Pattern Pulp

Beauty: Nail Commitments




Inverted manicures, leopard prints and African inspired patterns are all a part of the photo reel on Hey Nice Nails. We’ve been watching several of these trends blossom over the past year, particularly the inverted manicure trend. For the allotted real estate, the textured results are impressive.

For more committed beauty enthusiasts, tattooing has returned as a high maintenance option, as noted by StyleSight‘s latest facebook report, referencing Jacci’s beauty experience on her blog, Being Perfect is Hard.

While the designs last as long as the nails do, the feeling of permanence (and rebellion) is still present, making for a nice semi-commitment that packs a punch.

 

Follow-up: The Latest Checks in Town




bloomingdales-beauty

It’s been but two weeks since Bloomingdales in New York City opened their doors to a remodeled beauty department. Now, $55M dollars later, we have glossy checkers to compliment six new brands: Bare Essentials, Jo Malone, Shu Uemura, Sisley, Bumble and Bumble and Giorgio Armani.  This rendering highlights the perfume area, just one section of the cosmetics floor. As we’ve noted over the past few months, Alexander McQueen, Amy Winehouse, Vivienne Tam and Kandinsky are all artists that have found inspiration in this timeless staple, so too will the customers, the retail financiers are hoping.

By: Shayna Kulik

Color: Jewel Toned Geometrics




jewel-toned-gemotrics

It’s always thrilling when brands fuse artful thinking with strategic marketing. Pointer footwear appears to be quietly racing to the top as they’ve built a cult following of sneaker enthusiasts over the past two years. Merging relevant trends, such as black and blue color schemes with cubic formations, Pointer’s art direction appears to overlap product categories of every variety. When paired beside this African Shore Eye Palette by Yves Saint Laurent, it’s easy to understand how one color can make the difference between gender specific marketing.

By: Shayna Kulik

Beauty Marketing & High-Heeled Houndstooth




stila-houndstooth

The 50th anniversary of Barbie has ushered in product upon product over the past year.  From Karl Lagerfeld’s Colette exhibition in March, to the above Stila compact that’s currently on sale at Gilt Groupe, Barbie’s impact upon the commercial design community has deeply influenced patterns over the past season.  As we pointed out in mid April, houndstooth is a staple many artists take the liberty of altering. Here we have a high heel repeat that’s a refreshing reminder of how one can merge stiff commercial marketing guidelines with creative themes and a colorful palette.

Trend: Graceful Graffiti




shu-umera

Every artist loves a happy accident. For those who are unfamiliar with this term, a happy accident is an unexpected and unintended creative mistake that ends up being more brilliant than your day’s work. For those in search of a tool that offers a degree of uncertainty and requires little to no prep, spray paint is the way to go.  Many designers have taken note, as this technique has gained momentum in creative studios throughout the globe. Curiosity, the Japanese brainchild of Gwenael Nicolas and Reiko Miyamoto, was established in 1998 and caters primarily to the design needs of luxury clients. Combining saturated pigments with Shu Uemura‘s eau de toilette collection, Curiosity’s bottle art emulates the textural results of a prolonged spray. 

abccarpet-stolivodka

ABC Carpet gets a lot of airtime on Pattern Pulp.  Their retail installments set an industry standard and usually showcase an organic interpretation of modern materials. Their latest window display accentuates plant growth with the use of neon paint and an imperfect stencil. Adding russian flair and gold pigment, Stoli’s recent marketing campaign revives it’s expressionist roots, stenciling illegible phrases alongside chic photography.

bumble

Tapping academic and artistic references, John Powell’s 1990 MIT exhibit, Partial Lines, uses holographic installations to convey depth and plane.  Utilizing a similar technique for their hair powder packaging, the creative ingenues at Bumble and Bumble encase their alternative shampoos in subtle spray dust.  Tying this collection together, silhouette graffiti, such as this colorless image, is a careful execution of expressive markings paired with restrictive boundaries.

Packaging: Eau De Patterns




sula-wvillagewall

We’re all guilty of the duty-free pit stop. It’s nearly impossible to resist spritzing yourself before boarding an international flight, particularly when you’ve got twenty minutes to kill.  Today Pattern Pulp is exploring perfumes that are slightly under the radar.  Scents that take a bit of exploring to find, yet are true favorites among their fan base.  Each of these brands has taken a similar stab at adorning their packaging with intricate florals, a common theme throughout the beauty industry. Sula, a side project of Susanne Lang, a Canadian parfumerie, is an affordable scent that intertwines theme-specific patterns with asymmetrical negative space. In an attempt to trace organic steps to this endpoint, real life inspiration can be found on this Jane Street apartment building as branches span the cement in upward growth.

harris-tocca-tsila

Miller Harris’s signature floral etchings are equal parts raw and luxurious.  Following suit, Tocca, known for their understated elegance, has feminized tattoo illustrations for their latest line of fragrances.  Tsi-la Organics, a new player to the team, combines delicate florals with darker tones, enclosing their bottles in a signature black lotus box covered with spot varnish monochromatic detailing.

fresh2

Fresh has been producing beautifully intricate packaging for as long as I can remember.  Incorporating delicate details such as wire, metallic thread and jade colored pebbles, the outer mementos are are as appealing (if not more) than the actual product- a successful marketing move when alluring first time buyers and gift recipients.

Tracking Repetitive + Awesome.
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