a beer's world

I know I've taken a while to finish my Bogotá posts...but this only proves the amazing fun I had over there and little time I had to write about it! So, before I continue with the pics and recommendations, I wanted to make a little commercial break. On my last day, I went to the Pomona supermarket to bring some supplies back to Costa Rica, when I ran into series of beautifully colored beer bottles, and of course had to buy one. So I went on to research, and it turns out they were designed by Colombian Lip Ltda inspired by the brewery's icon of an Old Ford Truck that delivers beer to your home. The brewery, Bogotá Beer Company (BBC), now has this truck along with strong typography features in all its graphic identity works. One of the things I found extremely beautiful in Colombia are the names of places, which I think have some sort of fun combinations that make up catchy names...and in this case, BBC names each beer after a city or place. And, the best part? For me definitely is that the bottles capture the country's essence with the colors used in each tag...colors that you'll find in Bogotá walking through the city center, especially through the streets of La Candelaria and more specifically, El Callejón del Embudo!

chocolate confection

I found this beautiful package design at designworklife by George McCalman for Droga Confections. I found it funny that in spanish, 'droga' means drug, which I'm guessing they're using because of chocolate's addictive powers. A dangerous word-play, yet undeniably true. Without having had these chocolates, I can already say I'm addicted to their packaging....and a little on the plus side, they pride on using 100% natural ingredients.

hamburg style

Although the 4th of July is the US's independence, it has widely become an international celebration. I was away in the beach this weekend, where many Americans live near the coast, and the fireworks celebration was greatly anticipated by many. My family is purely Costa Rican (if any, we have some Spanish ancestors from my dad's side of the family), so the 4th of July is just like any other day in the calendar. However, as I have a profound esteem to the US and having lived there for nearly 4 years, I decided to have an unusual dedication to today in my blog.
Hamburgers are known to be a popular food for 'Americans', so I rushed into some quick research. It turns out that the word hamburger comes from the German port of Hamburg. It began in the 17th century, when Russian ships arrived at Hamburg and introduced the steak tartare, which later became known as 'hamburg steak'...and was quickly introduced to the European and New York scenery. In an attempt to attract German (and European) sailors, New Yorkers offered steaks cooked in Hamburg style along the city harbor. The first documented hamburger appeared in the menu of Delmonico's Restaurant in New York in 1826.
All in all...there's always room to learn something new! I wanted to give this brief introduction because I recently discovered the packaging for LT Burger (coincidentally located in New York) done by catchtwentyfour and there's something about that box that makes me want to rush out for a thick Angus burger! Wood type was used for the designs...all in all, an attempt (and to my opinion a glorious success) to bring out the chic of the not-so flattering art of eating a hamburger!

demasié

I've been thinking about Café design lately, and Demasié Café came to mind. While living in Barcelona last year, I used to stroll around the streets trying to find cute places to have a nice hot chocolate (you might have guessed I was over there during the winter...that winter that snowed for the first time in like 40 years...that year when I used to freeze myself to sleep because Catalans are not used to turn on the heater, so I used to put my feet in my boyfriend's socks). So, I was coming back from work and bumped into Demasié Café, the coziest and cutest little café I've seen in my time. Those pale turquoise walls and extravagant mix of white couches with wooden chairs...not to mention the Cookie Monster poster hanging on the wall. I might add here that their slogan is exaggeratedly good cookies, so the Cookie Monster appearance actually makes sense! I have to admit I never ate a cookie, which I now think it was a horrible mistake, but I can recall that every time I walked past Roger de Lluriá, all I wanted was one cup of that deliciously thick hot chocolate! And not to forget to mention: their packaging done by Mucho, a design studio located in Barcelona, won the Laus prize in 2008.

sunday groove

I was researching through my 'inspiration' folder today for some...um...inspiration, when I noticed that I have all these beautiful designs from all over the world saved up, and have forgotten to add the name of the designer who created it. However, having said that these designs are not mine, and have been taking from various resources all over the internet, I don't see why I shouldn't share 'em here. In fact, I have so many saved inspirations in my hard drive that I decided every Sunday I'll share some fairytale grooveness from my folder. Behold, the first of many Sundays...

Diec, Alvin

It's so hard for me to find an artist that I like all of his/her portfolio. However, Alvin Diec definitely succeeds at making it easy for me. Graduating from the Portfolio Center of Atlanta, he now works at Matchstic and freelances in his spare time. His philosophy: "The best conversations usually happen over a meal."

wool & things

I recently discovered Wendy Chan when browsing through The Dieline and immediately went on to search her work. She's an undergrad about to graduate from the University of Florida and already has an amazing portfolio. Her Yarnimals project caught my attention, especially because of her treatment in the logo, but looking at others I found that they're equally captivating! She has an almost childish style turned retro, a kind of design that has taken over 2010-2011 and hasn't yet dropped in popularity! A retrofantastic pastel fairytale :)

a nod to the whimsical

‘As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.’ Carl Jung. This is how Aesop, a trendy Australian brand of plant-based beauty products, opens a very contemporary yet simple web page. What's most striking about Aesop is that they take design to every corner of their brand, from their identity to their retail. Their interiors have been undertaken by big shots such as Ryann Russel, March Studio, Jo Nagasaka, amongst others. It's been said that the brand has a love affair with recycled materials (seen in the repetitive use of cardboard to display their products and sometimes even to decorate the entire retail space) and repetition of daily objects.
Aesop's atmosphere is one where the products became secondary and experiencing the brand becomes the concept. Although it might be an idea that many could argue with negative criticism, for most if not all of us designers it's a nod to the whimsical! Apothecary, contemporary, warm, classic and modern all mix into one jar of semi-natural goodness!

#helpjapan

James White

Jordan Tually

Maxim Barkhatov

Rob Dobi

Wojciech Zalot

After the horrors we've seen on TV and online about what Japan has lived in the past days, there has been lots of call for help. James White's now-iconic poster has raised thousands of dollars in funds for #helpjapan, and has influenced many designers to follow the flow and create beautiful call-for-aid posters.