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)

The Kringel-Kari Notice Board by Mikael Nilsson is a looker. The 30 inch braid of gorgeous magenta is made of soft foam, an intriguing bulletin board material that can be molded into different shapes. I’m thinking adding it to your office or studio wall is an instant style upgrade…

There seems to be two sides to the red and pink debate – those who believe the colours clash and should only be featured together on Valentine’s Day versus those who believe the colours are meant to appear together in brilliant harmony all year long. I am firmly in the second camp but more so when the vibrancies of the hues match (I don’t love soft pastels and bright red together as much although there are plenty of examples of them combining handsomely). Crimson paired with fuschia or perhaps scarlet intertwined with magenta – I love when the boldest shades of red and pink meet. They pair so beautifully in nature so why not fashion, interiors and design? Love the combination with pops of other hues such as camel, emerald, pure white, saffron or royal purple. Oh, the possibilities of a red and pink pairing… What do you think? Do the hues clash or work together?

(photographs via peggy wong, sterling style and jamie beck)

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…)

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.

That fireplace. Good Lord. A large expanse of fuchsia that will be in my dreams indefinitely and is only one colourful detail at newly opened The Saguaro Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona. The space was “inspired by the contemporary architecture of Mexico and the Arizona desert… designed around the color and light of the surrounding landscape.” Doesn’t it feel like you are in the middle of a desert sunset? A really inspiring palette including tangerine, fuchsia, grape, coral, saffron and a host of other warm hues. I love those bold pops of colour mixed with varying shades of natural wood. The bedrooms feel airy, vibrant and modern yet still calm. If I am missing in Scottsdale, you can definitely find me sitting by that beautiful fireplace…

(photographs via saguaro & knstrct)

I have posted about the work of Elisa Strozyk before or, to be more specific, gushed about her incredible talent for wood design with a fabric-like soul. I was visiting her website a couple of days ago and spied these spectacular Coloured Wooden Rugs. Elisa attaches dyed wood to a fabric base and the result is a dreamy wooden textile. These beauties have only fueled my daydreams that Elisa will one day open a shop of her work. I would be more than happy to camp out for a few days in order to nab one of these gorgeous carpets…

(photographs via elisa strozyk)

I love these photographs by London-based author, stylist and designer Sania Pell that explore a contrast of neon paint and real sprigs of berries and hydrangeas. The palette of dark and light natural hues mixed with vibrant artificial neon is stunning. These are just “photo sketches” at the moment so I can only dream of where the idea will lead Sania…

(photographs via sania pell)

On a very rainy Monday here in Vancouver, this photograph by Sërch is making everything seem brighter. The world needs more rustic hot pink staircases, don’t you think? Love how the light is bouncing from the pink wall to the white one resulting in a beautiful shade of light pink. I don’t know where that staircase ends but I imagine it is something pretty magical…

(image via sërch and spotted on buddha interiors)

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?!

I don’t know why I have always had a fascination for step ladders. Maybe it is all the potential for fabulous design in the ladder and chair mix. With that in mind, I’m going to go ahead and crown Step by Iacoli & McAllister the most gorgeous step ladder I have ever seen. Fashioned after a 1920′s style step ladder, the mix of matte black, brass and pink washed oak is a sublime fusion of Art Deco and modern design. Hmmm… Maybe I need a step ladder focused blog?

Given my now full-fledged obsession with modern embroidery and typography, I pretty much yelped when I saw these gorgeous embroidered business cards by designer Nina Gregier. She decided to create the textured cards in reference to her latest project – fuchsia embroidered type. One glance at that project and I fell in love with Nina’s woven letters. They are so full of imagination, geometry and bold colour. Wow. The colours look amazing next to the black paper. Don’t you wish more business cards were tactile and hand detailed? Even the back of the threads on the flipside of the card is beautiful. I will visit Nina’s website regularly to see what handmade brilliance she dreams up next!

(cards spotted on lovely stationery)

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.

I spotted these rings on the Beso Beso website and stopped in my tracks. What is the source of such glimmering, richly saturated hues? It appears to be “sparkling Brazillian semi-precious miniature-crystalline amethyst stones”. That is one stunning shade of magenta. Of course nature is responsible for it! (love the geometric shapes as well…)

(photographs via beso beso; to shop, go here)

Holy. The Orishiki Clutch by Naoki Kawamoto is more work of art than handbag. Orishiki is a union of the world “Ori” taken from the paper folding art of Origami and “Shiki” taken from the traditional Japanese wrapping cloth named Furoshiki. Created from a single piece of material with triangular origami-fold inspired segments, the vibrant magenta fold lines and glossy faced end result are stunning. I think if this was my clutch, I would have to carry it around empty as it would be next to impossible to stop folding and re-folding it!

(photographs via the modern life)

Companhia Athletica, a gym chain in Brazil, created this calendar to inspire clients to stick with their workouts. As each month is ripped off the calendar, a more fit form is revealed. I love how the colourful paper edges overlap and give the whole piece a topography idea. A really clever and engaging design idea that doesn’t even need one word of copy to get its point across. Perhaps, with this bright calendar hanging on your wall, it would be harder to miss a gym visit!