It may be for children but I would love a copy of The Color-Play Coloring Book created for MOMA by Pascale Estellon. The oversized book is full of colour-focused activities that allow kids (and awesome adults) to play with colour mixing, light and dark shades, warm and cool hues and so much more. I can’t wait to see more spreads of this handsome book of colour learning. Many look frame-worthy!
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)
I have seen a lot of Spring interior design magazines popping up lately with a theme of colour and all of their cover designs seem to feature photography of vividly styled rooms. While the lush visuals are enticing, I find myself thinking about this 1948 cover of House & Garden designed by Herbert Matter. Featuring Fall hues from pastels to jewel tones, the illustrated palette really makes you wonder what lies inside. I would love to see a modern interior magazine follow a similar swatch idea or infuse it into a photography-focused cover.
(image via condé naste/art.com)
I love the surreal and beautiful photography series ‘Bronson Caves’ by artist Brice Bischoff. In Los Angeles’s idyllic (and often used as a film set) Bronson Caves, Brice used long-exposure to capture movement and dance he performed with large sheets of colour paper. The result is a unique capture of time – from a dreamy mist of colour to very clear edges of hue. Brice experimented with the photography style for over a year and I like that he used the same sheets of paper for the entire series. The materials became ripped, worn and discoloured which only added to the intriguing hues and textures created. I like the thought of time going by in wisps of moving colour…
(spotted on designboom)
German artist Frank Hülsbömer has a portfolio overflowing with intriguing studies of colour, form and rethinking everyday objects. Some of my favourite pieces are his tapestacks. Have you ever seen a stack of tape look so artful? I love the reflections he plays with (especially in that blue and foil image). My other favourite is his “Extroverted Disco Ball” and “Introverted Disco Ball” pairing. The idea is so very clever and witty. A long time fan of the mirrored spheres, I can honestly say I will never look at a disco ball the same way again. (p.s. how beautiful would that black matte “introverted” ball look in a white loft with bold pops of colour? Sigh. Back to daydreaming…)
This joyful video is making plenty of news today and for good reason. It is a happy maker! A few months ago, I posted a stop-motion video by Canadian designers Lisa Blonder Ohlenkamp and Sean Ohlenkamp featuring a colourful bookshelf re-organization. Well, the talented pair took things to the next level in their latest piece, “The Joy of Books”. With the setting of Type bookstore in Toronto and a whimsical score composed by Grayson Matthews, Sean and Lisa (and many volunteers) spent sleepless nights turning the shop into a truly magical world. I love the patterns and colours of flickering book spines, the two dancing book covers and the ending when all of the supplies pop back into their spots. I couldn’t agree with the last frame more – ”there is nothing like a real book”. I just know this is what shops do while we are sleeping…
(thanks Jen and Catriana!)
I love great wayfinding and signage design. The Tate Modern visitor maps and dispenser by London design studio Cartlidge Levene is an example of simple but pitch perfect wayfinding. Maps are vital tools in a gallery and in a space as expansive and visually stimulating as the Tate Modern, it would be easy for a display to get lost. A large clunky dispenser or oversize typography would be a distracting eyesore especially for an iconic gallery. What I love about Cartlidge Levene’s design is not only its strong looks but how it showcases the vital role of colour in wayfinding and design overall. The neon pink is essential in catching the eye of visitors as the hue vibrates off the black background. Instead of displaying hundreds of maps, the five columns of maps are carefully and handsomely placed at one end of the black dispenser. Even the integration of the cash box is great with its subtle rectangular shape and small £1 typography. This piece is an example of how even the most functional item can be be on-brand and very beautiful.
You know traditional letter banners that often appear at birthday parties and other standard occasions? The static wording means the sad banner must be tucked away until an event it fits comes along. But wait, Make Your Own Banner from The Pippa & Ike Show comes with 83 letters so you can put up a banner for any reason under the sun and even personalize it with a name. I love how this flexible banner can make any regular day a reason to celebrate. Why shouldn’t you festoon the small victories of life? Love the colour palette of black, fuchsia, light blue, lemon yellow, green and light pink too. Yep, this banner is an instant party in a box. Just add cake and sparkling beverages…
Happy New Year to all my colour-loving friends! My apologies for the unexpected spotty posting over December. Time to get back in the colourful swing of things. While I am a bit sad the holidays are wrapped up, I am thrilled to be in 2012 – a fresh year sure to be full of evolution, inspiration gathering and lot’s of colour. January is the inevitable month of calendar selling and while there are lots of stylish and covetable versions out there, I love the 2012 Accordion Calendar by the very talented Erin Jang of Indigo Bunting. Always a sucker for an accordion fold, I also love the cozy colour palette and simple mix of hand-lettering and clean typography. Throw in some lovely packaging and I am smitten. There are lot’s of ornate and highly-patterned calendars filling shop shelves but this one reminds me of what I want 2012 to be – full of good design and limitless possibilities that can’t be contained by a standard datebook box. (you can buy Erin’s calendar here)
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)
I love these Crayon Rocks, available in 16 colours and made from non-toxic soy/beeswax tinted with natural mineral powders. In addition to being handsome nuggets of design, they actually develop children’s motor skills and allow for a better grip. They have a magic bean feeling, don’t you think?
It’s that time of year when new calendars and agendas fill shops and blogs. Sure, they are helpful tools of organization but I like calendars mostly for their design possibilities. The Cut Out Number Calendars at Present & Correct are so simple but oh so elegant with their thick paper board, cut-out design and contrasting primary or netural hues. While I would gladly hang these handsome devils above my desk, I almost like them more in a stack. There is just something about that jumble of overlapping numbers that makes me happy…
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)
Lately it feels like FedEx is leading the way in making clever and effective ads with a handmade sensibility. Remember the parcel via windows one I posted about a few months ago? The latest effort is this advertisement for less urgent shipping between Canada and the US created by BBDO Toronto. We travel between Montreal and Miami via a route of toppling domino-like FedEx boxes and spot many landmarks and geographical features on our journey. The craftsmanship of the set and all of its purple details is fantastic. I can’t even imagine how much work this set-up required nor the terror of having what appears to be one take to do it in. It also warms my heart when a company embraces the creative possibilities of their brand colour the way FedEx has here. The ad is exploded in their signature purple. I’m not sure why a Canadian goose needs to mail a puppy a hockey stick but when the results are this good, who cares why! Both purple offices are fabulously designed from purple dog bones to the purple bow tie-clad goose’s desk photos of his wife and the man at the park who feeds him. How about his poster with the fitting quote “C’est la V”? I love this ad because it not only shows how a brand colour can be explored but it highlights that any company, from tiny to insanely large like FedEx, can make make a unique and truly creative advertisement.
Pie charts, colour wheels, bright stickers – I love them all. These Rainbow Dot Stickers by Poketo are not only vibrant but translucent so you can bring a little happiness to envelopes, packages, maps and whatever else tickles your fancy. I’m thinking they could really spruce up a boring bill or text book…
Lines by Millimeter Milligram are simple but handsome notebooks. The front pattern matches the line style inside so you never have to worry about grabbing the wrong book. Don’t they look fantastic on a bright coloured desk?
