To say I am a Douglas Coupland fan would be a rather large understatement. He is one of my true design heros and I plan to do a special post on Douglas under my colour hero feature in the next bit. Although his Digital Orca sculpture outside of the Vancouver Convention Centre has been in place for 10 months or so, it still continues to dazzle and inspire me. For a city where marine life plays at the foot of our urban core while technology, innovation and video games grow as vital industries, it is simply poetic to create an orca out of pixels. We are, after all, a city where nature and urban life overlap but fuse together in harmony. Digital Orca has quickly become one of my favourite pieces of art. If I win the lottery tomorrow, I will see to it that Douglas Coupland designs many more sculptures in Vancouver!

I like the words written on the plaque beside the sculpture: “The digital orca sculpture breaks down a 3D Orca whale into cubic pixels – making a familiar symbol of the West Coast become something unexpected and new. This use of natural imagery modified by technology bridges the past to the future. It speaks to the people and activities that created Vancouver’s thriving harbour culture, while addressing the massive changes reshaping the BC economy. The sculpture’s metal construction and lighting components evoke the daily moods of the harbour and the diversity of those who work here.”

(images via douglas coupland & claire fossey)

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 just love this Athens street art by Greg Papagrigoriou. How often do you see graffiti with such a calligraphy soul? Beautiful.

(via unurth)

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)

This illustration by the super talented Spanish illustrator Pablo Amargo made me laugh. Pablo’s work is always clever, smart and wonderfully designed. I don’t think I will look at cows the same way again!

(image via shirotokuro)

Love these black and white paper art letters by French designer Jerome Corgier. It always feels like each letter of the alphabet has its own personality so it is nice to see that captured in the very different designs and typefaces used. My only wish is to see these beautiful works of art photographed on white. It feels like the coloured gradient backgrounds are distracting from the contrast and strength of pure black and white. That being said, I love the intricacy and depth of Jerome’s letters and you can view the whole alphabet here.

(via quipsologies)

It’s amazing how colour-blocking can turn ordinary objects into fantastic photo subjects. Love this styling and photography by Gothenburg-based design studio Kontor Kontur. I would like most of the colourful office supplies featured!

(via seesaw)

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)

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)

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)

Sarah Illenberger is a Berlin-based artist and photographer that constructs such whimsical and joyful pieces. Watermelon, with its bright green exterior, hot pink interior and striking black seeds, is the perfect medium for this colourful photo. A piece of melon becomes a happy pink raincloud. I love it!

(image via sarah hillenberger)

So I kind of cheated last week and posted The Black Book of Colours in this category. Well, consider this a formal introduction to the {in black & white} special feature! Many debate and many outright declare that black and white are not colours but rather, a shade and tint who only function to darken and lighten hues. That is just far too technical and clinical for my taste. I absolutely love the graphic strength of black and white especially when they are used in combination with bright punches of colour. Long story short? Black and white are full-fledged colours in these neck of the woods and are most deserving of a special feature devoted to their unrivalled style, power and possibilities. More to come in black and white!

(images via perry rubenstein, conundrum, mr.vilt, emmas designblogg, sketch 42, white on rice couple, A2, pinterest, sabahnur)

How do you help a sighted person understand how a blind person experiences colour? The Black Book of Colours by Menena Cottin and Rosana Faria uses gorgeous embossed nature illustrations so the reader can “feel” colour rather than see it. The entirely black book has accompanying braille and regular text that describes each colour through all of the senses (“brown crunches like fall leaves and smells like chocolate”). Intended as a children’s book accessible to both the sighted and the blind, the final result is a striking and elegant piece of art that opens our minds to a new way of understanding colour.

(images via brain pickings)