Thursday, December 31, 2009

Fancussingtastic.

The Making of Fantastic Mr. Fox, designed by Pentagram.

Over the holidays, I had the opportunity to see Fantastic Mr. Fox—an absolutely wonderful movie! I was so incredibly impressed by everything—the characters, the story, the set, the art direction. It was truly fantastic. Of course, I am a fan of both Roald Dahl and of Wes Anderson, so I figured I couldn't go wrong shelling out the big bucks to see it in the theater. It's definitely worth seeing again!

Read+see more about it at:
NY Times
The making of... from Wired Magazine
Lots of videos from Apple (I especially like the one on the world of Roald Dahl)

Thursday, December 17, 2009

gifting

Coming a little late... but there are a few days left, right? Here are a few things I find wonderful. Though I always try to make at least some of my gifts, I never seem to have as much time to devote to the projects as I would like. Luckily, there are many great ways to support artisans and small businesses directly without having to leave one's desk. Take a look!

Baggu
A great selection of reusable bags (that we gave away a few years back)... and now they have produce bags!

Foodzie
Tons of food gifts! The Maple Honey Caramel Spread above looks delicious!

papernstitch
Kind of like a mini-Etsy with a nice selection of handmade gifts. This calendar's from 1canoe2.

castcouture
Cat's a designer/seamstress from New Zealand and her clothes are fabulous—I have several pieces. Her work merits its own post (or several)... coming soon!

Powell's
I love this place. If you're ever in the Portland area, you really must visit! A few of my favorite books from this year (or so)—In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan, The Outlander by Gil Adamson, and American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Client Spotlight


Bella Bella Cupcakes
Boy am I ever glad to have these clients! Not only do they make a wonderful array of tasty cupcakes, they're great people. I was fortunate enough to meet them at an open house for another client, FreshLocal. We started talking about their website and the rest is history! If you're in the Seattle-area, I highly recommend picking up a cupcake or six. If not, check out their new site.

Monday, November 23, 2009

Rainy Days = Frequent Library Visits

Another great find from the local library—Follow The Line Through the House by Laura Ljungkvist

And... yet another book with lovely illustrations—Night's Nice by Ed and Barbara Emberley (it's over 40 years old and still great!)

Friday, November 20, 2009

Links?

It's been a while, to put it mildly. It's rainy and depressing here in the Seattle-area, so I think a few fun links might be appropriate (or appropriately inappropriate).

Clients from Hell
I'm so glad I don't have any of these clients... though a few entries sound familiar :-)

Regretsy
As an etsy addict, I find this site hilarious! Not for the faint of heart!

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Wes Anderson + Roald Dahl = !!!!!!!!WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!

Monday, November 16, 2009

The Giant Jam Sandwich


Another oldie... brings back memories and the illustrations are great :-)

Monday, November 9, 2009

Dook Bay


I have to recommend yet another Shel Silverstein book that I somehow never read—Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook. This one had us in tears. The illustrations are great, but the book is just fun to read out loud. There are a few examples of some of the stories at shelsilverstein.com. Take a look!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Songs for a rainy day.

Autumn is definitely upon us... quickly turning into winter. We've enjoyed the brightly colored leaves, crisp air and sunny skies. Now it's changing to wind and rain here in the Seattle-area, which means a lot more time inside... and perhaps upgrading that Netflix membership.

For me, this time of year always means new music—a change of soundtrack for my days in front of the computer. I tend to transition from the more upbeat pop tunes of summer into something darker and/or mellower for the stormy season. A lot of Sigur Ros :-)

Here are a few artists in heavy rotation:

Choir of Young Believers
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
The Avett Brothers
Thao and the Get Down Stay Down

Do you have any rainy day music? Please share!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

wow.

Night Gathering by Ed Pien

I ran across this today and just had to share...

There's a new(ish) exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Design in NYC called Slash: Paper Under the Knife and it looks spectacular. The site does a good job of showcasing some of the work, but I'm sure it's even better in person.

Take a look!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

iPhone Apps for Designers

I cannot say this enough—I LOVE my iPhone. Back in June, I decided that it was absolutely necessary to have a business line, as my personal cell phone just wasn't cutting it—and I was getting sick of paying overage charges for long client calls. Then fate stepped in, Apple dropped their price on the 3G, and I had a phone that could field calls, check email, and entertain me on the occasional ferry ride into the city.


Flickr
A great place to upload your photos and to check out some really great images.

Photoshop.com Mobile
Edit and share your photos.

RunKeeper
While technically not a design application, I love this because it tracks my runs—pace, route and mileage... 'cause running brings me sanity (and gets me away from the computer)

Mint
Keep track of all of your finances in one place.

Skype
Make a call to anyone with an account... for free. Amazing.



myPANTONE

PANTONE color libraries on the go

Best Camera
Another way to edit/share your photos... this one with cool filters.

The Typography Manual
LOTS about type.

Palettes

The name kinda says it all.

Etsy Addict
Because that's what I am.

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Logos






This has been a busy year for branding. I think I've designed more logos in the last nine months than all that I did in all of the years since college. Here are just a few...

Monday, September 28, 2009

A Giraffe and a Half

I'm not sure how I ever missed this book—I have read so many of Shel Silverstein's books since I was a wee one—and this one does not disappoint! It got several laughs from my daughter—yet another one we need to add to the permanent collection.

p.s. It's a fun one to read fast!

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Balance, or lack thereof...

Read this article today and thought it would be good to share.
Looking forward to reading part two.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Tangerines and Tea

My Grandparents and Me

We actually had to take this one back to the library today... but I enjoyed it so much that I think we may have to add it to our permanent collection. It's a nice alphabet story that isn't overly obvious (no "a is for...") and the illustrations are lovely. Take a look!

Friday, September 18, 2009

Ways to waste some time... links for Friday

Print by Chad Hagen via 20x200

20x200
Get something unique for your wall and support an artist, all for twenty bucks.

An Illustrated Guide... from Chew on This—what a spectacular idea!

Chew on This
A nicely designed site with an even nicer message.

Yearbook Yourself
Self-indulgent silliness... but hey, if you've got the time. :-)

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Client Spotlight

CLM Makeup

Earlier this year, I had the pleasure of helping my friend Carla create the look of her new company, CLM Makeup. Carla is the most put-together person I know—her clothes are always just right and her makeup is impeccable, so this venture seemed to be perfect for her!

We started off with logo design—a bold, hot pink mark and everything fell into place from there. It was a great departure from most of the work I do. And, again, it was great to be able to take on everything from the logo to website to print materials. Take a look!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Wow.


I've been back in the office for a week, but it's taken some time to feel anything close to "normal". We were away on vacation in Kauai—my first time there. And am I ever glad that I decided not to do ANY work while were were there. It was amazing. The colors are so saturated that it seems unreal. I hope to go back again someday—adults only!

Monday, September 14, 2009

Monday is still book day.


Stopped by the library today and picked up this book—Lines that Wiggle. It's a cute story, just enough to keep the attention of a just-turned-three-year-old. The illustrations are great, too! Check it out >

Friday, August 28, 2009

Hiatus

As you can see, I'm on a bit of a hiatus from blogging. It seems the more deadlines I have, the less likely I am to find time to write. You do the math. And luckily, I'm about to get a week-long break from it all. We leave for Kauai early next week... and not a moment too soon!

More when I return. Really.

Monday, August 17, 2009

A book... while we're away


We're away for a short vacation in Montana (my home state!). But while we're gone, I thought I'd share one of our old favorites—Leonardo, the Terrible Monster. It's a sweet story of a monster that just isn't scary, complete with fun illustrations. It's my favorite of Mo Willems' books, who you might know from Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!, and Knuffle Bunny—also good books... but there's something about this one that just makes me smile.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Illustration Links

A few great illustration links... I think it's time to start doodling again.

Julia Rothman
I LOVE her wallpaper. LOVE. IT.


Tad Carpenter
Creator of such lovely monsters :-)

Virginia Kraljevic
Beautifully intricate drawings

Monday, August 10, 2009

Christmas in August


It's been a long time since my last post, but I wanted to share my latest "book" purchase—Eric Carle's Dream Snow Pop-Up Advent Calendar (I love Eric Carle's illustrations!!!!). I know, it's not anywhere close to Christmas... but I decided to take advantage of Chronicle Books' Friends and Family Sale and buy a few gifts. My daughter is finally old enough to start playing with some really cool stuff, so bring on the tiny pieces!

I hope she likes it as much as I will.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Client Spotlight

PicPocket Books


It's about time I began introducing some of my wonderful clients. While I may feel the need to prove that I do, in fact, work (a little)—the real reason for the post is to focus on some of the great ideas people are bringing to fruition, even in this dismal economy. So in this inaugural "spotlight" post, I decided to highlight one of my newest clients, PicPocket Books. Not only are they incredibly nice people, they have a great product—childrens' books that can be downloaded from iTunes. I downloaded their first book, My Friend Isabelle, and my daughter loves it. It definitely comes in handy when we're waiting in line!

I was fortunate enough to get to work on both the logo and site design for PicPocket. I love being able to take on integrated "campaigns". Not only are these projects more creatively satisfying, they usually have a better visual outcome, as having only one designer involved makes for a better process for everyone (just my opinion). On top of that, it is great to be able to help out a client from the beginning and feel the excitement for their business/organization and be able to translate that graphically.

Check 'em out at picpocketbooks.com or on iTunes.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Monday = Bookday


On a recent trip to the library, I checked out You Are Here: Personal Geographies and Other Maps of the Imagination. I first took a look at this book right after it was published in 2004, but wasn't able to give it the time it deserved. You don't have to be a designer or cartographer to to appreciate this collection of innovative maps. It was definitely worth a second look.

I'll be putting Katharine Harmon's new book, Maps as Art in my queue soon.

Friday, July 24, 2009

nice type.


Girl of All Work
Office supplies that don't suck.

Sudtipos
Type foundry from Argentina.

Packaging by enormouschampion via the dieline

the dieline
packaging, packaging, packaging.

RipeType
FREE font—get it!

Monday, July 20, 2009

Library!!!!!



Another fruitful adventure to the library—we brought back at least a dozen books... but my favorites from this week are Sunny and Windy by Robin Mitchell and Judith Steedman. The paper dioramas/landscapes are so fantastic. And the stories are just perfect to keep my nearly three-year-old interested. I absolutely must take some time away from the computer and get back to making things—perhaps creating silly dioramas with my favorite little girl would be a great place to start!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Fabulously French

Happy Bastille Day! I was inspired to share some links in honor of the holiday after listening to KEXP's tribute to French musicians this morning.

Paper Cut Map of Paris from Famille Summerbelle

Famille Summerbelle
Really cool stuff for kids' rooms.

Jean Pierre Jeunet
One of my favorite filmmakers. The visual worlds he creates are absolutely amazing. If you haven't seen Amelie, it's a great introduction to his work (and it has a lovely soundtrack).

Michel Gondry
Another amazing filmmaker. Seen The Science of Sleep? Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind? Watch them!

L'Aromarine
French perfume with beautiful art deco packaging.

Toulouse-Lautrec
Where would graphic designers be without him? I was fortunate enough to see this exhibit... four long years ago.

Monday, July 13, 2009

ABCs

Our weekly trip to the library was quite fruitful, but it was the book I purchased (from a newly-discovered local independent book store) for one of my daughter's playmates that inspired this post. The book is Charlie Harper's ABCs, and it is so beautifully illustrated that I wanted to keep it for myself. A more complete gallery of his work can be seen here.

Monday, July 6, 2009

The Red Shoes


I ran across this book at the library today and had to share. The illustrations (by Sun Young Yoo) are amazing!
More images here >

Friday, June 26, 2009

Long Overdue Links

What can I say? The projects keep rolling in—and the blog continues to be neglected... ;-)

Jessica Riehl Photography
A good friend, a great photographer, and an all-around wonderful person. I had the pleasure of assisting her at our friend Megan's wedding last weekend :-)

Image from Inside My Sewing Box

John Met Betty
Cute bags made of vintage materials... and located just up the road from yours truly.

Design Ignites Change
A great site that gives students a chance to utilize their design skills to address social concerns. Boy, I wish this would have been around when I was in school... but it's never too late to participate!

FontStruct
A subsite of fontshop.com that allows you to create and share your own fonts.
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