This lightbulb typography sculpture by Brighton-based designer Kyle Bean stopped me in my tracks this morning. The piece was created for a Time Magazine ’10 Ideas’ feature and manages to be both industrial and delicate. It is a great play on the “light goes off” element of idea creation and makes me want to see an entire installation playing with light bulb typography…

(photograph by victoria ling via kyle bean)

Paper chains are timelessly awesome. That might be why this typography by Madrid-based studio IS Creative Studio makes me so happy. The designers created the paper chain alphabet and logo for the the Getxophoto Photography Festival identity. I love how they photographed the shadow-filled typography in pure white but also threw colour behind it for elements like the eye-catching neon poster. Perhaps a paper chain symbolizes a connected festival of like-minded people? The name of each photographer, featured in the final official Getxophoto book, were also cut out and used as chapter titles. Long live the paper chain…

(photographs via is creative studio)

French artist Suzy Lelièvre manages to take everyday objects and make them thought-provoking and playful. I especially love her pieces Gravity Dice and Dominos Gravitation. Why shouldn’t dice dots fall to the bottom of the cubes? Why wouldn’t domino spots all hail the mighty ‘one spot’ leader? I might refuse to play any games that aren’t as handsomely designed as these pieces…

(photographs via suzy lelièvre)

While I do have a blog focused to colour, I still love white for its power, purity and ability to make colour look dazzling. I have been particularly enamoured with the recent trends devoted to exploring white in both classic and modern ways. White on White, Embellished, Textured, Dips of Metallics, Pops of Colour, Perforated – there has been no shortage of stunning new techniques and ideas devoted to white. I wrote a post on Rena Tom’s site on this topic so please take a look here if you are interested.

(images via minted condition, september industry, christian bird, de-construct, freedom of creation, design labyrinth, june eleven and nakam)

Watching the Oscars and its red carpet of fashion has to be a high point of February. What colour trends emerged victorious on Hollywood’s biggest night of the year? I would say winter white was the runaway style choice. Other trends focused on various shades of red, blue, green, neutral and gold. I can’t remember an award show with less black! To be honest, I was a tad disappointed with Oscar 2012′s sartorial showing. I guess I just loved the fashion of last year’s show and wasn’t overly enamoured with many of the dresses selected this time around. That being said, I loved Emma Stone’s raspberry-crimson Giambattista Valli, Michele William’s coral-red Louis Vuitton, Penelope Cruz’s blue-grey Armani Privé, Tina Fey’s deep blue Carolina Herrera, Viola Davis’ emerald Vera Wang, Maya Rudolph’s plum Johanna Jonson, Cameron Diaz’s buff Gucci, Octavia Spencer’s white Tadashi Shoji, Meryl Streep’s golden Lanvin and Milla Jovovich’s sparkling Elie Saab. There were plenty of fashionable gents (and a mini-trend of navy tuxedos) but my very favourite was Christopher Plummer’s dapper midnight blue tuxedo complete with black trimming and a handsome Order of Canada pin. Now that’s true style. What was your favourite?

(photographs via harper’s bazaar, elle, the province and instyle)

I recently came across the headquarters of Ziba Design, a design consultancy in Portland. The lobby features an installation of employee names laser-cut from wafers of Styrofoam and hung vertically according to date hired. As a vital prototyping material used by industrial designers and one that happens to be cheap and light, the use of Styrofoam is brilliant. Even better? The cluster of names is positioned across from large windows with a view of Portland’s waterfront. As weather and light changes, the wall will showcase different patterns of colours and shadows dancing across the typography. The piece will also constantly evolve as new Ziba employees are added to the piece (really highlighting people as the soul of any company). I love this installation not only for its beauty but as a example of fantastic material selection and, more than anything, how design need not be expensive to be stunning.

(photographs via aiga)

Until last week, I had no idea what the Department of Philosophy building at New York University looked like. When I came across an image while doing research, I was stunned. Jaw-dropped, eyes insanely large, stunned. How was this done four years ago but I had never seen it? Good Lord. While the exterior of the 1890 corner building is protected and thus remains untouched, Steven Holl Architects did a complete 30,000 square foot interior renovation. The concept “organizes the new spaces around light and phenomenal properties of materials” and it is hard to see the space as anything but enlightening. The skylight and 6-level stair shaft are awash in beautiful shapes and constantly change with the seasonal light. The upper level floors feature “different shades and textures of black and white, according to the texts in Ludwig Wittgenstein’s book ‘Remarks on Colour’“. Oh and those flickers of rainbow on the gorgeous textures of rich white? Prismatic film was installed on some of the stairwell windows which allowed sunlight to occasionally place a piece of rainbow onto the clean interior. It feels modern, spiritual and simply peaceful. Can you think of a better place to ponder philosophy? Easily one of the most beautiful pieces of interior designs I have laid eyes on and so very perfect for its subject. Hmm, time to google NYU philosophy program applications…

(all images © andy ryan via steven holl architects, dezeen and architizer)

Like geometric patterns, I have always had a love affair with facets. The handsome flat faces of geometric shapes are gorgeous in nature’s sparkling gems and as forms used in design. Throw in some paper art and I can barely contain myself. Case in point? This beautiful photo backdrop by Matthew Parker Events created for the Design*Sponge book tour party at Anthropologie in Seattle. Hundreds of faceted white shapes were careful folded and artistically hung from the wood frame. It feels like a sublime drift of peacefully geometric snow…

(images via matthew parker events)

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)

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)

1,000 white envelopes containing poems were strung throughout a garden in Madrid, Spain in a recent installation by Luzinterruptus called ’1,000 Poems by Mail’. Created as part of poetry festival Poetas Por Km2, each envelope contained a poem written by one of the 17 poets participating. The envelopes were softly illuminated as a centrepiece for the three day festival and on the last night, were offered to the public as a memento or easy-to-address note to a loved one. I just love this type of street art…

(spotted on the artist and his model)

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)