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!

primary spirals

A couple of months ago, Perú launched its new identity. Spirals and typography are the main elements used by FutureBrand, a British design firm that has also worked for the Australian & St. Lucia's identities, alluding to the country's archeological sites. Its font Bree Peru was created by design firm Type Together, influenced by the patterns used in the ancient Peruvian culture and has the feel of being handwritten.
I can't help but recall Lucho Chompitazi's work, a Peruvian graphic designer, whom I heard in a conference a while ago. He talked about the archeology of Perú and how it was influenced him to create logos through the shape of a stone or the memory of a landscape. Most fascinating, however, is how a logo can inform through the simplicity (or complexity) of shape, color, feel, etc.

Paul Angel

This weekend I took a trip to beautiful Weymouth (UK) and again found more inspirations that I would love to share with you!
I took a tea break with a friend to Easton and found the White Stones Cafe that happens to be a gallery with sculptural gardens too. Absolutely gorgeous! On my way out I found an eye-catching sign that read LOVE in bright colors, hanging on the wall. I went back home to research into the piece and it turned out to be Paul Angel's artwork! In his website, it said that Paul spent a lot of time at art college producing work that was heavily dependent on word play, using text within paintings, prints or photographs to change the context of the image. His collection is called Alphabet Coast, and it's worth to check it out!