Color Trends: Mint

With the arrival of spring (kinda), comes spring fashions and color. Very popular this season is MINT. It is everywhere. This color always makes me want to dive into a large bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Make a Deep Impression

It is no secret that I love the tactile experience of letterpress. My dream retirement would be a refurbished vandercook and I cranking out beautiful type and lino-cuts. My LetterMpress app is great, but it is nothing like the real thing.

Created by a Savannah Red Top 

Muhs Home by Passing Notes

By Ray Fenwick

This blog shows the process that went into making this card. I can practically smell the ink through my screen.

Trending in Monotone

Recently I have noticed some work that is utilizing monotone. Whether it is to save money, simplify design, or in order to break through the distraction of the loud and colorful advertisements that are flooding our environment. Using 1 or 2 colors were mandatory for beudget contraints 30 years ago, and that is just not true any more. I find that one color creates its own challenges, but that it can create a striking contrast to the mutlitudes of color overwhelming the market today.

Designed by EightHourDay

My lunch from Chipotle

Jones Winter Jumble by SuperBigCreative

Duct Tape & Glitter by Luke Bott

 

By Tang Yau Hoong

Flavor Trends

Has anyone noticed that there seems to be a flavor trend going around? Blood Orange. I have noticed this flavor circulating Pinterest and some of my favorite blogs, and I love it! Not only does blood orange have a succulent tangy flavor, but there is the beautiful pop of color from the bright orange peel to the vibrant red orange fruit inside. It also fulfills the temptations with summer even with a foot of snow on the ground.

By Stephamelon

Some of my favorite recipes that have been popping up:

• Blood Orange Margaritas
• Blood Orange Mimosas
• Blood Orange Sangria
• Blood Orange Brulee Tarts
• Blood Orange Sherbet
• Blood Orange Bars

Merry ol' land of Oz

It was no surprise to hear that Pantone named Emerald the color of the Year! The time seems fitting for jewel tones to come back in style as well as the movie Oz coming out this March. The time is right for emerald.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Inspired by Vintage

Getting inspired for the holidays with this vintage postcard from the 1960s. The vibrant simple hues of this porstcard really draw me in. They are great colors for the season! Image. (I also kinda like the presents that look somewhat like they could be presents from Target.)

Inspired by Dia de los Muertos

Many people think of Dia de los Muertos as Halloween, but is actually the two days afterwards.This cultural celebration of the observance of the Catholic Holiday all Saints Day (i.e. All Hallows Even). I look forward to Halloween every year, and even more so this year since I am in a house which has space for a party and actual Trick-or-Treaters.But the colors, imagery, and symbolism has me really drawn to the day after Halloween. Honestly with this vibrant cultural history what is there not to love?

Cookies, tattoo, paper source, candles, make-up

ebay: grows up

Ebay is launching a new look for their logo as well as their website. Gone are the letters are various typefaces, weights, and sizes. Ebay is left with a cleaner more modern look. I love the more modern cleaned up look. The problem? It is just so boring. You couldn't say that about their old logo, but this is just too generic and says nothing about the company. The last logo was a little too kookie, but at least it had a personality.

If they were going to re-haul their entire design and branding for the site I would expect something that looked like it had more effort put into it. In their press release they implied that the many colors represent their global community—four is not a lot of colors. Maybe instead of tight kerning the letters could have been overlapped (similar to before) to include more colors and vibrancy. 

I like their site dedicated to promoting the new logo a whole lot more than I do their logo. It is modern like the logo, but contains unexpected elements and depth. What do you think of ebay's new logo?

Inspired by Pixelation

I am being inspired by pixelation right now. It has this appealing quality of nostalgia (old graphics from my childhood), color, ambiguity, mystery, technology, and movement/vibrancy. Or maybe that is the idea that many small squares of color and work together to create something more than itself.


Evolution of 8-Bit Art from Off Book

Censorship Towel - I just think this is funny!

Ixxi Wall Art

Eric Daigh

Inspired by Vibrancy

I love the shape of ranunculus and the vibrant and vintage-feeling colors of this photo are just beautiful. I have been feeling prone to brilliant colors lately, and I am itching to dye my hair. I just have to be brave enough to commit to colored hair for work. Photo from Sweet.EvenTide

Sushi Inspired

Sushi Image Source

Source Stapler + Bamboo File + Letter Storage + Magazine Organizer + Cord Organizer + Recycle Bin + Type Pillow + Storage + Drawers + Paint 

Now that our home is livable and the big projects are mostly out of the way. I can focus on designing our home. Everything I have done so far is just to get us by. Colors are neutral and bland (yeah that palette is in style, but it is not me). I love color, so I am ready to embrace something colorful like this sushi color palette to bring my office to life.

Design Morsel's New Look

I have a new look for DesignMorsels. There are important steps to consider when you are re-styling your blog:

1) Color Palette: I recommend staring with a color palette because it can really help you create a mood for your blog. You can either make a color palette based on what you feel is right or I like to find imagery that I gravitate towards and choose colors that appeal to me. As you look through imagery and create palettes it becomes very easy to see what colors you keep going back too.

2) Imagery Board: If you didn't use imagery to help define your colors, you can use imagery to help define what your blog will look like from the header to the photos that you include in your posts.

3) Layout: Pay attention to layout. Make sure everything is user friendly. The more  intuitive the navigation the more likely you visitor will stay longer. Layout also ties in keeping things consistent. Headers, links, and navigation should stay consistent throughout the site. This can occasionally be a challenge if your host site like blogger or wordPress is having server issues. You should also keep things easy to read without lots of background noise distracting from your posts.

4) Content: Content is last on my list, but it is clearly the most important. If you don't have content that people want to read/look at what's the point? Admittedly, I do not have a large reader ship, but if something I say or create can inspire one other person than my blog has fulfilled its goal. Make sure to write about things you are passionate about. It makes writing more fun and less of a second job.

What do you think of my new look?

Spray Paint is Magic

The trans-formative power of spray paint can turn rusted stair railings to primed and flat black in seconds, and can take any dime-store trinket from lame to stylish. I have relied on spray for years to help change up accessories with my favorite colors. I want to get more involved changing items around my house that currently were just gifts taking up space to unique home accessories (or maybe hitting up flea markets with friends to find a best buy).  Spray paint is easy to buy at craft stores, which often have 40% off coupons. So spray paint is a cheap and quick way to re-purpose old materials.

For beautifully painted pieces keep this in mind:

1. Always spray outside or in a spray booth
2. Make sure it the object is clean, and free of grease and dirt (otherwise paint won't stick well)
3. Spray in smooth, even movements (back and both).
4. Let it dry between coats or it will drip.

Inspired by Ugly Betty

Netflix has enabled me to watch a bunch of shows, that I would never have thought I would like. Currently I am doing a series marathon of Ugly Betty. I love Betty's quirky style.

Kitchen Adventure: Butternut Squash Gratin

This weekend I delved into a Butternut Squash Gratin recipe. The sweet flavors of the squash and the salty nutty flavor of the creme sauce that covers the vegetables. This recipe has healthy spinach hidden with the sumptuous flavors that really makes this dish a home run. Next time I might add a dash of nutmeg on top to really enhance the flavors. (The drink is my Jack & Ginger).

Color Fan: Yellow and Grey

Lately I am really inspired by the yellow and grey combination.

Marbled Makes a Come Back

Marble paper was popular in the 70s and 80s; it has come back style. From paintings to lamps to fabrics the marble texture is here, for now. In general I am not a fan of this look, but hand dyed marbled paper can easily take my breath away and becomes an art that stands on its own. I prefer it as art or on handcrafted books, but not as wallpaper, furniture, or other decor. The look becomes too overwhelming and still feels 80s rather than modern. The prints and textures in these papers are absolutely beautiful.

Color Inspiration

Coke Goes White...and Then Back Again!

I was so excited at Thanksgiving to see my Coca Cola can had a white-out, a nice break break from the typical red. It was so striking that I actually checked the went to arctichome.com to find out what is the point of this special can. It turns out I am enjoying it almost too late. Coca Cola just announced that because of the backlash from consumers.

I will truly miss it. It makes Coca Cola feel more special, and it helps draw attention to the melting polar ice caps. I thought it was a smart choice by Coca Cola. A 3 color can has a beautiful simplicity that is very appropriate for the sparse modern style of today. Coca Cola backing down on these eco-friendly principles and going back to boring old red. Consumers fear of change has ruined this beautfiul can for me.

So do you love it or hate? 

Purple Food

I was thinking about purple food today: