inspiration: by the sea {nautical handmade finds}

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1. Nautical 5x7" Art Print Collection - $40
2. Nautical Anchor Tank - $28
3. Whale Cushion in Blue - $54.91
4. Sailing Bracelet - $8.59
5. Navy Blue Sailing Ship Poster - $60
6. A3 Boat Print - $101.98

Smooth sailing,

inspiration: jess lc

all products and images from www.jesslc.com

I love the online shop of Jessica Lynne Constable from Chicago, Illinois. Although she is primarily an accessories designer, she also produces some great typographic tote bags and prints (my fav is the "BE PRESENT" print featured above). Yay for simplistic but eye-catching design!

TTFN,

typography tuesday: every artist...

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Today I came across this lovely and oh-so-accurate piece by Sam Stratton of Sam Stratton Design. I found his work on Dribble, a site that I've came across while trying to find inspiration for my business cards (which I can't wait to show you all!). The actual typography in this isn't overly out there, but I appreciate the great quote and simple - but effective - design. It's a great reminder of how much I've grown over the past few years and how much I've learned and developed in all of my creative ventures. When I started Xquisit Magazine, I knew nothing about InDesign. Now, I know it like the back of my hand and don't know what I'd do without it! The same goes for my photography. When I started photographing headshots in 2008, I had no idea how to execute the concepts I had in my head and very little knowledge about lighting and Photoshop. With practice and much researching, I am confident in saying that I can pretty much figure out most things that I put my mind to.

Stay inspired, 2OAKERS!

typography tuesday: dana tanamachi

all images from Dana's Website

WHO: Dana Tanamachi, graphic designer and custom chalk letterer
WEBSITE: http://www.danatanamachi.com/

I am so thoroughly impressed by this woman's hand lettering skills. Not only has she been commissioned by big-wig companies such as West Elm, Rugby Ralph Lauren, Google, and Adidas, but she also was hired to create the first all text cover for O Magazine! You can check out more of her work on her website (link above).

See you next tuesday!

typography tuesday: the art of the ampersand

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For the next few weeks, as I transition into working full time as an intern for Toronto Life Magazine, I figured it would be a good idea to have a series that will keep me on track with my blogging. Typography Tuesday will be a weekly post about some inspiring typography that I've found that week. I will probably do about 8 weeks of this series. It may be a font that I'm obsessed with (I'm always on font downloading binges), or a collection of interesting typography (like this week), or a particular artist who's typographic work amazes me!

This week: the ampersand. The ampersand and the above examples are a perfect demonstration of how typography IS an art and can transform text, and the mood of the artwork or writing entirely. It's probably weird, but I'm definitely obsessed with all things ampersand.

Ciao 2OAK-ers,

inspiration: children's story posters

There's really few things on the web better than finding amazing graphic design that makes you think to understand what's actually going on. These posters by Christian Jackson of Square Inch Design are simple, yet they perfectly capture the essence of each tale.