Who says the neon colour family must always be distractingly bright? I love the soft, almost washed neon look used in this Las Palabras Pintadas branding by Buenos Aires designer Lucía Izco. Add in the perfect neutral brown/grey background, one tone photography and some fabulous typography? The recipe for print design that makes neon feel fresh and sophisticated…

(image via lucía izco/behance)

Malaysian designer Tang Yau Hoong uses negative space in such a dreamy way. These two illustrations caught my eye yesterday because they have a lovely contrast of colours and, like all of Tang’s work, are a magical way of looking at everyday life. I love the idea of colour painted against the night sky…

(images via tang yau hoong and demilked)

Spanish photographer Lola Guerrera created her series ‘Nebula Humilis’ in the deserts of Mexico and I love the juxtaposition of harsh, neutral rock formations and soft, vibrant plumes of coloured smoke. The red image really feels like a magical volcano, don’t you think? (p.s. I am a huge fan of this coloured smoke movement in art. Take a look at my other two postings on the subject here and here).

(photographs via lola guerrera)

If 2012 is going to see the end of the world, you may as well go out with some attractive branding! Design studio MENOSUNOCEROUNO created Just In Case, “an end-of-the-world survival kit” or “the perfect brand for the end of times”. The kit contains six iconic products from Mexico re-packaged in bold yellow including dark chocolate, a classic notebook, a simple knife, 40 black matches, liqueur and a bottle of water. This collection may not ensure long-term survival but you certainly will enjoy your final hours… (Read more about the kit here)

(spotted on the dieline)

One of my very favourite food blogs is Matt Bites. Matt Armendariz is ridiculously multi-talented in the areas of culinary creation, food photography, styling and general design flair. The recipes Matt features are always drool-inducing and the photography? Well, it makes you want to pop through the screen and live in Matt’s world of fabulously styled cuisine. Matt’s latest post focuses on Winter Citrus and the images are full of crisp shades of yellow, green and orange. I love this citrus peel title Matt created and its handsomely handcrafted typography. Maybe citrus colours are the perfect anecdote to a grey January?

I have posted about the sublime embroidery work of Evelin Kasikov before but with every visit to her website, I am reminded of Evelin’s immense talent and am inspired to post again. A project that I just love is her Stitched CMYK Colour Chart. Embroidering the cyan/magenta/yellow/black or CMYK colour model required in colour printing, Evelin creates a handmade printing process that charts colours combinations by an interval of 25%. Designed for the Digital Soirée event at Central Saint Martins, this piece is a beautiful fusion of meticulous handmade design and the technological aspects of printing. I can’t wait to see where Evelin takes her fantastic CMYK embroidery talent next. Perhaps a completely embroidered Pantone guide?!

Do I need Pineapple Ring Sticky Notes? No, I definitely do not. But I may be able to convince myself I do based on my love for Hawaii and unique desk supplies. The sticky note packaging is also an example of simple but perfect packaging. I don’t think these pineapple rings would be as fantastic without the tin can to keep them in. It’s amazing how you can re-imagine boring, corporate yellow post-its with a little imagination in shape and packaging…

(spotted on mochi things)

Click here to view the embedded video.

The FAME Festival in Grottaglie, Italy hosts artists from all over the world for one to four weeks during the spring and summer months to create street art installations, screenprints, ceramics and large-scale murals. The festival has produced some fantastic pieces of street art including what might be my very favourite, this tiny clothesline. Last week, artists Brad Downey and Akay collaborated over six days to create some imaginative and colourful pieces including this beautiful pasta curtain and ‘tipping point’ installation featuring dramatically linked cans of paint. Throwing pots of colour off a roof to create a spontaneous colour palette is officially on my life list…

(see more of the collaboration here)

Man Blowing a Bubble, a short film by Mitch Ansara has officially made my day. Perhaps because of my inappropriate use of emoticons in business correspondence or my love for Mary Tyler Moore’s stylish typewriting, this film set on paper just makes me happy.

(image via flickr; visit mitch’s blog here)

I saw the Cubes Perpetual Calendar in the MoMA online store was instantly smitten. Oy, the vibrant CMYK colours on a handsome black base. Have you seen a more attractive calendar? Love the brilliant use of space as months are printed in different directions to make six cube sides turn into 12 months. Great design, full of colour and good for the environment? I am in love.

Just over a week ago was Milan’s Design Week and famous champagne house Veuve Clicquot was a highly visible sponsor of the event. I have always been a fan of companies who use their brand colour in creative and innovative ways so I have fallen in love with Clicq’d Up – a foldable champagne bucket design by Belgian designer Mathias van de Walle for the event. Created in Veuve Clicquot’s powerful orangey-yellow signature hue, the origami-inspired structure is gorgeous. I also love that the bucket folds up flat for easy travel. A gorgeous piece of design in a vibrant brand colour!

(via cool hunting)

I love the idea that a bee and a ladybug would passionately argue over who has a better graphic pattern. Another fantastic illustration in Lim Heng Swee’s Doodle Everyday project. (I previously posted about his whimsical clouds doodle.)

(image via doodle everyday)