I recently came across these brilliant ads for FedEx. Love how the natural texture of a building becomes a world map and the clever window parcel passing! The earthy colour palette is also a smart way to insure the vibrant purple and orange of the FedEx logo shows up as the white package remains the focal point. Such a marvelously effective advertisement.

(via the inspiration room)

Paris-based Japanese patissier Sadaharu Aoki creates the most gorgeous confections that perfectly merge French tradition with Japanese design. From cakes to macaroons, his Paris and Tokyo shops are full of striking and edible pieces of art. I am particularly in love with Sadaharu Aoki’s “bonbon maquillage” or make-up candy. The rectangular, brightly-hued chocolates looks like pots of colour from an eyeshadow palette but are actually one of Aoki’s signature creations. The bonbons are filled with fondant that is infused with diverse range flavours including wasabi, caramel, matcha, coconut and raspberry. Forget reaching for the wrong chocolate or fumbling for the info sheet. Aoki streaks each bonbon with a strip of colour that not only creates a modern and handsome look but effectively “colour codes” each chocolate so you always end up with the confection you were hoping for. Visiting Patisserie Sadaharu Aoki in Tokyo or Paris is definitely on my to do list as I imagine the works of art are as delicious as they are exquisitely beautiful and colourful!

(images via chocolat only, aaron lum, purple cloud, chaxiu bao, yuichi sakuraba, anglofille, gsanjose, jemie, chaxiu bao, purple cloud, dig a cherry, yuichi sakuraba, peter repetti & yocca)

When I was little, I would watch The Wonderful World of Disney almost purely in the hopes of seeing Donald Duck’s uncle, Ludwig Von Drake, sing The Spectrum Song. I’m not sure why I was convinced that the colours would be different every week. I later found out that the cartoon was a good 30 years old and came out in celebration of colour television! No luck finding a high quality version of the cartoon on YouTube but this video is pretty good mood-enhancing colour therapy for a grey day in Vancouver (minus the short but slightly eye burning tie-dye section…)

The more photos I see of Cielito Querido Café, the more I fall in love with it. Drawing from Mexican and Latin-American design heritage from the late 19th century to early 20th century, the space is just so full of life and details. With vintage Latin-American signs and product labels of old grocery stores in mind, Mexican studio Esrawe and Ignacio Cadena created the vibrant branding and café design. In a world of coffee spots that are far too beige, Cielito Querido is café overflowing with bold colour, dramatic typography and wild patterns. It is a modern and playful place that retains a truly Mexican flavour. Even the take-away coffee cups are beautiful! Fingers crossed Cielito Querido Café expands in Canada soon. If that happens and you need to get in touch with me, I’ll be the one in the pink chair…

(via we heart & the dieline)

You know that flight safety video that plays before every plane trip? You know, the one most people are ignoring as they rummage in their carry-ons or wonder where the drink cart is? Well Air New Zealand has insured that not one person will be distracted from their video screens. An explosion of colour, sparkle and spandex, this safety video is nothing short of hilarious. It is also surprisingly effective! I don’t think I have ever retained so much safety information. Kudos to Air New Zealand for taking a dry element of airline travel and infusing it with so much creativity.

(thanks Catriana for the inspiration!)

I love when everyday things are transformed into a smart ad or piece of design and this advertisement for Wonderbra certainly fits that bill! Using the yellow “do not cross” caution line that so often appears on subway or train tracks, Wonderbra suggests that the line placement would be entirely different for those using their product and its, err, enhancing capabilities. Such a simple but brilliantly clever ad.

In the last few years, reusable shopping bags have become a commonplace accessory. It is a fantastic shift from the staggering number of plastic bags we all used yearly. Now, I understand that the main point is the carrier be environmentally friendly. But does that mean it must have no design? There are a lot of strange patterns, colours and questionable quality bags out there. I thought those were the only real options until I discovered Brooklyn-based reusable bag company Baggu. Their high quality, ripstop nylon bags hold the equivalent of 2-3 plastic bags and can be folded flat into a tiny pouch. There are also many other designs from small zippered travel bags to huge market totes. The best part of all? Baggu bags are available in dozens of solid colour choices. No strange frogs or watercolour patterns; just pure, vibrant colour. I won’t lie, I would like a fabulous Baggu bag in every colour!

If I lived in the United Kingdom, I think I would visit home design store Habitat on a daily basis. Their products are always colourful, modern and playful. Photos of Habitat’s Spring/Summer 2011 collection only underline those unique qualities. The pieces and the gorgeous ways they have been styled are so vibrant and delightfully British. In lieu of a jump across the pond, I think a couple visits to the Habitat website is the perfect way to make it through a rainy Wednesday. Colourful summer days are on the horizon!

(via we heart)

I don’t know if you have been in the market for hosiery lately but it isn’t exactly an area of packaging design that screams inspiration. I think that all changes with these designs for Nordstrom. The photography is sharp and I love how the typography plays off the type of stockings inside. Perhaps this could be the spark that lights the hosiery design world on fire? Fingers crossed…

(via thedieline)

I love the colourful branding and store design for Pino, a lifestyle shop in Finland. In Finnish, Pino means “pile” or “stack” and it is easy to see that the design has been created with that meaning in mind. I really love how the “i” in Pino is used as a stack regardless of medium – from the stacking shelves on the wall logo to the stack of die cut boxes on the business cards. This is a connected, bright and unique design concept and I love that every detail is thoughtfully taken care of. How the merchandise is layered colourfully on the shelves or segmented according to hue (love the kraft paper coloured section) makes the items not just products but design in themselves. One of the most unique colour palettes and shops I have seen in a while!

(branding by bond creative agency; found via public school)

It feels like many in-house grocery and department store brands suffer from bland and generic design. The products are meant to be simple and cheap but does that mean the design has to be as well? Monoprix, a major supermarket chain in France, suffered from the same issue until their recent packaging overhaul. I absolute love it! If I lived in France, I would fill my cupboards with their products simply based on the colour patterns that would emerge from shelf to shelf. The colour palettes, unique to each product, are also a brilliant way to stand out to the consumer and make their products easily recognizable upon return visits. Even though the packaging is pretty simple and modern, there is still room for each product to feature a single line of humourous copywriting. For example, on the horseshoe-shaped sausage package, the label says, “high-quality dry sausage: the sausage that does a demi turn”. Bold typography, vibrant colour and wit? I hope more in-house brands are inspired by this packaging!

(images via kesako, epica, xulux & japanese forms)

I have been enamoured with Barcelona candy company Papabubble for quite some time. Part of it is the whimsical name and Spanish roots but most of all, I am in love with their colourful sweets. There are many treats on the shelves but it is Papabubble’s round, illustrated candies that make me giddy. They are not only vividly coloured but really showcase artisan craftsmanship. Strips of candy are layered to create a huge tube with an image at the end. That tube is stretched out, cooled and cut into pieces that now each feature that image (above is the original candy strip tube with a pineapple image at the end as well as final pineapple candy product.) It is mind-blowing that Papabubble can create small candies with such intricate illustrations. Even more amazing is that they can use the same method to enclose each candy with words like cities names, holiday greetings, custom wedding couples and company names. Papabubble really makes some of the most beautiful and uniquely crafted candy around (how fantastic are those kiwi candies above with their perfectly coloured kiwi fuzz sides and dead on kiwi slice illustrations!?) It isn’t just candy making, it is art. I have heard that the candies are absolutely delicious with flawlessly matched natural flavours. Great tasting, colourful and handmade candy in attractive jars? I really need to go to a Papabubble city soon!

Take a look at this video to see some incredible candy making magic:

(images via janne, amajaiak, jessi caplin, panja, shin ogata, david lebovitz, kc chan, rebecca w, homekaeru, gertie, shin ogata, shin ogata, shin ogata, debra solomon, andres kerese, gonçalo carvalho)

These photos are a year or so old but I find myself returning to stare at them almost weekly so I thought I would make my obsession official by posting them here! Most perfume ads are pretty boring – either still shots of the perfume bottle or some variation of a beautiful model or celebrity living a fabulous, good-smelling life. For the launch of the Marc Jacobs Lola perfume, photographer Joshua Scott wanted to break that mould and simply capture the essence of the perfume. As Joshua has said, “we designed a series of images to represent intangible qualities the perfumes possesses… to photograph the product without actually photographing the product but rather the ideas and emotions that combine to create the product.” Using glitter, feathers, bouncy balls and confetti in the colours of the perfume bottle, Joshua certainly captures the playful, joyful and exuberant spirit of Lola. I love this refreshing and artful take on a perfume ad and hope it is the start to more innovation in the genre. How magnificent is the colour palette!? The first photo featured of dazzling, vividly-hued glitter exploding into the air is definitely one of my favourite photos ever.

(images via joshua scott)

After conducting a poll to discover the most-loved childhood toy, Chevrolet used the winning Play-Doh to create a street advertisement in London for their new family-friendly seven-seater Orlando car. Definitely an eye-catching, 1.5 ton advertisement that hopes to capture the attention of parents and children alike. It took eight model makers over two weeks to create the remarkable sculpture by hand. Now if only real cars came in such a beautiful shade of blue….

(images via chevrolet uk)

I find these ads for Bic pens brilliant. The lifespan of the ubiquitous ballpoint pens are tested to last for two kilometres, a distance equivalent to six Eiffel Towers, two Tower Bridges or four Empire State Buildings. What a clever and effective way to describe just how long the pens should last. The sole use of the very recognizable Bic pen blue across the entire ad (even the logo) is a final brilliant touch of brand in a fantastic ad campaign.

(images via ads of the world)

This advertisement for Iberia, the main airline in Spain, is ridiculously clever. Utilizing the normally mundane strips at the entrance of airport baggage carousels, the iconic bullfighter symbol of Spain promotes direct flights to the European nation. The vivid red not only captures the traditional cloth used by bullfighters, it makes the advertisement hard to ignore. I love design that turns something grey and regular into something really special. Genius!

(via creativeroots)