I admit it: I love the Olypmics, specifically the opening and closing ceremonies.

Friday’s artistic portion of the Beijing Opening Ceremonies may have been the most spectacular one that I have seen. 15,000 performers took part in Zhang Yimou’s, China’s most famous film director, creation. Nods were given to Confucius, Tai-Chi, calligraphy, the invention of paper and the moveable type press (Thanks, China!), the numerous Dynasties, and space exploration, among many more cultural highlights. The attention to detail was impeccable. The juxtaposition of opposites was wonderful. The magnitude and scale of the performances was jaw-dropping. The sweeping story-telling of the nation’s history was beautiful.

I can’t wait to see what they have in store for the closing ceremonies!

Please visit The New York Times and Sports Illustrated for more spectacular photographs from the night.

This piece of art, by Chicago artist Sighn, sets at the base of my computer monitor — Trust me, it’s looked at often. ITS OK is in line with the rest of his body of work: phrases (”Don’t let go… Hold on tight” etc.) and words (”Almost”, etc.) in different hand-drawn fonts that are hand-cut out of wood. The thing that sets this piece apart from the rest is the quantity…

Beginning at noon today through noon tomorrow, Sighn will embark on a 24-hour cut-a-thon for his ‘limited’ edition “ITSOK” — ‘limited’ being in quotes because it is an edition of 1 million. The math has been done numerous times and by a few people: For Sighn to complete this edition, it will take decades, probably a lifetime. And what better mantra to repeat through your life?

It’s ok.

It’s simple, Horacio Salinas’s fashion photographs featured on The New York Times are stunning. The pairing of beautiful women’s accessories, all in a warm honey-gold color, with killer bees is brilliant — a Dior bag standing in for a hive, Tom Ford sunglasses dripping with honey, a Christian Louboutin shoe swarmed by bees (just to name a few). The entire eight image feature is so sticky sweet and a perfect way to spread the summer buzz!

Enjoy!

Happy May Day!

Within the last few weeks, I’ve had a few occasions that needed to be celebrated with a card (Congratulations, Mike and Anne! and Good luck, Michelle!). As a designer, I often have a love/hate relationship with cards — “I could make one, why would I buy one?” and “I really like the design, but why the lame words inside?”. So, when I stumbled across Lagom Greeting Cards in a Lincoln Square store, I couldn’t have been more pleased. Wonderfully bright colors, fun ornamental bits, geometry and nature at their finest, and they are blank inside (so the only lame words are your own)! As an extra bonus, they are printed on FSC certified paper (paper that has been responsibly forested) and printed with vegetable based inks. This paper is honestly a dream to write on and it’s environmentally conscious.

The UK company, whose name is Swedish for “perfect balance” or “just right”, has four lines of greeting cards, each with a distinct style — Boda (bold decoratively flat animals), iBride (whimsical nature with die-cuts), Opopnax (bright graphic botanicals) and Trädgård (Worldly nature-themed collages). They also have four additional product lines — furniture, prints, gifts and textiles.

Each design truly is “just right.” Now all I need are more occasions to celebrate!

Enjoy!

Finally…

Everyone knows that the hardest person to design for is yourself… I feel like I proved that true with this site: It has been an idea for years now, gone through many stages, many pauses, many re-designs, and in the last couple months numerous “final” tweaks. (I offer my sincere thanks to draupp.com for being a brilliant, patient developer. And to Julia for telling me to chill out on the colons, among other grammatical advice.) So, here it is… my design site.

Enjoy!

That’s right: More wallpaper!!!

The handscreened wallcoverings from New Orleans-based Flavor Paper are incredible! (Thanks for the link, Michelle!) Every roll is hand printed and the designs can even be customized. The designs range in feel from contemporary (b-a-n-a-n-a-s! — visually Warhol/playfully Gwen Stefani) to floral (dauphine — a modern nod to Art Deco) to vintage traditional with a twist (city park — an urban damask with the most regal fire hydrant I’ve ever seen). Not to mention the Lace or the Flower Pedal (I love the word play!). The color palettes are lush, vibrant, classic, elegant and playful and the repetition of everyday items in a new way in a familiar pattern is brilliant! Enjoy!

If I wasn’t a graphic designer and could be anything, anywhere, what would I be? The answer is easy: I’d design tiles. Hey, I couldn’t NOT design! (I’d also live in a Caribbean paradise, but that’s a different story.)

The tiles by Xenia Taler make me smile every time I look at them. They express everything I love in patterns and design: form, color, loose repetition and tactility — and they are hand-decorated too! The duo behind the tiles are, Toronto-based, Xenia Taler and Steven Koblinsky. Xenia designs the tiles, Steven makes the clay and wonderful glazes. They seem to offer something for all tastes: florals, animals, birds, nature and geometrics. My personal favorite, at the moment anyway — since it changes on a daily basis — is the Goldfish, but the deep navy glaze is really tempting… Enjoy!

Detroit’s had a rough week.

The announcement of felony charges against Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his former chief of staff, Christine Beatty has divided all groups — Detroiters, non-Detroiters, public and state officials — and threatened to pause the re-development of a city that so certainly wants to be thriving once again.

There doesn’t appear to be much room for grey area in any of the oppositions: Resign vs. Stay. Guilty vs. Innocent. Public vs. Private. Love vs. Use. Self vs. Greater Whole. Everyone is strongly aligned one way or another and the announcement of formal charges has driven more people to communicate their stance as widely as they can. It’s graphic design at it’s most basic: a visual form of a clear, passionate message. The postcards distributed outside the State of the City address were black type on a white card “… Resign … Text us when you leave.” The Kwame Mug, a coffee mug with (of course) a graphic interpretation of the mayor’s mugshot, from aptly named kwamemugshot.com, is among several items offered as “merchandise as a form of (light-hearted) expression… to spark discussion.” In many ways, the basic graphics fit the city: Detroit, in it’s current state and attitude is not about flash and slick-ness. For the most part, it’s a blue-collar, hard-working, tough, honest city with a little bit of grit and a lot of heart.

There are months to wait for a legal outcome, and many dialogues to be had … And perhaps most importantly, many opportunities to show that Detroit is not defined by it’s mayor and his scandal. 

It’s a sentiment that’s been tossed around a lot lately, mostly as a defense, but be certain Detroit, I (and many others) love you. 

I love to travel: It’s a break from your routine and surroundings and an emersion in someplace new and unfamiliar. You think, act and see things differently. And upon returning things connect in new ways and the need to create is so strong…

It’s the beginning of the second month of the new year: as good a time as any to take stock of where I’ve been (ok, I’m a little late with this “New Year Resolution” thing…). But, I’ve had this idea in my head for a while now, to color a map of the U.S. with places I have traveled to or through. Mostly out of curiosity (How many states have I been to?) and to see the states that I’ve yet to visit (Where should my next trip be to?). I’m pleased to be able to color in 19 states, granted some darker than others (Michigan, my home; Illinois, Arizona, New York)… And it looks like my next trip stateside should be to the NorthEast, NorthWest or anywhere down the Middle… Or Hawaii!

This month, I visited Las Vegas for the first time: It was ridiculous. It’s another world and in many ways a designer’s playground. The signage, the decor, the public art, the architecture — All of it spot on and true to the specific theme each is intended for: Paris, New York, Italy and the old West to name a few. It’s a place where all the bells and whistles are welcomed, expected and enjoyed: I’ve never seen the font “Frontier” look more at home…