what makes us

who: jen stark

2012-02-01T01:00:00.009-08:00

who:

miami

stark has built an incredible profile for herself considering she only graduated in 2005. her paper sculptures have been exhibited extensively around the US, with major shows in nyc, seattle, miami, washington dc, and chicago.

jenstark.com

who: diego gravinese

2012-02-01T01:00:00.008-08:00

who:

buenos aires

gravinese has an amazing ability to turn an image into an identikit yet emotive painting. his works in oil have clearly been influenced by the 1960s pop art movement with artists such as richard hamilton.

diegogravinese.com

space: umbro hq

2012-02-01T01:00:00.007-08:00

space:

stockport, greater manchester

after a move to a new hq, umbro needed a re-design and boy did they get one. the new expression reflects the brands 'modern football culture....reset to an internal audience in a way that serves to inspire, motivate and remind on a daily basis.'

lovecreative.com

www.rorysutherland.co.uk

space: resto

2012-02-01T01:00:00.006-08:00

space:

nyc

resto opened their doors in 2007 but have recently gained a true following with their nose-to-tail dining experience and their extensive belgian beer list. with dishes like 'cote de boeuf poularde in half mourning' and 'our large format feast program' they have gained rave press across nyc. their tagline of 'bringing fat back' is proving a huge hit with the sustainable food movement.

restonyc.com

show: antidote chocolate//tripple red

2012-02-01T01:00:00.005-08:00

show:

nyc

we hear that it was tripple red design that created the playful and contemporary design for antidote chocolate. a bar that contains 50:50 raw to roasted cocoa beans and contains not only herbs and spices but also the anti-oxidant moringa.

'(the founder) felt that although superfoods were good for you, they were not necessarily pleasant to the palate. therefore, the challenge was to formulate a bar that was nutritious, antioxidant-rich, fun, delicious and enjoyable to eat. so, (she) set out to do her research and found that the combination of cacao and moringa was second to none in terms of nutritional value. The health benefits of raw cacao are many, including magnesium, iron, zinc, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants.'

tripplered.com

antidotechoco.com

show: nopi//here design

2012-02-01T01:00:00.004-08:00

show:

london

we hear that it was here design that did such a beautiful job on the new nopi brasserie in londons soho. the latest offering from the team that founded ottolenghi. open all day they serve a broad blend of mediterranean, middle-eastern and asian cuisine.

nopi-restaurant.com

heredesign.co.uk

see: cakeland

2012-02-01T01:00:00.003-08:00

see:

san francisco

'cakeland is a series of sculptures and installations resembling perfect delicious cakes - wall mounted, hanging and standing - and walk-through cake environments complete with their own lighting.....the sculptures are formed using carvable rigid polyurethane foam and plywood.'

artist scott hove has created this incredible display challenging our conventional ideas of something so innocent as cake and it's generous icing. he states he is looking for some new commissions - the queens jubilee maybe?

www.mshove.com

do: nachttheatre sugar factory

2012-02-01T01:00:00.002-08:00

do:

amsterdam

this incredible venue hosts evenings that are a mash-up of theatre, performance and club night. these experience based events are going from strength to strength and are spreading worldwide; reinforcing the idea that individual participation is what matters, basically there wouldn't be an event without you, the attendee.
the sugar factory manifesto is a blinder too (then again so are their posters)....

'artistic- cultural - progressive - independent

we believe art, parallel to love, is the supreme human expression.
we believe creativity is an essential necessity, just like individual freedom is a basic condition to the permanence of civilized humanity.
we believe progress of culture in general can only be secured by particular actions of creative individuals who are free to act, and therefore not restricted politically or institutionally.
we believe in no dividing lines between what is natural and what is human.
we believe in no fixed definitions: to question all things is natural and therefore true. Creativity is conditioned by fluctuations of all meanings, parallel to development of perception.'

sugarfactory.nl

see: words words words

2012-01-30T23:00:00.001-08:00

see:

london

it's nice that has taken over london's selfridges orchard street windows to celebrate the wonders of the english language. the main installation features the 'word-a-coatser' with 30,000 colourful balls containing unique 'forunes' which roll around a hand-made track. why not pop inside and pick out your own one for free? at the same time venture inside to the concept store exploring all things wordy. keira rathbone has created a wall of typewriter art work and tatty devine diy jewelery stand plus piles of books and accessories in between.

meanwhile the ultralounge has been converted in to a packed library. a series of events are planned for the 1st march including hand writing analysis session or specialist story telling workshops so have a look at the schedule at the link.

selfridges.com

itsnicethat.com

keirarathbone.com

do: a room for london

2012-01-30T23:00:00.000-08:00

do:

london

one of the most unusual hotel rooms to grace london is currently balancing above the southbank as part of alain de botton's on-going living architecture project, a room for london. The structure has been built to look like that of a tug boat and has been built by architects david kohn and fiona banner. five hundred architects and artists from around the world submitted entries for this olympics inspired project. by day the space will be used for podcasted interviews which are available on the website. this one room hotel could be booked by the public for a single night throughout 2012 and offers panoramic views of the thames. on the other hand, after booking opened for the july-dec period on the 19th every date was sold out in seconds. there are however other buildings as part of the project which can be booked online by visiting the site below.

'with an en-suite double bedroom, kitchenette, library and viewing deck, guests are invited to rest and reflect upon what they see and hear during their one night stay; logging their thoughts, observing cloud patterns, the character of the river and deeper undercurrents.'

aroomforlondon.co.uk

joshua davis

2012-01-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

artist joshua davis has created an app with brushmarks replaced by icons (heraldry, flowers, butterflies etc) then save off your creation to share with others or to revel in your creative talents as your screen saver. though if you don't have an iphone your stuffed!

http://www.joshuadavis.com/

pegleg nyc

2012-01-26T01:00:00.000-08:00

let's pretend summer is nearly here and revel in the joy that is pegleg nyc. a collaborative effort of american hipsters producing a range of bright, clashy and bold clothing. shame their website doesn't seem to be working properly at the moment but you can find them on facebook.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/PEGLEG-NYC/101250243196

inspiration pad

2012-01-25T01:55:00.000-08:00

see things a different way, so write things a different way........

www.tmsprl.com

little sapling toys

2012-01-24T01:19:00.000-08:00

with a spate of babies popping up at pf h.q. we have become very kiddie focused. but having looked recently at the toy market we were disappointed to find how it's dominated by plastic and screaming clashing colours. they holler for attention rather than leaving something to the children's imagination. here is a company who produce beautifully crafted toys in a traditional style. we salute you.

www.etsy.com

information is beautiful

2012-01-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

this is a recommendation from our own very special head of words, sylvie saunders. it explores various ways to translate daily information in an engaging and often comical way. check out the guys site too as this is the second book he's produced on the subject.

http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/

studentshowcase.net

2012-01-19T03:03:00.000-08:00

we often flag up student work as being difficult to reference as they have the true freedom of complete creativity without limit or hindrance. occasionally (thankfully rarely) a stifling client with 40 points of feedback which are totally unrealistic will seriously challenge our creativity (and patience) while the students don't know it how good they have it. so inevitably their work can be hugely inspirational, so kudos to the founders of this showcase for all student related design.

Above is the work of rachael kalagher, jacob gilbreath

http://www.studentshowcase.net/

sopeso restaurant

2012-01-18T08:45:00.000-08:00

this is the result of a redesign of a traditional portuguese restaurant with several years of service under their belt but wanted to still be recognisable.

http://enviromeant.com

cheltenham design festival

2012-01-17T01:27:00.000-08:00

the cheltenham design fest was born from a foundation founded by a group of design professionals all based in gloucestershire. made up of three active parts the foundation comprises of the festival itself, the academy and master classes for business. the festival will take place over three days in april so watch this space.

http://cheltenhamdesignfestival.com/

licor cafe

2012-01-16T10:31:00.000-08:00

licor cafe is a design by tomas alonso. the licor itself is based on a traditional recipe from galicia in the north west of spain and is made from orujo, coffee beans & sugar. orujo, also known as aguardiente (literally ‘burning water’) is still made locally in many villages of the region and it is obtained from the distillation of the pomace of grapes – over 50% alcohol.

the set comprises of one bottle and five glasses to serve five friends. each friend can pick the glass of their choice, but none of them have to worry: each glass holds the same quantity of licor. whether this is something that is truly purchasable we have no idea but we love it's simplistic aesthetic.

http://www.tomas-alonso.com

nobrow

2012-01-13T03:22:00.000-08:00

nobrow was an initiative founded in 2008 to 'provide an independent publishing platform for illustration and the graphic arts' of both new graduates and established creators. they won't break the bank and they're taking over the haywood gallery shop until the end of january.

http://www.nobrow.net/

wink magazine

2012-01-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

launched in 2009, wink is a fashion magazine with a difference. starting out as a purely digital venture, it's now has funding to be published and features some incredible art photography. have a look for yourself as all back issues can be viewed online.....

http://www.wink-mag.com

la société parisienne de savons

2012-01-12T02:25:00.000-08:00

continuing on the slight vintage french feel, here is a lovely story of a revival project. stéphane ouaknine, part of the french pharmacy market, made it a personal project to re-create and re-invent lost classic beauty and cosmetic graphics of yesteryear.

'(they spent a great deal of time) seeking out heirs to now defunct companies and obtaining permission to revive stunning vintage designs that had all but ceased to exist. working from faded scraps of ancient labels, I expanded upon the designs and created typography to extend them over complete suites of products.'

design, illustration & typography by daniel pelavin.

http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2012/1/4/la-societe-parisienne-de-savons-collection.html

vintage french postcards

2012-01-11T01:00:00.000-08:00

this is a lovely little archive of postcards from al walks of french life. interspersed with the 'finders' own photographs this flickr archive is worth a meander through.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/taffeta/

cafe brasileiro

2012-01-10T02:00:00.000-08:00

designed to reflect the life and vibrancy of rio de janeiro with the brand name, café brasileiro, meaning brazilian coffee. to re-inforce it's authenticity "feito no brasil" literally means made in brazil.

http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2012/1/3/cafe-brasileiro.html

saffron stocker

2012-01-10T01:50:00.000-08:00

we like a bit of inventive illustration here at pearlfisher and we had to share stocker. a multi-disciplinary illustrator who will turn her hand to anything from straight drawing to painting to typography to 3d installations stocker will have a go.

http://saffronstocker.com/

tate

2012-01-06T05:19:00.000-08:00

being purveyors of contemporary art opens the door to much freedom when it comes to their marketing and print design. challenging, unusual and intriguing - just like the art on their walls.

http://www.rosedesign.co.uk/

richard wilkinson

2012-01-06T04:39:00.000-08:00

wilkinson is a master of digital illustration. a stint working as a sound designer led to commercials and motion graphics and has been working as an illustrator since 2006 for clients such as the telegraph, saatchi & saatchi and harper collins.

http://www.richard-wilkinson.com/

iplate

2012-01-06T04:29:00.000-08:00

what with computers now ruling and organising so many areas of our lives it makes us wonder where are the limits? would we be able to remember 187 phone numbers (without walking round with a huge address book)? do you know in what meeting you need to be in at 3pm next tuesday? would you know what to do with your commute if you weren't playing angry birds?

well this concept has highlighted the possible future of our digital dependancy with printed plates based on the idea you could edit your food/portions in the joy that is photoshop. scale that doughnut back up!

http://toddborka.ultra-book.com/

corey holms

2012-01-05T01:48:00.000-08:00

corey holms is not only a really great photographer (as you can see from him food dye shots above) but he's also a well loved graphic designer. not only has he worked in the entertainment industry on such films as where the wild things are and lost in translation but he also does typo design, print and identity. have a look at his portfolio below (and make sure you look at the photo link).

http://coreyholms.com/

shanghai museum of glass

2011-12-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

located in a former glass factory, the 6,250-square-meter, multi-building Shanghai Museum of Glass displays some of the countries finest examples of art. The brainchild of zhang lin, director of the SGC shanghai glass company limited, a glass factory which specialises in glass products such as tableware in an attempt to encourageindustry innovation.

'glass is a language of art and science.'

http://www.cnngo.com

rowan fee

2011-12-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

fee is an amazing new still life photographer that has entered out stratosphere, and mighty glad we are to have found him through the lisa pritchard agency who came to visit us a couple of weeks back.

http://www.rowanfee.com/

marx wine

2011-12-21T01:00:00.000-08:00

a nice bit of work from a design agency that found clients would get their name confused with a variety of 'marxs'; richard (pop singer), groucho (the comedian) and karl (the communist). 'We wanted to clear the confusion once and for all with these light-hearted promotional pieces that establish (Ryan) Marx design as a unique identity (and go down well!).'

http://lovelypackage.com/marx-wine/

kim welling

2011-12-20T01:00:00.000-08:00

more of a maker/illustrator, welling, has created lots of display graphics both 2d and 3d for various clients including the holland animation festival and the etsy open shop in the netherlands. ased in utrecht inevitably her illustrations have a folksy scandi feel.

http://www.kimwelling.com/

the deli garage

2011-12-19T01:00:00.000-08:00

like yetis? the design of this german vodka won an award at last year’s german art director’s club (adc) competition.The flasks hold 0.2 litres of vodka in some amazing flavours; espresso, ginger-coriander and melon-mint.

the-deli-garage-kraftstoff-vodka

run the world

2011-12-16T10:13:00.000-08:00

our very own amazing candice brown brathwaite has begun the task of running a half marathon in every continent to raise awareness of aids & hiv through the charity avert. she began in jamaica this month and she'll end her tour in london in april 2012 (alongside the olympics). show your support and find out more here....

http://thetortoisewithnohair.com/

christmas windows 2011

2011-12-15T01:00:00.000-08:00

christmas windows always put smile on your face when your out facing the horror of peak time shopping so here is a round up of this years courtesy of the telegraph fashion round up.

http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk

celia birtwell

2011-12-14T01:00:00.000-08:00

celia birtwell is one of britain’s best-known, best-loved textile designers. she is one of the old establishment who has had a re-surgence into fashion in the last ten years. originally known for her partnership with ossie clark in the 1970s and it can't have hurt being best friends with david hockney. she now has her own range of merchandise available in select outlets and all online. indulge in her doodles.

http://www.celiabirtwell.com/

mr chocolate moustaches

2011-12-13T01:00:00.000-08:00

we stumbled upon these snazzy chocolates in selfridges a couple of weeks ago and now they're for sale as part of dezeen magazines chritmas 'temporium'. created by deisgner diego ramos they are available in six different models and four flavours. give it a lick.

http://www.diegoramos.es/

hendricks's 13th day

2011-12-12T09:40:00.000-08:00

hendricks are often known for doing outlandish things and now they have turned their hand to window display. their travelling 'rarified interpretation of mb r. james' halliwell's the twelve days of christmas' which plays on what your love would bring you on the 13th day of christmas. catch it in belgravia and edinburgh.

http://unusualtimes.net

soma mag shoot

2011-12-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

a shoot for soma magazine featuring pieces from the likes of dolce & gabbana, erickson beamon and helmut lang styled by elena mussa. strap yourself in for the weekend.

http://fashiongonerogue.com/judith-bedard-filippo-del-vita-soma/

henry & co

2011-12-01T01:00:00.000-08:00

simply designed as a marketing tool for a manufacturer for printing, binding, embossing etc it is none the less a nice simple bit of design.

http://henryandco.com/

http://lovelystationery.com/2011/11/henry-co/

lottie + doof

2011-11-30T01:00:00.000-08:00

lottie and doof was started by foodie obsessed doof (lottie was his grandma who hated to cook) who after studying art theory and practice realised he liked dinner parties more than he did art. he confesses himself that a lot of his recipes are 'adaptations' of other recipes but none the less they are still pretty tasty looking. have a look at the sour cream, cherry, tequila ice pops - who cares if it's before 6pm on a wednesday. yum!

www.lottieanddoof.com

productive youth

2011-11-29T07:16:00.000-08:00

despite sounding like she is singing through a mouth full of marbles like she is at an elocution lesson this young girl is quite impressive as being able to carry this song. nice bit of video editing too. we love the guitar/piano player with braces. good luck to them we say.

Click here for the vid:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7UFm6ErMPU&feature=player_embedded#!

hansen family

2011-11-27T01:00:00.000-08:00

makers of beautiful furniture the hansen family was started by the daughter of a scandinavian family of carpenters, designers and architects. sourcing local oak, making every piece by hand, piking up a couple of awards, collaborating with fashion houses and artists, it's all in a days work for this family of makers.

http://www.thehansenfamily.com/

astray films

2011-11-25T01:00:00.000-08:00

probably best known for the dark side of the lens, astray films make exquisite shorts that remind you the world is beautiful.

http://www.theastray.com/

erik marinovich

2011-11-23T03:53:00.000-08:00

one of the four friend's of type, typographer and designer erik marinovich has a definite eye for a sexy letterform.

http://friendsoftype.com/

debbie smith

2011-10-28T07:57:00.000-07:00

debbie smyth is a textile artist. she works with thread and nails - completely in keeping with brand embracing the return to handmade crafts.

http://debbie-smyth.com/

mirror, mirror, tell me a story

2011-10-26T02:44:00.000-07:00

ron gilad’s mirrors are very special. he uses humour and historical references to force viewers to see an alternative reflection. for a lot of people the mirror is reflecting the “now”. gilad created 9 mirrors fused with surrealist details that offered an alternative to the reflection of reality and present.

www.luxuryculture.com

tim burton's retrospective

2011-10-26T01:26:00.000-07:00

the los angeles county museum of arts presents a retrospective of tim burton’s creative work. tim burton is an artist, an illustrator, a photographer and a writer.this exhibition brings together 700 drawings, paintings, photographs, moving-image works, storyboards, puppets, maquettes, costumes…

lets just hope it makes it to london.

http://hypebeast.com

experimental food society//truman brewery

2011-10-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

experimental food society had their wares on show on saturday at the east london truman brewery. with demonstrations by stefan gates explaining how to eat his packed lunch packs which included the bum sandwich (and promoting his book), and talks by caterers, sculptors and creators alike. it also featured a small installation by blanch and shock alongside an eiffel tower made of curly wurly by the model maker paul baker. regular lily vanilli had themed goth cakes and buns for consumption including jack the rippers leather apron made of apple & pears blood stained fruit leather and columbia rd flower market 1800s cupcakes. illustrations by david meldrum.

www.experimentalfoodsociety.com

louis vuitton new campaign

2011-10-25T02:37:00.000-07:00

this is the new louis vuitton fall/winter 2011 advertising campaign. drawing on its roots louis vuitton is a vintage classic.

http://www.luxury-insider.com

hermes home

2011-10-24T02:28:00.000-07:00

hermes has created a new line of furniture with some very famous designer: enzo mari, antonio citterio and denis montel. all these new products were presented at the salone del mobile 2011 in a pavillon designed by shigeru ban and jean de gastines.

http://www.yatzer.com

the cycling bench

2011-10-23T02:23:00.000-07:00

you can be sitting on a bench and cycling at the same time. this innovative concept is in the park leopold in belgium.

http://www.nouveaux-concepts.com

1.618

2011-10-22T02:13:00.000-07:00

1.618 is an exhibition of a new form of luxury with products and services on show combining art, creativity, innovation and sustainable development all with an ethical slant. 1.618 sustainable luxury fair will take place from 29 of march to 1st of april 2012.

http://www.1618-paris.com/concept_1618.php?lang=en

minimarket

2011-10-21T01:42:00.000-07:00

minimarket has been a women’s wear label since 2006, based in stockholm. the designers are three sisters: sofie, jennifer and pernilla elvestedt. they were awarded best designer of the year 2010 by swedish elle.

http://www.minimarket.se/

pierre cardin’s bubble house

2011-10-20T06:37:00.000-07:00

the bubble house was built in 1989 and designed by antti lovag for the french fashion designer pierre cardin. this very futuristic palace is near cannes in france. it can be rented for events.

http://twistedsifter.com

cartier//stolen kiss

2011-10-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

cartier has released a new fragrance called 'Baiser Vole' : stolen kiss. it's classic and simple appearance has been offset with a slightly unconventional side hinged lid. clearly a future heirloom. of course we can't make comment on the scent itself....

www.luxury-design.com

chatsworth becomes contemporary

2011-10-07T08:43:00.000-07:00

an interesting exhibition at chatsworth is soon to close. sotheby's has brought contemporary sculpture to the relaxed setting of the historic garden. works by more than 20 leading artists from around the world, including rené magritte, nadim karam, takashi murakami, william turnbull, marc quinn, ju ming, jaume plensa and barry flanagan, will be on display, with many showing in the UK for the first time.

www.chatsworth.org

lush spa

2011-09-27T03:09:00.000-07:00

if I say ‘lush’ what do you think of? londoners have come to associate the beauty brand with stores you can smell a mile off, neon coloured slabs of supposedly organic gunge and bath bombs designed for 13 year old girls. we’ve come to see it almost as a flavour rather than a smell, however, it’s come to taste of overly sugared sweets. interestingly it’s ethos of organic and natural ingredients still stands strong in people’s minds but isn’t truly expressed through what we necessarily see in store.

so imagine our amazement when we stumbled across the founding store in poole of all places. the articulate and informed ash gave us a tour of the little known lush spa. this was almost an entity in it’s own right from the store it adjoined and felt like a true and more authentic expression of their philosophy. ash expertly talked us through the treatments and the dedication to authenticity the founders have in creating new products and ensuring the continued quality of current offerings. he talked with genuine enthusiasm and how involved he himself has been with the brand. the trilby hat, pin-thin tie alongside his fascinatingly tattooed colleague kurt simply added to our renewed interest in the brand.

the spas also exist on the kings Rd, kingston and leeds with further information about their ‘validation facial’ and ‘the good hour’ treatment on their website (don’t be fooled by the images that look like witches gift packs).

now is the time to re-visit and revise ones opinion.

lush.co.uk