I saw this fun packaging design for Raaka Chocolate at the Brooklyn Flea recently. All of the label patterns are hand drawn pencil sketches and add to the homemade yet artisinal feel of the products.

I saw this fun packaging design for Raaka Chocolate at the Brooklyn Flea recently. All of the label patterns are hand drawn pencil sketches and add to the homemade yet artisinal feel of the products.

I have begun to wonder when the creation of shoes became such an art form? These past few seasons of shoe fashion literally causes me to drop my jaw. Not only have shoes reached new heights in terms of heel, they have literally become a form of art. I love to ogle these high fashion shoes and have come to appreciate them for their creativity, craftsmanship and innovative forms, while I would not dare to try and actually use these as shoes! The average shoe designer has had to turn into a sculptural expert. Each piece is a careful work of structure, balance and material. In New York city I see shoes for girls reaching new heights and those attempting to wear such high art shoes look ridiculous like stilt walkers as they tower a foot above everyone else and take small akward steps. But I cannot wait until the Moma or the Met decides it is time for a new art exhibit explicitly created around the Art of the Shoe because there really are some fabulous creations out there establishing shoe design as a new form of art.

Finding creative solutions for wedding save the date from Bride & Groom is always challenging. There are a lot of ideas out there that have been done to death. A really creative save the date should have some tie to the look and feel of your wedding invitations and to the overall décor and theme of your wedding. This can be tricky as the Save the Date is one of the first items you send out and therefore has to be designed first. So how can you design a creative Save the Date when you haven’t yet figured out the design for your wedding invitations or wedding? My advice is to start by designing a mood board. You can do this by cutting out clippings from magazines of dresses, flowers, décor and design elements and then assembling them into a collage. This will give you a better sense of what your wedding concept is overall instead of focusing on each individual piece. I found when I did this for my own wedding it really helped me to create a “big picture” of what I wanted the day to be like. Check out these fun save the date ideas and get inspired to come up with your own creative ideas.

I can't get enough of Rifle Paper Co. Illustrator Anna Bond is always coming up with the most charming illustrations for her paper goods line. This boxed coaster set makes me want to sip lemonade on a porch swing somewhere. Lovely!

Here is a sneak peak inside Chen Design Associates new book Fingerprint No. 2 The Evolution of Handmade Elements in Graphic Design.