Monday, September 28, 2009

Country inspirations

Almost every day is an adventure when you live in the country—you never know what you might encounter. While driving to a meeting one morning, I decided to take the back roads. Out of nowhere, a flock of geese started crossing the road, taking their time while I came to a halt and waited patiently for them to get across the street. They were in no hurry and didn't realize they were making me late for my meeting—try to explain that to a client!

Country living is not for everyone. We do not have a grocery store or even a Starbucks and we have to travel a bit for shopping, restaurants and entertainment. But we have farms where you can purchase fresh produce, eggs, honey and maple syrup; the sounds of nature—birds, crickets, frogs and other creatures; clear night skies where you can view millions of stars and occasionally spot a shooting one; and wonderful color palettes found in the most unusual places. I can't imagine living in the city, even though city life is tempting at times with it's lack of  yard work and having everything close by! But I know I would miss the quiet serenity of the country because in this rushed world of ours, I think we all need a bit of country living from time to time. 

Below are bits and pieces of country inspirations for both city and country folks to enjoy. 

Red apples in an orchard—a complementary color combination.

I spotted this family of ducks in the apple orchard. I love their markings.

An old barn with its rustic appeal. 

Honey bees in a hollow tree—I was afraid to get too close!

Cornstalks add a dash of color to a country road. 

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

Typography inspirations.

I love typography almost as much as I love working with color. Good typography excites me and it's one of the reasons I fell in love with graphic design. I can't really pick one designer who has influenced me, but a few of my favorites are Paul Rand, Herb Lubalin, Herman Zapf, Piet Zwart and Jan Tschichold. I still have my portfolio from my college days and it's fun to look back on my first layouts and type projects. I definitely think I have come a long way from those early days and of course, the computer has made it easier. My old t-square now holds a place of honor on the wall by my seldom used drafting table—reminders of those bygone days!

It's inspirational to see typography used in artwork, household and everyday items. Who can resist monogram towels or a set of rustic letters for their home or office. I know I can't! I couldn't resist purchasing this rustic letter "M" from Anthropologie for my studio. It looks wonderful sitting on my filing table next to the vases.


Here are a few other items I found with typography. If I had more wall space I would purchase some of these stretched wall art from 2 modern.
I love these hooks from Antropologie. They are perfect for a mudroom, bedroom, kitchen or bathroom to hang anything from coats to towels.
I want some of these mugs from Anthropologie–perhaps spelling out marigold! 
Who can resist these beautiful sticky notes?