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)

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)

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)

I am woefully behind on my Christmas cards this year. Let’s hope they don’t turn into “happy spring” messages! While I may be in denial of how far we are into December, I wanted to round-up some holiday cards that have tickled my fancy this year. It’s not too late to mail cards, deliver them in person or choose winter-focused designs that can be used for “happy new year” messages. While there is plenty of interactive potential in e-cards, there is just something warm and wonderful about a true paper card. Beautiful illustrations or modern typography, I love how holiday cards manage to be full of great design and messages of good tidings from your loved ones. Oh and they sure perk up mailboxes and mantles…

(designers/sources from top: sugar paper, terrain, cotton on, the indigo bunting, the indigo bunting, pretty paper please by mélanie kimmett, paper source, Rifle Paper Co., kate spade, pretty paper please by mélanie kimmett, slim paper, cotton on, terrain, present+correct)

In his installation Black Cloud, Mexican artist Carlos Amorales created a world that perfectly fuses downright gorgeous with rather frightening. Carlos crafted 30,000 moths of 36 different variations out of black paper and, with the aid of a team, hand glued them to every surface possible of a gallery space. The images above are of the piece installed at Yvon Lambert in 2007 but it was also re-imagined on the walls of a converted old church in Spain called Espacio AV in 2009. I would love to see this fascinating installation in real life so I can only hope it appears again one day. Meticulous handcrafted detail swarms white walls in strikingly beautiful fashion…

(photographs via yvon lambert; information via philadelphia museum of art)  

I’ve posted about the fascinating embroidery design of Evelin Kasikov before (whoa CMYK colour chart) and I love her latest work “Analogue/Digital”. In it, four paper objects represent print and screen formats where “pixels and dots, single elements of digital and printed image, become physical using hand embroidery”. RGB pixels stitched on a tablet screen, CMYK typography highlighting the print process, stitched TV signal bars enveloping a book and a 7 colour GIF bursting across a hardcover – it is a gorgeous exploration of the analogue and digital themes that dominate our lives. Oh how I would love one of these striking books on my shelf. Have you ever seen a pixel look more beautiful?

(photographs via evelin kasikov)  

I am obsessed with edge painting (when color is applied to the edges of cards, invitations, books and so forth). It adds such a pop of colour/shine to design. I don’t think I’ve seen a hologram-like effect though until this morning. Whoa. Created by designer Denis Mallet for Parisian art merchant Julien Hauchecorne, the business cards have a “diffraction effect foil on a pristine white and ebony black duplexed substrate with a diffraction foil fore-edge printing process on the outside edges”. Mind is blown. Striking and downright magical…

(photographs via denis mallet on behance) 

I have a thing for design and art pencils (showcased via three overflowing bins on my desk). Anthropologie is full of some great examples at the moment including the Color Sheen Pencil Set, Fluorescent Pencil Set, Mechanical Color Pencil Set and Banderole Pencil Set (nice lokta paper). Yep, I might “need” those beautiful metallic colour pencils…

(photographs via anthropologie)   

Paint made from paint that has been thrown away? That’s downright brilliant. Newlife Paints rescue waste paint from landfills or incineration and reprocess it back into premium grade emulsion. And they can match any colour! Working with the eco paint manufacturer, Mini Moderns has launched a new line of 12 paint hues to match their textile and wallpaper designs. I love the neutral yet bright palette and how the swatches are styled as colourful lids on a modern backgammon wallpaper…

(photograph via mini moderns; spotted on we heart)  

The RGB Colorspace Atlas by artist Tauba Auerbach caught my attention earlier this year but after losing the link, I started to wonder if it was just a wonderful dream! In three 8″ x 8″ cubes, Auerbach showcases “all the colors in existence” and the entire RGB gradient across 3,632 pages. Each book is a different RGB scheme and each page is a frame of the colour palette (its creation aided by video animation). A digital offset print on paper, the striking cloth cover and page edges were airbrushed by Auerbach. The unique binding was co-designed by Auerbach and Daniel E. Kelm and bound by Kelm and Leah Hughes. I’m still trying to sort out how RGB colour would be printed accurately but regardless, the piece is a gorgeous piece of sculptural colour…

(photographs via daniel e. kelm, tauba auerbach and designboom)  

Gold, both as a colour and material, elicits strong opinions in people. Some love it, some hate it and some get 80′s lamé flashbacks. My opinion about gold has changed quite a bit over the last year or so. Why? I think it’s the new, more silver hue of gold that has emerged. I love its vintage, less yellow look and how designers have used this metallic in fabulous patterns, with unique materials like concrete and in matte finishes. I’ve dubbed it “modern gold” and ponder it in my latest post for Rena Tom and yes, as usual, went a little nuts with the example photos! Below is a great chart showcasing how the colour of gold shifts according to how much copper and silver is added. Have you re-thought your position on gold? Take a peek at my post here…

(photographs via anthropologie, dezeen, ferm living, bench.li, a daily something, houzz, mowielicious, konfetti blog, martha stewart and best awards; chart via wikipedia)

Monochromatic paper craft makes a beautiful backdrop for Cédric Ragot’s new Henri Mazelier collection. Focused on turning the pocketknife into a sculptural piece of dinner cutlery, I love the juxtaposition of delicate paper shapes and sharp blades. The use of just one colour creates dimension but makes the knives the stylish star of the photograph…

(spotted on trendland)   

Last year, I posted about designer Konstantin Datz’s gorgeous braille rubik’s cube and it remains one of my favourite pieces of thought-provoking design. I came across Konstantin’s folded paper typeface this morning and fell in love with the sharp angles. Featured on the cover of Web Designer magazine, there is a real modern paper craft meets origami feel…

(images via konstantin datz)  

Paper sampler books are always full of lovely swatches of colour but rarely gorgeous items of design themselves. I love this GF Smith’s sample book created by MadeThought to showcase the brand’s “iconic range of premium coloured papers and boards”. The tab cutting style reveals all 50 colours along the book’s edge and highlights the endless hue combinations possible. Oh and don’t even get me started on that sublime binding with multicolour stitches…

(photographs via september industry)

Photographer Joanna McClure has several series devoted to the dynamic structure of paper but her ‘Synesthesia’ collection has caught my eye for its abstract beauty and gorgeous use of colour. Are those strips of translucent paper interacting in a bed of water? I can’t completely tell but I am smitten with the juicy, gel-like textures and intersecting palettes created regardless…

(photographs via joanna mcclure)

Logo-shaped paper clips, branded bubble wrap or pylons, innovative cake decorating – there are so many ways the little things create fabulous design and memorable retail. In my latest post for Rena Tom, I rounded up some inspiring images devoted to one of my favourite topics: “retail details”. I strongly believe it is mindful, creative details that turn good stores or brands into great ones. If you fancy, take a look at my post here.

(photographs via kledzik, i am baker, design you trust, jay mug, september industry and veronique)