Archive for the Design category
Jewelry from Aesa and Touch
by evie s. on February 21st, 2008
It’s not often that jewelry catches my eye. Honestly, I’m pretty picky about the jewelry I wear, so usually my accessorizing is kept pretty austere. These collections from aesa and Touch really appealed to me for opposite reasons, yet they both yield to simplicity.
From left to right:
Small Simple Ring by aesa // Boughs earrings by aesa // Mermaid by Touch, made from recycled bottle, and bamboo tooth pick // Urban Indian by Touch, both by designer Mana Bernandes
For information on where to buy aesa products, please email info [at] aesajewelry [dot] com. Currently, they have retailers in the U.S. as well as abroad. For inquiries on Touch products, please visit their website.
[ Via inhabitat and Refinery29 ]
Nautical Art by Jeff Canham
by evie s. on February 19th, 2008
Jeff Canham is an artist and designer whose work has been in exhibitions around the world. His style hits me as a nautical-meets-hippie-surfer vibe. He’s certainly found himself a niche painting specialty signs and banners in Venice and New York, just to name a few locations. I think the two pieces with the flags pictured below would give a little guy’s nursery a real whimsical charm.
For more details, or to contact Jeff, you can email him at jeff_canham [at] yahoo [dot] com
[ Via ffffound ]
The Sweet Sophistication of Scalloped Edges
by evie s. on February 18th, 2008
Beauty is sometimes in the minor details, and scalloped edges are a simple way to sweeten an otherwise ho-hum piece. The great side about this element is that it can be incorporated over a variety of different mediums that call for edges…which is just about everything!
From left to right:
Bottle label by Gabriel Morales [ Via ffffound ] // Suede No-Sew Skirt by Blueprint Magazine // Scalloped Edge Notecard by turtlepapers // Knock Knock Pendant by clevergirl
Pattern and the Beauty of Tessellations
by evie s. on February 15th, 2008
Pattern is certainly a staple of design, and tessellations are some of the most beautiful and elaborate forms of art patterns that you can find. Tessellations come from the early Greeks, and has a rich history. The famous M.C. Escher is known by many as the “father of tessellations” because of the Mathematical and crystallographic aspects of his work. His 1938 work entitled “Fish” is one of my favorites.
So, my love for these beautiful patterns was recently ignited when I came across these tessellation related photo plates from Owen Jones’ 1853 classic book, “The Grammar of Ornament” on Flickr. [ Via Veerle's blog ]
I hope you enjoy the beauty and vibrancy of them as much as I did!
Circles: The Most Elemental of Shapes
by evie s. on February 13th, 2008
Circles are one of the most simple shapes, but I can appreciate the creativity for which they are used in design and pattern. I’ve collected a few simple but artful wares that capture the simplicity and beauty of the circular formation.
From left to right:
Circles and Circles Wool Scarf by Eninaj [ Via Stylehive ] // Serena Drum Chandelier by Jayson Home & Garden // Circles Mirror by CB2 // “Molly” Round About Bag by Lisa Lill Studio // Sassy Dots Umbrella by Pare Umbrella
Coasters and Trivets: Pretty Things to Set Other Things On
by evie s. on February 12th, 2008
These pretty coasters by European artist Daniël Watze can be joined together to create a trivet for your pots and pans. I love when design combines beauty and practicality in a seamless way. Trivets are one of my favorite things too, mostly when they are made of wrought iron, and…the more ornate the better!
If interested in the product, you could probably e-mail him at info [at] danielwatze [dot] com.
Graphic Design Is…
by evie s. on February 11th, 2008
…the endless search for beauty in things. -büro für form
I completely agree. This quote inspired me to enter a poster competition run by the talented Belgian artist, Veerle Pieters. Since I gain most of my artistic inspiration from the world around me, I am constantly trying to capture the beauty I see in some form of design, so this was a great opportunity for me to do so.
For this project, I really wanted to create a beautiful image that would complement the theme, so I got out my sketch book, pencils, and my Zig Millennium marker to work on a concept. After sketching an image that I liked, I just traced over the pencil marks with the marker and added in some details. I really wanted to use watercolors, even though they are not my best medium (I prefer acrylics). I absolutely love the organic quality of watercolor, and that was the look I was going for. When it was to my liking, I scanned it into Photoshop and added typography and more color.
I’m pleased with the final outcome, and I really enjoyed the project! You can see some pictures of my process and the final design here.
What is Graphic Design?
by evie s. on February 8th, 2008
That is the question I will be asking myself this weekend as I work on a special art project. It’s really more for fun and practice then for anything else. Hopefully it will be complete by early next week.
Sprawled out on my office floor sketching, I was thinking that I need to make time every week to draw. That was one of my goals for this year, and so far this was the first time. Fortunately, drawing for me is like a good friend that you haven’t seen in awhile. You just pick up right where you left off. That’s good, otherwise I would probably be quite drawing impaired by now for lack of practice!
Here is a sneak peek…a sample of the beauty that is to come. Stay tuned!
Typography Beautiful Enough for Martha
by evie s. on February 5th, 2008
There is nothing like a great typeface that can carry a design all on its own. Archer, a new release by Hoefler & Frere-Jones is a beautiful piece of work and does just that. I love the graphics that they have created to highlight the artistic qualities of the “sweet but not saccharine, earnest but not grave” typeface.
It was specially created for Martha Stewart Living, so it should be beautiful, right?
Postage Stamp Design
by evie s. on January 31st, 2008
I came across this flickr set of postage stamps from David McFarline, and I really enjoyed the designs. Some of my favs are below, but there is much to appreciate about all of them. They have been collected from various places: Bulgaria, Finland, and Brazil, just to name a few.
Here is a little description about the Bulgarian stamp on the very left:
This one is created for the “Banner of Peace” International Children Festival of Arts. The first run was in July 31, 1979, hence the date on the stamp. The two birds in the girl’s hair correspond to the logo of the festival - two doves in an egg shell, representing the world (also shown on the stamp). The year was chosen to coincide with the International Year of the Child - that logo is also present on the stamp.
See the entire collection of stamps here.