I love this design for Eleanor Worthington’s ‘Tolerance and Capacity’ designed by Italian studio Miulli Associati. When working on a bilingual book, it can be difficult to seamlessly fuse the two languages into one well-designed piece. Miulli Associati more than overcame this hurdle by using warm colours for the Italian section and cool colours for the English section. From the outer edges to the center, the colours transition across a gradient of colour from vibrant to white so the two languages fuse together in the middle pages of artwork. I just love this brilliant idea of colour coding. This definitely has the most attractive book edges I have ever seen!

How fantastic was Andy Warhol’s official letterhead? His passion for colour and eschewing the conventional are certainly evident in his personal branding!

(image via letter heady)

I have always loved designer David Klein’s iconic posters for airline TWA. Created in the 1950′s, the illustrations are gorgeous depictions of travel destinations. It would be great to see modern airlines return to advertising that motivates one to travel rather than photos of aircrafts and details of bargain deals. From the star-filled city of Los Angeles to the romantic layers of a Spanish flamenco dress, David perfectly captures the essence of colour-filled travel spots. I don’t think I have ever seen an illustration of New York that I love more!

(images via flavorwire)

I love this identity for Sculptivate, an environmental design agency in London. Playdoh was pushed through a stencil to create an identity that can be used across a wide range of print and digital platforms. Love how it feels like you can reach into the letterhead and feel the edges of the stencil. Perfect branding for a company focused on tactile kinds of design and so wonderfully creative and colourful.

(photography by michael hedge)

If the irritation of folding a map up along its original creases drives you insane, Crumpled City Maps by Palomar might become your new best friend. Described as “soft city maps for urban jungles”, the fabric travel companion takes seconds to open, weights on 20 grams, is super durable and 100% waterproof. Any worries about ripping a map or trying to quickly fold up tourist symbol while in a shady area are gone! Sure, GPS is everywhere but is it as fun and stimulating as a fabric map? (p.s. I’m also liking the colourful packaging and country icons)

(images via palomar & notcot)

Anagrama is a design studio in Mexico that I am constantly in awe of and is definitely among my favourites anywhere in the world. It really feels like they have pattern, colour, branding and interior design super powers! I love this identity system created for Micheline, a stationery boutique in Mexico. Keeping in mind the company’s catalogues were brightly coloured and their work is often similarly hued, Anagrama created a brand focused on striking black and white pattern and texture. A perfect mix of creating a unique voice for Micheline yet still allowing their work and colourful creations for clients to take centre stage. And how gorgeous is their workspace? What an amazing mix of black, white, colour, pattern and texture.

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)

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)

Most of the time, gift wrapping involves trying desperately to remove a stubborn price sticker and/or trying to remember if you took the price tag off. But, if you stop and look, price tags are pieces of design like any other and the good ones feature distinct colour and typography. I really love this Price Label Gift Wrap designed by Daniel Eatock as it turns a sometimes nuisance into celebratory confetti.

I’m a big sucker for stationery and desk supplies. Well, I should clarify – I’m a sucker for colourful and unique desk supplies! Those standard yellow Post-it notes kinda give me the creeps. These Sushi Memo Blocks are so handsomely designed and colourful that they can only induce happiness when sitting on your desk.

(via unplggd)

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)