Good Design

Good Design: and Smith

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via & Smith

These room service hangers were created by the small design firm & Smith for the countryside hotel Coworth Park. Not sure about you, but if I could pick a rustic (slightly kitschy and quirky) wooden sign as opposed to those horrible plastic/paper do not disturb signs to politely ask housekeeping to come back later I would definitely go for the wooden sign*. This detail alone would make me think about visiting the hotel (it's all about the little things to me.)

* while we're on the topic, could someone please explain why housekeeping thinks 7:30a is a good time to try and walk into someone's room? I've never understood that...

Good Design: Brooklyn Hard Candy

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brooklyn hard candy via bedlam of beefy

These are BEAUTIFUL. I need them. All of them. Especially the wild strawberry ones. (Is it weird that I dream about one day having a pantry filled with cork topped glass jars? Yea, I didn't think so either. That's completely normal.)

And in other (really super exciting news) today is J's pinning ceremony! (Basically means he's done with classes and only has rotations left to go before he gets his dr. I am stoked. Not to mention super super proud.)

Good Design: Fiat 500 flip book

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I think I mentioned that a few weeks ago J and I went to the Auto Show here in Atlanta (if not, that's me mentioning it.) While you're there, every manufacturer is trying like crazy to reel you in and convince you to buy a new fill in the blank, and while doing so they load you up with brochures, pamphlets, etc. Mostly they were all the same- glossy pages filled with specs and photographs showing the same 5 angles everyone does (action, front, back, side, and interior) of their different cars. The one that stood out the most though was Fiat. Yep, the Italian company that is bringing the Fiat 500 to America. (If anyone is curious, it's actually a pretty awesome little car and is incredibly roomy and safe feeling- unlike the Smartcar which I feel is simply a deathtrap. Personal opinion of course.) Anyhow, back to the promo pieces. By the time we reached Fiat my purse was filled with brochures and becoming incredibly heavy so when J brought over another one- and this one a book no less- I said no. I didn't want to carry anything else.  He insisted and told me just at least look at it before refusing. Good thing he did, because instead of simply giving you a boring promotional booklet, Fiat gave you a flip book. A flip book! And I for one love flip books. Turn the pages and ta da! A Fiat 500 appears. Simple, clean, and engaging- exactly what a promo piece should be.

Here's a taste of what it offered:

Those clever Italians.

Good Design: Matchbooks

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matchbooks (and boxes) via courtney khail stationery and design Clockwise from top: montgomery place, london; twist restaurant, atlanta; bin 36, chicago; ritz carlton, chicago; electric brasserie, london; one midtown kitchen, atlanta; augusta national country club, augusta (I apologize for the poor capturing of the metallic ink on the ritz carlton and the augusta nationals books. the lighting just wasn't working with me today.)

As promised, this week I would focus on more current matchbook designs. Just like the vintage ones, high contrasting colors still appear just as important as they were back in the day, but now it seems as though many companies are abandoning the use of photographs and illustrations and opting instead for crisp, clean designs that have a strong focus on typefaces (in particular, sans serif typefaces.) The main exception are those establishments that are known for being traditional and prestigious (like the Ritz Carlton or the Augusta National Country Club- both which use serif fonts and opulent gold metallic foil.) Something that has been carried over from the past though is the use of brighter and more unique colors for the matchsticks themselves- many of them simply just the inverted color combination from the box (such as if the box is blue with white writing, the matchstick is white with a blue tip) or took an accent color from the logo and put that on the matchstick. Personally, I find the colorful matches to be a lot more fun than the ordinary red tipped ones and rarely can resist picking up a matchbook that has them.

Good Design: Vintage Matchbooks

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A few weeks ago I visited my Grandmother and while going through some old pictures I found a collection of matchbooks that she and my grandfather collected on their travels. Funny thing is, I find myself doing the same thing when we travel. Because of this, I thought I'd share some of the ones we have. Today I'll share some vintage ones from my Grandmother's collection and next Thursday I'll show a few "newer" ones from mine. It's amazing to see how much type and layout design goes into creating matchbooks and exactly how much has changed (and stayed the same) with these little pieces of advertising art. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do!

via courtney khail stationery and design

I love the pink stripes and carnival themed font from the Circus Circus Hotel and Casino. (The back has a smaller clown and a different phone number advertising their Reno location.)

There isn't a name on the Ohio Blue Tip box to tell me where it came from, but the back showcases a painted duck scene. Looks almost like one of those paintings you'd see in a hunting lodge.

I love the vintage airplane illustration on the "Aboard the Presidential Aircraft" matches. (The front has the presidential seal)

Isn't this a cool image of the Great Wall? It's from the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel's matchbook. (I also love how instead of the normal matchbook shape theirs is long and skinny. Almost mimicking the wall itself.)

Speaking of the Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel, I love the clean and graphic illustration of the High Wheel Bicycle.

How about the ornate La Pinata matchbook from the San Marco in Singapore? I love how the orange and pink pop off of the brown and gives a nod to the architecture of the area. (And the hot pink tips of the matches? I'd keep these around just for that.)

Good Design: Karl Hebert's Gold Lunchbox business card

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Karl Hebert Gold Lunchbox business card via For Print Only

In honor of St. Patrick's Day (Happy St. Patrick's Day!) I thought I'd share these business cards because they reminded me of gold coins. Designed by Karl Hebert for his site, I love the metallic ink, the texture from the printing and although not wallet friendly at all, I still love the circular shape.