Patterns & Branding in 2014

Successful branding almost always weaves in a notable texture to accompany the logo. It sets a subconscious and relatable vibe. Here are a few fun collaborations, product lines and branding exercises of note. Enjoy!

* * *

1. Neon Trees’ pattern-tastic music video, Sleeping with a Friend.

2. When Missoni met Converse and they made beautiful kicks together.

3. Piol’s made to measure banner tanagrams.

4. The Phillips Gallery through the lens of camo & instagram.

5. Safari Sundays’ shape shifting brand video.

6. Shoes and body paint with Janine Rewell x Minna Parikka.

7. Buried in Blackberry email. Using repetition as messaging.

8. Bugaboo taps Warhol for their strollers.

9. Polkka Jam expands to calendars, bedding, table wear and paper goods.

10. Truck Club’s ingenious patterned suitcase boxes.

December 24, 2014 | By: Shayna Kulik

Anthology & Pattern Pulp at Home

I’m a little late in sharing, but if any of you have paged through Anthology’s latest Music issue, you’ll stumble upon a fun little feature collaboration.

In our household, I handle the art (mostly) and my husband’s got the music covered (mostly), though in terms of visibility, art usually wins. That said, I’ll admit every morning’s a toss up- whoever wakes up earlier gets streaming dibs…and they rarely align.

Since the shoot, we’ve moved. But the spread turned out really beautiful, thanks to the talented team. It took four years to get the apartment to a place I’d actually share with the world, go figure we up and moved right afterward. Pick up a copy if you haven’t already, it’s an enjoyable read.

December 7, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Artist Profile: Peter Crawley

Last week we shared some beautiful stitch work from Custhom. As a result, we got a nice tip from Ben Frost, pointing us in the direction of Peter Crawley. Adding layers of complexity while keeping the execution clean and graphic, his Audio Visual Series is a stunning interpretation of music vibrations.

Peter’s illustrations are created by hand piercing various stocks of paper with a pin and then stitching the paper with a needle and cotton thread. The first piece was inspired by a road trip across America, and a desire to illustrate the journey. Rather interesting to see the juxtapose between machine and hand-stitched illustration, isn’t it?

May 24, 2012 | By: Shayna Kulik

Trend: Evening Projections

After returning from the Alt Design Summit, it was fairly evident that incorporating ‘surprising’ touches into your party planning is a very big deal. I’m no stranger to this concept, as I’m often hired to design content for branded activities, however the DIY spirit was in full effect, reminding me to keep a few things off the adobe punch list.

Using digital technology, projections and a starry night theme, all of the imagery above overlaps in one way or another. Casting gem-like projections on back-lit silhouettes, this party, from the pages of Elle Decor proves that subtlety can be elegant and luxurious. Keeping with the color scheme of blue and white, Sofitel, the luxury hotel chain evokes a Peter Pan-like mood with floating pillows. Applying this concept to an enormous symphony hall ceiling, Departures Magazine shares a the stunning results of a concert fueled video projection.

February 1, 2011 | By: Shayna Kulik

Music: The Suzan's Pattern Explosion

Back in July, I returned from Tokyo so excited about the Japanese girl band, The Suzan. Since those warmer days, this wonderfully spunky troupe has been on a roll. Recently signed to DJ A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold Records, this new video for their first single, Home makes it easy to see their star potential. Slightly reminiscent of Marco Brambilla‘s work, sans death and doom, this video exudes patterns, kaleidoscopes and innocent fun. Click here to watch, & here to buy!

December 9, 2010 | By: Shayna Kulik

Digital: Info Media Clouds

Nearly every designer is tasked with making a media cloud at least once their career. Today, as I was walking to Chelsea Market, I passed by this Blackberry bbm advert in the Meat Packing District. Using overlapping bubbles to simulate chatter and create a typographic headline, the casual language seemed to be the true draw. Everyone wants to feel like they’re peering into something secretive and this ad does a good job reminding us that only our bff’s deserve bbm. This ad draws a strong parallel to this music window in the Ginza district of Tokyo. While neither design is overly refined, it’s interesting to see the eastern and western approach is (unpredictably) in sync.

August 5, 2010 | By: Shayna Kulik