More patterned goodness from these ladies, cause well, it’s Fashion Week here in New York and it’s Friday. What are you doing on your lunch break today?
Texturizing Moving Media
Moving into the realm of video game design, IBM’s recent banner ads promoting Pure Systems playfully animates their famous campaign graphics. Though the reel plays a bit too quickly to capture progressive screen shots, you get the idea. In our opinion, this teaser illustrates a meeting of the minds and tools needed in a toolkit. Do you get it?
Kate Forrester
Artist and illustrator Kate Forrester has developed a unique and striking style of hand lettering that has earned her a bevy of work creating book jackets, packaging and advertisements in addition to a variety of other commercial applications. Her lovely hand drawn lettering is abundantly dynamic as Kate’s process has her “manipulating typefaces and intertwining words with illustrations to create a flowing, organic image.”
With no intention of sticking to one style, Kate constantly experiments and explores new mediums including chocolates, jewelry, tattoos and gorgeous laser-cut paper illustrations.
Selected clients:
Tiffany NYC, John Lewis, Victoria’s Secret, Harvey Nichols, Random House, Penguin Books, Waitrose,
Unilever, The Guardian, Little Brown, Pan Macmillan, The Art Group, Grand Central Publishing, Walker Books, John Brown Publishing, Moonstruck Chocolates.
Words of Wisdom
This past weekend I was in Rhode Island for my grandmother’s 96th birthday. I stayed in the bedroom I grew up in and invariably sifted through my teenage possessions. I came across a book of quotes gifted to me by my brother 15 years ago.
Most of the quotes are timeless and poignant and I thought it’d be nice to share them periodically. The words above by Eleanor Roosevelt are so true- in a time when Century 21 can replace a Barnes and Noble at the drop of a hat, we as a nation should be worried about our future and our priorities.
Texture & Dots
Sometimes dots are a great stand alone texture. Other times, they’re just vessels waiting to be filled. Today’s feature highlights two feminine takes on disorder and geometry. The first, a Karen Barbe original reveals the time and patience behind woven needlepoint.
Taking a more chaotic yet refined route, Marni‘s lace dress nearly brings the photoshop process to life, revealing what filters and layers can look like when collaged in a tangible way. Are you a fan?
Marimekko around Helsinki
This photo pretty much sums up my travels in Helsinki. Justin would explore (or wait) while I browsed with my iphone or Canon in hand, asking shop owners about their tchotchkes and the history behind their trinkets. Every once in a while I’d leave with a necklace, light bulb or keychain (or instagram a longing for something like this).
Like I mentioned in the Johanna Gullichsen feature, fabric is often sold on the premises and it’s no different at Marimekko, where the options are graphic and plentiful.
Here are a bunch of photos I took from inside the main store that houses clothing, artwork, books, toys, homewear and playful decor. Coming from America, where the uptown store feels like Marimekko-light, the hometown store is truly special.
From a retail and merchandising perspective, the flow and lighting compliment each other to tell a bright and whimsical story. Various patterns are assigned to different corners, capturing you in a textured atmosphere. I of course gravitated to the black and white sections first, then moved along to the polka dots and flowers.
Who remembers the delightful girls from Gone to Lunch? Doesn’t this wall speak to their dressing room jaunts?
Much like J.Crew and Kate Spade have filled their walls with art and literature, Marimekko’s wall and floor display tell a timeline of Finnish design history, including the company’s own.
As you can see, the brand’s patterns are woven throughout the city- they’re a part of everyday life, no matter where you turn. Here are tablecloths at an outdoor eating area.
I sometimes felt like a madwoman briskly following people with a camera (read: 1 in 5) were dressed in Marimekko patterns. It’s fascinating and exhilarating to see a brand so entirely embraced by the society that’s produced it.
A few more examples: a vintage bookstore incorporates the iconic black and white print as a backdrop for it’s books.
And upon my exit at the Helsinki Airport, the dishes and trays are covered in Marimekko patterns. There’s a true appreciation for design within the fabric of the culture- and aside from the obvious label, it was easy to see why this city was named the Design Capital of the year.