Oh, how I love sport photography (especially when it is downright artful). This shot by Peter Svoboda of cross-country skiers in the Austrian Alps is a sublime example. Beautiful geometry/angles and crispy textured tracks…

(photograph by peter svoboda)

Yes, I am a broken record of coloured smoke gushing (see here, here and here). I admit I am a tad obsessed. There is just something beautiful about an eyesore or neutral landscape suddenly bursting with colour. Until now, I have admired this mini-movement in still images only but then I spied this sublime video by New York based studio floto+warner (photography/director team Jeremy Floto and Cassandra Warner). The photographs are gorgeous but the video captures the dreamy way coloured smoke suddenly and vibrantly fills spaces while dancing and dispersing in the wind. I sure hope I see a fuchsia plume of smoke cross my path one day…

(photographs and video via floto+warner)

Photographer Joshua Scott created this fantastic toy typography for a youth-focused feature in BULLETT Magazine. The layers of vibrant objects create a playful yet artful texture that works wonderfully with the modern type shapes (the result of perfectly selected colour, shape and scale). I always knew something brilliant could be done with those bright Barbie brushes…

In my final guest post for yellowtrace, I showcased the fabulous styling of HAY, a Danish furniture company. The HAY 2012 Catalogue has a behind-the-scenes, raw cement type of vibe mixed with play-like sets of interior design. Their product shots are equally great (check out those artful stacks of boxes). I just love that end shot of all of the catalogue pieces taking a final “bow” in colour-coded sections. I wouldn’t mind framing that photograph! HAY’s 2012 Catalogue is sure to become one of my favourite examples of brilliant styling. To see all of the photographs and read my whole post, please pop over to yellowtrace.

(photographs via HAY)

A beautiful campaign for Artisan Make Up Paris captured by French photographer Ludovic Taillandier. Fingers crossed the campaign expands with more images as I just love the burst of brilliant powder against a face with neutral make-up. Colourful cosmetics are a rather inspiring medium, don’t you think? If only this was how they were applied on a daily basis…

(photographs via ludovic taillandier)

I love the colour-focused styling of these culinary stacks by Dutch design duo Raw Color. The still life photographs were created for the opening of Martin Creed’s revamp of the iconic Sketch restaurant in London and feature disassembled ingredients of dishes from the new menu. As culinary creations are really layers of flavour and stacks of colour and texture, the styling is both smart and beautiful. Perhaps we could do away with word-focused menus and just use striking photograph to select our meals…

4th image: Sweet chilli paste, filo pastry, foie gras, sesame seeds, green apple, pink radish, celery leaves, spring onion
6th image: Parmesan cream, goat cheese, coconut, beetroot sauce, lobster, squid Ink, black Olive Jelly

(photographs via trendland)

How on earth did it become Friday so fast? I have clearly slacked off on creating my palette of the week. A selection of colours that grabbed my attention yesterday are in this still life shot by fantastically talented photographer Johnny Miller. From dusty lavender to vibrant cherry red, the colours work seamlessly together. I love how the hues highlight that summer items can have a richer, more autumnal palette outside of the expected colour combinations.

(photograph by johnny miller)

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)

I spotted this image of Skogafoss, Iceland earlier today and felt instantly entranced by the dreamy, misty hues of soft green. What about the profile of a face the man stands on? It looks like a woman wearing an extravagant headdress. A stunning and rather magical photograph by Reinhard Pantke that shows the beauty and depth of green.

(photograph by reinhard pantke, spotted on miss moss)

My love affair with facets doesn’t seem to have an end in sight especially when gorgeous work like the Blocks Series comes to life. Captured and conceptualized by Canadian photographer Evonne Bellefleur with blocks created by prop stylist Caitlin Doherty, the series features dreamy expanses of beautiful colour palettes and fascinating shapes. They are like rocks that have tumbled off of some sort of magical mountain. Not sure I can avoid buying one of these prints. Yep, the facet fetish continues…

(prints available/images via soti)

I posted about Alberto Seveso’s gorgeous high-speed ink and water photographs last year and had my fingers firmly crossed that he would one day work with mixed colours. When I spotted his new series called a due Colori, I fell in love with his work all over again. Dreamy plumes of vibrant colour billowing like fabric underwater? Just beautiful. See the rest of the series here.

(spotted on Colossal)

Furniture photography is often very similar – a perfectly styled eye level product shot or an interior showing the piece in the context of a handsome space. That common style might be why these unique product shots for the Place Sofa by Jasper Morrison for Vitra caught my eye. An intriguing approach that makes the chesterfield feel more chic editorial than catalogue (which also showcasing its wide range of modular set-ups).

There are a couple of blogs that I truly wish I could live in. At the very top of the list is Griottes, a French style and food blog created by Emilie Griottes that is so gorgeous that I feel slightly giddy when a new post is up. The handmade whimsical aesthetic, sublime colour palettes and beautiful culinary treats… Oy. When I spotted these Pantone Tarts on Griottes this morning, I fell even more in love with the blog. Simple and stunning with pitch perfect styling, these pastries are an imaginative take on the classic colour chips while showcasing the lovely hues of everyday foods. Is it crazy to hope Emilie creates a tart for every colour in the Pantone swatch book?

As I said on Friday, I am a tad obsessed with colour-focused styling lately. I love these artful and very vibrant compositions on the Urban Outfitters website. My favourite part? The beautiful backgrounds as they transition under the objects from two distinct slices of colour to a lovely gradient of the two hues. Hopefully Urban Outfitters continues creating these colourful groupings as they are rather perfect pieces of eye candy…

(thank you emily!)

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 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)