NatGeo Photography

Yet again, more fabulous images resulting from the National Geographic contests. They capture the energy and immediacy of the scenes with wonderful colour and clarity. From the subtlety of the droplet of water from the fish in the first image, to the steam coming off the bear in the last, every inch of them is awe inspiring.

There are lots more images to be found on the National Geographic website which can lose you for hours.

Honey on the Money

I consistently come across great packaging solutions for the simplest of products. Honey in particular is something that has caught my eye many a time. Maybe it's the wonderful hues of the product itself that lends itself to strong graphic treatment, but I find myself spoiled for choice when browsing the shelves for honey.

The Sheffield Honey Company “is an artisan producer of premium quality local English honey and beeswax products”. Design and illustration company, DED Associates have created an unusual brandmark for the Sheffield Honey Company using abstracted forms of a drip of honey and a hexagonal honeycomb shape. The result is a utilitarian boutique style which certainly works for me.




“Nude Bee Honey Co.® was launched in 2010 by entrepreneurs Edward Okun and Jared Cantor with the aim of delivering the most delicious raw honeys produced by independent beekeepers.

Working with independent beekeepers to deliver varietal honeys means a constantly evolving product line. Different types of honey come in and out of stock based on their limited supply, which means all of the honeys we carry at any given time are limited edition.

Produced throughout Ontario Canada, packaged in Guelph and distributed from our small but efficient warehouse in Kensington Market – Toronto, Nude Bee Honey Co.® is changing the way people love honey.”



This honeycomb inspired packaging by Australian based agency, Pidgeon is simplistic and lovely. “Heide Museum of Modern Art produces and sells its own honey. The packaging and point-of-sale poster are both based on the Hex typeface developed by David Pidgeon.”

Green Wedding

I may be a little bit fascinated with beautifully designed and thought out weddings. Ok, maybe a lot a bit. But who could blame me with little emeralds like this. Alyson & Levi's wedding is perfectly styled, claiming inspiration from mother nature and all things daintily rustic. The overall effect is an effortless and wholesome event as you can see from the pictures. The bride, Alyson, who I believe was creatively directing the wedding creates a lush, green feeling, full of unique little botanical curiosities. The canoe (above) in yellow, adds a wonderful burst of colour in a green and linen haven.

One of my favourite things about this wedding are the details. Everything from the postage stamps on the invitations to the cocktail sticks in the bread have been considered and fastidiously coordinated. And the details make all the difference.






I'm sure they had a wonderful and memorable day and have given me plenty of design inspiration in the meantime. Thank you Alyson and Levi!

Ultimate Meat Shop

Victor Churchill butchers shop in Sydney, Australia may not be breaking news, but it is an inspiring space calling out to be visited. "Churchill’s Butchery -has operated in the space since 1876, so it was an appropriate location for what the Puharichs envisioned as a European-inspired designer shop of meaty delights."

"With the interior designed by Michael McCann of Dreamtime Australia, the store is quite unlike any butcher store in Australia. Gone are the traditional refrigerated cabinets and parsley dressed meats, replaced with a store infused with European style. Rich timber wall panelling, timber beamed ceiling and Italian Calacatta marble stone floor, Himlayian salt brick walls create the new interior of Victor Churchill."

Scroll down to give your eyes a meaty treat...






Now to find a way to get to Sydney!

Read more at The Cool Hunter

Krafftstoff Vodka

Now, I am hardly a vodka expert, but this packaging makes it seem a lot more interesting looking. Unfortunately, I don't know much about the thinking behind the design, but it is obvious that a lot of inspiration has been drawn from the hip flask. The result is a gorgeous etched looking container which is almost a piece of art in itself.

The images featured on the flasks reminds me of some sort of Viking myths, which is only speculation. I would be interested to find out the inspiration for the scenes. The flasks won a bronze award at the 2009 German Art Director’s Club Competition, was included in the D&AD Awards book, was awarded silver at the New York Festivals, and was shortlisted in the One Show Design awards.




The flasks are available to buy from The Deli Garage website

How to deliver a quiver

"Jell-O is an enduring cultural phenomenon, one that has far transcended its gastronomical limitations." says SF Weekly food blogger Andrew Simmons. US print space, Gowanus Studio have an annual competition, asking people to create a piece of art through the medium of jelly. The 'Keep calm and Wobble on' poster shown above is as cult as it comes at the moment. As their website reiterates, "This year’s competition asks designers to explore the resilient properties of Jell-O as a design medium, a cultural phenomenon, and food that just won’t quit."

This cultural phenomenon seems to span the pond to the UK. On the 15 June, Sam Bompas and Harry Parr wrote an online article for the guardian, singing the praises of Jelly's versatility and pointing out that just about any food can be jellified. "If stable food is not your thing, you should be pleased to hear that almost anything can be turned into a jelly" write Bompas and Parr. "With a distinctly misguided spirit of adventure, we once created an entire Christmas dinner in one tall and very wobbly striped jelly. There were layers of sprouts, parsnips, potatoes, stuffing, bread sauce and, of course, turkey consommé studded with artfully positioned mini sausages and bacon rashers. Once you can master this jelly Everest – it had jelly foothills made of champagne, burgundy, port and sherry – you're qualified to jelly anything. At least, we like to think so."

See below for some of last years Jelly art competition winners and keep posted for my own jelly creations!

Making Waves

Some awesome pictures of waves by Clark Little from Hawaii, where he gets his inspiration for these amazing shots. I have never seen wave shots with so much colour and energy before.

His prints are available for sale on his website linked above.

Alice in Wonderland

I am officially in the long list of people eagerly awaiting Mr. Tim Burton's newest creation: Alice in Wonderland. Unsurprisingly he is using some of his favourite cast to recreate this children's classic story, with a dark side of course.

If you have been in a hole for the last year, I will enlighten you. Burton uses a technique of combining live action and animation to create an updated version of the original stories Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass by Lewis Caroll. Johnny Depp plays the Mad Hatter, whilst Burton's wife, Helena Bonham Carter plays the rather terrifying Queen of Hearts (see images above).

The film is out in the UK, nationwide on March 5th, 2010. And of course 2010 is the era of 3D cinema, so of course this is the only way to watch Alice in Wonderland. Maybe even IMAX if the budget stretches...hmmm...

Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends

I had temporarily forgotten how great this cartoon is. Cartoon Network produced this bit of visual loveliness and rumour has it, it's made entirely in Flash. Which as a Flash rookie (which in itself is a slight overstatement), I am absolutely baffled.

The basic premice of the show is summed up in this wikipedia reference:

"In the Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends universe, imaginary friends (or "friends" for short) become physical beings the instant a child imagines them; unlike how the concept often works on other shows, an Imaginary Friend takes physical and emotional form after a child creates specific details about that character. Unfortunately for them, the children eventually outgrow them around ages 7–8. When this happens, the friends are left to fend for themselves. Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends was founded by the elderly Madame Foster to provide a foster home for abandoned imaginary friends."

So I suppose my message to you is, give it a go. Yes, cartoons are generally for children under the age of fourteen, but if you want to indulge yourself in a bit of pure imagination then find yourself an episode!

Lobster for Dinner

I came across this lovely paper craft work today, by a duo called Zim & Zou on the Behance network. I must confess, I'm not entirely sure what it is. I can see it contains a menu but it could as equally be a webpage as a placemat in a restaurant. It's a versatile concept which can be taken through various mediums for appropriate purposes. I give this piece five big fat stars.

Sherlock Holmes Title Sequence

It's been a while since my last post and it's certainly not because there is nothing to blog about. There has been tons of inspiration which has gone unreported by me. Mainly because I have been so busy and not been in one place long enough to put together a post.

The thing that has made a biggest impression on me recently is the title sequence for the new Sherlock Holmes film. The film itself I am not inclined to see. Well, I wasn't before I saw these titles. Created by the Prologue studio, the sequence boasts a brilliant score as well as wonderful graphics, much suited to the Victorian era in which this story is set. It has a great pace and sense of action, helped along by the use of sketch style illustrative conversions of live images and film. The details of the sketches become more complex as time goes on but what I think really makes this an engaging piece is the change in camera angles. The sharp and jaunty changes in view keep it dynamic and exciting. I might just go and see the film after all!

Watch the title sequence here

More about Prologue