week. seth godin talks about how we analyze our inner monologue to help define intuitive marketing: monitoring your internal monologue, and succcess.org explores the einstein quote “imagination is more important than knowledge” here: be smart, know smarts ain’t the answer.

design industry

ravi sawhney talks about his new book predictable magic here:forget praying to the muse, create design magic on demand, from fastcodesign.com

tim lapetino of hexanine talks about how to get the most out of your kickoff meeting: the art of interviewing your client, from logodesignlove.com.

a post chock-full of inspiring resources: 25 useful videos and presentations for designers, from smashingmagazine.com.

small business owners & sole-proprietors, take note: biz ladies: free online resources for business owners, from designsponge.com

creative inspiration

| heather parlato


meg mateo ilasco and joy deangdeelert cho promote their new book, creative, inc.: the ultimate guide to running a successful freelance business, with this cute stop-motion video. thanks design sponge for the link.

branding

abu dhabi logo
[image: brand.abudhabi.ae]
the capital of the united arab emirates has decided to brand itself, with the help of m&c saatchi. i think this logo is really lovely, and i like how they’re using the mark alone to sign-off on all kinds of beautiful photos of the area. check out the full post for applications and the custom typeface they created: the abu dhabi brand rich, from underconsideration.com

identity

isle of skye business cards
[image: isle of skye]
a stunning alternative to commercially printing your business cards, illustrator skye jeffries has cut hers from illustrations and overprint her black plate with a hand stamp, for an original creation in each one. thanks to designworklife.com for the link.

photography

barker at the state fair
[image: library of congress]
this collection of color photographs from the 30s and 40s has been circulating around the internet, so if you haven’t seen them yet, take a look: captured: america in color from 1939-1943. from denverpost.com: These images, by photographers of the Farm Security Administration/Office of War Information, are some of the only color photographs taken of the effects of the Depression on America’s rural and small town populations. The photographs are the property of the Library of Congress and were included in a 2006 exhibit Bound for Glory: America in Color.

design industry

excellent advice for clients new to hiring designers: tips on buying design, from muledesign.com

here are some great thoughts on how we limit ourselves from being creative as we age further from our childhood sensibilities & wonders: the problem with creativity, from logodesignlove.com

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

color

rainbow project in rio de janiero by favela
[image: favela]
they weren’t so bad to begin with, but this rainbow project in rio de janiero by favela makes these apartments downright tasty! thanks ohjoy for the link!

i missed the first post of print magazine’s series on color wheels, but now that the second one is out, i can share both here. look at these amazing retrospectives on color exploration through the ages!
the wonderous color wheel, part 1
the wonderful color wheel, part 2
hopefully we’re staying tuned for more…

if those made you want to put down your stylus and get your hands dirty, take a look at creative activities, from freelance switch and see how alternative forms of creative activities can keep your ideas fresh.

if you need a more conceptual way to do this, consider creative block’s design ideas for when you’re out of ideas for process strategies on the fly.

typography

34 typographic sins
[image: jim godfrey design]
a poster designed around a compiled list of ways not to set type, by jim godfrey. take a look at the full piece at the showcase post on underconsideration.com

we’ve all seen uses of typography that could have been chosen better, especially when it comes to era-specific visual references. typecasting: the use (and misuse) of period typography in movies, from michael simonson runs through some classic stylistic mismatches with entertaining commentary.

want to make fonts on your ipad by drawing with your fingers? these people are willing enablers in this effort!

design industry

sharpie pencil
[image: sharpie]
permit me an office supply love minute here, but sharpie is releasing a liquid graphite pencil that goes permanent after a few days. i have a soft spot for pencils [espcially soft lead mechanicals], and while i realize this is not necessarily what the world needs, i am curious to try it. also, how cute is the sharpie blog header graphic?! thanks to how magazine for the link.

in our ongoing adventure to create great things, i think it’s important to remember that design is for everyone. ravi sawhney asserts designers continue to dedicate an overwhelming portion of their attention and energy toward designing for the top 10% in most developed nations. and he’s got a point. read more of what he has to say in designers are still blind to main street, from fastcodesign.com

consider the factors of a design team, and if you’re working alone, perhaps consider which ones are fulfilled by you and which are done by your client: 4 essential members of a great design team, from michael roller

an interesting look at 4 “ugly” web sites that make millions (and what we can learn from them), from kissmetrics. clue: figure out function first and tell your users how to do it.

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

identity

stitch identity
[image: stitch design co.]
stitch design co. worked up a lovely identity system for themselves in 3-colors and letterpress printing. i am really loving the orange edge printing on the cards!

history

propaganda & graphic design
[image: fastcodesign.com]
how america waged war with food and graphic design, from fastcodesign.com is a great first look at cory bernat’s collection of posters from 1900 to 1950 from the national agricultural library, showing how government urged citizens to modify their behavior for the greater good using graphic design.

design industry

publishing in the age of the internet, from design observer is a fascinating article about how the perception of design has changed due to the abundant archive on the web, and the reaction of the author to launch a unit editions dedicated to producing books on design and visual culture, as well as a series of low-cost research papers covering a range of topics in graphic design. sounds fantastic!

how i get positive feedback from my clients, from marketing mentor is a nice piece by guest blogger, kara smith, on her follow up strategy for rounding out projects, giving thanks and asking for feedback. good ideas!

top 10 web sites for designers, from HOW. another great round-up for august of resources for design professionals.

want to win an eco-trip for 2? neenah paper is celebrating it’s environment line with a contest! enter for a chance to win an eco-trip to costa rica for 2!

photographs of signs

signs of san francisco
[image: print magazine]
kicking off a new series, print magazine’s blog imprint showed a selection of photos of signs of san francisco. these are all so beautiful, i’m glad to read they want to make it a series, asking readers to submit photos of their local area sign relics that they’ll post up and feature. excellent!

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

branding

miller high-life brand refresh
[image: underconsideration.com]
admittedly, i don’t drink miller high life, so i’m not sure how long before i noticed their packaging redesign. luckily, we have miller high life overhaul from underconsideration.com with copious photos and reviews. i love the cleaner look that doesn’t deviate from the original, and more prominent use of their poster-girl, lucy, which is a lovely illustration featured on the sides of the 6-packs above. nice work!

packaging

cigarette packaging
[image: fastcodesign.com]
a hilarious look at what might happen if packaging could deter smoking merely by being totally annoying! can annoying cigarette packs make smokers quit? from fastcodesign.com. brilliant!

design industry

design never 2010 winner
[image: howdesign.com]
i love the concept of project never, an awards show to showcase great work that never made it to final. thanks to the how design blog for showcasing the 2010 winner, an identity system for chop shop, by ptarmak, inc.. i’m loving this typography they did.

michael beirut takes a look at advertising personalities after the season premiere of mad men for design observer jerry della femina, mad men, and the cult of advertising personality.

i thought this photography post was worth sharing: the showcase of beautiful pinhole photography from smashing magazine. i haven’t taken pinhole photos since my high school photography class!

need some help talking money with clients? don’t let “you” get in the way of price negotiations, from creative freelancer blog has some possibly-familiar suggestions you might see in your own experience on how to improve.

linkswitch 28: choose a domain name, hire a designer, from freelance switch is a pretty awesome list of all kinds of things you might want to do but just don’t know how. take a spin, maybe tackle some if they’re on your list!

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

brand development

brand building
[image: fastcodesign.com]
apparently, the idea that when a client asks for a logo, what they probably really need is a brand strategy is gaining ground. if this is you or someone you know, get familiar with what goes into brand development with six tips for designing a memorable brand from fastcodesign.com.

once you work out the brand strategy, you’ll want to create a style guide so you can keep everyone developing artifacts for your business on point. to get a good idea of what goes into a style guide, check out designing style guidelines for brands and web sites from smashingmagazine.com

logos

indian rupee symbol selected
[image: logodesignlove.com]
more than a logo, a currency denotation is an international symbol that comes to be synonymous with a country and its people’s well being. the indian rupee underwent a redesign [via, of all things, a design contest] and a final has been chosen. i like the shape of it, almost futura-istic. read more here: indian rupee symbol selected, from logodesignlove.com.

typography

interview with rudy vanderlans
[image: fastcodesign.com]
i have been an emigre fan for my entire design career. it was just yesterday that one of many awesome creations of rudy vanderlans [brothers typeface] rescued yet another in a line of countless layouts for me. join alissa walker in her interview with this amazing type design icon and his new showcase for his typefaces, historia: type master: an interview with emigre’s rudy vanderlans, from fastcodesign.com

design industry

recycled vintage couture by koi suwannagate
[image: greenlagirl.com]
i wasn’t able to make it to the pasadena museum of california arts biennial this past saturday, but you can take a spin through the greenest features here: discover green design at pasadena museum of california arts biennial, from greenlagirl.com.

we talked about it last week, we’ll talk about it this week: print cant be dead if people are still starting up new magazines, especially in these new niche markets for printed rag fetishists. steven heller profiles vintage magazine for print here: print ain’t dead yet, continued.

three for the marketing department. first of all, drop the “us vs. them” mentality, marketing and design do their best when they work together: the creative vs. the marketing team: yin and yang, oil and water, from smashingmagazine.com. then, take 2 marketing-smart tips from ilise benun: does your email say “open me?” and keywords made simple, both from marketingmixblog.com.

creative inspiration

| heather parlato


levi’s shares a video behind the scenes of letterpress, screen printing and block printing.

speaking of print design, how magazine reprinted part of a study by appleton coated on how print design is still a very valuable selling tool because clients and consumers love interacting with stunning print design pieces. but hey, you already knew that, right? the new ROI.

if you’ve done some of this outstanding print design, check out some upcoming design award deadlines: call for entries: HOW design awards

need one last print design fix? these central park wedding invites featured on design sponge are a great use of a 2-color palette. bonus points for creating a map—who doesn’t love a good, personalized map!?

branding

YMCA rebranding
[image: underconsideration.com / YMCA]
underconsideration.com reviews YMCA rebranding: my name is Y… the Y. the main mark in red & purple is nice, but i love that they are using multiple color iterations of the logo! i also like the sporty new look.

people for bikes
[image: fastcodesign.com
finally, bike branding moves beyond hipster-ghetto takes a look at the people for bikes campaign by colle+mcvoy. simply put, it’s an organization to improve the future of biking through various actions on local & national levels. the branding for these efforts is friendly, accessible and engaging. check out some of the print ads, i love the one of the woman with a gear print on her leg.

posters

know your rights
[image: fastcodesign.com]
if you’ve been looking for ways to use your design skills for positive propaganda, fastcodesign.com offers promoting social justice one poster at a time, showcasing the center for urban pedagogy. their mission statement has all kinds of inspiring language, and is worth reading in its entirety, but if you’re pressed for time, here’s a snip: Our work grows from a belief that the power of imagination is central to the practice of democracy, and that the work of governing must engage the dreams and visions of citizens. CUP believes in the legibility of the world around us.

design industry

brand new announces its first 1-day conference! if you’re a fan of underconsideration.com and you can swing by new york city at the beginning of november, they’ve got a jam-packed 11 hours for you. they’ve also got a bunch of different ways to attend, so if you’d rather watch a live webcast, you can!

what is the last thing you do before you launch a website? from smashing magazine is a really cute, informal quiz you can give yourself about your reactions to presenting final work and a brief analysis about what this says about your personality.

another from smashing magazine, renegotiating the final contract (and other tales of horror). here’s some great advice for how to handle things when you find yourself doing work that’s outgrown its governing agreement.

creative inspiration

| heather parlato

retro styles

fourth of july postcards
[image: from the collection of richard sheaff]
this fantastic collection of fourth of july postcards from designobserver.com includes illustrations of doll-faced children, hand-drawn type, and loads of fireworks!

power styling
[image: US steel, grainedit.com]
i have to say, i liked the look of the future as imagined in the mid-60s. thanks to dave from grainedit.com for sharing spreads from power styling, which seems to be a collection of illustrations proposing re-imagined looks for the infrastructure of electric utility. be sure to look through all the pieces he scanned, they suggest a majesty that is glaringly absent in the power lines i see outside my window today.

logo evolution

evolution of the logo
[image: smashingmagazine.com]
we’ve come to know logos as modern signifiers in the marketplace, but the concept of a brand mark has existed a long time through history. smashing magazine offers the evolution of the logo that traces how graphic marks have been used to denote ownership, authorship and associations with different groups, only leading them to corporate identity as a result of evolution.

identity

girl scouts of america get an identity makeover
[image: fastcodesign.com]
subtle, yet classic & modernized, check out the identity makeover on fastcodesign.com: a fresh identity for the girl scouts of america. i think these new profiles look more contemporary and youthful without losing any recognition of the brand and tradition. great work!

design industry

check out redesigning propublica by mule design. We love good journalism and hate unchecked abuses of power, so we were excited and honored to collaborate with ProPublica on their website redesign. hear, hear!

another from smashing magazine: add music to your workflow to improve results. i’ve always known i liked listening to music while i work, but i didn’t realize why it was helping me work better.