Oribbon, a mixture of origami and ribbon, is a sticky strip of paper scored in a multitude of directions so it can folded into different shapes including the origami bows above. Talk about turning a regular present into a work of art. What a ridiculously clever design by Azumi Mitsuboshi.

(images via upon a fold where oribbon can be purchased)

Mouta is a natural object and furniture collection by Bordeaux designer Caroline Gomez. The wood she uses to craft her work is a dreamy hue and a perfect neutral for punchy pastels and sherbet hues. In addition to beautiful wood work, Caroline’s sense of styling is fantastic. I love the pops of colour she stacks on that handsome table. How about those beautiful lamp cords? Or the illustrations with perfectly selected tape hues? Caroline’s images have created a distinct brand palette of natural cool-toned wood, muted neons and traditional pastels. An inspiring combination. There is so much to love but that cutting board with the holes for fruit steadying is making my day…

Is it facet day? Not officially. Maybe if there is a third post on the topic? I love these Crystal Crayons by Kikkerland. They are perfect for a creative kid or art supply lover. Personally, I think a white bowl of these crayons would look fantastic on a design studio desk as they feel like little faceted sculptures. I would love to see a set created in jewel tone colours…

My First Autobahn Tape by Donkey Creative Lab is a brilliant kid’s product. Rather than stick to static and expensive toy car sets, the tape allows you to create custom and temporary streets anywhere you please. Fancy one long road through your playroom? How about a complex web of Paris streets weaving around your bedroom? Any road design is possible with this fantastic tape. If I were a kid, I would run some roads up the walls and across the ceiling. Perfect for travel too…

Pattern, colour, type, slipcase, booklets, print. All good words alone but even better when they come together. Case in point? This limited edition box-set by Fontsmith for the 10th anniversary of their typeface library launch. Designed by Thompson Brand Partners, each of the ten booklets is written by a typeface designer and explores the creative process behind type design. Such a beautiful piece of print with fantastic colours and patterns. The photo of the booklet spines in a stack or spilling out of the bespoke slipcase just makes me plain happy…

(spotted on collate)

God bless the blade sign – a gem of a retail signage and brand. If you are interesting in going a virtual walking tour of store sign trends and inspiration, please pop over to Rena Tom’s blog where I wrote a post on the topic. Time to find a real life job where I can go on daily field trips to ponder shop and store design…

(images via the society inc, armas, the dieline and damon styer)

As you may know by now, I love seeing how brands and designers display colour swatches. Nowadays, the auto industry uses glossy photographs or website customizers to show the dazzling paint jobs available on new models. They are an effective modern way of advertising colour but I am in love with this strip swatch style used for Plymouth Barracudas in the 1960′s and 1970′s. It certainly must have made car buying a more creative experience! I’m thinking the display model could be parked all over a city as its own eye-catching advertisement? I wish car companies still created stripe models like this. I would be first in line to buy the sample swatch car…

(images via blog dos carros antigos and just a car guy)

I spotted this Barbiturik shoelace packaging on Lovely Package this afternoon and was instantly smitten. Test tubes featuring a mix of typefaces and stuffed with colourful fabric? I’m sold. Shoelace packaging is rarely an example of great design but these might set a new standard. From the tubes to the bright contrasting colours of laces and aglets, I wouldn’t mind having the whole set simply as a desk accessory! Barbiturik was created by Rémy Hernandez after he suffered a skateboarding crash that left him a quadriplegic. His passion for skateboarding sparked the creation of the brand. An inspiring story you can read more about here.

(images via lovely package)

I’ll admit it, I laughed over these Dear Cab Driver Napkins for far too long this morning. I blame Monday? With those notes your mother used to pin to your mittens in mind, you can now enjoy some festive beverages with no worries of pesky details like your address and money location. These cocktail squares are sure to be the hit of your next party (as long as your party can live up to their wild expectations!)

(more information via heliotrope)

How spectacular is this cover for Novum Magazine by German design studio Paperlux? The colourful triangle pattern is beautiful in its own right but the ingenious printing technique that creates moldable facets and insane texture is extraordinary. The ‘making of’ video shows the sculptural paper piece in motion as well as a glimpse into the technology and methodical design required to create the cover. Colour, texture, pattern, printing brilliance and paper sculpture? Not sure it gets better than that.

(spotted on/images via graphic exchange and paperlux)

As of this week, I am officially a member of Rena Tom’s blog contributor family and I am thrilled! Rena is a mastermind of retail strategy for creative businesses, entrepreneurs, designers and retailers. She also shares her considerable knowledge via speaking engagements and workshops as well as columns on design*sponge, poppytalk and in UPPERCASE magazine. On top of all that, she has managed to create her own blog jam-packed with vital and inspiring information for retail and creative businesses in general. I have been a frequent visitor for quite some time so I was honoured when Rena asked me to be a contributor on her site (along with a handful of intimidatingly talented individuals). Every second Wednesday on Rena’s site I will be posting about design trends and inspiration in retail. As always, colour will be main topic! Please join me there if you are interested. My first post went up this morning and I can’t wait to see what future retail details we can explore. Thanks Rena for a fabulous opportunity…

Pantone Hotel is a boutique hotel in Brussels devoted to colour and designed around the famous Pantone Matching System. Although it opened last year, my obsession with visiting has not dimmed one bit so I decided I had to post about it. Designed by architect Olivier Hannaert and interior designer Michel Penneman, the building feels very similar to Pantone swatches with bright white features creating a canvas for saturated bursts of colour. Each of the seven floors is focused on a different hue so you can decide if you want to stay in a passionate red room or a tranquil blue one. I like how the room numbers are three Pantone swatch numbers. The hotel lobby is the cheerful heart of the colour drenched building and houses the biggest selection of Pantone licensed products worldwide. From the coloured glass on the exterior to the rugs of small vivid squares, I love how every detail has been thought of and that they all embrace Pantone swatches with wit and style. Maybe one day, we will have a conference in this embassy of colour and discuss the world of hue with a Pantone mug in hand?

(photographs © sven laurent – let me shoot for you except 5th from top by serge anton; all via pantone hotel)

Designed by Proud Creative, I love this branding for luxury jewellery firm Guy & Max. Most jewellery companies seem to go down that “pretty proposal” route but Guy & Max feels bold, masculine and fiercely modern with a high fashion edge. Oh and I think their shop has the most beautiful awning I have ever seen. By using just the right shades of black in just the right geometric pattern, the piece feels like a sculptural work of facets. Same goes for the business card as it feels like a paper sculpture rather than a flat piece of paper. Throw in some sublime macro photographs of diamonds and this branding is officially gorgeous. With such a great look, I can only imagine the stunning jewellery being created by Guy & Max.

(spotted on september industry)

When it comes down to it, make up is just pot and tube colour swatches. Perhaps that is the main reason that the displays, design and styling of cosmetics is always inspiring to me. I just love the whimsy and handmade-feeling design of Topshop’s make up line created by designer Sarah Thorne. Their main line is a chic mix of matte greys, uncoated paper, black patterns and hand drawn illustrations. In addition, each fashion season sees the launch of trend led make up range with inspirations such as ‘sand storm’, ‘festival’, ‘heavy duty’ and ‘smoke and mirrors’. I love how detailed and just plain artistic the packaging is. How stunning is the sandstorm mountain range packaging with dashes of colour and pencil lines of gold? The illustrations look like there were drawn with make up and the pieces feel like art. From metallic foils to scalloped box edges to the hand drawn type that unites all the products in every range, Topshop makeup are worth buying simply as examples of beautifully crafted design.

(images via sarah thorne, unity and form and the dieline)

I just discovered, via a home construction project, that lumber crayons exist. Until last week, I used pencil when working with wood for a project. Little did I know a world of colourful lumber crayons was living in the local hardware store. Available in a wide range of colours, lumber crayons last 10 times longer than ordinary crayons and are water, fade and smear proof on wet or dry wood, metal, concrete and most other surfaces. Colourful and technically amazing? What a schmuck I was with that silly pencil. I am quite partial to the hexagon shaped and florescent lumber crayons. Maybe it is time to go to the hardware store on a colour-finding mission?

(images via prang, tanjant and lainey bugger)

Minimega is a design studio and online shop that creates fabulously patterned and colourful stationery, paper products, gift wrap, cards and more. Their dots, triangle or nautical pattern gift wrap would make even the strangest present look fantastic. I wouldn’t mind framing a sheet or two. On top of great products, Minimega is focused on the environment with 100% recycled paper, vegetable-based inks and no unnecessary chemicals. I really love Minimega’s product photography and styling. Full of colourful details, the shots are just plain inspiring. I’m fairly certain any design studio would benefit from an frilled ice cream paper decoration… (Oh and Minimega even has an awesome blog bursting with hue!)