Photography by Collin Hughes

I have an affinity to men’s accessories. I think it’s the classic materials of leather, metal and glass that create such a glamorous scene. Designer Taylor Pemberton created this line of gentlemen’s accessories and fine goods for a school project.

Naturally, Cavalier Essentials has received quite a bit of attention; just look at those details! The subtle black-on-black notebook and the etched metal scream rustic sophistication. Unfortunately these products aren’t available for purchase just yet but Taylor says if the demand is big enough he’d consider launching his manly kits. Check out this interview with Taylor on The Madbury Club about the project.

Hands down one of the best students projects I’ve ever seen. I’ll be the first in line to purchase some of these beauties for my husband when they do become available but until then, we can admire the beautiful styling and impeccable pieces from his Cavalier brand!

Images via: Mahon & Band

I admittidely buy products based on packaging. As a designer, I can’t help it. All the bottles in my shower have to match even down to the bar of soap! Maybe that’s a little more OCD than designer but I like to to call it “coordinating”. Either way, I’m constantly on a look out for pretty pieces.

Unfortunetly Bloom Organics isn’t available in the states but I can still appreciate the lovely packaging! Designed by Mahon & Band in Australia, the use of botanical illustrations is striking but appropriately elegant and refined for a beauty product line. I particularly love the added twine detail to the soaps!

Images via: Original Champions of Design

In honor of the delicious Girl Scout Cookies that are undoubtedly making their way into our homes as we speak, I thought I’d share the most recent re-branding from Original Champions of Design (OCD). Since being founded in 1912, the Girl Scouts logo has maintained an iconic three leafed Trefoil but it wasn’t until the late 70′s that Saul Bass redrew it to include the positive-negative faces we’re all so familiar with.

The modernized version of the logo, by OCD, carefully simplifies and modernizes the girl silhouettes. The hair and faces were updated without loosing the charm of the original mark. Even the color green got a face lift and the type was set in all lowercase for more approachability.

My favorite expression of the brand are the patterns and textures that were created using elements from the mark. It’s a brilliant way to bring the brand to life while adding a sense of depth and whimsy to the collateral. Now, if only the packaging could get some TLC, it’d be a fantastic! Check out OCD for more images and an in depth look at their process behind the GSUSA re-branding.

Sadly, I only just discovered A Creative Mint about a month ago. Sad, simply because I felt like I’d been missing out on this fantastic party that everyone else knew about but me! Well, consider yourself officially invited! If you haven’t already seen Leslie’s work, you absolutely need to check it out right this second!

Leslie has an impeccable skill for styling, watercolor, design and photography; all of which come through in her stunning images. Her sense of color is equally as brilliant and I promise that you’ll love every single page of her blog. Cheers!

With Valentine’s Day in the near future, I have hearts and the color red on the brain so this piece by designer Camila Drozd caught my eye! Created for self promotion and using only hand-lettered type, she created a bookmark with a list of a few of her favorite things.

The attention to detail is stunning and she did an exquisite job all around. I just love the paper wrap and the bright red bellyband holding it all together!

Via Pinterest

I am officially in love with the Ladurée brand! From the pale pastel packaging with the gold foil printing to the coordinating delivery trucks, every detail is exquisite! Ladurée is a luxury patisserie originally from Paris, France. Serving all kinds of sweets, Ladurée is most well known for their colorful macarons. Now if only I could manage a trip to one of those shops myself, I might faint from all the beauty and sugar! Swoon!

Images // 1 Facade via Wikipedia / 2 Interior via Ladurée / 3 Packaging via Black Eiffel / 4-7 Interior and branding via Ladurée / 8 Packaging via Pinkbow / 9 Macarons via Black Eiffel / 10 Interior branding via Ladurée / 11 Truck via The Merry Maid / 12 Interior branding via Ladurée

Some beautiful work by London-based designer, Joe Stephenson. The system was designed to promote and highlight the abundant “flavors” of the Fedrigoni specialty paper showroom. With Gelato as the teaser, guests could enjoy a cool treat while collecting paper samples and getting familiar with the showroom.

I love the simplicity of the work and the playful connection between the gelato flavors and the delicious paper colors. Yumm indeed!

Hello Twig & Thistle readers! I am SO excited to be guest blogging this week! It is truly an honor to be here. Thank you to Kathleen for this opportunity to share (what I hope will be!) some interesting and inspirational projects. I will try hard not to disappoint!

The first project I wanted to share is Part I of a birthday party I recently designed. My niece turned the 1 this past July 4th, and I was lucky enough to design everything for the big day! She LOVES animals, so I thought it would be fun to create a circus theme for the party.

I printed the invites myself, saving a little bit of money by printing part of the invite (the blue) on my home inkjet printer and then letterpressing over the top (the purple). It was bit tricky lining everything up, but it all came together perfectly! I paired the invite with a simple purple envelope which I lined with coordinating striped paper.

Along with the invites I created decorations, party favors and even party hats! Be sure to check back tomorrow; I’ll be sharing more photos and even one of the birthday girl!

Speaking of sweet, how delightful is this bussiness card and web design for the Short & Sweet Co.?! Short & Sweet is a specialty pastry company in Toronto, with a focus on “small (short) 2-3 bite pastries (sweet)”. Sporting the complete menu on the inside of the folded business card; I’d say it’s a pretty charming and useful piece.

Designed and photographed by Trish Papadakos. Via ffffound

Well I hope you all had a beautiful and relaxing weekend! We finally had two sunny days here in Seattle and it actually felt like Spring! I tried to soak up every drop of sun that for safe keeping when the clouds return. Sadly, that’s been the trend aroud here lately, but I’m feeling optimistic for the coming weeks.

So speaking of rain, I think I found a fun project to do when it returns. These amazing fabric posters were created by Gergana Plummer, a designer based out of London. Gergana used old type specimen books and an x-acto knife to cut out the letterforms then traced them onto the canvas with a pencil. Once traced, each letter was embroidered by hand with a needle and thread. Beautifully simple and analog in the execution, makes one appreciate the craft of design and beauty of type. Well done Gergana!

Heidi Chisholm of Extra Fancy continues to amaze me with her versatility. Her work is both original and breathtaking. Take this annual report for example. Designed for Investec, an investment company, and created to show how one’s money will grow with their help. Notice the flocked cover along with the delicate use of color within the illustrations. The beautiful embellishments highlight the exquisite qualities of the printed bill and the craft behind it. Also the use of the fold out cover to reveal the companies story is pure perfection! Well done Heidi and thank so much for letting me share!

I am completely enamored with the identity and design of Easy Bistro  & Bar, a French and New Orleans restaurant in Chattanooga Tennessee. The project was a collaboration between Widgets & Stone and Maycreate Idea Group and the result is simply spectacular. The translation of the graphic elements to the environment is just impeccably executed and solidifies the impact of the brand.

Images by Jason Connel via ffffound

A few weeks ago, I shared these beautiful baby shower invites that my friend Tara Lee designed and letterpressed and today I get to share some of the details from the event. Tara did an amazing job of coordintaing all the pices and creating a stunning environment. Pale yellow tulips along with custom posters with elements from the invitation were displayed throughout which were later given to the mom-to-be to decorate the babies room.

To test their knowledge, each guest got a nursery rhyme quiz where they had to fill-in-the-blank to complete the line of the song. The nursery rhyme game was adorned with a yellow pencil and attached with glue dots. The other game was simply guess the mom’s baby belly size. Each guest received a small bag with ribbon which they cut to the size they thought would fit around her belly bump. And to take home, each person received a sweet bag of cookies embellished with a blue ribbon. All totally and perfectly coordinated with all the other details!

Congratulations to Tara for a job well done and to Lindsey, the mom-to-be, for the little guy on the way!

If you follow me on twitter you may have already seen a sneak peek of this but in case you missed it here are a few more images. This illustrated invitation was inspired by all things baby. My friend Tara Lee designed this adorable little note and I had the pleasure of helping her letterpress them.

We used the large Heidelberg letterpress at my office to print these and I think they turned out beautifully. The details held up really well and the impression is impeccable. Tara used the Eames painting vellum 120lb. cover in white and coordinating teal envelopes from Paper Zone.

Knowing Tara like I do, the shower will be equally as amazing and I can hardly wait to see what she comes up with! If you’d like to get in touch with Tara regarding freelance and/or custom work feel free to contact her through email at hello.tara.lee[@]gmail.com. Thanks so much for letting me share Tara!

More pics after the break!

I love coming across a package design that compels me to look it up and read about every detail. Maybe it’s just the nerdy designer in me but when a brand draws me in like that I get giddy. Lily’s Kitchen evokes such a friendly feeling while picking up on the playful characteristics of pups. Why be so serious when dogs themselves are such joyful creatures?

This brilliant work was created by the talented team at Albion in London. Besides being completely adorable, the brand is definitely worth barking about. Made in small batches and comprised of only whole, natural and organic ingredients; it’s a product any dog owner would be proud to serve their little loved one. Now if only I could get it in the states…