The very best of design combines aesthetic beauty with vibrant thinking and powerful solutions. I love the “People for Smarter Cities” project by IBM and Ogilvy because it truly brings that combination to life. The goal is to help cities all over the world get smarter (check out the details/interactive element here) and to spread the word, Ogilvy created functional outdoor advertising. A bench, a shelter, a stair ramp — I love the bright colours and most of all, the brilliant concept. It proves that advertising need not be flatly slapped on our buildings but rather, serve an actual purpose in urban life (and hopefully be a bit beautiful too)…

(video via ogilvy paris, images via/spotted on designboom & dezeen)

Well, this is one fine merger of design and play. Moon Dominos by Fredricks & Mae are handcrafted from baltic birch and silkscreened with phases of the moon (rather than the traditional dots). What a beautiful object to have sprinkled across a coffee table…

(photographs via fredricks & mae)

Great product, photography, styling AND use of colour? Now that’s good design. I love this lookbook for Bloc Necklaces by Ladies & Gentlemen Studio. With photography by Charlie Schuck and styling by Ashley Helvey, the strong contrasting palette and mixture of shapes is simple yet strong. I particularly love the sheets of colour held up by models underneath the striking necklaces. Product photography I would happily hang on my wall…

(photographs via ladies & gentlemen studio)

Created for Colorplan by London studio Made Thought, this swatch book has a fabulous mixture of functional elements and beautiful book design. I love the placement of circular colour chips and how the embossing textures are all shown on a striking black and white page (highlighting exactly how the texture will appear). My only question mark is the grey background behind the swatches as it may impact how each colour is perceived by the human eye. Perhaps the chips are removable? In any case, it is one handsome book of colour samples and design. And that cover? To showcase the weight, embossing and colour facets of the Colorplan range, circles were inlayed using the technique of ‘paper marquetry’. Just lovely…

(spotted on and images via september industry)

Milwaukee-based artist Cassandra Smith has a portfolio plump with thought-provoking combinations of pattern, hue and unique surfaces. One of my favourite aspects of her work is the use of found objects. I particularly love her ongoing series of rough balls of rope transformed by vibrant paint. A beautiful contrast of colour and texture. I love when they all appear together, natural and bright lines strung from simple hooks. Yep, I would be more than thrilled to have the whole series hanging on my wall…

(images via cassandra smith; spotted on the jealous curator)

Who says the neon colour family must always be distractingly bright? I love the soft, almost washed neon look used in this Las Palabras Pintadas branding by Buenos Aires designer Lucía Izco. Add in the perfect neutral brown/grey background, one tone photography and some fabulous typography? The recipe for print design that makes neon feel fresh and sophisticated…

(image via lucía izco/behance)

I had my passport photo taken today. Yikes. Now, I understand the need for secure (yet boring) images but I can still daydream about what would happen if art and border security mixed. I mean, who hasn’t wanted to apply some bold pigments to their face in war paint fashion?

(photograph by Lara Jade and make-up by Keiko Nakamura)

(image via model mayhem)

Some works of art just make your day. I love these two pieces by Italian artist Andrea Marini. ‘Gemmation’ is a blooming wall of sculptural fibreglass that is both serene and exploding with texture. “Flows” is an installation of mirror waterfalls tumbling from the wall like starched bundles of tinsel. I’m a rather mesmerized by that gorgeous metallic beauty…

(images via andrea marini / saatchi online)

Dutch studio Raw Color has an exquisite eye for unique and memorable colour palettes. I love their identity for TextielMuseum and TextielLab and the wide palette created by using different intensities of five dusty bright hues and pops of neon. Cerulean blue and neon pink? Yes please! The typography is also beautiful as letters T, M and L overlap in varying opacities to create distinct colour combinations and overall patterns that mimic textile weaving. The opacities are turned up or down depending on if the lab or museum is the focus of the collateral. Entrance cards, stationery, stickers, publications, tea towels, building flags – the identity is wonderfully flexible and reflects modern textile patterns.

(image via raw color)

The neon trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere and I am excited to see some diversity in the hues explored. Often, the term “neon” is focused on four or five colours but there is actually a wide spectrum to consider within the vibrant hue family. I love this old neon thread card on the design center at philadelphia university blog as it highlights just how many directions one colour (like “neon pink”) can go in…

(image via the design center at philadelphia university)

Is anyone still visiting plenty of colour?! I sure hope so! Sorry everyone for the ridiculous delay in posting. I received some very sweet emails asking if I was okay. Indeed I am. I recently returned from Turkey where I was working on the inspiring Istanbul 2020 Olympic bid. If you haven’t been to Turkey, go. What an extraordinary country bursting with stunning colour, brilliant architecture, delicious food and warm people. Every corner seemed to have a new colour palette and unique fusion of modern and historical design. Yep, I even saw blue mosaic tile used to fill potholes! Istanbul is a magical city that you all should visit ASAP. I had a marvelous time and one of these days, I hope to post a collection of colourful images from my jaunt. Above are two quick images of a place I found endlessly fascinating – The Spice Bazaar. Pile upon pile of textured colour and the heavenly wafting scent of mingling spices. What more could someone want? Oh Istanbul, you have a piece of my heart.

I think five days was my longest posting break in the past. Oops. I had big plans of posting regularly while I was away but work got a bit crazy. And I got distracted by Turkish colour. Hee. On a side note, Kate Spade selected my wee colour blog as a “site we love” while I was away and I am honoured to be featured by such a colour icon. Long story short – back to regular and frequent colour posting! – Chloé

(photos by chloé douglas)

Modern wallpaper is bursting with non-traditional subjects from bold geometry to gradient effects to customizable drawing surfaces.

Elegant shimmer, hologram foil, mixed with colour, bold prints, copper details — I love the rise of metallic wallpaper patterns and finishes.

One of very favourite uses of wallpaper is small but mighty applications. From one feature wall to a nook or cranny that is now memorable, it is a brilliant way to bring pattern to a space.

Until recently, wallpaper was refereed to as a thing of a past. Yep, we had all supposedly moved on and become strictly focused on pure painted walls. Like most things in design (especially those with historical roots), wallpaper has modernized and evolved in a new direction. Bold patterns and unique treatments have replaced the wallpaper of yesteryear. In my latest post for Rena Tom, I talk about the various elements of this wallpaper revival including the general pattern direction, popular new finishes, interior use, wallpaper as a styling tool, art possibilities and even exterior products that are emerging. From home to retail, this new direction of wallpaper is worthy of exploration. Who doesn’t love a pop of pattern? Read my full post here.

(modern pattern photographs via: black. white. yellow., apartment therapy, hygge and west, design is mine, designers guild, studio ditte, desire to inspire and house to home; metallic wallpaper photographs moffat, jill malek, apartment therapy, afflante, hygge and west and michele varian; small application photographs via see that there, homedit, edison avenue, poppytalk, more delisious, houzz, mor til mernee and lorenzo castillo)

Bold typography, bright colour AND a handcrafted one-of-a-kind soul? Now that is the recipe for great print design. I love this simple but striking flyer design by Amsterdam studio OK200 for The Amsterdam New York Pop Up Show. Using the pink poster designs they hand-silkscreened for the event, the duo added a navy blue layer of flyer information on top. They sliced through the now chaotic surface to create 16 beautiful and unique flyers. I love the abstract typography crops and smashing mix of hot pink and navy blue…

(photographs via OK200)   

I love when unique colours pop up amid the expected holiday palettes. St. Valentine’s Day is awash in red and pink so these beautiful origami hearts by Melanie Blodgett and their spectrum of retro colours really tickle my fancy. Perhaps a new holiday palette has been born?

(photograph via you are my fave)  

These vibrant soaps by Mamoucha are full of lovely colour swatch combinations and patterns. They would certainly add a striking dash of abstract art to any soap dish…

(photographs by/soap available via mamoucha here and here or anthropologie)  

Product packaging is an essential part of retail design and is a fabulous resource for design inspiration. I love bold type placement and treatments, bright pops of colour, and collections that embrace a range of unique yet united typography.

Yes, I have a thing for retail exteriors and signage. One look I love lately is small but powerful typography. With strong contrasts or in handsome wee neon, the style can make an exterior look rather chic.

Old school hand-lettering, cursive neon, striking handwriting, creating words out of tile — typography based on hand-drawn type can look smashing in design and retail. Done right, it feels modern rather than trendy. I particularly love the craftsmanship it adds to any design. Seek out friends with magnificent penmanship!

I strongly dislike the typeface Papyrus. There, I said it. I get itchy when I see it and feel disturbed when companies, events and shops use typography derived from Microsoft Word to brand themselves. When it comes to telling the world who you are, why use a generic (and probably not design-focused) voice? Not only will you get lost in a sea of competitors also using “Word magic” but standing out in a stylish way becomes virtually impossible. In my latest post for Rena Tom, I showcase how great typography can make all the difference in the quest for memorable design and branding. While focused on retail, the need for fantastic typography is universal so the images hopefully inspire all type-related projects. Take a peek at my post here…

(packaging images via: ddmmyy, raw type, de-construct,cool hunting, lovely package, and slingshot coffee co.; small type images via new places to be, design*sponge, dezeen, and scout magazine; hand-drawn images via la potenza, trish papadakos, remodelista, kristen leigh, kinfolk, wallpaper and remodelista)