kittycult

test tubes

2012-01-27T16:49:00.000-08:00

http://www.gangdesign.pl/pl/maria-sc.html

51 love stories

2012-01-27T16:46:00.000-08:00

A heart made of 51 books on love. From the love of Botany to paperbacks with covers of cheesy illustrated chest baring Fabio looking men on top of a mountain with their lover grasping their leg in a torn gown. Those were the books your one Aunt in the family would read one after another. http://justafewprints.com/51lovestories/

What a Lovely Anniversary Gift

2012-01-15T07:34:00.000-08:00

This is just straight up romantic enough to make me barf/cry :) Seriously.

The Joy of Books

2012-01-15T07:33:00.000-08:00

I don't think I've ever posted a video on here before.

So this morning I came across this lovely animated video about books coming to life (I love books right). I so want to own a shop like this! And can I please visit this shop one day too?

After organizing our bookshelf almost a year ago (http://youtu.be/zhRT-PM7vpA), my wife and I (Sean Ohlenkamp) decided to take it to the next level. We spent many sleepless nights moving, stacking, and animating books at Type bookstore in Toronto (883 Queen Street West, (416) 366-8973)

vibrance.

2011-11-01T19:03:00.000-07:00

ok sometimes i cant be bothered with finding the links/owners to these images. for future references in case you stumble onto this because this is just really for me anyways... you can find this stuff from this post on the designsponge blog. that's for you to find. anyways. these images are just so strong. the text and the color combos.

o-m-g

2011-10-08T20:33:00.000-07:00

http://annievought.com/

2011-10-08T14:49:00.000-07:00

So creative! Animals always look so miserable in their cone hat. But this one looks happy + loved.

something to aspire one day.

2011-09-27T15:50:00.000-07:00

it should be as simple as this.

i like cats

2011-08-15T10:34:00.001-07:00

http://www.nolannolannolan.com/

possibility

2011-06-26T08:37:00.001-07:00

(postsecret)

cake.

2011-06-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

simple.
this one reminds me of banksy.
http://www.hellonaomi.com.au/

le sigh

2011-06-19T08:54:00.000-07:00

http://a-cursivegirl.tumblr.com

the brighter the better.

2011-05-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

besides loving just about anything letterpressed- neon colors have started to stop me in my tracks and i find myself really taking it in. i don't know what it is about it. besides being bright and captivating... but i'm sure it was something that i once glazed over. i'm really sure about that. but now they just really pop.

http://www.gilahpress.com/

btw someone buy a letterpress machine. <3

i'll take this:

2011-05-17T06:04:00.001-07:00

http://www.agentbauer.com/stylists/lottaagaton

i heart text.

2011-04-29T08:58:00.000-07:00

Etsy:Alyson Provax

2011-04-15T19:37:00.001-07:00

http://blog.lamadesigns.com

birdie

2011-04-15T19:11:00.000-07:00

Edel Rodriguez

everything

2011-04-15T18:40:00.001-07:00

flickr:tony kuch

loveless

2011-04-15T18:36:00.001-07:00

http://www.jennyvansommers.com/

this dress is beautiful

2011-04-15T18:33:00.000-07:00

shop

comfy.

2011-03-26T10:41:00.001-07:00

i heart beautiful cupcakes.

2011-03-26T10:38:00.001-07:00

http://alchemybaking.blogspot.com/

i LOVE these pillow cases. DIY style.

2011-03-25T20:44:00.001-07:00

instructions:
http://metalandmud.wordpress.com/2011/02/10/how-to-freezer-paper-stencil-pillow-cases/

maybe i should get myself a typwriter

2011-02-25T15:32:00.000-08:00

http://www.misprintedtype.com/v4/

http://www.presentandcorrect.com/index.php

postsecret

2011-02-13T12:08:00.000-08:00

things i've been lovin lately

2011-01-22T10:07:00.000-08:00

2010-11-08T09:32:00.001-08:00

pretty cool. simple yet different.

nerd.

2010-11-08T09:29:00.001-08:00

<3 pantone colors. how can you not love these dorky mugs.
http://www.velocityartanddesign.com/pantone-mug-in-process-blue-pr-26823.html

summer is drifting

2010-09-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

2010-08-19T09:16:00.000-07:00

http://www.carlkleiner.com/

2010-07-16T11:12:00.000-07:00

pillow patterns.

the colors are just beautiful.

green.

2010-07-12T14:29:00.000-07:00

summer

2010-06-28T20:32:00.000-07:00

pretty flowers.

i love the intensity of this purple.

2010-06-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

this will be me one day.

web

2010-06-01T11:13:00.000-07:00

i dislike the color red very much... but this is just too beautiful.

http://www.carsonellis.com/blog/

2010-05-10T09:49:00.000-07:00

i still think wallpaper is a guilty pleasure.

cheese-z but kinda cute.

2010-04-12T14:05:00.001-07:00

http://shannamurray.bigcartel.com/

i really like this from yesterday's postsecret:

54 degrees in chi

2010-03-17T10:11:00.001-07:00

and i'm thinking it would be a lovely day to spend in wicker park (the actual park).

i suppose food blogs have been around for awhile but they are becoming way more appetizing. a new facelift in the sense of colors, presentation, creativity, and even just the innocence of delicious good food.

oh joy- one of my fav blogs i've been watching religiously for the past couple of years... has designed a new blog dedicated to food called oh joy eats.

2010-02-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

this is so freakin cute!http://iammommy.typepad.com/i_am_baker/2010/02/heart-cake-tutorial.html

beautiful.

2010-02-08T20:11:00.000-08:00

http://www.alisoncarmichael.com/

2010-01-04T12:42:00.000-08:00

it would be fun on any given day to cross out either word.

i for one... am torn between the two often.

i'm liking.

2009-12-15T09:47:00.000-08:00

solitude.

2009-12-11T09:26:00.000-08:00

http://www.etsy.com/shop/jennifersquires?page=4

"yes"

2009-12-04T12:58:00.000-08:00

love this! would make a fantastic xmas gift for moi.

http://aplusrstore.com/product.php?id=473

this seems like such a dyi. $299!

2009-11-19T13:43:00.000-08:00

http://www.potterybarn.com/products/wakefield-chandelier/?pkey=cchandeliers

2009-11-17T13:35:00.000-08:00

yum!
if only it were true...
i'm liking this. but not what the posters says. id rather see it abstract.

so true.

2009-11-02T09:49:00.001-08:00

love love love

2009-11-02T09:46:00.000-08:00

love this

2009-08-31T11:22:00.000-07:00

http://www.horst-glaesker.de/e_arch1.htm

yes/no/maybe so

2009-08-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

http://www.cakewithgiants.com/index.html

2009-08-15T22:48:00.001-07:00

i am SERIOUSLY loving this green color on the wall.
a cute motto:

i would love to see this.

2009-07-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

KID’S REPUBLIC in Beijing has an activity room on the first floor and a children’s bookstore on the second floor. The activity room on the first floor is a rainbow-like space created with 12 colorful ribbons of different perimeters. http://www.sako.co.jp/11popura/poplar-1_english.html

2009-07-20T13:57:00.000-07:00

so beautiful.

from veryverybeautiful

2009-07-14T12:20:00.001-07:00

i love this color for a bedroom

2009-07-03T08:50:00.001-07:00

<3 books

2009-06-15T10:44:00.001-07:00

completely yummy! it's definitely one of my dreams to have something like this one day.

what's your number?

2009-06-02T21:04:00.000-07:00

sexy:

oh i am in love...

2009-05-27T10:58:00.001-07:00

a new blog to follow:

2009-04-09T11:43:00.000-07:00

http://veryverybeautiful.blogspot.com/

this one coulda did without the shoes:

yup:

yellow love.

2009-04-09T10:50:00.001-07:00

likin' the colors:

2009-04-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

color combination:wall + wallpaper:

2009-03-30T20:08:00.000-07:00

i'm not too crazy about this font but i kinda like the type treatment. and the little heart at the bottom. i think grey has become a new fashionable wall color to me.
I'm really like that #5 print on the wall.

2009-03-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

from last sunday's postsecret:

i really like this tub:
so blue:
i really like the simplicity of it but some biotch is tryin to sell it for $130 dollars. i think not:
i still read this as "i want you"
maybe im likin yellow more:

i like this

2009-03-13T14:09:00.000-07:00

books

2009-03-08T22:59:00.000-07:00

I love love loooove books.

my collection is growing. but i am getting rid of a few here and there for a few extra bucks.

i like when i come across pictures that represent aspects of my future home.

this sky high bookshelf caught my eye. but i imagine grouping the books together by the same colors. but then again i think they might get extra dusty sitting up there so high.

but none the less. i like it.

i so miss good typography.

2008-12-22T10:18:00.000-08:00

heaven!

oh wait i take that back. the r is touching the t. thats a no no.

GORGEOUS gift wrapping!

2008-11-25T09:41:00.001-08:00

2008-11-23T22:10:00.001-08:00

maybe the uk audience has a better grasp of this shit.

it definitely has a vintage/contemporary feel. almost in the sense that it's repeating good design history.

i like it.

http://mikelemanski.musicvids.co.uk/

ghosttown

2008-11-10T10:46:00.000-08:00

something to tell yourself over and over.

great thing about life is that it just keeps moving forward.

source of the image is unknown.

but the font: http://www.dafont.com/ghosttown.font

and... some cool stuff on http://dirt2.com/

christopher shy

2008-10-29T22:42:00.001-07:00

looking at my last post....it reminded me a lot of christopher shy who is a freelance fantasy and science fiction artist. i stumbled onto him a handful of years ago. i was most intrigued by his mad photoshop skills. very impressive.

studio ronin gallery

dia de los muertos

2008-10-29T22:25:00.000-07:00

i can't get over how gorgeous these are.
myspace.com/sylviaji

2008-10-24T07:51:00.001-07:00

there's something that's so cheese-z about this pic...yet it's comforting.

wall artwork by Zoe Pawlak

Sweet Tooth of a Tiger

2008-10-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

This is really too cute and kinda indie.

Sweet Tooth of a Tiger link

Sweet Tooth of the Tiger is constructed of two rad women: Alicia Blegen, a sassy Wisconsinite and highly articulate crafty lady/baker extraordinaire; and Tracy Candido, a native New Yorker and savvy independent curator. The ladies share a bond that originated during grad school- studying visual culture theory can be heavy stuff, so Alicia and Tracy decided to lighten things up a bit by introducing their sweet goodies to their friends at gatherings. The two loved pairing up and creating happy communities with their delicious confections so much, they decided to start a renegade bakery project, and Sweet Tooth of the Tiger was born!

where to find mystery fonts?

2008-09-15T11:47:00.000-07:00

find fonts

i want to paint

2008-09-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy the vibrant, strong, direct color choices.

And I like clean cut lines with contrast to the abstract background.

(reminded me a bit of Edward Hopper's style)

Calvin Burton

<3 Chicago

2008-09-10T09:18:00.000-07:00

Ork Posters: City Neighborhood Posters

I often come across this while driving home from work and i think they must be super expensive since they are quite large- they are only $22. So I may have go buy myself one. They also have other cities as well.

2008-09-09T09:04:00.001-07:00

i love how the arrangements aren't exactly centered and have a common color scheme.

James Merrell

2008-08-29T20:54:00.000-07:00

i was inspired by my previous post.

ooo...

it's pretty

2008-08-29T11:08:00.000-07:00

An ice cream shop's website with text luv: The Franklin Fountain

2008-08-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know if this is a French Bulldog, but we're going to pretend it's a French Bulldog.

*Edit: It's a Boston Terrier...boo

Click for more great photos

Metal Letters

2008-07-16T16:36:00.000-07:00

I am totally inspired.
It's only $8 at Urban Outfitters.
6"w, 10"h, 1"d

That is not bad at all.
I wonder if it's possible to make a kick ass cheap version.

I shall try.

AND

I also fell in love with this:

Metal
24"w, 6.75"h, 1.5"d
$24

wonderland:

2008-07-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

http://www.yeondoojung.com/artworks_view_wonderland.php?no=88

beautiful

2008-06-28T15:19:00.000-07:00

by Jack Pierson

melting words:

2008-06-18T16:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.kotamabouabane.com/

the perfect words. ever.

<3

2008-04-12T11:46:00.000-07:00

My latest piece:

It's that simple:
subscription card
tempera paint
<3 cut-out
sharpie.

Design Resources Google Custom Search Engine

2008-04-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

http://www.sachagreif.com/drse/

Something different

2008-02-01T11:34:00.000-08:00

This is completely unique- skeletal studies of cartoon characters! My fav being Hello Kitty:

Studies done by artist Michael Paulus

2008-01-23T19:10:00.000-08:00

I came across this piece on Design*Sponge's diy project by Andy Beers and was in complete awe of this typographical movement the simple letterpress blocks displayed. How fucking clever! I love when type becomes an image: the rotational movement, different shapes, texture, slight variations in color, spacing, hidden words....beautiful.

breathe text

2007-12-27T10:51:00.001-08:00

There's something significant about text occupying a space. It waits patiently to be read (or not). There is this whole beauty of the entire piece itself. It's the size of it, placement, the curve of the letters, kerning, color(s). Is it done in caps, bold, italics, serif, sans serif? Then it becomes how the words are spoken. Read. Written (type/collage/handwritten/mystery?). Meaning. It is you and the text in the room. Did it speak to you?

Artist Stefan Bruggemann

Even unspoken words are heard.

2007-12-04T17:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I came across this on the Decor8 blog. Definitely something to remember:

"It's a simple one that we can all too often forget as creative professionals trying to navigate the wild, wild west of freelance, the web, new careers, reinventing ourselves, launching a business, or anything else that was once "the greener grass" until you got on the other side and realized that you were on the grass alone with your big idea and now it's 100% up to you to do something with it. And there you sit, sometimes frozen. And your idea may not be taking off as quickly as you'd like. Or you feel like you made a really big mistake.

There is nothing wrong with you.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other because, what's that quote, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Yes that's it. So keep steppin'. You're fierce. You can do anything you have passion for as long as you take steps and make progress on some level. Remember that.

So if you're about to go into the month of December with any doubt in yourself or your dreams at all, remember There is Nothing Wrong With You. Back straight, chin up, eyes ahead, keep your dreams in front of you and don't stop until you can hold them in your hands."

Design*Sponge

2007-11-19T17:17:00.000-08:00

One of my new fav blogs: Design*Sponge

Grace and a few of her guests hosted a Chicago Ladies Biz Meetup.
She is also giving talks in other cities as well- so definitely go if you can.
Grace was nice enough to post on her blog her PR notes that were discussed in the meeting.

Public Relations for the Independent Designer

Prepared by Grace Bonney of Design*Sponge (designsponge.blogspot.com)

When approaching public relations it’s important to remember that simpler is always better. Writers, editors and stylists are approached with so much material on a daily basis that they often get lost in a sea of fancy press kits and multi-page press releases. What follows is my 4-pronged attack to running your own PR campaign as an independent designer.

1. Know your Product: Most people think they know what their work looks like, but in fact, your product may look very differently to the general audience. To avoid the dreaded “Her work looks nothing like she said it would” take some basic pictures of your product and send it around to 20 people. Not your mom or best friend, but people who will give you the most un-biased opinion you can find. Once you have an idea of what people think it actually looks like (maybe you think your work looks retro but everyone else thinks it’s actually traditional) ask people where you think people would see your work. Does it look like something they’d see in Domino? Martha Stewart? Real Simple? Once you have an idea of what your work looks like and where it might fit you’re ready to move on to step 2.

2. Know your Publications: Before you contact a magazine, blog or television program be sure you know what types of work they cover and who covers it on the staff. Walk to your local Barnes and Noble (or crack open your laptop) and start checking out publications. Familiarize yourself with what they actually write about and who’s writing the articles where you’d like to see your work. For example, if you make baby clothing don’t send to a magazine that’s never done a feature on baby clothing. There’s a chance they’ll cover you but it’s best to save those contacts for the last tier of your outreach. Your safest best is always the best one. Once you have an idea of who you’d like to contact make a list of your top 10 publications and work your way from top to bottom. If Elle Décor is your dream publication, start with them. Then work your way down tosmaller niche publications. (A general rule is that magazines won’t care if you’ve been featured on blogs or TV, but they will care if you’ve been featured in another magazine that is similar to their publication)
*Mastheads.org is a great resource for finding contacts at your favorite magazines.

3. Make your Press Kit: Now that you know who to contact you need to send them something, right? Before you spend hundreds of dollars on press kits remember that most people are doing business via email these days. The paper press kit is gradually dying out and being replaced by the digital press kit. It’s cheaper, faster and easier. And you won’t have to spend hours stuffing envelopes.

The key to a good press kit is good photography. If you spend money on nothing else (besides producing your product) spend money to have FOUR KEY PHOTOS TAKEN in high resolution and low resolution form (72 dpi and 300 dpi). You can do this with most modern digital cameras or you can hire a local photog do to a quick shoot with you.

You’ll want:
1. A close up shot (to show texture, pattern and material)
2. A full shot (to show the product in a straight forward way)
3. A situation shot (ie: if you make vases set them up on a table with flowers, etc.)
4. A shot that shows why your product is unique (ie: it’s reversible! It bends! Etc) Once you have your photos ready to go you can send those along with your basic product info (pricing, colors, materials, availability) and a simple bio (please keep these to 2 paragraphs or less) to your press contacts.

4. Make Contact: When contacting any press person it’s best to keep things simple. In the design world you’re really selling the product first and then the story second. Most editors I talk to said that the picture grabs them in the first few seconds and will tell them whether or not to read on. So, when you contact someone attach a few low-res photos of your product (in Jpeg form- no big TIFFS or large files) and your basic product info. If they’re interested and want more they’ll always ask you for more. Here is a sample email or letter you can send to someone. This is meant to be a guideline, not a cut and paste:

Dear Jane Smith,
My name is Grace Bonney and I’m a Brooklyn based textile designer. I recently launched my debut collection of handmade pillows and wanted to send them along in case they might be of interest for (NAME OF MAGAZINE)
My pillow collection is handmade using (MATERIALS) and features (NAME IMAGERY OR ANY SPECIAL MATERIALS, ETC). The collection is currently available at (NAME STORES OR YOUR WEBSITE) and prices range from (PRICE-PRICE). Thank you so much for your time. I’ve attached a few pictures of my work but would be more than happy to send additional information and high res imagery if they are of interest.

Sincerely,
Grace Bonney

Once you’ve contacted someone give them two weeks to respond. If you don’t hear from them send a polite follow-up (using the same method of content- email if you emailed, write a letter if you wrote a letter first. never call someone out of the blue…) reminding them of who you are and what your work is. If you don’t hear from them in another week feel free to move down your list to the next publication. If you do hear from them and it’s a yes (yay!) you can send them your photos or samples of work. But if it’s a NO, the best way to handle it is to politely thank them for their time and ask if perhaps they know of another publication that might be a better fit. Often editors will suggest their friends at other magazines or publications you might not be familiar with. It’s always good to take advantage of having an editor’s attention- more often than not they’ll be happy to help you if they have time.

Things to remember:

1. Magazines work on a 3-4 month lead time so if you have seasonal material always send it to editors as soon as possible (August or Sept at the latest to make the Dec issues).

2. If you don’t receive a response from any of the magazines you contacted consider contacting blogs. Most editors read several design blogs during the week and will often pick up their new stories from blogs.

3. Even if you stumble upon a snippy editor, always keep your cool. It’s always bad to burn a bridge at a magazine, even if your contact there is being less than cool. You never know who they talk to…

4. Not all magazines like to hear that you’ve been published in 12 major publications already. So you may want to leave that out of your email to them. If you’ve been in 5 other major shelter magazines an editor might feel like they’re getting you after everyone else and won’t feel the need to repeat content.

How to find press contacts:

1. Mastheads.org is a fantastic resource with up-to-date contact info for most magazines. Try contacting an associate editor or features editor- executive editors aren’t often the ones who work on day-to-day pitches. And of course, contact the appropriate editor for your project. (If you make clothes contact the fashion editor, etc…)

2. Websites- most magazines have online presences now so look for web editors or links to the magazine’s staff online. Their article credits often link to email addresses.

3. I’m happy to suggest appropriate editors and publications to anyone who needs help. Feel free to shoot me an email at DESIGNSPONGE@GMAIL.COM and I can tell you what magazine or blog would be a good fit and who to contact. *I decided not to give out names on this sheet but instead invite individual emails so I can
give you more targeted contacts.

well said:

2007-10-28T14:20:00.000-07:00

Being rejected for who you are is so much better than being accepted for who you aren't.
-anonymous

search. poke around in there.

2007-10-25T19:23:00.000-07:00

Misprinted Type created by Eduardo Recife is by far one of my first loves of typography. Selfish is a fav <3

UO

2007-10-24T19:23:00.000-07:00

I am a true sucker for Urban Outfitters products- let alone I like the layouts of their website/catalog. Though I mostly find myself buying accessories & shoes from there. How can you not love this:

Miss Sixty Ester Boot

think outside of the box

2007-10-20T09:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes hand-me-downs (unwanted gifts) can be unexpectly good. Like this travel journal:

I love the use of collage, vibrant primary colors, as well as the little details on each page that makes it unique.

Note to self.

2007-10-18T20:07:00.000-07:00

Oh I am looking foward to attending this!
I came across it on the OhJoy! blog (absolute fav)

Biz Lady Meet Up: Chicago
November 15, 2007 — 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm
Design*Sponge will be hosting a Biz Lady Meet Up at Jayson Home and Garden
Date: Thursday, November 15, 2007
Time: 7-9pm
Location: Jayson Home and Garden
Please RSVP to: designsponge@gmail.com
We will be discussing small business concerns, marketing/PR, real life designer success stories and retailing/wholesaling.
Please bring a snack or drink with you if you can. We’ll see you there!

2007-10-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I recieved this book in the mail:
Hand Job: A catalog of Type by Michael Perry.

It's beautiful.
It's well constructed inside and out.

PostSecret

2007-10-14T11:33:00.000-07:00

I had stumbled onto the first PostSecret book about a year ago.

I was in complete awe by the rawness and the truth behind each postcard. As well as the design efforts that expressed truthfully what these people wanted to illustrate behind the secret.

Luckily each Sunday the PostSecret Blog is refreshed with new postcards! It also currently list the New October Book Tour where there will be a signing and a talk.

So I highly encourage you to take a look at the site with your morning cup tea.
Here's an example of one:

2007-10-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

Yes I do!

Where to begin!
As a recent BFA grad and graphic designer I decided to create a blog for a new outlook of endless inspirations.

I love books. The shapes, the sizes, the colors, especially the content.
I've been considering my second tattoo: <3
So I did a google search on typography based tattoos and came across this book:
Body Type: Intimate Messages Etched in Flesh by Ina Saltz
I instantly had to order it, last night my order came in and I thumbed through every page, reading every captions.

This is something I definitely want to share with typography and/or tattoo lovies.