HT DESIGNS_ BE INSPIRED

Colour Combinations I Love

DESIGNED by PEARLFISHER

I love the combination of the bright orange and turquoise. It feels fresh and exotic.

DESIGNED by I AM ALWAYS HUNGRY

I'm always drawn to the combination of lime green and black. It feels fun and almost a bit rebellious!

Designed by Edmundson | Martin

I like the two different colour combinations here. The pastel colours work well together and give it a colourful yet subtle look. I also really love the combination of different pinks and purples on the second page, it’s fun but sophisticated. The colour combination on these food packages it what makes it look fun and trendy.

I love the combination of brown & any bright colour. It adds contrast but feels richer then black. it also looks great with photography.

DESIGNED by JJAAKK DESIGN

Design Lessons I learned in 2011: Transitioning from School to Work

In May 2011, I joined the HTdesigns team as a junior graphic designer. Post-secondary school taught me the basics but the professional world schooled me in a whole new different way.

1. Do homework. Just because you are out of school, doesn’t mean doing homework stops. Learning, in general, does not stop. The more you know about a project or a client, the better you will understand them and the better you will be able to represent their needs. I’ve learned that spending 30 minutes to an hour on your own time reading about the client really helped me prepare for the next workday.

2. Prove yourself. Being an A+ student in school doesn’t guarantee that your new employer will see you in the same way. Sure, you may have been hired because you have those A+ qualities, but more importantly, the next step is to show them that you do acquire those characteristics and can only grow from there.

3. Be aware. When I first started working, I thought I knew a lot about the design industry. In school, it seemed as though I had to be aware of the ins and outs of the creative world (past and current) because as a student, I was required to write essays and do presentations. This year, I’ve learned to take initiative about keeping myself aware of everything. Knowing all the important design news or trends simply helped me better my design process.

4. Ask questions. I can’t count the number of times I’ve called on to Lisa to help me with a million and one things – whether it’s about a software issue, design advice or everything else in between. I’ve learned to be comfortable enough to ask questions from everyone. In order to maximize my productivity, there is no room for me to shy away from asking for help. I’ve learned to be proud of being a rookie because that is who I am and there is nothing wrong about it.

5. Proofread. The most difficult thing I had to learn the hard way this year was proofreading. In school, it was the least of my worries. The reason being was my works were not going into production. I was not paying thousands of dollars for printing; therefore I was more concerned about the process rather than the production. In the professional world, both aspects matter equally.

6. Work faster. Doing things right the first time can definitely make a difference in terms of maximizing your production time. This is very well practiced in the office and something I had to learn in order to be able to do more in less time. Spending a bit of time learning new software tricks now and then adds up and becomes a great time-saver, especially during crunch time.

7. Surprise yourself. The biggest challenge I gave myself this year was to dive into the world of web. In school, I did not take any web design classes because it was not part of the curriculum. When I was given my first web design project in the office, I was afraid of not being able to deliver. I tackled this problem by just immersing myself in the project. This was my chance to learn something new in a small amount of time and now that I know a little bit about it, I cannot wait to dive into it more in 2012.

Written by Anne Mendizabal, Junior Designer at HT Designs

Holiday Greetings 2011!!

Every year we like to send out a holiday card that is unique + created by us. This year is definitely no exception. We LOVE the card and we hope you do too.

Designed by Lisa Samtani

A graphic designer's Christmas wishlist.

Top 5 (or maybe a few extra!) on my Christmas wish list:

1. Painted Amaryllis Measuring Cups from Anthropologie.


I enjoy baking, so I would love to receive these beautiful painted measuring cups for Christmas. They are something unexpected, and I could see myself leaving them out on display when I'm not using them.

2. A new font: Mishka by Fenotype

I always like playing with new fonts (I freely admit I'm a type geek). This is a cute, fun and well designed font! Fonts with alternative characters and ligatures are great, they can add that something extra to make invites and logos elegant. I particularly like (shown above) how it has 4 different versions of the word 'by', that can add a lot to a design.

3. Also because I'm a type geek, this letterpress necklace.

 

It's something unusual, and I love the vintage feel (its a reproduction of a letter piece that was actually used on a press). I think it would go great with so many different outfits! (While I'm on theme here, this necklace would hang perfectly with all my other jewelery in this jewelery display made from a Antique Printer Drawer!)

4. Jewlery making kit

A few years ago I played around with making jewelery (sort of making it up as I went!). When I was in Italy in October I had a lot of fun going into the Murano jewelery shops and look at all the fun beaded jewelery. They had a lot of beautiful beads that you could use to customize a bracelet or necklace etc. Kinda had me thinking I wanted to try learning a bit more about jewelery making, a basic beginners project kit to start with would probably be a good idea to start with.

5. 1,000 Package Designs

I love package design, so this would be a great book to have! Its always good to get the creative juices flowing by having new inspiration.

Bonus. Print Magazine Regional Design Annual - Okay I should (hopefully) actually be getting this one in the mail soon. But I'm really looking forward to receiving it so I thought I'd throw it in here. Its a great gift for a graphic designer.

 

 

Top 12 Picks for Christmas

Although the temperature outside is not as frightful as it should be, we are still nearing Christmas Day and there is no more time for procrastinating over purchasing gifts or decorating your house. Here is a compilation of my top 12 products to give and to keep this holiday season.

1. These brass branches add a great amount of warmth and fun to a room. It's a piece that can be used as decorations during Christmas time yet funky enough to be carried on as part of your home decor for the rest of the year. What phrase would you spell out? (Anthropologie, $24.00)

2. These bold storage units are extremely handsome! I can picture these pieces everywhere, from children's playrooms to lofts. It's a great way to liven up a space of any type lover. (Set26, Check website for specific pricing.)

3. The Action Journal is created by The Behance Team. It is a notebook created specifically to organize written thoughts. The templates are not too constrained that it would restrict the creatives from freely jotting down or drawing his or her thoughts. (The Action Journal, $17.50)

4. I came across these ice cubes and I instantly thought of throwing a typography-themed party. How much fun would that be? It can be used with ice, jelly and butter. (Alphabet Ice, $29.00)

5. Every year, DesignThinkers takes place in Toronto where creative thinkers are invited to participate in a collective discussion about anything that is design related. Next year is their 12th anniversary and the discussion is “the unique insight and problem-solving processes of the designer.” (DesignThinkers, Check website for specific pricing.)

6. Thinking about throwing an unconventional Christmas this year? Wood and Wool Stool’s recycled wooden Christmas trees are absolutely quirky and different. Decorate your house with these trees that you can hang on your wall. There’s nothing conventional about that. (Wood and Wool Stool, Check website for specific pricing.)

7. Made out of Polyurethane, this manila-envelope inspired iPad case comes in 4 different colors. It has a clean, fun and functional design. The button closure adds a nostalgic touch to snail mail. (Poketo Envelope iPad Case, $48.00)

8. For all the iPhoneographers, here is the ultimate treat you can give your iPhone and your eyes. This iPhone lens dial comes with 3 lenses: telephoto, wide angle and fisheye. All three lenses are mounted on a case in which you would just simply slide you r iPhone in. It is also equipped with two tripod mounts for portrait or landscape shot styles. Changing lenses is as simple as rotating the discs. (iPhone Lens Dial, $249.00)

9. This unconventional table clock showcases clean and sleek design. As opposed to showing you time with numbers, QLOCKTWO TOUCH spells it out for you. “The time display is set using one of the most accurate precision oscillo graphs.” It’s thek ind of alarm clock that makes you think twice before waking up. (QlockTwo Touch, $599)

10. IdeaPaint PRO lets you turn anything you can paint into a dry-erase surface. It transforms an ordinary space into a collaborative and interactive one, to better widen one’s creativity. Who doesn't want to (IdeaPain Pro, $199.50)

11. If you ever had to cut or score, you would appreciate this utility knife. Its form follows the free and natural position your hand make. No more aching after cutting those home made Christmas Cards! (Art. Lebedev Studio, Check website for specific pricing.)

12. Inkling lets you draw in paper without the need to scan your artworks to turn them into digital files. Draw on any paper surface and Wacom’s new product will cut your production time immensely, bridging the gap between traditional drawing and digital development. (Inkling, $199.00)

SOURCE: Anthropologie, Set26, The Action Journal, Alphabet Ice, DesignThinkers, Wood and Wool Stool, Poketo, Photojojo, QlockTwo Touch, IdeaPain Pro, Lebedev Studio, Inkling)

Top 5 Picks for Christmas

Although the temperature outside isnot as frightful as it should be, we are still nearing Christmas Day and thereis no more time for procrastinating over purchasing gifts or decorating yourhouse. Here is a compilation of my favorite products to give and to keep!

1. TYPE LOVERS

-anthropologie :

1. These brass branches add a greatamount of warmth and fun to a room. It's a piece that can be used as decorationsduring Christmas time yet funky enough to be carried on as part of your homedecor for the rest of the year. What phrase would you spell out?(Anthropologie, $24.00)

http://www.anthropologie.com/anthro/catalog/productdetail.jsp?id=21306113&catId=HOME-OFFICE&pushId=HOME-OFFICE&popId=HOME&navCount=42&color=000&isProduct=true&fromCategoryPage=true&isSubcategory=true&subCategoryId=HOME-DESK-OFFICEDECOR&templateType=subCategory

-alphabet ice: http://www.gnr8.biz/product_info.php?products_id=946\

3. I came across these ice cubes and instantly, I thought of throwing a typography-themed party. How much fun would that be? It can be used with ice, jelly and butter.

http://www.gnr8.biz/product_info.php?products_id=946

Silicone rubber ice cube trays. Packof three with 26 letters, A-Z.

Can be used with ice, jelly, butter,etc.

-type furniture : http://www.set26.ch/masse_start.phpor http://design-milk.com/alphabet-furniture/ OR

http://www.set26.ch/offen.html

2. These bold storage units are extremely handsome. I can picture these pieces everywhere, from children's playrooms to lofts. It's a great way to liven up a space of any type lovers. (Set26)

3. DF Korolev-

DF Korolev is a typeface based on “ananonymous Soviet graphic designer from the propaganda displays at the CommunistRed Square parade in 1937.” The package comes with 20 fonts in total. Iabsolutely love it in Thin and Italic Bold. The miniscule “t” is the star in this series.

5. Ampersand necklace:

I adore ampersands but what I love more about this particular one is the unexpected curl! It is laser cut and comes in bamboo. ($28.00, http://www.ponoko.com/design-your-own/jewelry/harrington-necklace-in-bamboo-6694)

2. BOOKS

- Pantone: The Twentieth Century in Color

-

-

3. ELECTRONICS/ACCESORIES

1. POKETO - http://poketo.com/shop/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=1506

Made out ofPolyurethane, this manila-envelope inspired iPad case comes in 4 differentcolors. It has a clean, fun and functional design. The button closure adds anostalgic touch to snail mail. ($48.00

-IcAM Camera case for Iphone - http://www.usbgeek.com/iphone-ipad-case/2206-icam-camera-case-for-iphone-4OR \

Photojojo

For all the iPhoneographers,here is the ultimate treat you can give your iPhone and your eyes. This iPhone lens dial comes with3 lenses:telephoto, wide angle and fisheye. All three lenses are mounted on a case in which you would just simply slide you r iPhone in. It is also equipped with twotripod mounts for portrait or landscape shot styles. Changing lenses is assimple as rotating the discs. (http://photojojo.com/store/awesomeness/iphone-lens-dial, $249.00)

3. CLOCK: http://qlocktwo.com/touch.php?lang=en

This unconventionaltable clock showcases clean and sleek design. As opposed to showing you timewith numbers, QLOCKTWO TOUCH spells it out for you. “The time display is setusing one of the most accurate precision oscillo graphs.” It’s thekind of alarm clock that makes you think twice before waking up.

4. SPRAYPAINT

IdeaPaint PRO lets you turn anything you can paint into a dry-erase surface. It transforms an ordinary space into a collaborative and interactive one, to better widen one’s creativity.

http://hackerthings.com/product/dry-erase-whiteboard-paint-100108/ http://www.ideapaint.com/work/products/

WACOM – INKLING

http://www.wacom.com/en/Products/Inkling.aspx

Inkling lets you draw in paper without the need to scan your artworks to turn them into digital files. Draw wherever and Wacom’s new product will cut your work preparation time immensely. It bridges the gap between traditional drawing and digital development.

XACTO KNIFE: http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/maketicus/

If you ever had to cut or score, you would appreciate this utility knife. Its form follows the free and natural position your hand make.

4. FOR YOUR HOME

1.Christmas Tree - https://www.velocityartanddesign.com/superstar-tree-c-1202-p-1-pr-30814.html

2.raw clock - http://spartan-shop.com/products/525-raw-clock-by-stanley-ruiz

3.antlers- http://www.etsy.com/transaction/60784737

4.White dipped spoons: http://www.ashesandmilk.com/white-dipped-spoons/

Urban glasses: http://www.cb2.com/cb2-buyer-favorites/gifts/selma-flute/f4734

Unconventional Christmas tree; http://www.woodwoolstool.com/prod_trees.html

5. SOMETHING FOR INSPIRATION

- Origami Sticky notes - http://www.thinkgeak.com/geektoys/b21b/

In the creative industry, it is important to practice activities that fuel and exercise the mind. If origami-making is not your cup of tea, these sticky notes may just be the perfect activity for that dull afternoon. Each pad has instructions for 10 different origami shapes.

- ACTION JOURNAL- http://www.creativesoutfitter.com/product/21/action-journal

The Action Journal is created by The Behance Team. It is a notebook created specifically to organize written thoughts. The templates are not too overpowering as to restrict the creative from freely jotting down or drawing his or her thoughts.

- RGD – DESIGN THINKERS 2012 tickets

Every year, Design Thinkers takes place, where creative thinkers are invited to participate in a collective discussion about anything that is design related. Next year is their 12^th anniversary and the discussion is “the unique insight and problem-solving processes of the designer.”

Although the temperature outside is not going down as it should at this time ofthe year, we are still nearing Christmas Day and for all those procrastinators outthere, I’ve put together a compilation of my favorite gifts you can give toyour loved ones.

Inspirations from Italy - Part Two

As a city I enjoyed Florence more so than Rome, it’s less crowded and easier to navigate. While there, I took a Tuscan cooking class which was a lot of fun and also took a side trip to see some of Tuscany (including the Leaning Tower of Pisa!)

Florence is home to Michaelangelo’s David, which was as spectacular as they say. Along with David, Florence’s Accademia housed some of Michaelangelo’s unfinished works which I found just as inspiring as the David. Michaelangelo was known for not creating a model prior to starting his works, instead saw his work as freeing the sculptures from the block of marble. I also thoroughly enjoyed the extensive collection of work by neoclassical sculpture Lorenzo Bartolini.

Image Source

Florence is a beautiful city, filled with beautiful Renaissance architecture. Although I didn’t get to see it from the inside, the façade of the Duomo is beautiful. I also enjoyed walking along the Arno river and across the Ponte Vecchio which is a medieval bridge. On the bridge there are all these little shops, at first glance it really seems almost like a bazaar but in fact they sell mostly jewellery! A very expensive bazaar!

On my day trip to other parts of Tuscany we went to the beautiful cities of San Gimignano, Siena, and Pisa. While I really wanted to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa after being so amused by pictures of it as a kid that was probably the least eventful part of the day. Siena is a beautiful city filled with medieval architecture. The Siena Duomo is spectacular and unlike anything I’d ever seen before. The inside and the outside are decorated in strips, which I found unusual for a church but stunning regardless.

Unfortunately my trip to Florence ended on somewhat of a bad note as I lost my camera so the only pictures I have from my trip are from my iPhone.

My trip to Milan was pretty short, and much like Florence and Siena the Duomo there was one of the highlights. It’s definitely a sight worth seeing. I enjoyed walking around the shopping streets of Milan event though I couldn’t afford to do more than window shop in stores such as Valentino and Armani!

Despite a complete lack of sunshine my two days in Venice, and the flooding (rainboots apparently are a must pack item which I didn’t happen to clue in on in my pre-trip research) I rather enjoyed my trip to Venice. I would love to go back and see the Venice when it’s not rainy but this was a bit of a funny experience walking across the flooded squares on a makeshift platform.

In Venice they have water buses called vaporettos, it was an interesting experience that made my stomach turn for the most part, but fun at the same time. The vaporetto also goes to the other islands including Murano, which I spent a lot of time on! I really loved popping into the different shops and viewing all the beautiful Murano glass jewellery (and shopping a bit too!). I also viewed a glass blowing demonstration which was pretty interesting! Also on the main island there are a lot of shops that sell beautiful masquerade masks and I was able to expand my collection.

My trip to Italy was filled with amazing sights from the ancient ruins, the beautiful landscapes of Tuscany, and the beautiful architecture. Words can’t explain the amazing gelato they have over there, and the food wasn’t too bad either (I’m not sure pizza here will ever be edible again)! There was so much to see and do I wish I could have stayed a month!

Inspirations from Italy - Part One

Back in October I took a solo trip to Italy (the perk of going solo is that you can do whatever you want!) In my 11 days in Italy I visited Rome, Florence, Milan, Venice and a few others briefly.

Rome is an amazing city filled with so many historical sights, you turn every corner and you come across more amazing sights. I spent four days in Rome and still found it somewhat of a whirlwind tour. There is an unbelievable amount to see and do in Rome.

I half expected the Colosseum to be on the city outskirts with not much around it. That was a misleading assumption on my part! I stepped out of the subway station and there it was.

The place is unbelievably crowded (tip: buy a Roma Pass and you skip the line), and a bit on the touristy side but regardless it was one of my favourite parts of my trip to Italy (other than the amazing gelato! If you’re in Rome visiting Gelateria Della Palma is a must! ). It was a colossal (pun intended) structure, looking at the ruins I wished I could have seen it in ancient times with the Emperor on his throne and the crowds cheering for their favourite gladiators. If you climb (the very steep stairs!) to the next few levels there’s an exhibit filled with ruins. I actually really enjoyed the graphics that were part of the exhibit, you wouldn’t expect it to be so modern and vibrant in colour (think shocking pink and bright yellow) it was an interesting juxtaposition and let the ruins stand out, not blend in with the info graphics.

During my time in Rome I took a side trip to see the ancient ruins of Pompeii. They did an amazing job excavating it. It was a city buried under so much volcanic ash and dirt yet today you can see the city that once existed and walk the same streets as the people of Pompeii once did. Below is a picture of the incredibley well preserved bathhouse in Pompeii.

Other sights I enjoyed seeing were the Trevi Fountain (I saw it 3 times in fact!), the Roman Forums (beautiful columns), the Pantheon (beautiful structure, with the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome). I also visited the Vatican Museums on my last day and I don’t think I’ve seen so much art in one place, it was incredibly inspiring. Their collection includes everything from ancient ruins to modern art. I never realized how much I really enjoyed sculptures till I saw the enormous collection housed by the Vatican museums. However I think I might be one of few people who have visited the Sistine Chapel and been somewhat underwhelmed. No disrespect to Michelangelo but after seeing so much amazing artwork (many by him), and amazing ceilings on my way to the Sistine Chapel I think I was expecting more. Of course seeing the Creation of Adam was worthwhile enough to go into the chapel.

 

One of my favourite parts of my trip to Italy was to wander the streets around the piazzas and just take in the architecture. Even the buildings holding the shops and restaurants are beautiful, and this was true for the streets around the Spanish Steps and the Pantheon.

Eco-Friendly Chinese Take-Out

"Focusing on sustainability, this packaging attempts to eliminate the need for a plastic bag.For multiple orders, hook carrying strings into the diecut design of the one on top of it. Holds up to three entrees."

I like the idea of eco-friendly takeout containers.I think the best part about this design is how the different containers can connect to each other so there is no need for a plastic bag either.

Designed by JoAnn Arello / SOURCE

SPARKED: VOLUNTEERING FOR BUSY PEOPLE

Sparked is an "easy, social, online volunteering for busy people." Ben Rigby and Jocob Colker founded this online platform in 2008 when they recognized a problem in the volunteering world- not everyone has enough time to give back. Volunteering at Sparked includes design, research, social media, H.R., marketing, blogging, copywriting, fundraising and so much more. This network makes it easy to get involved wherever you are and whether you've only got 10 minutes to spare or a whole hour. There is a new "challenge" requested by non-profit organizations everyday and a certain timeline is given. Challenges may include designing a banner, brainstorming, or even just asking questions to spark up conversations about improvements of the organizations.If you've been wanting to volunteer but can't seem to physically bring yourself to the location of your organization, online volunteering may just be the perfect alternative.

 

 

 

(via: Sparked)

Canadian Postage Stamps designs by Paprika

ZODIAC SERIES

Beautiful stamps based on the Zodiac signs. I love the choice of muted colours in the background, with the pop of colour. The halftone pattern, along with the dotted line patterns really add depth.

 

The Date of Issue stamps that match are a great touch.

 

MENTAL HEALTH

This stamp design is fantastic as well, I love the combination of colours, as well solid shapes layered with the line pattern.

DESIGNED by PAPRIKA