Small Bites: Design Links I Love | May 4, 2015

It’s another Manic Monday….wish it were Sunday. Here are some design links to kick off your week with inspiring things I found on the web.

Creative Market published a series of posters called “Confessions of A Guilty Designer.” They are basically designers confessing to all the things we hate that the client does or says (“I hate flat design, I got a tattoo in Helvetica, I took that photo from Google images). They’re pretty hilarious and most of us are guilty as charged with a few of them!

In this world where we’re constantly bombarded with information and interacting with others, it’s becoming harder and harder to lose focus. Not only is that bad for one’s stress level and getting tasks accomplished, but it’s especially bad for creatives who need their energy to make good work. Blog 99U has some good advice for a simple 18-minute daily plan to help refocus your life and take a breather.

Logo evolutions are fun to look at. Some seem pretty consistent over the decades (Coke, Starbucks) and others started off in a radically different place from where they ended up (Apple). Design Taxi published the evolution of the LEGO logo this week. I actually didn’t realize those magical blocks had been around so long, but it definitely went through some very different incarnations in the earlier times than where it is today. I love the 1936 version the most and find it very reflective of the design of that time period. Second runner up is 1950. Today’s seems really boring compared to those classics.

Although we operate in a digital world, we designers still have a mad love affair with paper. We sketch, we doodle, we jot things down, but we’re very snobby about our paper choices. This week, Inspiration Feed published the best notebooks for designers. I’m definitely a fan of Field Notes for basic doodles, but for my calligraphy I use Rhodia. For better sketching, I love Moleskines.

And, finally, some packaging eye candy for you. Check out this innovative packaging for olive oil seen on The Dieline this week. They really went outside of the typical greens used for this industry and went bold with a bright yellow and black. Nice work, N.

One Man’s Junk is Another Man’s Treasure

As creatives, we must constantly be on the lookout for inspiration. So many of our ideas come from the things we expose ourself to whether it’s travels, meals out with friends or little things we come across on a routine shopping trip. With the internet, there is an infinite amount of visuals we can tap into for ideas, but sometimes it’s better to go after things more tangible.

Bob Gill, one of the original founders of Pentagram Design, and an original Mad Men said that if you want to design for a dry cleaner, then you need to go to a dry cleaners. In other words, get up from the screen and get your ideas from the real world. One of the biggest advocates for getting out in the world is designer Aaron Draplin from Draplin Design Company. He loves to go junking—he travels across America and hits up small town flea markets and antique shops looking for design inspiration. He takes massive amounts of photos of his junk treasures and posts them online, and he’s been known to buy a few things as well.

Small Bites: February 2, 2015

Happy Groundhog Day! Fingers and toes crossed that we get an early spring. Here are some small bites of great design to kick off your week right!

I was at a gourmet food market this weekend in Colorado Springs, and I found this really awesome packaging design for Trailhead Chai. Definitely an appropriate brand for Colorado, but also a great use of color, illustration and typography!

Packaging design on Trailhead Chai tea that I found at a gourmet market in Colorado Springs

Going ballistic over this Le Chocolat de Francais packaging design I saw online from Packaging of the World. It’s adorable and so tres, tres francais! Great illustration and vibrant colors.

Get inspired with this great Creative Mornings talk from typographic designer, Chank Diesel. I had the pleasure of seeing him speak in Denver at an AIGA workshop. He’s a talented typographer, nice guy and funny presenter. For font geeks out there, watch this!

Graphic design humor from Creative Bloq: 10 Things You Should Never Say to a Graphic Designer. Sadly, I’m sure we’ve all been here at one point in our careers.

Must call out the cute puppy commercial from Budweiser for the Super Bowl. I know it was released early and probably overly promoted, but I don’t care—it’s so cute and sweet, it’s worth watching for the 50th time.

Have a great week!

Coffee Time: A Look at Starbucks

I’m a graphic designer, therefore I’m a coffee addict. I wasn’t always, but I’ve become one in the last few years. I’ve gotten a bit snootier and prefer the fancy pants blends of small roasters over the corporate conglomerates, I grind my beans fresh for each cup and I can’t stomach the cheap stuff. But, I do love me some Starbucks on occasion. Nothing beats the rich deliciousness of a peppermint mocha. What I love even more about the green mermaid, though, is the innovative packaging design and great branding behind the corporate giant.

Whether you’re a fan or not or you think they’re evil for pushing out all the neighborhood shops, Starbucks is responsible for some seriously awesome packaging design and runaway brand success.

Small Bites: January 12

In addition to posting regular blog content, I want to post a “Small Bites” section on Mondays. Here I’m going to share interesting links I find, little notes on design and hopefully, start off your week with some inspiration.

AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Artists) has launched a website celebrating design in honor of their 100th birthday. It’s beautifully designed and features some nice content. Check it out, here.

I’m generally obsessed with packaging design. I’ve never had the opportunity to work on a packaging project, but I spend many hours in stores and online checking out fabulous packages. The Dieline is a great resource for your daily dose of packaging inspiration. Today, they featured UU Branding, which does handmade utensils. They are stunning and so is the box they come in. Check it out here.

We all know animals have emotions. Some have even suspected that plants do as well. Graphic designer Sarah Hyndman is going so far as to say that fonts have emotions too. Probably most of us in the design community believe it! Here’s an excerpt from her TEDxBedford event. She’s also just released a new book, Type Taster. Preorder it today and choose one of the limited edition covers.

Java of the Week

Granted, coffee has nothing to do with graphic design, but it is definitely the fuel of all graphic designers. And, frankly, most of us are serious java snobs. We like fancy pants coffee just like we like fancy pants papers and fonts. I’m using a site called Go Coffee, where you can order tons of different gourmet, organic, fair trade coffees from small roasters around the country. Their website design leaves something to be desired, but they have a great selection, reasonable pricing and fair shipping. I’ve been trying out the Equator Roaster’s Bouchon Blend. It is the official coffee for Chef Thomas Keller’s restaurants. Really, really smooth stuff and a nice dark roast. Push through those looming deadlines with a cup of this.

Nice Package: Colorado Microbrews

Colorado is known for their epic plethora of craft beers. We’re home to 147 craft breweries (according to the Brewers Association), which puts us in 4th place for most breweries per capita in the U.S. With great beer, I think, comes great design. The majority of my favorite design pieces are from the liquor industry. Absolut produced iconic print advertising. Budweiser gave us the Clydesdales commercials.  And, craft beers give us some of the best packaging and label design out there.

Because I’m a design geek, I love to go to liquor stores to check out the new packaging designs and take pictures of my favorites. I’ve seen some phenomenally talented illustrators and typographers do fantastic work with labels, carriers and bottles. This weekend, I decided to take pictures of some of the best packaging the Rocky Mountain State had to offer.