Lady Gaga Papercut by Lobulo

 

Before I'm off for a weekend in the mountains, here's a nice papercut illustration by Lobulo. I received the link from my cousin, who provides me with links even when I'm too busy or too tired to switch on my laptop and check what's going on in the worl. So thanks for that :)Speaking of papercuts, check out the papergraphics by Yulia Brodskaya, Zim And Zou and Peter Callesen.

Oh, and have fun tonight everyone!

Illustration by Lobulo, via visual therapy.

Clocks To Desire...

I went to visit my family for Xmas. My aunt and uncle, both with artistic professions, are wall-clocks lovers. I was looking at their living room, full of ticking clocks on the walls, and though of expanding my own collection... Let me just pick up my next bonus.
pics from Ikea and czerwona maszyna

Kibako Grass Jewellery

This unique jewelery was sent to me by Anna Sklodowska, who is also the author of these pieces and owner of kibako – internet gallery showcasing unusual jewellery. Her designs are based on the recycling of everyday objects and materials, as she tries to turn them into something beautiful and different to the original use. She likes bold shapes, often playing with assymetry. The „Grass” collection (above) is made of thin rubber threads that Anna bought at a florist, they immitate grass pretty well. Oh, also an intersting fact – Anna is actually and archologist, but she also works at frescos preservation!

Connoisseur Salmon - Premium Salmon Packaging

A couple of weeks ago the studio got  a copy of Connoisseur Salmon packaging we have designed and printed. This packaging for premium salmon is produced by Contimax Selection but sold under the Connoisseur Seafood brand. You can find it in fine foods stores across Poland. The packaging was designed to fit the whole collection, started by the Connoisseur Caviar that I wrote about recently. It is supposed  to be very simple and tasty (I believe it is!). At the back of the packaging we have a list of wines recommended to go with the wine, as the product is addressed to the finest connoisseurs. It also features a photo of two wine glasses we took ourselves. Let me tell you the glasses are handmade, they come from the best glassworks in Poland (Krosno SA) and they cost a fortune. It also took us a day or two just to photograph them and catch their beautiful shape.

Apart from designing the packaging, we have also carried out the printing process. This time with less obstacles than with the caviar packaging. The packaging is matt-foiled (to protect the folds) and then coated with UV varnish. The ornament you see on the sides in reality comes out from the difference between the coated and uncoated surface. Check out the full size design after the break!

Package Design Freak's Desk

Some of you may know, or have already noticed by reading this blog, that I'm a package design freak. I mean, I love design in general but what I do in life is I run a graphic studio specializing in package design and I love it. I used to blog for The Dieline (a while ago, when I actually had some free time to spare) and I think it's one of the best aspects of design, because it affects us all by appearing in our houses. In general the advantage of design over art, in my opinion, is that it has a chance to be a part of our lives on a daily basis. We don't have to go to museums, be educated, understand what the artist wanted to say. Design is with us every single day and package design is simply ubiquitous.

Above then is a photo of my desk. I tend to hijack my laptop and work from the comfortable surface of my sofa most of the time actually, but that would be officially where I'm supposed to work, when I'm at home. It's a simple table from Ikea, with a funny poster by Marcin Maciejowski above and.... well, package design collection on top of it. It so happens that there are three water bottles. Jean Paul Gaultier's special edition of Evian water (that I got from a friend for my birthday), Voda Voda (that my friends brought from their trip to Montenegro) and the famous Ogo Water by Ora Ito.

There is a pack of Marks & Spencer's all butter toffee too and Fortnum & Mason Picadilly buscuits, I think mostly because they're blue, which matches the colour of one of the walls and my sofa. I also keep a set of connoisseur caviar and salmon packaging designed by our studio - but that's a different story.

Grouchy Panda on Sephora Shelves

I was doing some Christmas shopping last week and as I passed perfume shelves at Sephora, this angry little animal looked at me from one of the shelves. It was really funny to see a clearly upset panda in a perfume store, so I took a photo of it to look up the possible genesis of it's presence there. It is called "Grouchy Panda" but not too many things popped out ingoogle for that combination. The name of the artist - Jiji - revealed more clues. This quote is from dazed digital Chinese born artist Jiji has made a name for himself through his cartoon of an annoyed panda. Ten years after creating the character, he is now launching his brand Hi Panda Fashion in France – proving that fashion and naughty art can cohabit, even in the capital of Haute Couture. It still doesn't explain how the panda ended up in Sephora, but it made my shopping much more entertaining.

MOCAK - Museum Of Contemporary Arts In Kraków

Couple of weeks ago my friends and I went to see the opening of our new Museum of Contemporary Arts in Kraków - MOCAK. In fact I work right next to it, which is very exciting. The whole district, called Podgórze, is an old industrial part of town and it looked just like one when I started working in the graphic studio few years ago. Not there's a whole new movement to it, the aforementioned museum and another pretty famous one just next door to it - the Schindler's Factory. Yes, THE one from the movie. It was transformed into a very modern museum lately, presenting history of Kraków under the nazi occupation. Apart from that there are old lofts transformed to new apartments etc. I can say our office is in a rather trendy neighbourhood these days then.

Coming back to MOCAK, the opening took place for political reasons. Yes, you heard it right. We had elections for the mayor of the city and the current mayor wanted to open something big before the election day, get in the spotlight and promote his work for the city. Therefore he decided to open the museum before it can actually be open. He promoted it as opening of the building itself. The actual exhibitions will not take place until spring. As ridiculous as it sounds, the event turned out OK mostly because the building, designed by an Italian architect Claudio Nardi, is very impressive. It explores the shapes of original roofs of the Schindler's factory (it's part of the old factory's complex). You can see that on the bottom right photo, the triangular walls. Oh, and it worked - he got reelected.

My favourite part of the tour was the little cafeteria because it had ...furniture. Show me good furniture and I'm there. I am such a simple girl to please. They had really nice lamps and chairs. You can see me sitting and contemplating in the top left photo (in case you wondered what I looked like). Check out more photos of the building after the break (from Claudio Nardi Architects).

Calendar Design By Kameleon

Last week we sent off to print our calendar for 2011. Our studio makes one every year for the present (and future) clients, as well as clients of the printing house we work with. This year's theme was.... Well, it's actually hard to catch one. My friend just used all the crazy photos we had "in stock" and let her imagination run wild...

Yellow Cat Marine In My Apartment

I have waited a few weeks but here it is - the carpet I designed for the Komfort competition has finally arrived into my apartment. I collected it on Saturday, after it was photographed for the press and toured the country (well, it took forever to get it to Kraków so I imagine it was touring the stores, or something as exciting! It did have the press photoshoot though, that I know). Anyways, you can see now why I chose these particular colours (something had to match the crazy cobalt sofa) or why the cat is in this corner. I also like to look at it and know it's one in a kind...

Get Hang Of It Bag

Where did all the hangers go...? They're never enough and there isn't one around when you need it! Well, that's about to change. The "get hang of it bag" is made of recycled/recycable paper and cardboard. Rip the two cardboard hangers off the paperbag and your new clothes will find their place in your closet at once.Just "get the hang of it"!
From DEDE DextrousDesign via yanko design

Dressed-Up Furniture

What's going on in your side of the world? Becasue I'm dealing with temperatures of -15 Celcius and snow up to the knees. I am dressed up to the maximum and look like a little penguin. These seem to be dressed up too. In felt.