Moo.


Moo dreams up new tools that help people turn their virtual content into beautiful print products. I’m loving their MiniCards and StickerBooks!

The StickerBooks are generated out of your Flickr stream or from your very own designs – 90 different, full color, glossy Stickers, printed on 15 different sheets and bound into a pocket-sized book ($9.99). There are also readymades available if your pictures suck and you want to use Moo’s. There’s free shipping on StickerBooks for July only, so hurry up and take advantage.

MiniCards are roughly half the size of a normal business card. Same deal – choose up to 100 of your own designs or pictures from your Flickr stream (or use Moos) and add up to six different lines of text on the back. The cards show up on your doorstep in a reusable plastic box ($19.99). And I figure you can probably do tons of different things with these besides using them as their intended purpose.

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Einat Peled.

Einat Peled is an incredible illustrator i only just discovered who specializes in images, drawings and editorial illustrations. I can’t find a lot of information on her, but her illustrations are beautiful, especially the black and whites.


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If You Could Do Anything Tomorrow – What Would It Be?



I love this idea. ‘If You Could’ is an annual publication set up by designers Will Hudson and Alex Bec. Aiming to showcase the best in design and illustration, contributions are welcomed from both established and up and coming artists on the theme, If you could do anything tomorrow, what would it be? Each publication is launched alongside an exhibition, showing every single contribution received, meaning nobody’s work goes unseen. Looks like Issue 2 (the most current) costs $25 plus shipping and handling from the UK. Check out more information here.

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Behance.

Imagine productive brainstorms and efficient meetings. (Who, me? Yes, you!) Behance’s Action Pad was the first product designed for the creative work environment. I’m really hip on the Action Book ($15), Action Cards ($5) and Action Stickies ($6). Give me a good sticky note and I will definitely put it to use.



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Paint Chip Card Holders.


I’ve mentioned my affinity for paint chips – and my inability to not collect piles of them – before.

This morning I found this genius idea on designverb: paint chip business card holders. It seems it may only work with Behr chips since they are the widest, but there’s a template available that you can download to your desktop for a standard 3.5 x 2″ business card. It’s not mentioned in the post, but I think it might be a good idea to laminate the chip before doing anything else. It doesn’t seem like it would be very durable otherwise.

Woohoo! Looks like it doesn’t take too much to make me happy today.

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Happy Birthday Helvetica.


Not everyone’s a graphic designer, so not everyone knows that the popular typeface Helvetica is celebrating its 50th birthday this month. Veer has created an awesome sketchbook ($22) just in time. Choose sides in the design world’s love/hate relationship with Helvetica, or have it both ways. This two-sided notebook features a loving quote in Helvetica Std on one cover, then flips to reveal a darker intent. Favor one side or work from both, toward the middle. A center divider keeps the peace.

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Can of Peas Bed.


At least that’s what I used to call my single wood-frame canopy bed when I was little. This Italian Campaign Canopy from Anthropologie is considerably more grown up and I’ve been seeing it everywhere from Domino to Design*Sponge. I adore metal-framed beds and this one is no exception. I am thinking that you would need a considerably sized room though to pull it off and a higher ceiling.I would deck it out in white bedding with a big, fluffy down comforter. Makes me want a nap right now!

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Improve Your Creative Life. Today. No, Really.

I’ve been reading a couple of incredible blogs lately – one of which is American Copywriter (and yes, it even pertains to us graphic designer/art director-types).

This post is from a few months back, but really stuck out to me. Especially this part: Don’t blame the creatives for not caring after round of revisions 13. Are you kidding? If your spouse asked you – no demanded – that you rearrange the living room furniture 13 times over the course of two days, stopping whatever else you were doing each and every time to do so because it “had to be done right now!” you would quickly stop giving a shit about where the couch and overstuffed chair were. In fact, you’d probably throw him/her and your cadre of Pottery Barn tchotchkes out the freaking window. So don’t blame the creatives when this happens. Man, it’s human nature to stop caring.

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I Am Not a Graphic Designer.

Defined: Graphic Design involves effective visualization of communication concepts, primarily in print and electronic media (including interface design), in the context of business and technology, socio-political, cultural and educational environments, in transmitting government and institutional aims and services, and in visually explaining and exploring medical and scientific data and processes. Clients usually determine project aims. Graphic Designers help to achieve communication goals by analyzing, structuring, planning and creating images and text to enhance visual communication for specific purposes. They often act as consultants.


Here’s a really interesting article I came across by Mark Busse of Industrial Brand Creative, Inc. that speaks to the ever-changing roll of a designer in today’s world of communications.

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Madeleine Stamer and Little Circus Design

I’m keen on all things swoopy and swishy. That said, I’m in love with Madeleine Stamer’s Little Circus Design illustrations. I prefer the all black pieces, but all are truly amazing. Madeleine is out of Melbourne, Australia and has been creating art since childhood. Throughout the years she’s worked as an artist in residence, gallery assistant, art technician, exhibited in numerous solo and group shows, created public and privately commissioned art works and design promo posters and CD art for the band The Blackeyed Susans.

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