tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23752514333418255752024-03-05T23:58:48.699+01:00blumenblogi've lived in four countries, speak three languages, mothered two children and harbor one single passion: design.
this is my blog.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-24747240753097727912014-02-18T14:50:00.000+01:002014-03-19T09:45:26.818+01:00a dab of fashionAt a very young age, i was bitten by the fashion bug. The word collection is a familiar one to me for as long as i can remember, my grandmother brought me to Ogilvy's in Montreal to choose a wardrobe for every upcoming season. She knew clothes and it was an instant nod of "Yes, looks adorable!" or "No, try the next one" that greeted me each time I timidly emerged from the changing room. She Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-24577405665225053282014-02-04T15:03:00.000+01:002014-02-18T14:50:59.045+01:00gather to grow
grow 2014
Virtual Identity (VI) Employee Retreat Branding
How often does your company have the chance to come together and solely focus on self- & community-development? Once a year, VI invites all 180 employees to convene in the Tyrolean alps for two days of various intensive workshops, performances, barcamps, social networking and music jamming between their four offices. This year's Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-59057466913688356642013-12-17T22:20:00.001+01:002014-02-04T15:10:56.769+01:00reach for the stars
As most of us are either busying about with our all-consuming Christmas shopping sprees, dreaming about what goodies may lie under the tree or scrolling the endless wishlists of family-members, a recent project redirected my gaze of greed-is-good to yet another possibility.
Instead of an oak-laced wine or a shiny box of shrink-wrapped chocolates, my client, virtual identity, opted to sprinkle Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-24204713359264805552013-11-11T10:19:00.000+01:002013-11-11T13:33:32.881+01:00autumn moments
Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world,
I feel like I can't take it,
and my heart is just going to cave in.
– American Beauty
…………………
Isar Bridge
I have days when without a minute's notice, a clear graphic picture strikes me – while walking the dog, having breakfast, reaching over the front fence. Thought I'd share a few of them. May your week offer a few Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-56361299771795003822013-10-22T18:31:00.000+02:002013-11-18T23:38:51.239+01:00silly gets serious
As a postscript to my true characters post, here's an example of a side-project turning into a real one.
My client & friend, Nadeeka, over at Naha Tea loved the birthday card I did for her so much that she asked me to consider using it as a promotional postcard. I modified it slightly by adding her alter-ego – the Naha peacock – and tea packaging to complete her portrait and my first Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-73552915825672968882013-08-22T23:55:00.001+02:002013-11-11T13:34:57.640+01:00summer doodles
As to the best possible shape to give to letters,
it is useless to write of it: it is a matter for the taste and discernment
of the cutter, and it is in this that he displays
his proficiency or his incapacity.
Pierre Simon FournierManuel typographique (1764)
…………………
Every summer, I retreat to my family's cottage. There hasn't been a summer, in all my 47 years that I haven't been Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-73582090306262806252013-06-24T13:36:00.001+02:002013-11-18T23:39:06.752+01:00true characters
I don't remember how this trend got started.
Most probably my desperation for a quick card led me to trying my hand at a birthday caricature. Extracting key, recognizable traits I aimed to accurately summarize a friend on a folded card. Not so dissimilar from identity work although infinitely more giggle inducing. They have received so much appreciation that it's now become a tradition for Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-18115730291208278092013-06-11T23:15:00.002+02:002013-11-18T23:09:18.703+01:00joyful challenge
birthdays bring out the best in me.
i seem to find as much joyful challenge in realizing personal as well as professional projects.
is it the child in me awakening? is it a warm-up exercise where anything is possible – no briefings. no rules. you are the client. limitless creativity of materials, form and media. sometimes the results prove surprising:
individual tea-light as party Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-76922427275655492792013-04-11T15:29:00.001+02:002013-06-11T23:20:55.099+02:00something's brewing
naha tea goes live:
www.nahatea.de
naha tea – münchen
brand development
A Sri-Lankan import to Munich, Nadeeka Cyril-Corsten had been modestly selling her fabulous Ceylon tea to friends and a slow-growing, discerning customer base in a quiet, non-branded fashion. When I was first invited to one of her tea tastings, I swooned at the aromas wafting out of her kitchen only to be flatly Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-60783289458046069042013-01-30T14:40:00.001+01:002013-04-12T10:23:31.279+02:00retreat to meet
vi tag 2103: meet 2013
virtual identity employee event branding
Once again, I was asked by Virtual Identity to brand their annual employee retreat. This year, it was hosted in the enchanting Austrian ski resort of Alpbach. As I sat down in October to brainstorm, I considered the elements at hand: Austrian colors, natural alpine material palette, Virtual Identity square/pixel visual language, Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-29072320530325961632012-12-19T10:00:00.000+01:002013-01-30T14:44:00.790+01:00curating christmas
christmas windows
frauenhoferstrasse, münchen
the recent current events have stilled my christmas spirit. my heart is sad as i hold the delicate hand of my beautiful five-year-old daughter realizing how fragile and magic our time here on earth actually is. this year, i am turning a blind eye to the shiny cellophane-wrapped electronic wish lists to simpler things.
wooden toys.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-84515808962239187862012-11-19T18:26:00.001+01:002012-11-19T20:57:05.987+01:00smile though your heart is breaking
visual diaries
munich, germany
sometimes in life, no matter how old we think we are, we are still children inside.
today, i decided to turn a sad, wrenching moment into a creative one. this might be a fun thing to explore as a series. for now though, being in the flow lifted my heart a little.
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-27081421929491185822012-11-18T20:58:00.000+01:002012-11-19T21:00:11.156+01:00lessons learned
found object
munich, germany
Every Friday, my daughter lugs an incredibly heavy school bag home with her for us to review her weekly progress over the weekend. Maths. German. How the ear works. What not to do in a fire. The usual.
In addition to leafing through her books, I take the chance to go through it trying to keep it more as an organized schoolbag than trash can, removing orphaned Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-80305779302538042632012-09-28T13:07:00.000+02:002012-10-01T12:46:25.280+02:00stellar achievement
best of 1942 birthday logo
Stern family, Zürich, CH
Before the summer break, I was asked by a client to create a logo for her father-in-law's upcoming 70th birthday. The family's surname, Stern, German for "Star", provided an obvious graphic element to build upon. The selected logo incorporates a celebratory star weaving throughout elegant old style numerals, set in Calluna Sans, in a Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-9514240708906720772012-09-02T21:40:00.000+02:002012-10-01T11:29:09.861+02:00schmata schrift
Unlike me, my mother is a pack-rat. The other day, she pulled out a bag of left-over material samples which she salvaged while emptying out my grandmother's apartment years ago. My grandmother was a remarkable seamstress and regularly scoured the wholesale fabric deals in Montreal's East-End – the robustly beating heart of the city's Eastern European Jewish community.
My kids were Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-339789905440239482012-08-27T05:23:00.000+02:002012-10-01T11:32:10.948+02:00summer scenes
G L O R I O U S G U M B A L L S
enjoying holidays in Canada and decided to try to visually capture a few summer moments.
how many of us saved our quarters and eagerly cupped our little summer, sweaty hands under the mouths of one of these machines anxiously awaiting a meager award of sweetness? today, we found a row of these old beauties outside of the local grocery store. myAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-2272648944872271572012-07-04T13:06:00.002+02:002012-08-27T16:02:48.375+02:00the company of choice
erstewahl
vi tag 2012 employee event branding
virtual identity approached me to brand their annual employee retreat in which they aimed to amplify their corporate qualities & culture, defining the German-based agency as the number one choice for both clients and employees. After discussing the facets behind this year's title we directed ourselves towards supporting the event name, Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-38012437873414199412012-06-28T16:04:00.000+02:002012-08-27T16:07:30.092+02:00good things come in drei(s)
I've been living in Germany for close to 8,5 years and thought it about time to start sharing a few of my favourite finds. All tools of some sort, I love them for both their unassuming design simplicity and their undisputed effectiveness in making your day a better one. From top to bottom: Kaufmanns Skin and Baby Cream – baby goodness in an unforgettable tin, Westmark Vegetable Peeler – ifAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-67690696514877190492012-06-14T12:24:00.002+02:002012-08-27T16:04:17.071+02:00doing it for the kids
birthday invitation
personal
Every June I am faced with coming up with a birthday invitation for my youngest child (my oldest has long taken over this task herself). As the birthday girl is currently obsessed with all things Barbapapa, coming up with the theme for the party and invite was a no-brainer - if only all design brainstorming could be this efficient ;-)
I arrived at my studio Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-69578328337500084742012-04-18T08:30:00.000+02:002012-04-25T20:07:36.650+02:00on the upswing
Agricolis
corporate identity and business cards
Friends approached me recently to create an identity for their start-up consultancy, Agricolis. The name, a Latin play on their surname Bauer (Farmer) naturally lends itself to their business focus of targeted development by way of investments, consulting, interim management and training. The challenge was to show growth without making them Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-80951347456129110652012-01-18T13:02:00.000+01:002012-04-25T20:04:14.456+02:00piece of cake
cake fairy
brand identity and business cards
Some people cook. Some people bake. And some, like me, stick to… design.
A friend who was looking into setting up a bespoke cake service had an opportunity at a recent party to spread the word so she asked me to help her develop a brand identity and business card.
The "Cake Fairy” name and tagline "Make a Wish" play with terms of birthday Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-4929481698806517292012-01-13T11:19:00.001+01:002012-01-19T10:08:19.944+01:00what's in a name?
nameplates
personal project
A while ago I started fiddling around with type compositions having fun simply exploring graphic form, limits of legibility, and color schemes.
More recently, I decided to create some concrete examples for a few friends' children as Christmas presents. Using Avant Garde Gothic Extra Light as a neutral and geometric font, each child’s name is set in either Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-36955765606618042602012-01-11T09:58:00.000+01:002012-01-13T11:21:53.456+01:00the spirit of giving: 2011
thank you begins with a “t“
lafleur design year-end promotion
Last year, it started with pralines… and this year I extended my thank-you format to an exotic blend of Ceylon teas, similarily packaged in the standard kraft box and nestled snuggly into air-tight tins alongside a strainer.
It was fun to work with my friend nadeeka in selecting the right teas from her Sri-lanka portfolio and Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-49746289026986164672012-01-09T19:27:00.000+01:002012-04-25T19:42:45.489+02:00looking further
weiterschauen_2012
virtual identity christmas card
Looking towards a new year, weiterschauen_2012 was developed in collaboration with a client who was looking for a more meaningful year-end gift.
The basic graphic element of the online agency’s business, the pixel, explores facets of perspectives. Packaged in a semi-transparent envelope, a subtle window to the opening of another year, Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2375251433341825575.post-79549142721111040682012-01-08T23:58:00.000+01:002012-01-09T19:32:28.695+01:00a designer lurks in each and every one of us
This past week, fontshop asked its social media followers what, if any, good design had been seen over the holidays.
As I have been skiing in the Austrian alps, the extent of my contact to design has been reaching for the new & improved Nutella family pack at the local supermarket or noticing the latest killer graphics on a rad pair of skis while navigating the lift queues but I resolvedlyAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16586835863853112316noreply@blogger.com1