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.

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...

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!

apivita & grown

Simple yet complicated. patterns&color vs dark&typography. Although both of these beauty products have a completely different outtake on their packaging, both of them share common features: organic, natural, sustainability. "Beautiful healthy looking skin comes from a profound understanding of nature's power", is Grown's philosophy, similar to Hippocrate's quote "Nature is the most dominant ruler of all” shown on Apivita's website.
***Apivita's packaging design won the Red Dot Communication Design Award, European Design Award AND EBGE Design Award. Creatively designed by dkd studio in Athens, Greece.

Another Big Fish-ilicious!

I bumped into this beautifully designed package of Mr. Bunbury's cakes and brownies, while searching for some inspirations for coffee packaging.
Oh my! It looks absolutely tasty!
UK's Packaging News says:
Big Fish has designed the packaging for a range of biscuits by ex-Gü commercial director Nick Fox, called Mr Bunbury.
Big Fish creative director Perry Haydn Taylor said: We liked the Vaudevillian theatrical language. We wanted to create a theatre on which the cakes can play. Each cartonboard box, made by Qualvis in Leicester, has a die-cut open window. Five biscuits are individually flow-wrapped inside each box. The London-based design agency, which also designed the packaging for Gü Chocolate Puds, has taken a stake in Mr Bunbury.

Sometimes I get so angry that I don't get to come across with beautiful designs in the supermarket. You see, Costa Rica isn't that design-savvy, so most of the things I do see I have to search them over the internet! Of course, I'm over a year late with this one, but the good news is that I found it after all!

Korres

I've been recently applying to jobs/internships since I'm graduating in May, and Pearlfisher's question brought me back to my blog. It asked to write about a specific brand I've been passionate about, and it hit me: why hadn't I blogged about Korres before?
I have always been a big fan of Korres products, especially because of they’re sassy way of playing with hierarchy using type and color. Also, the use of imagery is a perfect example of making open compositions to attract attention to detail, and a way of activating the design.
They describe themselves in their website (which, by the way, is a MUST SEE!): "Korres Natural Products is a Greek company with roots in Athens' first ever Homeopathic Pharmacy. Set up in 1996 with the aim to utilise its extensive scientific resources for the creation of beneficial and safe products, the company today offers a complete skin and hair care range, make-up, sun care products and herbal preparations. A team of experienced scientists worked closely to make this happen, sharing common goals and values."
If I'm not mistaken, the whole line and interior designed was developed by K2 Design in Greece.

Green & Spring

I read the article about the Green & Spring packaging by Pearlfisher in the Communication Arts issue in (or around) November 2009, and immediately fell in love. The design was one of my major inspirations for the illustrations and design of my hotel project.
I grabbed the following description of the project from POPSOP:
The GREEN & SPRING collection is a new, natural bath and body range of handmade products inspired by the idyllic English countryside and above all the spectacular C.Side spa and Cowley Manor estate in Gloucestershire. The design needed to work within this framework to capture the magic and uniqueness of the product and focuses on the countryside and namely the birds that can be spotted within the British Isles. Each product, within the three ranges, is characterised by an individual British bird and segmented by individual colour palettes that are directly linked to the emotions associated with them. The ‘Indulging’ products are inspired by warming hues of reds, pinks and oranges, the ‘Relaxing’ products focus on softer and more romantic shades such as purples and greys with the ‘Revitalising’ range engaging the senses with zesty yellows and greens. The front of pack copy forms part of the design story and highlights the key ingredients and their benefits for each product, bringing a ‘poetic clarity’ to the overall visual world of GREEN & SPRING.