step wells

I love my parents' house because they have National Geographics coming out their eyeballs (not literally). Among many other things, this step well in Rajasthan, India caught my attention. 

(photo by Richard Cox, via National Geographic's blog)

remember CDs?

I remember being fourteen and going through my brother's stack of CDs, thinking to myself how cool it was that someone's entire job was to make music look pretty. Now most of us download everything, and there's minimal contact with music packaging. That's sad.

I loved this CD created by Rethink for jazz bassist (and writer) Chris Tarry because it begs to be touched. Like I feel the need to purchase it and have it for myself. The beautiful illustrations and thoughtful details (blue metal foil!) make a strong case for THE OBJECT. 

(via Lovely Package)

clock clock

You know what's fun to say? Words that repeat themselves. Aside from having a sweet & accurate name (Clock Clock), the simplicity and genius of this piece made it super memorable. A digital clock made out of analog clocks. Created by the smart people at Humans Since 1982.

(via recent fave Colossal)

Simon Walker

Interested in crying out of work envy? No? Might want to avoid Simon Walker's hand type set on flickr. Insta-jealousy/admiration.

(like most good things, via grain edit)

+ favorites from Micah Lidberg

this is what drew me in initially:

but check out these patterns:

and also this:

(Micah Lidberg's website is a goldmine, via grain edit)

oh deary me

A truck carrying ink crashed in Massachusetts
From the newspaper article:

"The truck was delivering about 16,000 pounds of red, yellow, and blue ink cartridges to a newspaper company in Portland, Maine, according to Ferson.

Several hundred gallons of ink splattered onto the road, he said." 
They had to grind down and repave parts of the road because they didn't want to wash it into larger bodies of water...such a mess, and such an image!

hallelujah anthropologie

Guy's, I'd pledge allegiance to Anthropologie any day of the week. I've told my mom before that it's the closest thing to what the inside of my brain looks like.

So it's safe to say that I am stupid excited about their new decorating concept that will help customers "carefully select products to fit their needs along with expert advice and assistance." and also assist customers in spending obscene amounts of money and time coveting eclectic goods.  

Thanks for fueling my addiction.

(via Oh Joy!)

negative space

Earlier this week David Airey posted about this clever logo for the Snooty Peacock by Ryan Russell.

He also linked to an old (but new to me) post of great uses of negative space in logo design. The word I keep thinking is "CLEVER."

If there's a book called Clever: How to be Smart + Awesome, please send it my way. I WANT TO BE LIKE THESE PEOPLE.

(Nexcite logo By Amore)

(Elefont logo By Logo Motive Designs)

(Guild of Food Writers logo By 300million)

(New Bedford Whaling Museum logo By Malcolm Grear Designers)

russian photo rabbit hole

We briefly discussed Sergei Prokudin-Gorskii's color documentary work of the Russian empire around the turn of the century in my Russian & Soviet History class. They're some of the earliest color photos made, and they capture Russia in the years before industrialization. 

"His process used a camera that took a series of three monochrome pictures in sequence, each through a different-colored filter. By projecting all three monochrome pictures using correctly colored light, it was possible to reconstruct the original color scene. Any stray movement within the camera's field of view showed up in the prints as multiple "ghosted" images, since the red, green and blue images were taken of the subject at slightly different times." (Wikipedia copy + pasted)

You can poke through some 2,600 photos on the Library of Congress's website. The quantity, quality, and vibrancy of colors is pretty exhilarating. You just might fall in.

(Library of Congress, via Miss Moss)

+ seriously no words

gorgeous lettering + engraving.

(via FPO, lettering by the late, great Doyald Young for 344 Design)

blog turned book

I love this thoughtful (and beautiful) book featured over on FPO. Pulling writing and photos directly from her sister's travel blog during a trip through Asia, Christina Piluso created two incredibly unique and special compilations of the journey. This is such an incredible gift, and it's inspiring to see a designer use her abilities to create something so precious for her sister. Definitely got my wheels turning. 

[[posterous-content:lcwyuvmjDywblEGkkrxn]]

+ rainbow bench

I need it in my life.

(via Oh Happy Day)

+ experiencing an intense attachment to this napkin's color scheme

(by wolfum via Design*Sponge)

Tess

I'm newly in love with the blog The Case & Point, which houses some wonderful features on custom typography in branding. I really enjoy this system for a London based model agency designed by Mind Design. It's a true system that utilizes various art-deco elements to create a variety of logos. Those same elements are utilized on frames for model cards and different print applications. It feels so fresh, appropriate, and comprehensive. Love it.

+ these people are crazy

and I love it.

(by Brian Li, via typegoodness)