Created by designer Derek Chan, Front Page Fingerprint is a visualization of the formal elements of the New York Times front page such as white space, headline size/length, body copy, imagery and overall colour palette. Each column is one day of February 2011 newspapers. A fascinating study of colour and design elements. I really want to view the colour palette element close up to see what trends emerge! From these images, you can see the more colourful papers are definitely weekend editions. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see this idea applied to a years worth of papers or even notable periods of history?

(images via uw design)

Holy. The Orishiki Clutch by Naoki Kawamoto is more work of art than handbag. Orishiki is a union of the world “Ori” taken from the paper folding art of Origami and “Shiki” taken from the traditional Japanese wrapping cloth named Furoshiki. Created from a single piece of material with triangular origami-fold inspired segments, the vibrant magenta fold lines and glossy faced end result are stunning. I think if this was my clutch, I would have to carry it around empty as it would be next to impossible to stop folding and re-folding it!

(photographs via the modern life)

I’ve always loved Picasso’s portrait of his adored dachshund, Lump. Picasso loved animals and his work is rich with depictions of them. In contrast to his usual beautifully complex style, I love Picasso’s animal drawings for their simplicity and minimalism. There is even a book devoted to the artist and his best friend – Picasso & Lump: A Dachshund’s Odyssey. I love this drawing and that so many of Picasso’s pieces have his dachshund as a muse but most of all, I love that a dog named Lump became an icon in modern art!

(image via art prints gallery)

I always love visiting Anna Garforth’s site to see what she has been up to. The diverse materials she uses to craft typography is full of creativity and wonder. Dried flowers, dough, moss, rolled rubbish, folded advertisments or leaves – Anna creates installations that are not only beautiful but commentaries on sustainability and natural materials. I have loved her moss work for several years and they have a special place on my inspiration board as joyous and thought-provoking bursts of colour. Also, considering the only available option seems to be those boring block letters, I can’t help but wish Anna would come out with her own cookie cutter line!

Confetti System is a studio that creates the most incredible works of paper, mylar and fabric art. They have really revolutionized so-called party decorations by turning them into dynamic and modern stage backdrops, window displays, decor and fashion pieces. How gorgeous is that silk wall they created for a New York clothing store? (second image from the top). With clients ranging from fashion houses like Opening Ceremony, magazines like Martha Stewart, stores like Bergdorf Goodman or Urban Outfitters, events like The New York Ballet and bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Confetti System are constantly exploring new avenues for creativity. It is so refreshing to see this kind of well-designed handmade craft appreciated and used in so many arenas. Computers are amazing but they can’t make a giant wall of gold mylar! If designers Julie Ho and Nicholas Andersen asked me to move to New York as a Confetti System sweeper, I would be on the next plane tomorrow. Seriously.

(p.s. The Selby did a fantastic ‘behind the scenes’ photo piece on Confetti System. Have a look here.)
(photographs via confetti system, the selby & 100 layer cake)

I recently came across Dirt Poster by Roland Reiner Tiangco and totally fell in love with the design and sentiment. The back of the poster is covered in black dust that makes your hands extremely dirty for a reason. Rubbed across the white poster front, your hands reveal the poster’s message. How fantastic is this design? I love the statement because it is true on so many levels. Anyone precious about making mess is probably not going to change the world (or be much fun to hang out with!)

(photographs via white zine)

Maya Hayuk is an artist with talent in a ridiculous number of design areas from painting to photography to absolut vodka ads. I particularly love her murals/installations as they are bold pops of colour on otherwise mundane or uninspiring urban landscapes. Just imagine how dull that barn would be without Maya’s colourful addition! Her newest piece was created in Brazil and is a mural woven in fabric. Can’t wait to see this unique idea develop…

Did your breakfast this morning look anything like this? I hope so! With the goal of “showcasing food in a beautiful and unusual way”, studio Bruton Stroube created this stunning video. I love the dreamy atmosphere but I think what captivates me most is the graceful movement of the food and the moving palettes created. Did you see the orange juice, raspberries and blueberries mix mid-air? A beautiful colour scheme. As our meals usually sit fairly still, it is easy to forget that each food has its own unique qualities that, with a bit of imagination, can turn into gorgeous art. I had no idea pancakes in motion could be so elegant!

(Take a look at Bruton Stroube’s site for behind the scenes photos. How they created this piece is fascinating!)
(via tasteologie)

Olly Moss is a British designer and illustrator who you can add to my ‘obsessed with’ list. He has an obvious abundance of creative chops but it is his cleverness that never ceases to amaze me (case in point, his sea-saw illustration I posted about a couple of months ago). Olly just opened a solo show at Gallery 1988 in Los Angeles called ‘Paper Cuts’. The exhibit features over 350 laser-cut and hand-finished silhouettes of pop culture icons from the cast of Saved by the Bell or Seinfeld to animated Disney classics to Cliff Huxtable in one of his crazy sweaters. I love the juxtaposition of historical cameos with modern pop culture. A brilliant concept, six months of exquisitely detailed paper work and fantastic styling in vintage frames all add up to a spectacular show the is overflowing with Olly’s talent and cleverness.

(photographs via olly moss, the fox is black, hi fructose, jawilmesjr & flixist)

I would love to go to lunch with artist Arthur Buxton as he looks at colour in a truly fascinating way (you may remember my post about his Van Gogh pie graphs.) His newest piece focuses on British Vogue magazine covers from 2001 to 2011. In reverse chronological order, from left to right, each block is a separate cover. Within each block, the strips of color that vary in width, represent the five most common colors proportionally found within that specific issue. The larger bands represent the years, starting in May and moving backwards. (If you’re like me, you will need to read those instructions a couple of times!) While there is the expected influence of skintones, it is interesting to see how similar the colours stay across soft tones, pinks and some fall hues. Even though a variety of colours became popular in each of those years, the covers don’t really deviate from a feminine palette. Other than two issues of blue, there is very little from the yellow, green, blue or purple colour families. I would love to see Arthur use this method in different eras. I imagine the 1960′s are full of vibrant powdery hues, the 1970′s are a blend of warm tones and the 1980′s are bursting with colour and neon. A really fascinating commentary on what colours are used to sell magazines.

I love many of the pieces in paper good series ‘Geografia’ by Japanese studio drill design. Inspired by themes of geography and topography, the collection includes beautifully formed colour-in globes and handsome notepaper that creates topography from the number of sheets per level. Great design that can only improve your geography skills!

(photographs via designboom)

Kristina Marie makes the most gorgeous hand-sewn paper garlands using recycled and sustainable materials. The KristinaMarie Etsy store has a wide variety of colours and patterns with Kristina adding custom items to her store in the next little while. Such a modern take on garlands with an intricate handmade soul. The photographs of the unraveled spools are so beautiful, I would love to frame a print of one!

Collecting trash from Australian beaches, artist Liz Jones arranges objects into colourful collections and photographs them for her series titled “Rubbish Rainbows”. It’s amazing how bits of garbage, battered by the ocean waves, can create such intriguing images simply through use of colour. Liz is cleaning up her native beaches, provoking thought about littering and the human obsession with plastic all while creating brilliant photographs. Talk about a fascinating triple-threat project that requires amazing dedication and colour sense!

(via quipsologies)

Artist and designer Matt W. Moore has a portfolio overflowing with amazing projects ranging from fashion to typography to fine art. He is definitely one of my colour heros and I am a long-time fan of his inspired use of vivid colour and soulful geometry. I really could feature hundreds of images in this post! One area of Matt’s work I really love are his murals so I have focused on those above. Created all over the world, Matt’s murals add so much joy and design to whatever street is lucky enough to house them. The top image is of his newest piece in Cincinnati and it is yet another example of his incredible colour sense and creative talent.

(photographs via matt w. moore)

The Rubik’s Cube is an iconic 1970′s 3D puzzle with the ultimate goal, via twisting and turning, of organizing the squares into six solid colour sides. But how would you solve that puzzle if you couldn’t see the colours? The Braille Rubik’s Cube designed by Konstantin Datz seeks to answer that question with striking results. The braille word is used for each colour so the hues are felt and the puzzle can be solved. A thoughtful and really beautiful piece of design.

(photographs via konstantin datz)

I really love designer Pete Dungey’s “Pothole Gardens”. In an attempt to highlight the many surface imperfections on British roads, he planted potholes with bright flowers. I like to think motorists moved their wheels to avoid squishing the flowers which, come to think of it, prevents the negative consequences of potholes while creating a little burst of joy! This project reminds me of Juliana Santacruz Herrera’s knit potholes that I posted about previously. Anytime an urban eyesore is made beautiful and colourful, it just makes a city a happier place.