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)

I don’t know why I have always had a fascination for step ladders. Maybe it is all the potential for fabulous design in the ladder and chair mix. With that in mind, I’m going to go ahead and crown Step by Iacoli & McAllister the most gorgeous step ladder I have ever seen. Fashioned after a 1920′s style step ladder, the mix of matte black, brass and pink washed oak is a sublime fusion of Art Deco and modern design. Hmmm… Maybe I need a step ladder focused blog?

Adding to his career of turning everyday forgotten objects into pieces of art, Belgian artist Wim Delvoye created his latest series “Pneu” (French for tire). Using discarded tires, Wim hand carved incredibly intricate patterns using motifs from different periods of art including Art Deco patterns and Art Nouveau floral designs. The level of detail in the relief and the sheer craftsmanship required is stunning. Have you ever seen a tire turned into something so beautiful? Such inspiration for what can be done with the things we call trash. In addition to being an amazing piece of art, I can just see one of these pieces hanging from an old tree and creating an extraordinary swing…

(spotted on inhabitat)

Given my now full-fledged obsession with modern embroidery and typography, I pretty much yelped when I saw these gorgeous embroidered business cards by designer Nina Gregier. She decided to create the textured cards in reference to her latest project – fuchsia embroidered type. One glance at that project and I fell in love with Nina’s woven letters. They are so full of imagination, geometry and bold colour. Wow. The colours look amazing next to the black paper. Don’t you wish more business cards were tactile and hand detailed? Even the back of the threads on the flipside of the card is beautiful. I will visit Nina’s website regularly to see what handmade brilliance she dreams up next!

(cards spotted on lovely stationery)

Paper-Cut-Project is an Atlanta studio overflowing with paper craft talent. These wigs are just some of the 20 paper pieces they created for Kate Spade’s Lillian Bassman collection window displays. Both the wigs and collection are inspired by the famous 1961 Bassman photograph, “A Touch of Dew” featuring windswept model Lisa Fonssagrives behind the wheel of a convertible. Such chic, modern and strong paper design with a true sense of motion, I wouldn’t mind having one to display as art. Those ponytails. Oy. The wigs are on display in Kate Spade store windows in New York so if you see them, please send a photo my way!

(spotted on strictlypaper; photograms via paper-cut-project and 1stdibs)

Tree of Life by Gary, Aaron & Khairul is a brilliant print I spotted on the Anthology blog yesterday. From afar, the piece looks like a textured tree ring but upon viewing up close, the rings turn out to be hundreds of graphic animals walking in procession around the tree ring curves. The designers created the print “to highlight the responsibility we have in letting animal species thrive in their natural environment.” Tree of Life is a pretty perfect print – meaningful, clever and striking with an socially conscious soul.

(to buy a print of the poster, go here)

I am more than a little enamoured with Love Letter Fired From a Cannon by Blake Walmsley. How clever and thought-provoking. Is it a poem? Or a piece of design? Rather dreamily, it is both. I would love a print of this on my wall (although I can’t seem to find a source beyond Diagram Journal). Finding so many talented artists and designers is making my ‘print wish list’ insanely long!

(image via the diagram)

I spotted this fantastic Birds of Australia print by Amy Borrell of Cake With Giants on Creature Comforts yesterday and fell in love. In fact, I nicknamed the birds ‘dapper flappers’ and couldn’t stop imagining the birds around Vancouver sporting similar vibrant accessories. If only the sky was full of such stylish feathered creatures!

(found via creature comforts; photography via cake with giants where you can buy the print)

A few months ago, I posted about the brilliant art installation “before I die” by Candy Chang that transformed an abandoned house in New Orleans into a thought-provoking, colourful and interactive public space. Candy continues to expand on the idea in wonderfully creative ways including these limited edition “before I die” paintings. The large 48″ x 12″ handmade pieces not only make a beautiful addition to a wall but can constantly change to reflect your evolving goals. Perhaps one day the statement is serious and the next it is downright silly. There are only 100 paintings available so hopefully you are lucky enough to grab one! Oh and put a box of really colourful chalk on your shopping list as well…

(photographs via candy chang; all proceeds go to funding future “before I die” projects.)

Oh how I love the small, folded cards in the “For Get Togethers Collection” by designer and illustrator Kathryn Whyte. A fantastic mix of art deco-like details, typography and modern-day wording. Can you think of a nicer card to receive through your letterbox?

(image via kathryn whyte’s etsy store)

I am mesmerized by N SKY C, a website that showcases the average colour of the New York City sky every five minutes via a block of colour. Hover over the block and you see a webcam snapshot of the sky in that five minute period. Created by web designer Mike Bodge from the viewpoint of his Noho and East Village facing desk, the website is a beautiful representation of weather, sunsets, sunrises and the transitions of a day. I love that each day can be summed up in its very own colour palette.

(found via new york magazine)

With 67% of Japan covered by forest and aggressive deforestation a troubling concern, designer Keita Shimizu created the More Trees Perpetual Calendar. By simply rotating each piece of wood to match the weekly structure of any month, Keita created a calendar that can be used forever. I love this brilliant piece of design and that it has so much meaning beyond its attractive good looks.

(photographs and details via rumors)

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)

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)

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)

Okay, this is a pretty genius idea. Londji created a chess set made of recycled cardboard that can be laid completely flat when not in use. Requiring only a couple minutes to set up, this game version is ridiculously useful for travel and handsome to boot!