I’m a sucker for good packaging. In grad school, I would take trips to my local high-end grocer and spend hours perusing the aisles, trying to convince myself I didn’t really need the expensive walnut oil.
If this hot sauce had been there, I would have undoubtedly found a reason to purchase it. I love the simple glass containers, letting the color and texture of the sauce come through and essentially be the identity of the sauce. The wood veneer labels and wood stoppers finish it off nicely, reinforcing a kind of earthy feeling.
The numbers are the spice level (the Scoville Scale, which I had never heard of, but sounds quite useful), and there’s a book that talks more about the sauces and their uses. 
I love that the bookmark has an itty bitty container of sauce. I imagine my girlfriend (a sauce addict) sitting and reading the book, sneaking little nips from her sauce flask. Wincing a bit as it goes down, and saying in her best western impersonation, “That’s good stuff.”
The designer is Stephanie Hughes, and the rest of her portfolio is worth a look. I particularly like this project for the Pacific Science Center. Icons that appeal to kids (and geeks) in clean lines that appeal to adults. I want to see the Megatron exhibit first.
I also think this redesign for MySpace is great. Goodness knows they need it. Sure, it’s been tweaked lately, but I think an overhaul might be warranted.
[ via designvagabond | all images via Stephanie Hughes ]
I love these illustrations by Blanca Gómez. Design is Mine featured this typographer image the other day, and I just had to peruse for more.
I just love the idea of a typographer going to work every day, carrying a briefcase of letters with him. I imagine he would also pick up a croissant along the way to enjoy while he looks at his letters.
We saw a guy riding one of these bikes while we were down in Atlanta a couple months ago. I wasn’t fast enough to snap a picture (he was really moving!), but I hear he rides it around frequently. Similar to the gent in the illustration, he sported a monotone wardrobe with a bowler hat.
I also am quite fond of these mustachioed cupcakes. It gives them an air of distinction, don’t you think? Perhaps it also keeps them from being eaten. Who would eat a cupcake with a moustache?
If you’re interested procuring some of these delights, head over to her etsy shop.
[ via Design is Mine | all images via Blanca Gómez ]
Please excuse me as I wipe a bit of drool from my face. However, I’ve just happened upon another wonderful store overseas, Analogue Life. The name in itself was enough to draw me in, but the brilliant selection sealed the deal. They’re based in Japan, but will ship to other countries as well. Simply dreamy…
“Whether mass produced, or handmade by artisans or craftsman, the emphasis is on simplicity , functionality and plain old good design.”
[ via Remodelista | all images via Analogue Life ]
Oh, Australia/New Zealand/Tasmania… You have my design heart. Your work has none of the pretenses that American and European designs have. Your architecture is warm and rich, elegantly textured and oh-so-inviting on the glossy pages of my magazines. Alas, we are a world apart, my dear. I try to rid my mind of thoughts of you, but I simply cannot.
And here you are, Indeco, adding more fuel to the fire. Your deceivingly simple shapes, the rich materiality… It’s just too much.
I wish I knew how to quit you…
[ all images via Indeco ]
Thoughtful material expression can be so utterly gorgeous. Check out these pieces from Rosendahl – simple details that give just the right amount of edge to the products.
This Grand Cru oak cutting board is beautiful. I love the little thumb notch for ease of carrying.
I also really like the simplicity of this beer glass. The glass isn’t overly thick. There is just enough of a rim on the glass to prevent small spills after every sip. And the shape is designed well enough to give the beer room to breathe (or whatever it does. I’m not a beer drinker), without being overly designed.
And how could you not love these monkeys!? Look at that belly, that smile. Made of teak and limba, I’m sure they get a fine patina with age.
This rocking horse is simple and well designed. It would look perfect in any budding aesthete’s room.
Find your local dealer here.
[all images via Rosendahl]
I have an infatuation with books. Sure, I like to read them. But more than that, I like to look at groups of them. My preference has traditionally been for older books – those with a slightly musty smell, that have accumulated the oils of hands turning pages. But with all the amazing design for hardcovers lately, it’s hard to pass them by.
Coralie Bickford-Smith is a senior cover designer for Penguin. I’ve often drooled over books with covers she’s designed, and only today discovered it is she who is behind them.
I particularly enjoy the 1001 Arabian Nights series. The one above manages to appeal to several of my many types of geekery.
And I absolutely love all the covers in the Gothic Horror series. They might be a bit too scary for me to read (I still get nervous thinking about The Hound of the Baskervilles, which I read almost 20 years ago), but boy, would they look splendid sitting together on my shelf.
[all images via Coralie Bickford-Smith]
