I love when unique colours pop up amid the expected holiday palettes. St. Valentine’s Day is awash in red and pink so these beautiful origami hearts by Melanie Blodgett and their spectrum of retro colours really tickle my fancy. Perhaps a new holiday palette has been born?
(photograph via you are my fave)
These vibrant soaps by Mamoucha are full of lovely colour swatch combinations and patterns. They would certainly add a striking dash of abstract art to any soap dish…
(photographs by/soap available via mamoucha here and here or anthropologie)
Product packaging is an essential part of retail design and is a fabulous resource for design inspiration. I love bold type placement and treatments, bright pops of colour, and collections that embrace a range of unique yet united typography.
Yes, I have a thing for retail exteriors and signage. One look I love lately is small but powerful typography. With strong contrasts or in handsome wee neon, the style can make an exterior look rather chic.
Old school hand-lettering, cursive neon, striking handwriting, creating words out of tile — typography based on hand-drawn type can look smashing in design and retail. Done right, it feels modern rather than trendy. I particularly love the craftsmanship it adds to any design. Seek out friends with magnificent penmanship!
I strongly dislike the typeface Papyrus. There, I said it. I get itchy when I see it and feel disturbed when companies, events and shops use typography derived from Microsoft Word to brand themselves. When it comes to telling the world who you are, why use a generic (and probably not design-focused) voice? Not only will you get lost in a sea of competitors also using “Word magic” but standing out in a stylish way becomes virtually impossible. In my latest post for Rena Tom, I showcase how great typography can make all the difference in the quest for memorable design and branding. While focused on retail, the need for fantastic typography is universal so the images hopefully inspire all type-related projects. Take a peek at my post here…
(packaging images via: ddmmyy, raw type, de-construct,cool hunting, lovely package, and slingshot coffee co.; small type images via new places to be, design*sponge, dezeen, and scout magazine; hand-drawn images via la potenza, trish papadakos, remodelista, kristen leigh, kinfolk, wallpaper and remodelista)
Statistics are just better when you add colour, yes? I love this data visualization of interior design colour statistics by designers Mie Frey Damgaard and Peter Ørntoft for global paint brand Jotun. A seamless combination of handcrafted design nd consumer data. I’m not completely certain about the colours selected but the diagram concept and its styling are fantastic…
(photographs/video via behance)
Whoa, today my wee colour blog turns two years old. How did that happen so fast? To mark the occasion, I just had to make Pantone confetti using an outdated book sitting in my art supplies. Perhaps on Plenty of Colour’s third anniversary, there can be a global recycled Pantone guide confetti throw? Hmm…
Also, I want to say thank you to all of the people that pop by this blog, thoughtfully email and tweet me, and support the site in general. The very best aspect of having creating Plenty of Colour has been meeting so many wonderful people from all over the world. I always knew colour lovers were the best of humanity! I am tremendously thankful and grateful for all of the colour love and support you have tossed my way. Cheers to the year ahead and the new features and pops of colour it will bring. Thank you ALL! — Chloé
(pantone confetti and “2″ by chloé douglas for plenty of colour)
Modern neon, bright colour and strong typography — is there a better combination? The Melbourne Theatre Company utilizes all three elements in their 2013 season identity created by Interbrand. I love the custom typography called ‘MTC Neon” and its modern angles, glowing finish and nod to theatrical heritage. A glowing typeface could easily appear cheesy or fake in print but I think Interbrand does a smashing job of using the effect in an truly elegant way. Appearing on dark photographs and backgrounds, it allows titles and type to dramatically “light-up” different scenes (regardless of application). I particularly like the program covers as they highlight how the typeface could be used in photographed or physical 3D. Arts are an illuminating pillar in our society and here, Interbrand has crafted an identity that really captures that sentiment…
(spotted on and images via BP&O)
I’m not sure anyone “needs” hair chalk but honestly, how fun would it be to run one of these vibrant hues through your locks? The Hair Chalk Set by Urban Outfitters features 32 semi-permanent colours that are blendable on wet or dry hair. I particularly like the look of small hints of colour on thin sections or hair ends. Maybe I do need some pops of fuchsia…
(photographs via urban outfitters)
I love this photograph of vibrant sarees scattered across the stairs of the Ahilya temple in Maheshwar, India. Captured by photographer Eli Shams, the contrast of old stonework and drops of rich colour create one smashing palette…
Intriguing lights, mattress box spring inspiration boards, neon pink desks, pegboards, layers of design details…
Studios under the stairs or in attics, all white spaces with pops of colour, half walls of hue, huge blackboards, bins of supplies…
Supplies organized by colour in bins, shelves and stacks…
I really love studio spaces. Yep, I even have a Pinterest board devoted to them! How can you not love seeing the environments that inspire people, the supplies they use and all of the interior details that make a space one-of-a-kind? In my latest post for Rena Tom, I showcase studios and some of the facets that make them efficient and artful. Designer, accountant, candlestick maker — we all need a creative spot to call our own. Whether you build an entirely new studio or simply buy a desk chair you really love, the new year should include the creation of a space that truly inspires you. Take a peak at my post here if you are interested…
(images via/ first set:lovely shelter, desire to inspire, apartment therapy, smäm, remodelista, sf girl by bay; second set: practically modern, sf girl by bay, sa decor, vtwonen, fjeldborg, ikea family live; third set: the design files, martha stewart, i art u)
I have a fetish for well-designed cushions so these handmade Kisshions by the fabulous British shop Room39 make me giddy. I love the unique shapes and overall combination of vibrant colour, metallic pattern and metallic leather piping. Two very different but equally great sides make for twice the interior design options. Pink or jade with gold, tangerine or vert with silver and a dual-sided charcoal denim pattern… One of each please?
(photographs via room39)
Black and white packaging with a pop of colour just plain tickles my fancy. Showcasing the colour contents of a product, serving as a copy or brand hue highlight, creating a colour-coding system, adding a burst of bright hue — there are no limits to the various ways this approach can look fantastic. With so many great examples, perhaps this post will need parts one through ten…
(photographs from top: lovely package, prospector co., anaise, the dieline, heydays, the dieline, frontier, mox botanicals, refinery 29, design work life & packaging of the world)
The hues attributed to fruit photography often focus on juicy primary colours. Captured by Jojo Filer-Cooper, this beautiful photograph caught my eye because it is a unique showcase of the elegant colours and textures of fruit (all against an ocean turquoise backdrop). Not your average fruit bowl…
(photograph via jojo filer-cooper)
