Voluspa & Package Design

On to another passion of mine - package design. I have posted about this a few times in the past, but not as often as I in fact observe it in the world and appreciate it. Ask anyone who knows me, and they will tell you I buy things based on how they are packaged. One year my good friend bought me make-up by Fresh, not because I wear it (because I never wear make-up), but because she knew I would love the box and the design of the eye-shadow case.

And to show this is not a new passion. Two moments in my past that sum up my odd appreciation for package design:

At age 3 I demanded to keep the empty cereal boxes after we ate up our Frosted Flakes, Honey Nut Cheerios, and Musli. The rare Fruit Loops box or Apple Jacks box were my prize winners. This continued until I was 6. Yes...3 years. I collected multiples ;)

At age 15, after seeing my growing bottle collection (of mostly legal, under 21 beverages) and my walls plastered with every Absolute Vodka ad I could get my hands on - my parents bought me a bottle of Absolut Vodka for Christmas, with the condition that I 'pour it out after opening.' Needless to say what happened with that present...but the packaging was the real gift...with the box having a painting of an absolut bottle wrapped in paper that was so realistic it looked like a photo. For the life of me I could not scrounge up an image of the packaging online. I'll have to snap one when I get home...and post later.

Well, this was a very long intro to tee up the beautiful packaging of the Volupsa line of candles. They are a west coast company, based out of Lake Forest, California - but their designs call on an older era of 1920's glamor and mystique. I love the scent and love their designs. The big 3 wick candle tins are the best!

Another great example of innovation

Novelty is everything, so even something like this will run out if over used. But doing something new always deserves praise. Hence this post...

The biggest challenge I always see is scalability of an approach like this - as the cost that goes into creating something outside of the norm and securing the inventory that allows for invocation - is always much higher. But in exchange for an attention getting ad that makes a brand look innovative and trend setting - I would say it's worth it...

Obscure Observation

Angles in the city...

Online Advertising Observation

Okay, so I've been avoiding this for a while as I don't want to be posting about social media all the time on my blog, but the truth is, I live, eat and breathe this stuff working these past 3 years for a (then start-up) company as it helped define how we speak about this space and the opportunities that it provides. So, I have decided to share a few of my thoughts/observations every now and then - since I certainly have seen enough things work and not work. I don't consider myself an expert by any means - but some of these things are just common sense.

So today's observation is explained below...

When it comes to the display banner - this medium is certainly not dead - it just has a lot more potential than how people are using it today, especially in social media. Brand presence is key, so the placement itself is valuable, ensuring you vet that placement as a valuable resource to an audience. The key is to make the ad useful to the audience as well. People reading blogs are looking for information and are experts at consuming content. Give them more content to consume! But tie it back to your brand.

A start in the right direction I think is this approach by PopURL and Intel. See the ad at the top of this TechCrunch post below:



This ad takes you to the location below - a new branded location where readers can consume more and more information - a natural behavior since that is what they are doing online to begin with. Meanwhile, the location is branded, the reader notices how well Intel and PopURL presents information, enjoys the sleek design of the site and now associate quality with the brand. Pretty simple.

Obscure Observation: via the boyfriend

Like my last post on the tulips - today my boyfriend sent me a picture of the (insert plant name here that i can't remember or pronounce).

Our place is finally starting to come together - and plants always make it feel like home...

Oh, and those awesome cubist wall decorations in the background were a random find at EQ3 a few weeks ago. Very fun wall element...

CEO of WPP

I don't think of myself as someone with an ego - but sharing a morning observation...

Seeing this image of Sir Martin Sorrell - CEO of WPP - I thought to myself that it would be pretty cool to be in a role where depictions of you as ruler of the world simply look appropriate.

And - of course - I just really appreciated the lighting and symmetry in this photograph. I bet his arms were tired...

Prop 8 Efforts - Comedians Join Forces

Humor is always a great way to get a message across. This star studded comedian cast pulled off a pretty funny skit acknowledging the roller coaster of emotion us San Francisco locals felt with the hope and unity brought by the election of Obama - and then the passing of Prop 8, which seemed to go against everything we believe in as a culture here. To be honest, I think a lot of people were in a state of shock when if first passed - thinking that something like that would never happen in our city/state.

I just spent about 15 minutes trying to write out my stance on this whole situation - but instead of doing that I'll sum it up by saying - no matter what side you sit on - I don't think this is something that should have been placed in the hands of voters to decide definitively one way or the other. Feels much too personal for that - especially at this point in our culture where so many people are now affected by the outcome.

With that said - please take a moment to laugh at this collaboration. Gotta love a little levity...

See more Jack Black videos at Funny or Die

Another acknowledgement of Twitter's error pages

It's amazing what a pretty image can do to distract you from the fact you have encountered an error. I think every company should consider this strategy...

Only because I love Apple...

and the unfiltered genius of the Simpsons creators...



via twitter @crossthebreeze via No Desktop Hero

The Joys of the Internet...

...and people with time on their hands. Discovered this fun little toy via swiss miss. Next time someone asks a question that they could have googled and gotten the answer to in the time it took them to interrupt and ask you...send them one of these.

Like the sunrise in your hand

My boyfriend has a really cute habit of taking pictures of beautiful things and emailing them to me. Last weekend we bought tulips and they have opened so wide with such vibrant colors that they no longer call on shapes familiar of a tulip. In fact this almost looks like a graphic print - with the lines in the flower so sharp and precise as they are.

This picture came courtesy of his trip home for lunch today.

Apple My Hero

A graphic designer in a previous life and an online media slinger in my current life - makes Apple my hero. Case in point:

This Isn't Happiness

I came across this image on boingboing today and it made me smile. The title comes courtesy of the artist - Peter Nidzgorski. It inspired me to reflect on my experience as an observer of this election.

I have watched this election with wonder while being conflicted by policy and on the fence about the best kind of leadership for a country at war with financial struggles. I have not been able to ignore the hundreds of people I have been in contact with since Obama's election Tuesday night though. People who are so totally inspired by our new president elect and the hope that comes with this election. I was in New York City on election night - and so grateful to be in a city with such patriotism. It is really beautiful to see so many people believe in something together - and that belief to be inspired by good - rather than fear. This I believe is the ultimate victory of this election.

I saw several people cry the next morning as they talked about what this election meant to them. Not just the man, but the belief that our country can do good things. And a hope that one day we will be recognized for this by our foreign neighbors.

How we will climb our way out of the spot we have found ourselves in as a country is still yet to be seen, and the leadership Obama will serve, something we will learn along the way. But stories from friends recalling people of all age and color congratulating each other at 5:30am in the morning on the streets of New York the day after the election - and images like this one here - make me proud of the spirit of this country, and hopeful for what we may accomplish in the next 4 years.

Flashbacks to Design School Projects

If only I saw this video for inspiration during my typography courses! Love it, enjoy!



Abc3D - video powered by Metacafe

Happiness in Marketing...and Powerpoint

Was running a query on influential posts about Powerpoint - I came across this post from Karl Long on the Marketing and Strategy Communication Blog and enjoyed going through a deck he included by Tara Hunt of HorsePigCow.

It was long - but very easy to follow and click through. Plus, some REALLY great points. I had flashbacks to my former life as a graphic designer and wanted to create messaging left and right!

Happiness as Your Business Model

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: magnolia worpress)

Bush or Batman

Got a kick out of this one...

Today I am grateful...

Just now, I became overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude, which is ironic since I feel stressed, under the weather, and a bit self indulgent. But at this very moment, sitting in a conference room at work, I felt overcome with gratitude. Although I rarely use my blog as a personal outlet beyond my own obscure observations - I thought I would at least acknowledge this moment.

Thank you to whoever sent it to me.

Back to the basics...

I am returning to my roots and eating 'Macro' lately. I was raised macrobiotic, and love what a little brown rice can do for the mind and soul. Aside from the occasional desperate cry for some protein every now and then, my boyfriend is actually a big fan of the food as well. So the other night I cooked a colorful macro meal and we both were very thankful for the health meal. The next day I came across this post on BoingBoing -

1960s ad for rice - Boing Boing

Obscure Observations at Dottie's True Blue Cafe

A view from below

A few weeks back I got to go on vacation. Went sailing in the Caribbean with my family. It was a week of recovery from a year of a lot of stress and hard work doing what I love. My view from my bedroom below deck was something I took back with me and try to conjure up in moments like today when I feel a cold coming on and as if there is too much work to do in one day.

Just posting this momentarily brought back that cool breeze and the feeling of open water.

Wishing I was there right now. Sigh.

Check out this old school vid

I love the old school interpretation of online shopping...and the husband's facial expressions as he pays bills, since 'what the wife selects on her console, will be paid for by the husband on his console'.

Love this guy's site

Had the fortune to come across a new cool as a result of some work related research the other day. Web Designer Wall published by Nick La.



Loved it so much I ended up sending the blogger a note. This is why I love the site:

- the moment I saw the home page I smiled because of the great design
- the blogger seems approachable and social - in spite of his reach and popularity (not necessarily a rarity, but SO nice!)
- some of his work reminded me of Tes One - a favorite of mine that I had not let inspire me in a long time (sure to see a future post on that one)
- lastly, he inspired me to send a note to him through his contact page, something I rarely do

What makes me laugh, is that when I sent the note, I gave him a link to this blog. My personal archive of random observations that really only people who know me pay attention to. But anywho, if you happen to come by for a visit Nick, thanks for the inspiration for today.

Update: Just got an email from Nick in response to my note. Very cool guy to be responding so quickly like that.

Good design passes the time

Although hold ups like these are not always the most inspiring of events, I do appreciate anything that makes me smile, especially in situations where I may tend to do otherwise.

Twitter is facing many challenges right now regarding capacity and down time. I think this image describes the heavy lifting involved to keep shops like this functioning.

Showing my appreciation as a start-up devotee myself.

Obscure Observations of Noodle Soup

Unfortunately hard to observe in this picture - but the shell in this soup had the most radiant green coloring to it. It made me wonder where the muscle came from, how far. I grew up scavenger hunting for muscles on the New England shorelines. All you saw was blue and pearl when you cracked open the shells. I wonder where and what made this vibrant green variation...

Pictures from Airplanes #3

The perfect bowl of yogurt and granola

I swear to you, the joy simple things like this give me...is criminal.

Not so bad working late...when you see sunsets like this

Yesterday was hotter than San Francisco has ever been in the city. I had to work late - which can sometimes be a downer - but not when you get a show like this out your window at the end of the day. So strange to have pollution to thank for something so beautiful.

Theme at the Milan Furniture Fair

I realize I am a few weeks off on this one, but after coming across Christoph's sculpture, I took a closer look at the Milan Furniture Fair that took place in April and came across this other structure that mirrors Klemmt's work. It is the Rho Pero exhibition complex central to the fair. I like how it defines the outdoor space.

One day I will find myself at these shows, just for fun.

Finally Inspired

I have been working, traveling, living a lot lately. The last few months of my life have resulted in huge changes in love, life and career. But today - I saw something that has inspired me to dive back into my blog and continue to archive the beautiful things I see and take a moment out of my busy life to enjoy.

I was reading Inhabitat and came across their post on Christoph Klemmt's OR, a sculpture created in the courtyard of the Via Borgospesso during the Milan International Furniture Fair 2008.

Truly beautiful - both illuminated by sunlight - and calmed by night fall.