Circus Lettering & High Street Knockoffs

For the past few months, the Louboutin window, located in Manhattan’s west village has been filled with neon circus lettering. The arrangement’s feminine, french and playful, characteristics of a brand loved by women from near and far.

A few blocks away down Bleeker street, it appears as though imitation’s the highest form of flattery, as Marc Jacob‘s womens store recently filled their windows with a similar typographic logo arrangement. The execution makes us wonder if Louboutin will be having more than one lawsuit in the near future. We know everyone draws inspiration from one another in the fashion world, but this particular arrangement is disappointing mainly because this store is known for taking the creative highroad.

April 13, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Book Review: Handmade Graphics

We’ve been tooting the horn of handmade design lately, showcasing books filled with DIY inspiration. But oftentimes after paging through, we end up wondering, how did they do that?

Luckily, Anna Wray created Handmade Graphics: Tools and Techniques Beyond the Mouse for that intent purpose. While still filled with a bounty of inspiring designs, this book presents a vast array of mark-making tools and techniques that are explored and illustrated with examples and exercises that will help motivate you to explore their use in your own work. If you ask us, inspiration mixed with motivation make this book a winner.

More images here & here.

April 13, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Accessories: Patternity from Across the Pond

I stumbled upon these patterned gems in London last November while browsing the black and white selection at The Dark Room. They’re easily one of my favorite accessories and it’s exciting to see that the ladies behind this limited edition run have been busy working to expand their line.

Inspired by street shots, nature and contrasting geometry, Patternity‘s latest collection is equally exciting. Check out their blog for a beautiful inspiration reel as well.

April 12, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: Repetition in Retail

A stroll down any city block will have you noticing grids. From mirrored windows and cement squares to full retail displays with geometric arrangements. Interestingly, this season’s windows are using a similarly squared approach. From the red stripes in the Converse window on Broadway to the vintage sewing machines at All Saints, the repetition is in high gear.

On the other side of town near the Meat Packing district, Details Magazine’s recent wheat paste highlights their creative support for the arts. Using a similar papered approach, Cole Haan’s recent advertising campaign juxtaposes an organized spread alongside a cluttered mess- a welcome reprieve from orderly structure.

April 12, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Street Shots: Teal Tanagrams

Over the past month, it’s been hard to ignore the decal adornment that’s covered Starbucks windows near and far. Gray and green tanagrams have been carefully placed to signify their 40th anniversary. While the creative endeavor is playful, it’s a new move for the brand, as their street presence as been steadily untouched for years. On a corner at 68th and Lexington on the Upper East Side, it’s interesting to see the architectural parallels.

In an effort to keep things private, this restaurant, located on 13th Street in Manhattan’s Meat Packing District applies metallic patterns to both adorn and hide what’s inside. A beautiful solution that’s both lux and low key.

April 4, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Friday Quick Links!

1. Stunning paper reef structures by Amy Eisenfeld Genser via This is Colossal
2. Love this ink inspired wallpaper via My Adventure is Your Advantage
3. Digging Greg Bogin’s breed of minimal pop art via Trendland
4. Interview with Ryan Wallace on his latest show via My Love For You
5. An interesting idea – books turned into clocks via The Designer Pad
6. Interesting twists on historical inspired patterns from House of Hackney via Style Bubble
7. Jillian Tamaki’s amazing embroidered Penguin Classics covers via Jillian Tamaki sketchblog
8. Kris Atomic’s hilarious “chronic bitchface” illustration via Kris Atomic
9. Jason at LaFerrera turns historic maps into prints of animals via design*sponge
10. Ryan Novelline created a gown out of Golden Books via ryannovelline
11. These ombre tights by KronKron are pretty fabulous via Modish
12. Great color play in Harry Diaz’s prints via designworklife

Compiled by: Emily Gup