Happy New Year!!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! Thank for your continued reading, support and encouragement. Here is a little line up of some thoughts to live by in 2011.....

(Images linked to sources.)

Q is for Quotes

I used to keep a journal of my favourite quotes....you know, bits of songs, speeches, books that I loved. Inspirational stuff to remind me of the things I believe in the most, challenges to overcome, dreams to keep dreaming, that kind of thing. My love of typography may come from that, and there is no shortage of beautifully designed prints available with simple messages that speak to me, in one way or another.

My all time favourites...

Keep Calm & Carry On

Make Do And Mend

The World Is Your Oyster

The Trick Is To Keep Breathing

Everything Will Be Just Fine

Home Sweet Home

If Life Deals You Lemons Make Lemonade

I am sure you all have your own favourites, but maybe something here might just catch your attention and you can add it to your own list of inspirations.

A is for Ampersand

I love typography, and it seems everywhere I look the ampersand is being used as a design feature. Prints, bags, necklaces, pillows...you name it, there is one with the ampersand design. I love the elaborateness of this symbol, the often over the top fonts used all just to represent "and". Here's a round up of my fave ampersand accessories and illustrations.

(Images linked to source)

Now, these are all pretty tame as far as design goes, but the work of Dan Beckemeyer in his series Ampersand Food Groups will show you just what can be done with the not so humble ampersand. Tasty stuff!

Art that's good enough to eat

I love a good cookbook with illustrations and images that induce me to cook certain recipes, giving me added inspiration to try something new. They Draw and Cook isn't so much a recipe resource as a showcase for illustrators and artists, publishing recipe renderings each day that stand as art pieces in and of themselves.

Here are my favourites, for the recipe and/or the image...

Secret Mexican Flourless Chocolate Cake by Amy Ventura

Fried Zucchini Flowers by Anna Rodighiero

Pan Fried Fish with Lemon and Caper Sauce by Pat Garmhausen

Salsa Verde by Geninne Zlatkis

Please do click on the link for each of these illustrations, in order to get the full detail and impact of the artists detailed work.

Truly, Madly, Deeply...

I have to admit this. I am obsessed with the work of Jessica Hische, a freelance typographer and illustrator working out of Brooklyn, New York. I have featured her work here before (and again just yesterday in fact) and first discovered Jessica's talent through her Daily Drop Cap project. In it she has created beautiful unique lettering for you to use on your own blog, just by copying and inserting the relevant html code for each letter. What a giving girl, and an awesome idea! I used it here.

A selection of Daily Drop Caps.

I have mentioned before, that Jessica has a font named Buttermilk that is my front runner for future logo, branding-type style. Not only do I love the name, but the font style has a girly edge without being overtly feminine. Perfect!

Can't resist Buttermilk either? Buy it here.

In actual fact, I would sell my soul, and that of each of my family members for a chance to have Ms Hische design my brand identity. Hopefully, it won't come to that, and one day soon my wish will come true in a more conventional manner, but you have been warned!

This logo she designed for German Deli Ruhland & Ruhland, has pretty much all of my own desires for my logo, a vintage vibe with classic styling but still retaining a contemporary feel.

You can get a great sense of the girl and her work on her website, and read up on how she got to where she is now, here. Nice Tat, by the way. That is true typography love!

Jessica seems to be able to put her design hand to anything, and shares her varied and prolific work for individual clients, major publications and magazines, as well as retail stores, on her website. Some of her design portfolio includes work that she did whilst working with Louise Fili at Louise Fili Ltd. Love their stuff too! Here are my favourites.

The Patisseries of Paris Book Cover and interior ribbon detail.

For The Kitchen, Sticker Set

Logo and illustrations for the Culinary Culture Foodie Website. Make sure you browse around and enjoy more of Jessica's work on this site.

Cover for the Boston Globe Magazine, The Makeover Issue.

Truly fabulous stuff. If you want a piece of your own Jessica Hische work, visit her shop and snap something up. I have my eye on this.

Fresh Finds From Fabulous Folk

New prints just in, from the eternally fabulous Keep Calm Gallery.

Aardvark Manifesto by Lesley & Pea

Ampersand ID Chart by Douglas Wilson

Shoot For The Stars by Hayley and Lucas

With Love by James Brown

Grow Your Greens by Hayley and Lucas

Love them all, right?

FONTS

...for Apothecary




...for Fox
I have been searching for the right font for my logo and stumbled upon the amazingly talented designer and typographer Jessica Hische. I instantly recognised her work from Share Some Candy and her portfolio does not disappoint. Not only is she gifted, but generous too, as she has a site called Daily Drop Cap where she posts a new letter in a creative font ever day, and offers the html code for you to use it on your own blog. The "A" is my favourite and is the closest I have come to finding the style (and obviously the colour) that I would love to use one day.
Jessica designed a font called Buttermilk available to buy here. Very tempted...

Thanks Jessica for the inspiration!

TYPOGRAPHY LOVE 2

My love of this genre knows no bounds...so here is part 2 of my favourite Typography based prints...Etsy Rules!

Orange Beautiful

One Shy Mouse

John W Golden

Jaimers

Bold and Noble

Blue Sky Clouds

Annechovie

No need for any more words from me!

TYPOGRAPHY LOVE

I am in love with typography, particularly when it comes to letterpress prints of inspirational sayings.There are so many artists creating beautiful prints, I want to share with you some of my most favourite ones, and just a couple of examples of their wonderful work.

Made By Girl by Jennifer Ramos

Roll and Tumble Press


Farouche

Erin Jane Illustrations


Dazey Chic @ Studio Mela


Katie Daisy from The Wheat Field


Hijirik Studio
Aaahhh, now don't you just feel so much better about life?

Check out this website called Share Some Candy that spotlights some of the most unique typography, and also many more art and design projects that will find you whiling away many hours in discovery of your own favourite things. Enjoy!