Blackberry & Banner Art

This banner isn’t fresh, per say, but when I took a screen shot of it, I thought the design progression was quite clever and worth sharing. So, here we go. Blackberry for Sprint shares their message with an onslaught of mail. It’s highly effective and a nice reminder that one letter may seem like no big deal, but when you’re overwhelmed, it can be suffocating. Much like the hanger display for Anthropologie, small things in mass make a big impact. Bravo on what could have been a banal banner design.

August 11, 2014 | By: Shayna Kulik

Architecture Around the Globe

This post’s a short one, mainly because there’s not online much information about the artist. I hit the explore button on Instagram last week and landed on DecPhotos’ feed. It’s excellent, enjoy.

July 17, 2014 | By: Shayna Kulik

Work From My Latest Redesign

About a month ago, I refreshed my online portfolio with a quick and dirty redesign. I had a speaking engagement with the kind folks at Percolate, and realized about two weeks prior, that my personal domain hadn’t been touched in three years (crazy, but maybe some of you can relate)! It was time to replace it with something current and representative of my current aesthetic…not to mention the work I’ve done in-between.

While it’s still very much a work-in-progress (these things always are), I thought I’d share some imagery with you. I have an active pattern library now with roughly 150 prints, for clients who’d like to purchase or license (beyond custom pattern design) and am continuing to do creative brand development and marketing strategy (my bread and butter).

Hopefully soon, I’ll get to share a few collaborations that I’ve been working on over the past few months. When it comes to fashion and product development, the timelines are loooong, it’s always a test of patience! Particularly now that so much of my work is in the digital space.

In the meantime, check out what’s up and feel free to share your thoughts- I’d love to hear your feedback. Over time, I’ll be adding more in-depth imagery and explanations to compliment… Thanks!

June 5, 2014 | By: Shayna Kulik

Brushstrokes for Your Library

Kyle Webster is a mastermind with brushstrokes. His ability to illustrate and story tell within Adobe’s perimeters is unparalleled and one of the reasons his regular clients include The New Yorker and The New York Times. In addition to creating, he’s dipped his toe into the world of instruction and has started selling his infamous strokes. They’re extremely reasonable and life-like in presentation. Click here to explore, purchase and watch a tutorial.

May 6, 2014 | By: Shayna Kulik

Banner Trends & Pattern Design

Designers have a love/hate relationship with the pixel. We dislike being called pixel pushers, yet glorify the square throughout our work- whether it’s a conscious celebration (like in today’s feature), or a small part of the greater landscape.

We’ve been tracking the life cycle of this motif for a long time, as it’s a geometric staple that’s never going away. What’s interesting though, are the vectorize alterations and evolving color palettes. We started picking up on the trend from Matt W Moore’s murals a few years back, then watched the corporate giant, Chase bank jump in on the action. Percolate then released iOS wallpapers in deep jewel-toned palettes, and now we have pastel grids from Society6, Piol and Squared Array.

The top two designs double as web banners, which is fairly unique in the digital ad buying world. Both caught my eye before starting in on the content…though someone like me may be a bit skewed. The punch of color and linear movement stands out in the sea of model and type heavy advertisements. Big fan over here.

April 18, 2014 | By: Shayna Kulik

Latest & Greatest from Neon Trees

Today’s a sick day on our end, unfortunately. In catching up on sleep, orange juice, pop culture, and a few Grammy related videos, this new single jumped on our radar. Neon Trees have always been a favorite, and their new song, Sleeping with a Friend is more pop than ever- in a fun way. Has a bit of a Scissor Sister’s vibe to it. The video’s animated, playing with patterns in the foreground, background and through many of the transitions. To watch it in full, click here.

January 27, 2014 | By: Shayna Kulik