monoprix packaging










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)

POSTED ON March 23, 2011

LABELS: brands & shops, graphic design, many colours, package & parcel, typography   5 Comments   Tweet This

the new yorker, 3/28/11

There are few things as effortlessly full of joy and innocence as pink cherry blossom trees or Japanese sakura. Their symbolic use on the cover of the March 28th issue of The New Yorker is as beautiful as it is heartbreaking. A moving cover by Christoph Niemann.

(image via how magazine)

POSTED ON

LABELS: artists & designers, black, graphic design, i heart books, illustration, pink   3 Comments   Tweet This

universal wrapping paper {in black & white}





This Universal Wrapping Paper isn’t just attractive, it contains a fantastic idea. Using the concept of a word puzzle, it allows the user to customize the paper for any required holiday. Such a brilliant idea by Fabio Milito and Francesca Guidotti. I can only imagine the colour co-ordinated pens that could be used on this handsome black and white paper.

(via the dieline)

POSTED ON March 10, 2011

LABELS: black, graphic design, in black & white, paper, print & ink, typography, white   2 Comments   Tweet This

ocean, atmosphere & earth prints



Love these handsome silkscreen prints by brainstorm print & design. Using bold colour palettes and design, they feature the layers that make-up the ocean, earth and atmosphere. Such a brilliant and bold poster for any science, nature or design lover.

(via bancroft and ivy)

POSTED ON February 28, 2011

LABELS: artists & designers, graphic design, many colours, paper, print & ink   No Comments   Tweet This

life calendar




Life Calendar by Barcelona-based Brigada Creativa allows you to sum up each day by drawing a face onto a colourful dot. I love the idea of this bright and graphic poster on an office wall. I imagine it provides some insight as well – patterns and arcs that emerge. It would be so interesting to look at a whole year in this way.

POSTED ON February 25, 2011

LABELS: blue, graphic design, paper, print & ink, yellow   No Comments   Tweet This

we love geometry {in black & white}








I really like this project by Estudio Ibán Ramón titled “We Love Geometry”. The set consists of nine cards with unique geometrical renditions of the numbers one through nine. The cards fold out into posters and we discover that the numbers are part of a larger design. I like how this project works on two levels and features such bold black and white geometry and typography. Love how each number is given its own personality!

(via shiro to kuro)

POSTED ON February 24, 2011

LABELS: black, graphic design, in black & white, paper, print & ink, typography, white   No Comments   Tweet This

paint swatch business cards



I really love business cards. Especially when they are unique and attention grabbing. Canadian designer James Prunean created these business cards when his brother needed new marketing for his painting business. I have seen other colour swatch based business cards but these have such great letterpress details and typography. Love the blind emboss ‘painter’ in the colour swatch and all of the hue options too!

(via lovely stationery)

POSTED ON February 23, 2011

LABELS: canadian, graphic design, many colours, paper, print & ink   3 Comments   Tweet This

left brain vs. right brain


I really like these beautiful illustrations created for a Mercedes-Benz ad campaign. Love the very technical, industrial left side designs and the wild, colourful and layered illustrations exploding from the right side. I think I know what side I tend to spend most of my time using… (Click on the images to see big versions of the ads)

(via ads of the world)

POSTED ON February 22, 2011

LABELS: advertisement, brands & shops, graphic design, illustration, many colours   5 Comments   Tweet This

cb2 digi pop linens {objects of desire}



Call me a nerd but these CB2 digi pop bed linens are pretty fantastic. I have a feeling they would inspire some colourful dreams. (p.s. fellow designers, they look like Illustrator swatch palettes don’t you think?)

POSTED ON February 19, 2011

LABELS: graphic design, many colours, objects of desire, swatches & palettes   No Comments   Tweet This

discovery album cover

I love this Discovery album cover. It is no easy feat to seamlessly transition from orange to blue but this gradient does it flawlessly. I love the pixelated plaid-like effect created. I have no idea what this album is about but from the fusion of warm and cool colours, I imagine it has songs that transition from sad/depressed to happy/optimistic. Or a mix of slow and fast songs? In any case, it is a fantastic, colourful album cover!

(image via discovery)

POSTED ON February 17, 2011

LABELS: blue, graphic design, music, film & tv, orange, pattern & texture   No Comments   Tweet This

coffee and cigarettes {in black & white}

This is such a brilliant movie poster for “Coffee and Cigarettes” by Viktor Hertz. I love how the ampersand is the bold focal point with simple but strong details that suggest the title features – cigarette filter lines and a coffee cup in the negative space of the bottom ampersand loop. Most modern movie posters feature glossy photos of movie stars or animations so this clever, typography-focused poster is a refreshing change I would love to see explored more often.

(image via designspiration)

POSTED ON February 16, 2011

LABELS: black, graphic design, in black & white, music, film & tv, typography, white   4 Comments   Tweet This

pop culture pantone chips

I love this take on Pantone colour chips by Matt Stevens. He created icons or used colours to represent notable or infamous events in specific years. I love the Janet Jackson Superbowl icon, the perfect colour for Monica Lewinsky’s dress and other clever takes on events like the introduction of the iPhone, the O.J. Simpson glove, the Dolly sheep cloning debate and the BP oil spill. I think the whole piece is just brilliant and I hope Matt expands it to reference the last 100 years!

(image via Matt Stevens)

POSTED ON February 4, 2011

LABELS: artists & designers, graphic design, many colours, swatches & palettes   1 Comment   Tweet This

minimalism heroes

Using their famous colour palettes and graphic elements, Illustrator Fabian Gonzalez created icons to depict famous comic book characters and superheros in their most simple form. It’s amazing how these striped down symbols really capture the essence of the characters. I love Batman, Spiderman and Wonder Woman but most of all, the four Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and their colour-coded masks.

(Left to right, top to bottom: Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Superman, Supergirl, Barbarella, Mighty Mouse Ironman, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Cyclops, The Incredibles, Kick Ass, Radioactive Man, Fall Out Boy, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Captain Atom, Aeon Flux, El Santo, Wolverine, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, Professor X, Chapulin Colorado, The Darkness, The Tick, Ben (FF), Hellboy, He-Man, Freakazoid, Silver Surfer, Witchblade, Metamorpho, Spiderman, Mandrake, Mighty Man, Green Lantern, Falcon, Atom Ant, Green Arrow, The Phantom, Storm (Xmen), Birdman, Aquaman, Iceman, Captain Marvel, Spawn, Space Ghost, Blade, Blue Falcon, Dynomutt, Flash Gordon, Bartman, The Vision (Avengers), TMNT Raphael, TMNT Leonardo, TMNT Donatello, TMNT Michelangelo, Plastic Man, Duffman, Scarlet Witch, The Punisher, Dare Devil, Hawkman, Black Vulcan, Zorro, Hawk & Dove, Sandman, Antman, Gambit, Wonder Twins, Marshal Bravestarr, Electra, Spider Woman)

(image via fabian gonzalez)

POSTED ON February 3, 2011

LABELS: artists & designers, graphic design, illustration, many colours   No Comments   Tweet This

iconic images in 140 circles of colour

Graphic Nothing reduced famous paintings and album covers down to 140 circles of colour. Step back from your screen and the image becomes clear. Definitely shows how powerful colour is in creating iconic images! (from top: Mona Lisa, The Beatles’ ‘Abbey Road’, Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’)

(images via some prints)

POSTED ON January 31, 2011

LABELS: art, artists & designers, graphic design, many colours   1 Comment   Tweet This

YouTube Icon Poster

In the company logo’s signature red colour, Canadian designers Ibraheem Youssef and Paul Parolin created icons to represent YouTube’s 100 most viewed videos of all time. Amazing how each video can be distilled into such a simple yet perfect graphic. (Also incredible how many times the Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga icons make an appearance!)

(to see a larger version of the poster, click on the image twice)

POSTED ON January 26, 2011

LABELS: artists & designers, canadian, graphic design, red   No Comments   Tweet This

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