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)

Look Books are an inspiring cornerstone of design and retail. I wrote a post for Rena Tom’s site about the various forms of look books, components to consider and some inspiring examples to ponder. I think look books have a life beyond their usual users (fashion) as many product lines and professionals can benefit from creating one. Whether as a beautiful printed piece or digital layout, there is no end to the value look books hold for a maker, collection or brand. Oh and they are often just plain awesome nuggets of design and photography! The styling of look books is one of my very favourite facets of design. If it interests you, take a look at the post here.

(photographs via jeff gros, studio brave, foundry studio, ferm living, castle, hem design and roandco)

I’m a big fan of bold branding and the recent trend of more flexible, customizable features like stickers, stamps and tape. The identity for Round Hill Music, a boutique music rights company with a catalogue including The Beatles, marries creative-focused detail with a slick, trustworthy corporate feel. New York studio Established NYC focused on the necessity of tape in so many facets of the music industry “from notes on a grand piano to markings on a recording studio’s mixing board to taping plectrums on the microphones during a live gig or damping snare drums”. Tape became not only the central logo feature but is used as an bold branding detail across the identity suite. It’s instantly recognizable (always the mission) and I love the mix of hot pink, silver foil and black and white. Elegant and artistic – the best combination possible…

(photographs/quote via september industry)

Pops of colour are a timeless and always enticing cornerstone of style. Many have declared 2012 “the year of colour” as hues from dreamy pastels to saturated tropicals have dominated every avenue of design. Does colour ever really go out of style though? No! From classic strong selling colours to the trendiest short-lived shade, splashes of colour will always be highly coveted and ripe for evolution. I wrote a post for Rena Tom’s site about how these pops can be applied to branding, shops and product design (or perhaps your next chic outfit and interior design project). Take a look here if you are interested in happy-making splashes of hue…

(photographs via km graphique, dingbat press, the dieline, yellows photography, teaching literacy, weekday carnival, best made, tetino-tete and seesaw)

From updating the traditional open/closed sign to picking a new photo styling look, there are so many elements to retail design that are inspiring and full of possibilities. As it is the New Year, it is the perfect time to update your retail or personal branding and design. Or just ponder some shop and design eye candy! I wrote a post on Rena Tom’s blog on some unique facets of retail design plump with inspiring images so take a look if you are interested. If possible, writing it has made me dream of creating a shop even more…

(images via portland garment factory, stilleben, is creative studio, magpie studio, joanna reutter, september industry, behance, the dieline and iiiinspired)

I admit it, I am slightly Christmas bonkers. It’s hard not to be inspired and full of joy in a season bursting with colour. One of my very favourite parts of the holidays is advent calendars. They are just so full of design possibilities from the traditional windowed illustration calendars to the most contemporary parcel-a-day designs. Advent calendars make the lead-up to Christmas special and full of anticipation while also creating some fantastic design avenues to explore. I could post a hundred photos but these are a few that have caught my eye over the last few weeks. A paper forest, a watercolour spectrum, an office window showcase – advent calendars are beautiful in their traditional meaning and ability to make the holidays even more magical.

As we open the final advent calendar window/parcel, I want to wish you (each and every person who kindly reads plenty of colour!) a very happy holiday season and all the very best in 2012. I can’t believe that I started this blog exactly 11 months ago today. I am beyond grateful for the tremendous support I have received from all over the world. I started this blog because I saw a void in colour-focused design blogs and was hoping to just toss some hue-filled inspiration onto the Internet and maybe get a handful of visitors. I had no idea I would meet so many colour-loving, creative and supportive people. All of your emails, tweets and support in general has been amazing. Creating/running this blog has been a dream come true and I am so thankful for all of you who pop by for a bit of colour inspiration. Thank you. There are some changes on the horizon so expect bigger, better and more colourful things in 2012! – Chloé

(images via snug., fry dog design, inspiration overdose, snug., brigg, style cookie, anthology, griottes, a simple nest, happy mundane, house to home, the marion house book, creative review, cirkus, sheenalu, a few things from my life, country living, brigitte, ohdeedoh, french by design and the eclectic life)

This is probably the longest I have gone without posting since I started plenty of colour 10 months ago! Some decidedly uncolourful things have sprung up but have no fear, I will be posting an avalanche of hue-filled items soon. There are few seasons as colour-inspiring as Christmas.

In the meantime and if you are interested in retail branding, take a peek at a post I wrote for Rena Tom’s website on the topic of gift certificates. So many shops and makers use boring plastic swipe cards or fill-in templates which is a missed creative and branding opportunity in my mind. There are a million small but impactful details that can make the buyer feel like their purchase is important to the seller and make the recipient feel like they got a really special gift. Oh and make your shop or company become a beacon of gift certificate attractiveness and fantastic branding! Take a look here if you are interested…

(images via hyperkit, boomkat, september industry, habit of art, present and correct, ncf studio, creature comforts, sweet paul, rie elise larsen and martha stewart)

I haven’t posted anything about the upcoming holiday season thus far but expect some festive entries on the horizon as December knocks on the door (tomorrow? eek!). On the topic of colour and the holidays, I wrote a piece on Rena Tom’s website today pondering the many unique colour palettes and swatches beyond the famous holiday pairing of red and green. From icy vintage to bright yellow to neon details, there are endless modern possibilities. Please take a look here if you are interested in the colours of the festive season. Do you have a favourite holiday colour scheme? I would love to hear…

(photographs via rifle paper co., shop sweet lulu, martha stewart, emmas designblogg, hey look, 101woonideeen, the sweetest occasion and emmas designblogg)

Fogal is a Swiss fashion brand most famous for their high-end hosiery. Created in 1921 and now with stores around the world, the company’s legwear division features wildly diverse and fashion-forward styles and textures in over 70 colours. I’ve heard they make a great product but frankly, it’s the packaging I have loved for quite some time. The 1950′s/60′s feeling typography, vintage style and original logo are all fantastic but the colour palettes just make me giddy. A gorgeously vibrant collection of hues, the palette feels vintage but not stuffy. I especially love the borders of contrasting or complimentary colours. Yep, I wouldn’t mind keeping the entire collection on my desk as a perfect example of creating a big yet cohesive brand colour palette. Oh those colours would look just incredible in one big stack!

(photographs via the dieline and greedy girl)

Bottles, bags, crazy foil envelopes – there are a million types of packages and even more reasons to love their niche of design. Now more than ever, companies and designers are using minimal packaging so how do you get your brand across in an impactful and creative way? I wrote an article for Rena Tom’s site on that very topic so please take a look if you are interested. There are plenty of inspiring images if you are looking to brand your product or yourself!

(image via miss design and retail design blog)

behind the scenes

A second Kate Spade post this week because their holiday collection is just that good. I love “Give Colourfully”, the Holiday 2011 campaign video. It is bursting with bright colour, pattern, design supplies, paper and all things devoted to the season of festive wrap. It’s quite impressive how much Christmas comes across without relying on traditional colours, snow scenes, winter clichés, etc. Continuing with the theme, the front page of their website animates colourful presents you can “unwrap”. A larger Kate Spade post will pop up one of these days as their design team and brand as a whole is one of my true ‘colour heros’. Check out the behind-the-scenes video too. The team used 1,000 yards of coloured tape, 15,000 square feet of tissue paper and 400 yards of paper ribbon to create the mini-film (including wrap a 1965 VW beetle!)

I am completely and utterly smitten by the packaging for these Holiday Barrettes by Kate Spade. The vibrant orange card, the mix of typography, the integration of the barrettes into the whimsical sentence – I love it all. Simple and pitch perfect design. I’m pretty sure every holiday outfit would be enhanced by a hairdo featuring words like “pop fizz clink”!

(images via kate spade where the barrettes can be purchased)

Oribbon, a mixture of origami and ribbon, is a sticky strip of paper scored in a multitude of directions so it can folded into different shapes including the origami bows above. Talk about turning a regular present into a work of art. What a ridiculously clever design by Azumi Mitsuboshi.

(images via upon a fold where oribbon can be purchased)

I spotted this Barbiturik shoelace packaging on Lovely Package this afternoon and was instantly smitten. Test tubes featuring a mix of typefaces and stuffed with colourful fabric? I’m sold. Shoelace packaging is rarely an example of great design but these might set a new standard. From the tubes to the bright contrasting colours of laces and aglets, I wouldn’t mind having the whole set simply as a desk accessory! Barbiturik was created by Rémy Hernandez after he suffered a skateboarding crash that left him a quadriplegic. His passion for skateboarding sparked the creation of the brand. An inspiring story you can read more about here.

(images via lovely package)

Colour Nativity is the latest thought-provoking creation of industrial designer Sebastian Bergne. A set of seven handmade and painted wood blocks make up a minimalist nativity scene while the wooden storage box becomes a manger and the gold divider becomes a modern Star of Bethlehem. I love the way the pieces look in the box. Like a religious television test pattern perhaps? It’s quite striking how such an iconic scene can still be recognizable when reduced to a simplistic set of blocks. The power of colour, proportion and placement is certainly on display in this piece. A Christmas decoration to consider for your modern mantle…

(spotted on co. design)

When it comes down to it, make up is just pot and tube colour swatches. Perhaps that is the main reason that the displays, design and styling of cosmetics is always inspiring to me. I just love the whimsy and handmade-feeling design of Topshop’s make up line created by designer Sarah Thorne. Their main line is a chic mix of matte greys, uncoated paper, black patterns and hand drawn illustrations. In addition, each fashion season sees the launch of trend led make up range with inspirations such as ‘sand storm’, ‘festival’, ‘heavy duty’ and ‘smoke and mirrors’. I love how detailed and just plain artistic the packaging is. How stunning is the sandstorm mountain range packaging with dashes of colour and pencil lines of gold? The illustrations look like there were drawn with make up and the pieces feel like art. From metallic foils to scalloped box edges to the hand drawn type that unites all the products in every range, Topshop makeup are worth buying simply as examples of beautifully crafted design.

(images via sarah thorne, unity and form and the dieline)