Think Twice

These laser-etched leather wallets by Tree with Knees are pretty cute. They would be especially useful during the holidays, but definitely not limited to them. [via Hey Susy*] |DBK

Give Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!
Above: Letterpressed Cornucopia card by Lunalux. Sold at RedStamp.com. |DBK

Designer or Copywriter?

photo: creativecommons.org

As designers, we are are often asked to write copy to go with our designs. I definitely struggle with writing copy, especially for advertising, but it's something increasingly being asked of designers. HOW Magazine has some great tips on how to break that writer's block and to start practicing your stellar copywriting skills. |DBK

Bathroom Reading

Ever need something to read in the, uh, toilet? Worry no more with the Pun Tile Collection from Ascot Studio. Actually, it's a really clean and subtle solution to add a little whimsy to your bathroom. [via Daily Dose by Domino ] |DBK

Vintage Inspired Cookie Packaging

Some lovely vintage style cookie packaging from Salem Baking. [via The Dieline] |DBK

Heading South for the Winter

I'm heading for Florida tomorrow for a mini-vacation and lots and lots of family time. It'll be nice to get out of the DC cold for bit. I'll be doing some mini-posts throughout the week when I can snatch a moment with a computer. Until then... happy early Thanksgiving! I can't believe it's almost December. |DBK

Princely States

I'm all about modern design (white space, clean typography, minimalism, etc...), but give me a stack of old photo albums or magazines and I'll be occupied for hours. There's something about the feel of the paper, the print quality, and the colors that makes it something of an experience. And it's really those details that can make something look "aged." Anyway, I came across a website today with a vast collection of Asian stamps. Geoffrey Flack has spent most of his life collecting stamps and researching postal history, and now shares it through his website: tibetanpost.com. Above, are a few Indian stamps from the Princely States of India collection—check out those beautiful colors! [via Hindi Rinny] |DBK

Have Your Cake

Oh my. I've found two of my favorite things in one delicious invention—cake and type. Reasons for loving the Happy Birthday Cake silicon mold: 1) Um. Cake. 2) Sans serif type. 3) Silicone—you can make a cake in the microwave in 6 minutes, or do it the old-school way, your choice. Design by SUCK UK. |DBK

The Milky Way

Here's another great Etsy find—New York City themed porcelain milk bottles by Alyssa Ettinger. As a part of her 'Milk' collection, Alyssa incorporates themes from every corner of the vast city, from Jamaica (Queens) to Brooklyn to Manhattan. And better yet, the bottles are dishwasher safe. |DBK

Custom Typographic Logos

LetterCult has a section on their website just for custom typographic logos. I picked a few of my favorites here, but there are ton more on the site. Those ambigrams... they make my head hurt, but they still amaze me. |DBK

Vgrafiks

Vgrafiks Design Consultants, based in Manila, Philippines, were commissioned by Amnesty International to interpret the 30 articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR),. I'm digging the hand-drawn type, and the filled-in counters. I think it hits just the right notes of gritty + non-profit + professional + clean + bold. More design work from Vgrafiks here. [via Typography Served] |DBK

Mood Pillows

This pretty much sums up my New York trip. Just kidding. Mostly. Despite kind of crazy weather all weekend, my New York City trip was fantastic. I always feel like I never have enough time when I visit the City, but I did get to explore some fun stores on the Upper West Side. I could've spent the whole day in the Jonathan Adler storeon Columbus Avenue. Everything was so quirky and unusual. These needlepoint pillows made me smile. Anyone have $165 I can borrow?
On an unrelated note, I'm back at home in DC and rumor is we may get snow on Tuesday! |DBK

Drink This Up

A nice bottle design concept from a student at RMIT (Melbourne Australia), Hamish Smyth. |DBK

Gastropods

I was directed to Wolfie and the Sneak's Etsy shop from a recent Design*Sponge post and, while there, I found this. I love everything about this poster. |DBK

Choose Your Muse

For those of you in the DC Metro area, be sure to check out the upcoming AIGA DC event—Choose Your Muse: Finding Inspiration and Fostering Creativity in the Workplace. On Monday, November 17th, join other designers and creatives to talk with top designers in the DC community, including Jeffrey Everett of El Jefe Design, Alexander Hsiao of Perphic, Jamie Kashetta of xeroproject, Judy Kirpich of Grafik, and our moderator, Monica Bussolati of Bussolati. In this dynamic panel discussion, attendees will learn how today's innovative designers find inspiration in their day-to-day work. Discussions will range from refining and manifesting abstract ideas into concrete solutions to the techniques, tools, and resources which can enhance problem-solving abilities in a creative workplace.
To register and learn more about the event and participating panelists, visit aigadc.org. As of today, this event has sold out. |DBK

Yellow

Yellow by Lisa Congdon. Collage on wood. 4.5 x 6 x 1.25 in

San Francisco artist Lisa Congdon has some very cool work for sale on her Etsy site. Like the one shown above, much of her work plays with colors and mixed media. I particularly like the vintage and keepsake spirit of this piece. Check out more of her work for sale on Etsy. |DBK

The Neon Boneyard

Did you know there's an organization that saves and studies discarded neon signs? I had no idea until I came across this post on Hoefler & Frere-Jones' website. The Neon Museum in the Las Vegas desert (of course, Las Vegas) has a collection of signs from the 1940s to present day. Sounds pretty awesome. Can you imagine the scale of these signs? Andy Clymer has posted photos of his trip to the boneyard on Flickr. [via H&FJ] |DBK

Sasha Barr

Seattle-based Sasha Barr is a designer and an illustrator. You can definitely see the influence of skateboard culture in his work. Chock-full of hand-drawn type, quirky illustrations and thoughtful execution, his work is memorable and beautiful. Check out more of his work on his website, The New Year. |DBK

My Spring Pick—Salmon Rose

Every few months, Pantone releases their color picks for the following season. I always look forward to the color report, and it's fun to see how many of these colors pop up in the next generation of design annuals. Here'sPantone's Fashion Color Report for Spring 2009.

Fuschia Red pms 18-2328; cmyk 27 97 4 0
Salmon Rose pms 15-1626; cmyk 0 50 24 0
Palace Blue pms 18-4043; cmyk 81 36 1 0
Lucite Green pms 14-5714; cmyk 48 0 31 0
Super Lemon pms 14-0754; cmyk 4 12 98 1
Dark Citron pms 16-0435; cmyk 42 10 83 0Lavender pms 15-3817; cmyk 33 32 0 0
Vibrant Green pms 16-6339; cmyk 60 4 70 0
Slate Gray pms 16-5804; cmyk 45 21 28 2
Rose Dust pms 14-1307; cmyk 17 25 27 0

You can also download the full PDF with designer picks and inspirations right here.|DBK

Obey Giant

Shepard Fairey, Peace Bomber, 2008. HPM on canvas. 44 X 30 inches

Shepard Fairey, Monkey Pod, 2008. Stencil collage on paper. 30 X 44 inches


Shepard Fairey, Duality of Humanity 2, 2008. Stencil collage on paper. 60 X 44 inches

What a happy time to be in DC! It's pretty amazing to feel like you're right in the middle of a historic place at a historic time in the world. I'm excited to see what will happen in the next few years.

On a somewhat related note, I work down the street from Irvine Contemporary—a great art gallery in the Logan Circle neighborhood of Washington, DC. Right now they are exhibiting works by Shepard Fairey, a Charleston-born artist who is now located in Los Angeles, California. He's become known for his intensely graphic style and street art. The gallery is presenting nine amazing pieces until December 6th as a part of the exhibit Regime Change Starts at Home. If you're lucky, you can also see some of work plastered to the sides of buildings all over DC. Irvine Contemporary is located at 1412 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 (irvinecontemporary.com). |DBK

Obamabats

Wow. Talk about obsessed with Obama. Jeff Domke has created Obama dingbats you can download and use in your own pro-Obama paraphernalia. Go vote! [via Speak Up]
|DBK

DBK's On the Map

Exciting news! Death by Kerning was just voted one of the Top 10 Websites for Designers by HOW magazine! Now if only Tuesday's election results would add to the good news this week... Happy kerning! |DBK