Julie & Julia.

Ahhh, I can almost taste the food that is on the screen in the scenes for this new movie, Julie & Julia. The book on which it is based has been on my "must read" list for the past two years and now it is SERIOUSLY on my list because I refuse to watch a movie unless I have read the book first. Now more than ever I want to get the book STAT because I must be ready for the August 7th premiere which is in only a week! Growing up I used to watch Julia Child's cooking show with wild amazement and especially looked forward to the end when she would sign-off with "Bon appetit!". For the longest time I thought she was French until I learned just a few years ago that she is American and actually from California. Who knew?!

This NY Times article about the food styling of the movie (something I am particularly enamored of, and why my coworkers find me eying Tastespotting.com and Bon Appetit with more awe than hunger...though when its close to lunchtime it's usually hunger) was so interesting and left me even more excited for the movie and jealous of Susan Spungen, the film's food stylist (who has also had the enviable job of working as a food stylist for Martha Stewart). So much curious behind-the-scenes information about the food that was actually cooked for the movie as well as cooking techniques and lessons that both Meryl Streep (who plays Julia Child) and Amy Adams (who plays Julie) needed to learn in order to shoot the film correctly. Some images above from the NY Times sidebar (from the article) which is definitely worth reading - you will watch the movie with a different perspective now.

Plus, how great is the movie poster above?

Eva Juliet.

I found this illustrator/artist through Each Pretty Penny and then of course had to check out the rest of EvaJuliet's collection. Why is it that everything looks and sounds better in French? The first one is "Spoons" and would be perfect in our kitchen. The third "Scissors" and the second "Carrot Soup". I thought this second one was a great idea for a fun way to display your own favorite recipe in your kitchen; make some cute illustrations and great hand-written typography; you'll never have to take out your cookbook again!

Louis Vuitton & NASA.

Flipping through Sunday Styles in the NY Times I was amazingly startled by this gorgeous ad for Louis Vuitton celebrating space travel (happy 40th anniversary to moon-walking last week!) and featuring three people one might never think to see in a LV ad: Sally Ride, Buzz Aldrin, and Jim Lovell. And of course a LV bag with Ms. Ride. Further inspection led me to their own microsite called Louis Vuitton Journeys where you can watch interviews with all three astronauts. Also, I discovered that the talented Annie Leibovitz was the photographer behind this incredible image on the ad. I wonder if this will be a segue into a series using history-makers and the wonderful Ms. Leibovitz? I wouldn't complain about that combination.

Hable Totes.

Usually Sari is the one telling me about new Hable bags (and I am sure she has already seen these) but just checked out Hable Construction's site for new totes and am absolutely loving the shape and pattern on these two! It would be the perfect bag to tote around on the weekend, pick up produce from the farmers market or take to the park. I think I might keep my eye on these on their website for a sale and/or see when their next sample sale hits NYC...

Name That Theme Song!

Totally not a design-related posting today but I HAD to share my new internet find of the day – TelevisionTunes.com. Ever sung a TV’s theme song out loud only to wonder “what is the rest of it?” And before you know it, you and your coworkers are trying hard to design AND think up as many TV shows from the 80s and 90s with fantastic theme songs, finding them on a list of hundreds and hundreds and listening to them one by one.

A few of my personal favorites are Punky Brewster, Wonder Years, Growing Pains, Blossom, and Saved by the Bell. They also have ALL seasons of the Cosby Show since they changed their music every year.

Above was a great sidebar ad campaign for YouTube on this site. I thought the copy writing was PERFECT and really went well with the website it was being shown on.


Happy Wednesday afternoon!

A US Design Policy.

What a fantastic idea to be implemented as new bills are getting passed and new programs are going forward with our new administration. Countries around the world already have them in place. Why don't we? A most interesting article from the New York Times about the redesign of the government including money (examples above from the Dollar ReDe$ign Project), mortgage and health insurance forms (the recent is one I can definitely attest to and agree with a need for some information architecture).

Visa Gets Up to Go.

"do your tastebuds deserve a tropical vacation?"

"doesn't chicken chow fun sound fun?"

"have you taken the time to smell the roses? and gardenias? and lilacs?"

Absolutely loving the newish Visa "go" ads. Two simple letters filled with photos of whatever the theme is. I especially love the period representation in the first and third. I bet this is something we might see around for awhile as it has so many legs to walk on for advertising; the possibilities are endless! See more international print and national television advertising here.

Click images for enlarged view with tag and copy.

Southern Tier Brewery.

Last night's perfectly clear weather prompted a post-dinner walk around our neighborhood. After a stop at our favorite spot for italian ices, Matt and I wandered up and around some of the avenues and streets, making another stop along the way home with ices still in hand but melting slowly. This stop was at one of the best specialty beer shops in Park Slope, Bierkraft. It caught our eye more than usual because we noticed that they had recently changed up the right side of it and added some wooden picnic benches inside so you could sit with one of their gourmet sandwiches (of which I haven't tried yet) and one day (when they get their beer license) a cold brew from their seemingly endless refrigerators.

We decided to go inside to just look around. While Matt was looking for some good new Belgiums, I was not able to just look at the beers for beers sake, of course I took this as opportunity to scour the shelves for some fine beer design. Goodness, it's tough being a graphic designer sometimes. What I found was more than a few companies who are doing a stellar job with their label design. One in particular is the Southern Tier Brewing Company of New York! Check them out above; I love the woodblock cut-looking design, clean in just two colors. And I recommend beer-browsing next time you are in your local beer shop!

Maren Caruso: Food Photos.

Just some delicious photography to start your Thursday. I love these compositions by Maren Caruso, a San Francisco photographer who started her career shooting hippies and drifters as a teenager. Eventually she started making a personal collection of food photography for chefs and farmers alike. I love that she deconstructs the food until it gets to be a piece of art. Delicious eye-candy for sure!

How Simple it Used To Be...

Remember in elementary school when you liked someone and you would just do the most basic of things with them? Ride bikes! This shirt from Fred Flare brings it back to those simple days. I love it!

Back From the Woods!

Just spent the past four days in the woods of upstate New York sleeping in a tent among the wildlife and am busy catching up on work. Will be posting tomorrow but wanted to leave you a quick illustration I did that sums up one of my favorite activities of camping!!!

Lavernia & Cienfuegos.

Wow. This team over in Valencia, Spain make some fabulous logo designs and after careful review of ALL of them, these are my top 5. Too bad this fabulously talented team lives in a wonderful city like the east coast of Spain on the Mediterranean. In the Paella capital of the world...

Javier Mariscal and H&M.

My eyes are always on the alert for talented Spanish artists and this one is definitely at the top of my list. Javier Mariscal is someone I knew about BEFORE I traveled there last fall but someone whose work I hadn't checked out in awhile. I decided I was in the mood for some fun illustrations and knew he was the man to deliver. I was not disappointed! I discovered work he did for the newly opened H&M in a historical building in Barcelona (then again, what is NOT a historical building in Barcelona?) and loved it. And if only I were going to be in England from now until November 1st I would HAVE to check out his exhibit at the London Design Musuem.

Sunday Suppers...You Can Cook with Me Anytime!

After first discovering Sunday Suppers through a few blogs I knew I had to add it to my "blog must-sees". A collaboration between chef and photographer (respectively) Casey Solomon and Karen Mordechai. Not only is it Brooklyn-based, but it deals with fresh and home-cooked meals with the addition of gorgeous photography and styling. What more could this girl want to see? Some photos above from their most recent assignment, a 31st birthday party.

Kate Spade: Behind the Shoot.

Let me first say that I love all that Kate Spade does. The clean design, the perfect pops of color, fabulous photo styling. About once a month I like checking out their Behind the Curtain which gives people like myself a little glimpse into the design studio at Kate Spade. This month they have a great behind-the-scenes of a recent photoshoot in downtown LA. I love seeing the small details that are done but then are zoomed in on just enough and with a talent of a photographer are magnified to become a brilliant photo! Check them all out on her site but here are a few samples above.