Multiple Choice: From Sample to Product

Did you know that there is a great show at Cooper-Hewitt?! If you are in the design business, you should be familiar with sample books and what an crucial role it plays in your career. Multiple Choice: From Sample to Product showcases sample books and other sampling tools used for marketing and for recording designs and techniques from the last three centuries. I have a collection of paper sample books at home simply because they are so beautiful. Can't wait to see these beautiful pieces (pictured here) in person!images: Cooper-Hewitt

Introducing Pacific Standard

If you are looking for some visual stimulation, Pacific Standard is a good place for that. Strath is a very talented Graphic Designer and Art Director who just started the blog. I visited it for the first time last week and it instantly became one of my favorite blogs. It's full of cool graphic references, from snap shots taken in random neighborhoods of New York, to 70's album covers with really good fonts. I also enjoy his music recommendations, like this Billy Ocean number (we could always use some laughs, right?!)images: pacific-standard.blogspot.com

I want this!

Fashion Wonderland by Victionary. This book features over 100 fashion illustrators whose works appear not only in print but also as art installations, interior decoration, product design, etc. The printed fabric cover is so gorgeous that you would want to display it on your coffee table.images: youworkforthem.com

The Best Summer Shoes!

If you were to buy summer shoes from only one label, it'll have to be F-Troupe! They are super comfortable, stylish and none of the shoes have heels more than 1 inch. And the best part is their prices- each pair averages about $100-$250. Check out their website for store listing.images: F-Troupe

What I'm Listening To Now

Le Monde Fableux Des Yamasuki. It's a crazy pseudo-Japanese concept album from French production duo Jean Kluger and Daniel Vangarde. Based on a dance named the "Yamasuki", the record was originally released in 1972, and became a useful tool for French students keen to learn Japanese. Le Monde Fableuz Yamasuki is a collection of beautiful pop songs sung by a Japanese choir. You can hear MP3 samples of the record here, I recommend track number 9- Abana Bakana, it sounds like a soul gospel song in Japanese!
image: finders keepers records

Great ad, iconic product

I found a magazine tear sandwiched inside Chad's book, on one side is this old Polaroid ad from the 70's. It's interesting to see that this ad was trying to create the same type of excitement as would an Apple computer ad, the iconic design of the product is the main focus. The tag line "If you wanted to invent the perfect Christmas present, this would be it" cleverly implies that the camera itself was a great invention. It is sad that the company that bought Polaroid several years ago has stopped producing its instant films last month, which means they will be completely out of stock by next year.

Five Whats with Lab Partners

This week's guests are my favorite Etsy Gocco artists Sarah and Ryan, the Lab Partners from San Francisco. I first contacted them because I blogged about their new Etsy shop, they were really friendly and we quickly became Etsy and Blog pals. I LOVE the pictures that Sarah sent along with the answers! Hope you'll enjoy this Five Whats as much as I did.

What do you guys do when you are not making Gocco prints?
In our time away from Gocco printing we're usually laying out in Dolores Park, rummaging for finds at the Alameda Flea Market and Urban Ore, tracking down Gocco supplies, and always looking forward to the next meal. What did you like to draw when you were little?
ID cards, rule books and maps for secret clubs, animal illustrations for a self published magazine (usually in editions of one) , and suns with sunglasses.

What are your inspirations?
Textiles, Japanese packaging, children's book illustration, nature, patterns on Scandinavian ceramics, beautiful window displays, science, matchbook labels, letterpress stationery, Hitchcock films, J.D. Salinger, Donald Brun, Olle Eksell, Alain Gree, Mary Blair, and Herbert Lupin. What websites do you visit regularly?
grainedit.com, cartoonbrew.com, etsy.com, printpattern.blogspot.com, wonting.com, Pandora.com, and Wikipedia.com.

What kind of music do you listen to? Favorite bands?
Lately we've been listening to Bill Fox, Edith Piaf, Andrew Bird, KDFC , The Supremes, Dan Bejar, and Joy Division.

images: Lab Partners SF

Ige Bird House Mobile

Last Saturday I went to Michele Varian on Crosby Street and saw this beautiful bird house mobile by Helen Ige and I instantly fell in love with it. The mobile is laser cut from high-quality museum board, I LOVE it in ivory. It is a perfect house warming gift because who doesn't like birds that you don't have to clean after?! Here is a better image of Ige's mobile called "Birds of a Feather".images: Ige Design and ohdeedoh.com

What I'm Listening To Now

The Virgins EP. I liked "Radio Christiane" when I first heard it but didn't like the other tracks, but they are now growing on me! They are the perfect upbeat music to listen to when I'm racing for my coffee fix on a weekday morning.
image: Amazon.com

MyCuppa

A spoof on the Pantone Matching System line of products, MyCuppa Tea and Coffee by Suck UK have color palettes inside the mugs to guide you how much milk to add to your choice of beverage perfectly. For tea, the colors are called "Just Tea", "Builders Brew", "Classic British". and "Milky", instead of PMS numbers, how fun!images: suck uk

Etsy Finds Via Poppytalk Handmade

lucky me beads- custom silhouette pendants (I love how they showcase the pendant on a chalkboard!)

kg&ab- Bears in Love

showpony- Vintage Purse

images: Etsy and Poppytalk Handmade

What I'm Listening To Now

"Celebrate" from DJ Shadow's "Schoolhouse Funk Raw II" compilations. It's a cd with funk renditions of pop and rock songs performed by high school bands from the 70's, and "Celebrate" is the most outstanding song of the bunch, I can listen to it all day! There's a slight cheese factor to the singing style, but I think that's what made the song so groovy. Another good one is "25 or 6 to 4". You can listen to the high quality samples here (tracks 2 and 23).
image: Amazon.com

Five Whats with April Johnson

Besides arts and crafts, I also love fashion, and I used to do lots of fashion illustrations. So this week's Five Whats is dedicated to fashion and my guest is April Johnson, a fashion stylist I really like, from New York City. April made her start in fashion at American Vogue and since then she's been working consistently as a high-fashion stylist with clients ranging from Marc Jacobs, John Varvatos, Helmut Lang, to celebrities like George Clooney, Bill Murray and The White Stripes. What did you have for breakfast?
2 cups of tea with soy and banana nut crunch near naked granola and vanilla soy in my tea cup after the 2nd tea.

What was your favorite fashion moment?
Snapping a 4 inch heel in front of Anna Wintour's office on day 4 at Vogue.

What was your favorite project?
Marc Jacobs ads with Michael Stipe and Juergen Teller in Georgia.
What was the best purchase you've ever made?
Every piece of Margiela I've ever bought.

What are your inspirations?
Friends, family, nature, art, music, flea markets, Paris, Martin Margiela....

(Bonus What) If you weren't a fashion stylist, what would you most likely be?
A dog rescuer or a cheese maker.

images: www.apriljohnsonstylist.com

I like Cindy

Another new talented Etsy artist I just discovered, Cindy Tomczyk's prints are so cute and unique, I especially love the ones drawn with gouache on kraft paper. These prints have a vintage look mixed with a bit of indie comic book style. You must check out her shop before she becomes an Etsy superstar! images: cindytomczykart's etsy shop

New Print

I posted the new print in progress on Tuesday, and this is the finished artwork, it's called "In the Garden". The little squirrel is collecting branches to build his first home! I used pearlescent pink Gocco ink for the first time, I really like the blossom pink with a subtle sheen, it's a great alternative to using metallic inks. You can get the print here!

Thanks!

I'd like to thank Jan from Poppytalk and Erica from Thoughtful Day for posting about my Five Whats with Sukie. I find Darrell's answers very inspiring and so genuinely sweet, and I'm grateful that these lovely ladies helped me spread the word, so now more people get to read them and be inspired! Because of this wonderful experience, I'm now 100% motivated and committed to doing Five Whats once a week (submissions are welcomed).
images: Poppytalk and Thoughtful Day

Five Whats with Sukie

I met Darrell from Sukie at the New York Gift Fair last month, he's such a nice and friendly guy. I am so happy that he agreed to do this week's "Five Whats" because along with his great answers, he also sent me some great pictures, including some design references (old nature books) and their beloved printers. I hope that this "Five Whats" will inspire you to go create something fun!

What was your favorite subject in school?
ART! And PE.(physical education - basically sports)

What was your favorite TV show growing up?
Bagpus - great animation, songs and stories!

What was the best thing that happened to you since you and Julia started Sukie?
Work wise - be able to design exactly what we want. We like getting good commissions too but it makes it more stressful than just doing the Sukie range. Sukie has also given us the opportunity to travel to India and Europe and I get to go to NY twice a year.
Home wise - getting married, our daughter Kitty (3 years) and our twins Oscar and Jacob (8 weeks)

What are your inspirations?
Flea market stuff, Eames, Robin and Lucienne Day, Josef Frank, old notebooks and paper, bad printing, nature, old nature books, typography and old printing equipment. What is your all-time favorite Sukie product and why?
The new Agenda - It has everything in it - all sorts of papers, pockets and stickers. I liked the old agenda too but the new one is even better! And I enjoyed doing the cover.
images: Sukie, thanks Darrell!

New Gocco Print

They're not done yet, I did the first color last night, here's a sneak preview. I'm going to do the second color tonight and will have it available on Etsy by Wednesday. Can you guess what goes on the second layer???

Etsy Talent

I like Jill Dryer's paintings of whimsical animals and mid-century chairs. You can get these prints at her Etsy shop, she also sells original paintings there as well.images: Jill Dryer's Etsy shop

What I'm Listening To Now

You must check out "Fly" by J.K. and Co.! I first heard this song from a mix cd that Chad's friend made for his store in London. The song was made in 1968 by a 15-year-old called Jay Kaye. Very little is known about the artist, he traveled from Las Vegas to Vancouver to make his first and only album- "Suddenly One Summer" with a group of session musicians. "Fly" is a very beautiful ballad with low-key vocal and melody that reminds me of "Strawberry Field". If you listened to the song without knowing about J.K.&Co., you might think that it is by a current band, like Keane or Radiohead, the song doesn't sound out-dated at all! It is impossible to find a download of this song, but you can purchase the reissue of the album here or here.
image: amazon.com