Invite, Thank or Say Hi in Birch Wood

Once again, my wedding radar is up. Hey - it's that time of year! Not to mention it's beautiful out, and I'm taunted by the view from my window.


Night Owl Paper Goods, based in Birmingham, AL designs beautiful wedding invitations that are printed on sustainably harvested birch wood. Not only is eco-friendly, but is a great way to set your wedding apart, and guests have a beautiful memento of your special day that is more permanent and unique than a traditional paper invite. The wood grain of each card varies, giving each piece a truly original, folksy feel.

Not getting married anytime soon? Already hitched? That's okay - Night Owl also offers notecards, gift cards and does custom work - all in birch. While you're browsing, check out their gorgeous letterpress work as well, on cotton ecru cover stock. Enterprising designers can also submit their own designs for custom printing. Happy browsing, and happy spring!

Via Design*Sponge.

A is for Artwork

Mural by Maira Kalman, P.S. 47 in Soundview, the Bronx

P.S. 47 in the Bronx is the lucky recipient of a brand-new school library designed by architect Richard H. Lewis as an initiative of of the Robin Hood Foundation. The foundation is responsible for the development of libraries in 62 schools in low-income neighborhoods in the last nine years.

The school houses 1,150 students in a space built for 800 - and most of these students had never set foot in a school or public library in their young lives. This is often the case in the libraries that the Robin Hood Foundation helps fund, design and build. The spaces aren't just designed to house books - in fact, many of the libraries have been livened up with large works of art donated by well-known artists.

Mural by Christoph Niemann, P.S. 69 in Clason Point, the Bronx

The importance and excitement of this new addition to their school is not lost on the schoolchildren who have never entered a library - in fact, the school's principal says, “They can’t wait,” Mr. Guarnieri said. “I come by, and there are all these nose prints and fingerprints on the door glass. And I clean them off because I want this to stay pristine.”

Mural by Rafael Esquer, P.S. 196 in Soundview, the Bronx

Via New York Times and Pentagram.

Lights Out

Hope you didn't miss Earth Hour yesterday, the largest climate event in history, and participated by turning off your lights from 8:30-9:30pm ....

More news results here.

twi•stor•i

twi•sor•i: n. an ongoing and hypnotic social experiment.

xtown rocked

Wild Things Teaser Trailer

...Awesome. What an imaginative-looking film. Looks like it's time for an Elements field trip!

TONIGHT! AIGA | CT Presents Crosstown

Tonight, from 6 - 8 pm, join AIGA Connecticut for the launch of our very first happy hour / get together / funky hang-out chat fest. We're hosting two simultaneous satellite locations to maximize your socializing time. As an added bonus: we'll try to bring the two parties together via ConnCAM, so you can be the first to say you brought down the house in two cities at once. You only pay for what you consume.

Hartford: Firebox Restaurant
539 Broad Street, Hartford, CT

New Haven: 116 Crown
116 Crown Street, New Haven, CT


About AIGA
AIGA, the professional association for design is committed to furthering excellence in design as a broadly defined discipline, strategic tool for business and cultural force. AIGA is the place design professionals turn to exchange ideas and information, participate in critical analysis and research and advance education and ethical practice.

For More Information
AIGA Connecticut

New Way to Prove You're Human

One of my classmates, Ben Plum, developed some script to replace those annoying, ugly boxes with random letters and numbers that are often required when you fill out a form. They are useful in that they prevent junk mail, but they could be more attractive, right? This is exactly what Ben decided to remedy using the same visual language Apple uses to unlock their iPhone. You can download the script here, just give him credit when you use it.

This One's For You, RK ...

I love a good chart. Flowing Data's website is chock full of 'em. Great for "chart" inspiration. This link is to a plethora of charts explaining where all the bailout money went. (RK, you're going to love this site!).

Tweeting Your Way into Business

Hey...it could happen! Take a look at the following story featured this morning on NPR...


The latest food craze in Los Angeles has gone mobile: a taco truck called Kogi, dishing out Korean/Mexican food on the streets of LA. Kogi's interesting combination of cultural foods is somewhat experimental, as are their marketing tactics. Kogi announces the location of their truck and specials of the day via Twitter. Droves of people are waiting hours in line for these Korean tacos and are following religiously on Twitter to find the next location of their new favorite food.

One fan comments, "I tracked down Kogi [via Twitter] Friday night. Life as I know it has ceased to exist. I want Korean BBQ tacos, I want them now and I want them every day for the rest of my life." Who wouldn't want such loyal clientele? Over 10,000 Kogi fans follow their Twitter.

Kogi is the brainchild of Roy Choi, a Culver City Culinary Institute of America grad who finished near the top of his class. Choi and his friends wanted to find a way to create new dishes and explore new parts of Los Angeles. And the reason for delving into Twitter? Choi hired a tech-savvy new-media consultant to help promote the brand. Lesson learned - why not hire an expert (like Elements) to get great results?

Another great marketing success story, and I'm left asking, "Why doesn't everyone hire a professional design and marketing communications firm?!"

Visit NPR.org to learn more.

Wild Things are Happening!

October is my birth month. This year, October also marks the release of Spike Jonze's feature-length adaptation of the children's classic Where the Wild Things Are, written and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. It's up there on my list of favorite books from my childhood.


The poster, released today, features the main character, Max, and one of the 'wild things' - too large and hairy to fit fully on the frame. The poster is deliciously creepy, and gives a preview of what I imagine the style of cinematography and art direction will be. Just seeing this one image reminds me of Sendak's illustration style - one part macabre, one part mysterious - and full of imagination. I particularly love the handwritten title and Max's little crown. I can't wait to see what the website will look like.

And the film's tagline? There's one in all of us.

Look for the trailer March 27 - it will debut before Dreamwork's latest flick Monsters vs. Aliens.

Via Spike Jonze's fan blog and PopWatch.

IF · garden

IF · garden
Originally uploaded by Yara

Loving this illustrator from Portugal.

Covers

This will wake up your creative muse this morning. Endless inspirational book cover artwork courtesy of the Book Cover Archive. Wicked cool.

SXSW

SXSW Music Festival kicked off today in Austin, Texas.

Wishing I was there. One of these years, I'll make it. Meanwhile, next best thing, listening live thanks to NPR. Official SXSW site here.

What's great about SXSW is finding new music. I clicked on the "band player" from the SXSW home page and randomly a pop-up window starts playing a band .... from New Haven .... that I've never heard of .... until tonight (screen shot below) ... and they're not bad. The Queen Killing Kings. Wonder if they ever played Café 9?

Well, tonight my friends, they rocked the "Blind Pig" roof deck in Austin. Free beer and BBQ. And we're missing it!


Point is: discovery. Take a listen.

Help us feed hungry families in our community

Elements will once again be a collection point for the Christian Community Action (CCA) Food Pantry food drive.

CCA is participating in the nationwide Alan Shawn Feinstein Foundation $1 Million Anti-Hunger Challenge. The more food and cash CCA receives during the next two months, the bigger the grant from the Feinstein Foundation.

Items most needed:
• Bags of rice and beans (red or black)
• Boxes of pasta
• Canned fish, fruites, meats and vegetables
• Cans [NO GLASS PLEASE] of pasta sauce/gravy/juice
• Potatoes/yams
• Low-sugar cereals/low-sodium soups
• Dessert items - Jello, pudding mixes, etc.
• NO Peanut butter/peanut-based products

The CCA Food Pantry is the second largest in the six counties served by the Connecticut Food Bank. It serves an average 750 families, seniors and other individuals a month, 50% of whom are children.

Please join us in helping this worthwhile cause!

Two Words

Today's inspiration: Joss Stone. Rock out.

Wedding Season is Coming...

Amy confessed her obsession with fonts yesterday, so I'll admit it - I'm obsessed with weddings.

I watch all those sappy wedding shows on TV, and have for years - so much so that my little brother knew the theme song to TLC's "A Wedding Story" by heart. I have been "bookmarking" wedding ideas for myself through the years, so that someday, when my big day comes, I can draw on all of the inspiration I've seen along the way.

Wedding season is just around the corner, and for any brides-to-be out there, check out this idea spotted at Smitten, a relationship blog on Glamour.com.


Jennie couldn't pick just a few of her friends to be bridesmaids, so she sent the above announcement out to friends, along with paint swatches, asking them to choose a dress from the color palette. The result? She didn't offend any of her friends by excluding them, and everything still coordinated beautifully. Kudos, Jennie! Way to refrain from bridezilla status!

Confession

Some women buy lots of shoes.

I'm not one of those women.

I do have a weakness, however.

It's fonts. I love them.

Janine Vangool, author of one of my favorite blogs, Uppercase, had a post a few days ago and used a stunningly beautiful number "4". I emailed her immediately and she kindly replied that it was found at the Hoefler + Frere-Jones website as part of a 16-font collection of numbers (samples of some of the 12 sets above).

With credit card in hand, I've already purchased and have designs in mind to begin working on today.

Thanks for sharing, Janine!

Also, I am planning on subscribing to Janine's newest venture (she is tireless!), Uppercase Magazine. I'm looking forward to receiving her very first edition!

Recycling on a larger scale

I purchased a used kitchen this weekend. Sound strange? I thought so too, until I found Green Demolitions, a non-profit company. People who are re-doing their kitchen donate their old kitchen to Green Demolitions, who in turn gently remove the cabinetry and/or appliances and move them to one of their three showrooms, and give the client a receipt for a tax deduction. Green Demolitions then resells the pieces at a greatly discounted rate, with most of the proceeds going to Recovery Unlimited, which supports the outreach programs of All Addicts Anonymous.

This prevents perfectly good items from being sent to a landfill, and instead recycles them to others who are happy to have them. I know I am waiting with much excitement for my new-to-me kitchen to be delivered this week!

Killed Ideas

Dust off that brilliant idea that got stuffed in the back of the file cabinet - have I got a contest for you!

Finally some recognition for your most stellar ideas that - thanks to your client (you know who you are ... Heather) - never saw the light of day.

Presenting, Killed Ideas.

Winning submissions will be part of a published book (and great fodder for revenge).

Ideas that are submitted and not used - well, those weren't going anywhere anyway, so what do you have to lose?

Contest ends March 31st, so get moving!

My Version of Heaven

A friend of Elements, David Fischer, President of Avity, recently got hitched and headed to Cordoba, Spain for a whirlwind honeymoon.

These images taken at The Alcazar in Cordoba (that I spotted on his Facebook page) took my breath away. David was also kind enough to provide this Flickr link with other snapshots for even more inspiration.

Did you ever see a picture of a place and think "I just have to go and stand right there"? These images make me want to grab my sketchbook and paints and sit for hours by this pool. I think it is one of the most stunningly beautiful places I've ever seen. It's my version of "heaven on earth".

Thanks for sharing with me, David! Wonderful Friday inspiration.

Paper, Plastic? No, It's Leather.

A leather shopping bag. Now, why didn't I think of that?

(via OhJoy!)

Knock On Wood

Found at the MoMA store. Six wood grain-looking folders for $7.00.

Here's a cool, free application that takes any of your images and creates a "real" Polaroid snapshot out of it. Download the application and a snazzy vintage 1970's Polaroid camera sits on your desktop. Drag and drop images onto the camera and you will hear the camera "click". Sit back and watch as your Polaroid develops and turns darker. You can even shake the image for different results (top one was shaken, bottom was not). Have fun!

Winterhouse Polling Place Exhibit: Citizen Journalism Exhibition

AIGA | CT and Winterhouse have partnered to bring the Polling Place Photo Project to the Silpe Gallery, Taub Hall at the University of Hartford. The opening is this Friday, March 6 from 5 - pm. Read on for details.

The Polling Place Photo Project was a nationwide experiment in citizen journalism that encouraged voters to capture, post and share photographs of primaries, caucuses and general election. By documenting local voting experiences, participants contributed to an archive of photographs that capture the richness and complexity of voting in America.

Initiated by Winterhouse in partnership with AIGA, the project first sought to engage voters during the highly politicized 2006 midterm elections. In 2008, the project was supported by The New York Times and promoted as a part of their online election coverage. The archive now includes almost 6,000 photographs, representing all 50 states as well as Americans voting abroad.

This exhibition, curated by William Drenttel and Jessica Helfand, includes over 200 photos from the archive as well as four films by Andrew Sloat about democracy and the constitution, including one film commissioned especially for the Polling Place Photo Project.

Hope to see you there!

I Love This Mirror

From Oly Studio. This would be perfect in Elements gorgeous powder room. It has given me an inspiration for a design ....

Masterpiece Theater's History of Posters

One of my favorite television programs, Masterpiece Theater Classic's, has on its website, a history of its promotional posters. It's a shame that the poster program had to end but it is wonderful we can view the past collection online. Take a look at some of these wonderful works of art. I find them very inspiring.

On another note, next up on Masterpiece is "David Copperfield" starring a young Daniel Radcliffe (aka Harry Potter) and a host of other stars. This is a great family movie not to be missed!

This is text regarding the promotional posters was taken directly from the PBS.org website:

When Masterpiece Theatre began in 1971, so did another tradition -- a series of large-scale promotional posters announcing each new title. Begun with the encouragement of Herb Schmertz, Mobil's VP of Advertising and Promotion, the poster series was undertaken by the New York design firm of Chermayeff and Geismar, who had created the Mobil corporate identity and served as advisors to the company on many design and art related projects. Many of the early posters were designed by Ivan Chermayeff (Shoulder to Shoulder, Winston Churchill: The Wilderness Years). Gradually other leading designers and illustrators were introduced to the series, creating a who's who of graphic work over the past three decades: Paul Davis (Bleak House, David Copperfield); Seymour Chwast (I, Claudius, The Charmer), Daniel Schwartz (A Town Like Alice, The Citadel), James McMullen (The Jewel in the Crown, A Perfect Spy); Bernie Fuchs (A Tale of Two Cities); Al Hirschfeld (A Very British Coup). The posters were distributed to the national press and PBS stations and throughout Mobil's facilities. But they also reached millions of viewers and opinion leaders on the bus shelters of New York City. Although now discontinued, the poster series is a memorable chapter in American graphic design and represents a vivid record of ExxonMobil Masterpiece Theatre's thirty year run on public television.

I Love This Chair

By Dakota Jackson