Paper chains are timelessly awesome. That might be why this typography by Madrid-based studio IS Creative Studio makes me so happy. The designers created the paper chain alphabet and logo for the the Getxophoto Photography Festival identity. I love how they photographed the shadow-filled typography in pure white but also threw colour behind it for elements like the eye-catching neon poster. Perhaps a paper chain symbolizes a connected festival of like-minded people? The name of each photographer, featured in the final official Getxophoto book, were also cut out and used as chapter titles. Long live the paper chain…

(photographs via is creative studio)

Some refreshing and colourful branding for LUX* Island Resorts by London studio & Smith. The identity reflects “a lively, spontaneous brand seeking to avoid the predictable patterns associated with luxury travel”. I love the thick, modern typography and tropical-feeling colour palette. How great is that launch invitation featuring a roll of tickets for various facets of the resort? And a great publication design for “50 Reasons To Go” with thready ribbons. Oh and believe me, if I ever get to a LUX* 5-star resort, I will be grabbing every single one of those beautiful room toiletries. Yep, I want to head to the tropics right this second…

(photographs via & smith, spotted on designworklife)

As someone who could spend several hours at a newsstand, I love visiting CoverJunkie where fantastic magazine covers and their creators are celebrated. Three that have caught my eye this month include the Suddeutsche Zeitung Magazin ”Rama dama, design issue” and its explosion of colourful smoke (please tell me there is a behind-the-scenes film of this cover shoot?) as well as a clever, elegant Olympic issue by Sport magazine and a layered FUKT magazine of contemporary drawing. Both digitally and in print, long live the magazine!

(images via coverjunkie)

I love when branding uses an unexpected palette and this identity for Strata Bakery in Barcelona features a brilliant one. P.A.R design studio pondered the many facets of baking and came up with a central theme of layers. From icing cake layers to the layers of ingredients that go into each recipe, the concept fits perfectly and is brought into the branding by layering different papers, materials, typefaces and colours. I love the scrumptious colour combination of mint green and vibrant orange with hits of brown. I also love the stack of business cards in alternating colours as it conjures up a rather magical cake. I think I may need a cookie stat…

(photographs via P.A.R design studio)

TANGA-TANGA typeface by Velckro is definitely brightening up my morning. It’s as if petroglyphs and modern design had one awesome typographical baby. Love the subtle but artful shifts between upper and lowercase. I am particularly enamoured with the colour palette used to showcase the face – neons, pastels and neutrals on a midnight blue-purple background. Ah, summer brights and beautiful type…

It’s hard to resist the beautiful visual language designer Paul Giambarba created for Polaroid in the 1960′s. A perfectly organized system of vibrant colour bar graphics and a rather handsome News Gothic typeface make for one unforgettable identity. While quintessentially 1960′s looking, I think the exact system could thrive today. Aside from the clean and colourful looks, my favourite part is how the boxes stack. Beautiful.

(photographs via aisleone)

I have been meaning to do a post on Saul Bass as he is a true colour and design hero of mine. I spotted this poster for 1957 film Love in the Afternoon today and couldn’t resist posting it. Gorgeous handcraft typography and cluster of primary colour. Don’t you wish modern movies would experiment with illustration as handsome as this? Time to prep a Saul Bass post…

(photograph via brain pickings)

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 recently came across the headquarters of Ziba Design, a design consultancy in Portland. The lobby features an installation of employee names laser-cut from wafers of Styrofoam and hung vertically according to date hired. As a vital prototyping material used by industrial designers and one that happens to be cheap and light, the use of Styrofoam is brilliant. Even better? The cluster of names is positioned across from large windows with a view of Portland’s waterfront. As weather and light changes, the wall will showcase different patterns of colours and shadows dancing across the typography. The piece will also constantly evolve as new Ziba employees are added to the piece (really highlighting people as the soul of any company). I love this installation not only for its beauty but as a example of fantastic material selection and, more than anything, how design need not be expensive to be stunning.

(photographs via aiga)

Farhad Moshiri’s installation ‘Life is Beautiful’ showcases a beautiful cursive treatment of the titular expression. Step closer and we realize the typeface is created by hundreds of knives with colourful handles stabbed into the wall at Palazzo Grassi, Italy. I love the juxtaposition of such a romantic type treatment and phrase created out of a violent, dramatic material. So many layers of meaning in this piece…

(spotted on my modern met)

Colourful, handcrafted typography seems to be my obsession lately and these gelatin letters by m-inspira, a pair of designers from Valencia, Spain, showcase why it is such a fantastic facet of the design world. I’m thinking wiggly, jiggly and good design should go together more often…

(spotted on moco loco)

One of my very favourite food blogs is Matt Bites. Matt Armendariz is ridiculously multi-talented in the areas of culinary creation, food photography, styling and general design flair. The recipes Matt features are always drool-inducing and the photography? Well, it makes you want to pop through the screen and live in Matt’s world of fabulously styled cuisine. Matt’s latest post focuses on Winter Citrus and the images are full of crisp shades of yellow, green and orange. I love this citrus peel title Matt created and its handsomely handcrafted typography. Maybe citrus colours are the perfect anecdote to a grey January?

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)

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…