Budget slashing has forced artists, retailers and marketers across the globe to get creative in finding lower-cost solutions to advertise their wares. Be it a rummage in the craft bin or a simple play on words, trend-setters such as Anthropologie and Barneys have proven less can be more when the concepts are strong. Today we’ve chosen to focus on tape as a decorative way to enhance a creative message. Earlier this summer the malleable nature of this medium was incorporated in the Color Forms layout featured in the New York Times Magazine where the photographer chose to compliment this Matryoshka table with vibrant colored floor striping. Applying similar energy and stiff color blocking, this repuposed Umbro t-shirt from 2006 reveals that DIY done right can update any brand. Using color, function and a healthy dose of sexy, Marc Jacobs has created one of the simplest and most striking window displays on New York’s Bleeker Street, proving that duct tape can work for even the most innovative designers.
Categories: Accessories · Budget · Fashion · Homegoods · Marketing · Print · art · color
Tagged: bondage, color blocking, design, innovation, marc jacobs, solutions, tape, the new york times, umbro
Tape measures can be used for more than just sizing up material — in some cases they are the material. Fusing pop art vibrancy with everyday functionality, the tool responsible for measuring our daily lives is stepping out from behind the scenes to claim a bit of creative recognition. We first noticed ruler art on the streets of Palermo Soho, where brightly colored suspenders popped up at a local craft fair. Inside the walls of Tienda Palacio, a trendy Buenos Aires boutique, folded flower pendants and resin keychain accessories reclaim the traditional notion of a tchotchke.
The fine art world hasn’t been exempt from the trend. In 2008, Debbie Smyth of Ireland, combined black and white tape measures to form magnificent geometric woven prisms. Using less malleable materials, a unique wall hanging featured at this year’s ArteBA was composed of several purposely-misaligned wooden rulers to create striped texture. Combining photography with witty art direction, “Space Time,” by Kevin Van Aelst explores multiple dimensions while simultaneously conveying wit through it’s “variable” measurement title.
Compiled by: Rebecca Silver
Categories: Artist Profile · Street Finds · Trend · art
Tagged: Accessories, Buenos Aires, design, Guino, ruler, tape measure, Trend, yellow
After spending the week moseying around Fire Island and absorbing 4th of July festivities, we found it only fit to provide a brief wrap up of quirky, inspirational, red, white and blue imagery that speaks to the patriotic side of patterns. Be it indifferent hipsters styled in caricature body-builder gear, Budweiser’s subtle marketing displays, or this uniquely camouflaged fish, all hints of the American flag are welcome when it comes to ushering in summer, sand and barbecue.
Additional contributions by: Emily Gup
Categories: Event · Fashion · Marketing
Tagged: 4th of july, American, beer, budweiser, fish, Flickr, hipsters, nature, patriotic, usa
1. You’ve never seen wetsuits like this, via Cakehead Lovers Evil.
2. Brilliant display of MoMA’s TwistTogether LED blocks, via Inhabitots.
3. Lacoste’s iconic crocodile runs amoc for their fourth Holiday Collector’s series collaboration with Fernando and Humberto Campana, via Yatzer.
4. Pendleton is celebrating their 100th birthday by pairing their signature patterns with Opening Ceremony’s chic modern cuts, via The Fashionisto.
5. Charming fruit shaped sticky notes, via Moco Loco.
6. Sparkling textured wallcoverings from Silven, via Trendir.
7. Vera Neumann’s expansive collection of work, some of which is presently on display at New York City’s midtown location of Anthropologie, via Design*Sponge.
8. Playing with paper inspired this lighting series by kjellgren kaminsky architecture, via Design Boom.
9. Floor made of pennies, via Not Cot.
10. Stunning artist designed DeLonghi espresso machines up for auction, via If It’s Hip It’s Here.
11. Collapsible textile honeycomb inspired helmut, via Yanko Design.
12. A collection of lovely 3D typography, via Abduzeedo.
Compiled by: Emily Gup
Categories: Weekly Notables Elsewhere on the Web
Reinterpretations of the wave are the norm every summer season, so in honor of the weather, we’re highlighting four artists and their unique approach to the surf. Caitlin Hinshelwood, a textile designer and illustrator from the UK, explores nautical themes ranging from anchors and Hokusai-like waves to sea urchins and starfish in her 2D gouache creations. Riding a massive wave of foam (and irony), our hairy meets hip favorite, Alexandra Cassaniti, introduces her summer catalog, Summer Bummer, with a colossal, hovering, tooth-like swell. Moving into the literary corner, Tamara Shopsin, a frequent illustrator for The New York Times, communicates political content using a googly-eyed shark fin in her effort to convey the art of political distraction. Using a similar blue and white palette, Geoff McFetridge expresses surf etiquette with his marker drawing, Your Wave, My Wave.
Categories: Fashion · Print · art · color
Tagged: alexandra cassaniti, blue, Caitlin Hinshelwood, Geoff Mcfetridge, Hokusai, new york times, politics, summer, tamara shopsin, water, wave, white
It’s common knowledge that nature inspires design. When we saw this tomato worm on one of our favorite design and inspiration blogs, Lovely Morning, a few months ago, we knew that Summer ‘09 was going to be both green and graphic. The natural pattern found on this stunning caterpillar is visually connected to the beautiful tile work backing a shot of Kid America by the infamous photographer, The Selby. We then found a black and white retail display at LA’s The Lab, that was distinctly reminicient of the scalloped mosaic. Much like the caterpillar’s transformation to a butterfly, graphic design inspiration can evolve in equally magnificent ways.
Categories: Homegoods · Print · Street Finds · color
Tagged: green, inspiration, lovely morning blog, mosaic, nature, retail display, the selby
As Lady Gaga’s fame rises, so does her love for all things flashy. Beyond her dance beats and uniquely costumed performances, her devotion to the disco ball is a constant for most of her shows. As we noted last month, the convergence of fashion and nightlife continues to intersect in the most literal of ways, spurning metallic fabrics for nighttime use as well as day. This pyramid studded pocket, which we spotted on one of our favorite inspirational blogs, JBlyth, showcases two trends in one: hidden details combined with punk attitude- the perfect blend for a fashionable night out.
Categories: Follow-up · Marketing · Music · Trend
Tagged: Disco Ball, Justin Blyth, lady gaga, punk, pyramid studs
1. Interview with illustrator Andy Smith, via Shiny Squirrel
2. Life sized camera obscura as wallpaper, via Design Boom
3. Ryz and COLOURlovers patterned shoe design contest, via Colour Lovers
4. Moroso’s M’Afrique collection and other african/african inspired designs, via Yatzer
5. Furni’s artist enhanced clocks, via If It’s Hip It’s Here
6. Wonderful blackboard style packaging of Kaffe coffee shop, via The Die Line
7. Modular light wall tiles give a stained glass effect to your work, via Yanko Design
8. Not your typical boutonnieres, via Design*Sponge
9. Interview with Phil Dunne, via Abduzeedo
10. Some amazing street art up for auction at Paris’ Art Curial, via Arrested Motion
11. A collaboration between Missoni and Converse, via WWD
12. Beautiful modern prints and patterns from Cristina Londoño’s Wallnut
Studio, via Print Pattern
By: Emily Gup
Categories: Accessories · Artist Profile · Gift · Marketing · art · color
Summer’s finally here and balloons appear to be the signifier of the season. Be it literal or interpretive, pastel floaters have gained an inspirational edge, as it’s hard to resist a balloon’s youthful, colorful zeal. Artists and photographers seem to be using balloons to convey messaging representative of our time, mixing hopeful optimism with realistic and momentary pleasure. Tiara Mia of Turkey has photographed an incredible layout, using a string of vibrant balloons to convey color, mood and atmosphere. Dipping into the Vogue archives, Dolce & Gabbana have recently curated the exhibit, Extreme Beauty in Vogue, in correlation with the launch of their latest makeup campaign. This June 1949 photograph by Clifford Colin glorifies the swimming cap while reminding us of this familiar prop.
In conveying hope and wonder, Disney Pixar, Bloomingdales and Dior have all devised their own interpretations of the familiar phrase, “up, up and away.”
Sliding into the figurative realm, the Kyouei Design team of Japan reference balloons (as well as wine) with their “glass tank” prototype. This light filled spectrum beautifully displays opaque and transparent qualities similar to it’s balloon counterparts, while this ampersand pattern from ffffound cleverly displays floating typography.
Additional contributions by: Emily Gup
Categories: Accessories · Homegoods · Marketing · Trend · Womens · color
Tagged: balloon, Clifford Colin, dazed and confused, disney, Joanna Goddard, Kris Nations, kyouei design, Max Wanger, pixar, Tiara Mia, turkey, vogue
Influenced by skateboarding culture, his homebase of Barcelona and a healthy dose of creative irony, Emil Kozak has become a leader of what’s relevant in today’s graphic market. Devising obscure references through words, objects and codes, Kozak has produced artwork for clients ranging from Vans, Element, and Burton, to Nike, Lab Skateboards and Uniqlo. “I hope that my work can remind us that imagination can defy gravity and bend time.” Kozak’s mantra is yet another example of trends in design bridging both space and time. Check out our Q+A for a glimpse into the world of this vector wunderkind.
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PP: What websites do you generally start your day with? Do you have a daily routine for news/blog/information consumption?
EK: I check the wave forecasts first thing when I wake up. Sometimes I check the news, but usually i just get started on working.
PP: As a designer, how did you discover your talent and how has it evolved over your creative career?
EK: When i was a kid I was really into Lego and making things out of wood. At my parents house there is still all my homemade pinball machines, pirate ships and what not. When I got older, I started making tape-covers for mix tapes and the demo-tapes for our punk-band on the Xerox machine at my dad’s work. When I finished High School, my mom gave me the idea to try out a graphic design education. I did and was hooked.
PP: Do you discuss your work with other designers? If so, how does that impact your creation process?
EK: Yes, I have friends with similar professions and we always help each other out, when the eyes give up… It affects more of the final decision making concerning colorways or small variations. Conceptual work etc. is between my notebook and me 
PP: Where do you usually work on your patterns and what is your preferred method of creation + execution?
EK: First I sketch with pencil and paper. Then I scan and finish it on computer.
PP: When is the last time you took a professional/creative risk??
EK: I guess I take small risks on a weekly basis, but the last major one was deciding to go freelance, and start up my own studio.
PP: Do you incorporate commercial trends into your work and if so, is this a factor that drives your design?
EK: Sure, I’m just as much a product of my environment as anybody else. Zeitgeist and the contemporary is a powerful thing. I actually think it’s kinda cool that we are all in this boat together somehow with shared beliefs and a collective consciousness.
Categories: Artist Profile · Marketing · Print
Tagged: barcelona, burton, Element, Emil Kozak, graphic design, Lab Skateboards, Nike, skateboarding, Uniqlo, vans
