End Love

This is just too much fun.

Chutes Too Narrow

Okay, I just can’t get over how cool the Shins are. Check out the artwork on their album, Chutes Too Narrow:

Not only are the illustrations great, but it cleverly unfolds in all sorts of fun shapes! Artwork done by Jesse LeDoux, who’s also worked with the likes of Death Cab for Cutie, Elliott Smith, and Modest Mouse. Easily a new favorite of mine.

Sketches for your shoes

While editing my Zappos catalog, I came across these awesome Asics shoes:

It looks like they were sketched on graph paper! Hands down, coolest shoes I’ve seen yet. The bad news? I wasn’t able to find anywhere to buy them. Sad.

Portfolio

I finally decided on my portfolio! It was really a difficult decision for me – choosing a portfolio that was fitting for me and I wouldn’t get tired of, after spending 100+ dollars. After visiting Office pdx and comparing online, this is the one I always went back to: Vista Screwpost Cover Onyx.

I’m happy with my choice

Shins t-shirt

We all picked up these cool t-shirts at the Shins concert too. Love the illustration. Thanks for modeling Caitlin!

Buttons

Last night, I went to the Shins concert to celebrate Caitlin’s 21st birthday with some friends. It was an amazing concert, we all had a lot of fun. But the best part of a concert is always the swag you take home. In this case, these miniature buttons:

They got me thinking… Buttons could be a fun promo piece to give away, with the right design. These ones came from www.oneinchround.com, who specialize in making custom buttons.

Rites of Spring

Gaby, Natalia, and I have been working on the Rites of Spring for SAB this term. It’s a weeklong event at MHCC with different activities and performers each day, this year’s theme being ‘beach bum mayhem’. We had to design a logo that would then be applied to t-shirts, stickers, posters, handbills and table tents we’d create later. I thought, “Oh this will be a fun project!” and got to work. But It didn’t go quite as well as I’d planned. We showed our ideas to our coordinator and after much thought, decided she liked the option that we liked the least. So when the t-shirts arrived, I was pleasantly surprised how well they turned out. Take a look:

My brother Peter was nice enough to model it for me, since the shirt actually fits him.

Chew Sum Yum

On our 45 minute drive to school, Caitlin and I frequently find ourselves analyzing billboards along the way. We saw this one and both cracked up laughing.

Then realized ‘Snickers’ was nowhere on the billboard, yet we knew exactly what it was advertising. Now that’s some effective branding. Yes, most of them are ridiculous (hungerectomy?) but some of the word combinations are actually pretty clever.

On the Subject of Design

I picked up some typography and design books recently and like to thumb through the pages when I need some inspiration. See, I’m not a big reader but I love books. I love the design, typography and illustration that fills the page. Eventually, I’d like to be able to fill my shelves with beautiful, insightful books. But good books are hard to find, where do I  start? Then I came across a recommended reading list on Jason Santa Maria’s blog and found it very helpful. He lists each book with a picture and a quick overview, as well as a link to buy the book. Looks like some great stuff!

Hamster-sitting

A friend of mine is spending a month in Germany, leaving me with her small mischievous hamster. I thought, “Oh I love hamsters!” and gladly accepted, forgetting why I DON’T love hamsters. Here’s my top 5:

1. They smell terrible, no matter how often you clean the cage.

2. They’re messy, always spilling bedding and food EVERYWHERE.

3. They constantly chew on anything they can get their teeth on.

4. They are nocturnal, up at all hours of the night.

5. They’re quite good at escaping, and even better at hiding.

Number 3 plus 4 is especially fun. I’m ready to feed this guy to my cat.