BRAND SPANKING NEW KAYTE DESIGNS SITE!

I am so excited to be launching my new Kayte Designs website today! I have been working with graphic designer and web developer Jeff Corey for a few months now on rebranding Kayte Designs and and improving both my business site and my blog. The blog will be ready to launch in a couple weeks and I will be changing the domain to crazygooddesigns.com, but first comes the new and improved kaytedesigns.com. The new KD logo was created with a pattern that I always doodle while I'm brainstorming. I like the mix of a hand drawn pattern and a fat, bold typeface. I've worked with Jeff Corey on a few of my commercial projects, he created the logo and branding for 5th Street Cafe, Escorpion and he did the wall graphics for Scenario. I knew that if I gave him a bunch of links to sites I like he would be able to help me pin-point the exact look I need for my web site. It's similar to what I can do if a client who shows me pages from books and magazines- I can analyze what the images have in common and what the basic theme is through out. Jeff and I worked on creating a simple gallery style site that is an elegant background for my photographs. I think the site is easy to navigate and rich with content. Below are some images of the key features and changes.

Not only did Jeff help me get my site visually pleasing, we also added some much needed features like ways to connect via social media and live feeds from Twitter, Instagram and and Pinterest accounts.

The new site operates through Wordpress, I am so happy with how easy it is to add to my portfolio and the News feed. I created the old Kayte Designs site through iWeb and I felt like it was always giving me problems. I set up the Portfolio section to work like a blog so I could add work to it often but it was such a nightmare to operate that I eventually stopped adding to it. The back end of this Wordpress site is so simple and it looks 100 times better! Make sure you check out my new site at Kaytedesigns.com and check back soon for the new Crazy Good Designs site.

INSPIRED BY: OLYMPICS LOGO

Is everyone getting in to the Olympic spirit? While the games are obviously fun to watch but I'm really enjoying following the direction London went with their graphics. I wasn't impressed with the London 2012 logo when I first saw it. Standing alone, it looks like something you would have seen on MTV in the 80's. But as I started to see some of the new arenas and fly-bys of the public spaces; it all started to make sense to me and now I'm in love. The super angular and geometric theme has been carried throughout all of the branding material, architecture and city wayfinding. The vibrant, high chroma colors are a refreshing change from the traditional Olympic color scheme and they are easy to spot in the background of any game. I pulled together some home goods and accessories to get you into the spirit of Wolff Olins' hot pink logo!

1. Overdyed Pure Wool Rug  2. Delta Table Lamp  3. Hot Pink Chalcedony Necklace
 4. Speck Geometric Rubber iPhone Case  5. Linen Tea Towel

The cohesive and contemporary branding for this years Olympics was meant to inspire the next generation; a theme talked about a lot in the opening ceremonies. McCann World Group oversaw the overall branding in collaboration with the London organization committee. My favorite part is the visual identity and way-finding, created by Future Brand and seen below.

Another cool design that cohears with the angular, geometric look of the London Olympics is the Winner's Podium, seen below. It was designed by Kims of Design, a group of students from the Royal College of Art in London. The students also designed the Ceremonial Costumes.

  

photos from design boom

100 AND COUNTING!!

I am so excited to announce that this is my 100th post! I started this blog with no real direction or goals, mostly I thought it would be an easier way to share some of my portfolio and to keep track of design related things that I love. 

Looking towards the future, I have some goals for my blog and some projects I'm working on. I recently started working with my favorite graphic designer, Jeff Corey, on upgrading my blog, as well as my business site for Kayte Designs. This project will include rebranding, a new Kayte Designs logo and two new websites! With my new blog comes new goals for me. Considering the fact that a large part of my interior design work is in the restaurant and night club category, I plan on including more post on the subject. I am very passionate about hospitality design; I worked behind a bar for many years and my husband is in the industry. Looking back on my old posts, I'm really surprised I haven't touched on the subject more. Another focus for me is organization. Up to this point my posts have come to me very organically, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but I'd like to lay down some structure and start organizing my blogging month a little better. Even though 100 posts feels like a whole lot for me, this blog is definitely still growing into it's shoes and I am still trying to figure out what direction to take things. I appreciate your support, keep on reading! I'm very open to suggestions as well- do you have a favorite post? anything you want to hear more about? Any feedback you may have is more than welcomed.

1. Here's a little teaser of something my graphic designer and I are working with, curious? 

2. Coming soon, post about well designed bars and restaurants from across the globe, as well as local hotspots and recents projects I've worked on in the hospitality industry. 

3. Time for a little structure! I have a wall in my office that I've been meaning to paint with whiteboard paint- what better time then now. I'm going to set up a big ol' calendar set up to help me organize this blog as I step into the triple digits.

PRETTY LITTLE PAPER THINGS

I found this really cool card / stationary company, Quill & Fox, on Young Blood Gallery's site. They are based out of Portland, Oregon and they design the sweetest little cards. I love this Valentine's Day Collection they just released. 

Below are some samples of their everyday stationary and postcards, you can also see some of their custom print work in their lookbook.

If you're in the market for some fantastic handmade print-work like this, Young Blood Gallery is currently hosting a show called Go South: Southern Printmaking.

BLIK, I'M STUCK ON YOU

I have been lovin' on blik products for a long time, trying to find a home for their self-adheasive decals. They have some really cool artists coming up with designs for  their wallpapers and decals; Rex Ray, Keith Haring, Blaine Fontana, Namco and Atari. I finally found an opportunity to pitch the Astroids Collection to an client at Strongbox West and I must say, it was a good call! One pack of Asteroids Re-Stick cost $45.00 and if filled a 17'W x 9'H wall, adding a lot of personality to their co-op kitchen / break-room. They also complement the adjacent "talk nerdy to me" chalk wall by KFD Designs.

Here are a few more collections by blik that make me happy.

photo credit

The newest line by blik is The Muppets Collection, just in time for their new movie!

STAY CREATIVE PEOPLE!

You must see this cool and inspiring video 29 ways to stay creative by Tu-Fu Motion Graphics Studio. I love the message, it made me want to start a project (or finish one) as soon as it was over. BUT I was extra impressed with the motion graphics and the fact that the whole video was done in arial font. Check it out and get creative!

I've also got some tips of my own that may help inspire :)


1. Try working somewhere new. Instead of sitting in your usual chair at your usual desk, find a new nook to work in. Change of scenery always feels like a fresh start to me. It doesn't matter how big your home/office is, you can find a new environment (work outside, on the floor by a window, in the bathtub, on your roof)


2. Get a new sketchbook. If I feel like I've been in a creative funk I treat myself to a new sketchbook. I do the same thing with gym clothes, if I've been bad about working out, a new racer back tank top will put some pep in my step. Because of this habit, I buy small notebooks so I don't feel guilty if I can't fill up all the pages and I often go back to old books.


Attached to this idea, I like to buy different shape sketchbooks every now and then. This challenges you to spread across the pages in a different way than your used to.

binderwerk, quattro, molskine, rhodia pads, heritage wirebound

3. Sketch in pen. This was taught to me at SCAD and while it's very frustrating in the beginning the pay off is worth it. Since I've started to brainstorm and sketch in pen I have become more comfortable with mistakes and confident when I put something down on paper. Without the option to erase you learn to except your mistakes and power through them. A faster pen on paper gives your mind the opportunity to continuously spit out ideas.

4. Pick up a magazine outside of your medium. I am an interior design magazine junkie and always pull a random handful out of my inventory to flip through when I start a project. Lately I've been looking at food, travel, fashion, knitting, even yoga magazines for inspiration. I think you can pull a more abstract idea from these images; a perfume ad turns into a color palette, a knit pattern into a wall treatment, a photograph of a cupcake starts a mood for a room. The more obscure the magazine, the better exercise for your brain!

I hope you're feeling the creative juices flowing. Now go out there and make something! 

ICE ATLANTA

As promised, I've got some cool artist for you guys to check out from my trip to the Indie Craft Experience. The fair was held in the Ambient + Studio, a really cool event space west of Downtown, it was full of just under 100 (somewhat) local vendors, a gift wrap station, a cool DJ, baked goods and winter drinks. Below are a few of my favorites from the show.

ashley buchanan

These pieces are HAND CUT out of sheets of metal or silver and then powder coated. I love that the unique technique turns classic forms into something super modern.

sweeteeth chocolate 

I bought the PB+C Bar (peanut butter and chipotle) and my life will never be the same. Highly recommend for a stocking stuffer!

yee-haw industries

Great print merchandise, framed art and dish towels.

fernworks.org

The photos I took and these above from her online store don't do this jewelry design justice. The depth and layers Faryn Davis captures in these resin casts are beautiful, each one tells such a small but powerful story.

the argyle academy

foamy wader

Keep artist like these in mind when doing your Holiday shopping this year, go local!!

COME ON BABY LITE MY FIRE!

I am definitely enjoying this crisp fall season; pumpkin spice lattes, NFL, falling leaves, boots and sweaters. If I could update my existing fire-pit for the cold season ahead, I might be tempted to base the setting around this Stephen Kenn set. It's military inspired, featuring Swiss mule belts as supports and cushions upholstered in canvas from half shelters (military tent). I picture myself bundled up by the fire, listening to Bon Iver and snacking on some bacon bourbon popcorn.

clockwise starting at the top left: Stephen Kenn Inheritance Seating, Mini Cashmere Hand Warmers, Anthropologie Cardigan, (RI)1 Whiskey, Stanley Flask, Stay Puft Gourmet Marshmallows, Bacon Bourbon Caramel Corn, UGG Over the Knee Boot center: DWR Fire Bowl    

TASTY COTTON

Chef Richard Blais just launched a graphic tee line, Tasty Cotton Apparel, inspired by a little food humor. I briefly worked for Blais as a bartender at the original Flip and I have to say this is a really cool fit for him. He aways wears fun tees and he's really creative when it comes to play on words in his menu descriptions like The Fauxlafel chickpea burger and Bun Mi burger (inspired by a Vietnamese banh mi). Check out the tees below, they're a lot of fun and they all run for $24.99

tasty cotton mascot Rudy Cotton

farm to fork

turducken!