A fantastic article by Michael Beirut. It's definitely something every graphic designer should read.

Edits Quarterly is one of the websites of Ian Coyle, a creative director, designer, and interaction developer that co-runs the design studio Huge/KingCoyle. In his own words, Edits Quarterly showcases "short narratives in film and photography." And, I must say, it's one of the most refreshing websites I've seen in a while.

The format of this site is very cool. It is navigated either by scrolling or by using the keyboard's arrow keys. Each page of the site fills the entire browser screen. This allows Coyle to showcase some exquisite photography and clean page layouts.

Today I am thankful for all the wonderful things that came with the year 2012: an awesome new job, meeting new friends, staying in touch with old friends, getting my very first smartphone, finally being able to run 30 minutes straight, and, of course, my loving family. 

Here are a few guidelines that I've been thinking about enforcing on myself in the new year:

Be yourself. It's ok if some people don't like it.

Don't let or wait for other people to speak for you.

Take your time. Focus on the details as well as the big picture.

Work to get stronger physically, mentally, and creatively.

Take time to appreciate the people, accomplishments, and little things in your life.

Don't let other people's accomplishments or milestones make you think yours are inferior. They're not. Just be happy for the accomplishments of others and proud of your own.

This poster design for the Tenerife Design Festival by Lo Siento, a studio located in Barcelona, made me stop and stare. The black and bright yellow color palette? The combination of typography and graphics? Both awesome. ...And yes, my friends, that rippling, bubbling water effect was created in real life and photographed! It's totally not a Photoshop effect and I love that!

Sometimes stepping away from the computer and actually getting your hands dirty yields the best result. We, as graphic designers, sometimes forget that we have this option.

Wooo! The "Bitch" logotype has been featured as design inspiration! Thanks, Liz!

These DIY Polaroid coasters are awesome! I'm definitely carving out some time to make these.

The Project: Identity for "Bitch" by the Rolling Stones

Post 8: The Final Logotype!

Before I was introduced to Pinterest, I found this photo floating around the interweb:

I loved it for many reasons; the chambray top + skinny jeans combo, the bergundy infinity scarf and matching lip, the pearl earrings and ballerina bun. But, because I couldn't find the original source of the image and because this was in my pre-Pinterest days, the image got buried in a folder of inspiration pics somewhere on my computer. I was reminded of how much I love the image when it showed up in my Pinterest feed. Luckily, this time it came with a link to the source: Photoblog by Petra, a fashion blog belonging to Petra Karlsson!

Petra has an impeccable sense of style and manages to incorporate trendy pieces into her wardrobe without her outfits screaming, "Look at me, I'm trendy!" Her style ranges from elegant and sophisticated to cool grunge. She also has pretty kick-ass hair and makeup skills! 

Anyway, as I was browsing through her blog for the first time, I realized that I had already pinned a few of her pictures on Pinterest as fashion inspiration; 4 to be exact! Needless to say, I found quite a few more lovely photos for fashion inspiration on her site. Here are a few of my favorites: