Coming Soon :: A Birthday Party

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Portfolio, Photography and Resume|Bio tabs.]

This past weekend, before high-tailing it down to Auburn University for one last roll of The Oaks, I shot pictures for a cute little 1st birthday party.  Here is a little preview of my next post.

One of my previous shots of little Ward was used on this very well-designed invitation; I was so flattered! [For privacy, I had to butcher the invitation a little, but the general idea is there.]

This is the first time I've specifically taken pictures of little babies.  Let me tell you,  it makes for some ridiculously big smiles on my face while editing.  :)

Stay tuned for more in about a week!

A

Fruit Dissections :: Some more.

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Portfolio, Photography and Resume/Bio tabs.]

Here are my latest installments to the Fruit Dissection Collection.  This week's Fruit-Shoot consisted of some funky fruits!  My roommate discovered a really awesome farmer's market (Buford Hwy Farmer's Market in Doraville, GA), so we went to check it out last weekend.  

It is a GIANT market with shelves upon shelves of foreign, exotic foods.  There was a Hispanic section, an Eastern European section, an Asian section, and SUPER fresh seafood (stinky!) and produce; not to mention, spices galore and an organic-health-nut section. 

Since we had never heard of this first fruit, here are some Wiki tidbits in case you haven't either.  

 The Cherimoya (also spelled Chirimoya) is native to the Andes, and can be found in Southern regions of Central and South America, South Asia and Southern California.  The fruit grows on small trees and reaches sizes between 7-15 cm long.  It is ripe when the skin is green and gives slightly to pressure, similar to an avocado. (I know this because I eat avocado now.)

The name originates from the Quechua word "chirimuya," meaning "cold seeds" because the seeds will germinate at higher altitudes.  These are REALLY big, dark seeds that are easy to remove, but there are a ton of them.  The flesh of the fruit is a creamy-white color with a mango-like texture.  There are a lot of opinions on the taste; I thought it was like a pineapple-banana mix.  Others say it tastes like a blend of papaya and peach as well or, strangely, commercial bubblegum. 

Note :: the seeds are poisonous if crushed open. Don't chew on them.  Also, extracts from the cherimoya's tree-bark can induce paralysis if injected into the blood-stream.  Who knew? 

Mark Twain called the Cherimoya "the most delicious fruit known to men."

Red Plum.

Blood Orange.

Thanks for reading! Have a wonderful Spring day!

A

Ounces and Cups and Spoons

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Design Portfolio, Photography or Resume/Bio tabs.]

April is here! Hopefully you all didn't fall for any ridiculously obvious April Fool's jokes. (I know I did :: Google Nose posting before US midnight - C'MON!)

Today's post is short an' sweet.  

I have seen a few graphically pleasing kitchen conversion charts, and decided to tweak one of my favorites to make it my own.  I call it "Ounces and Cups and Spoons."  Take a gander below, and let me know what you think!

As always, thanks for reading!

A

Fruit Dissections :: An On-Going Project

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Design Portfolio, Photography and Resume/Bio tabs.]  

March has come and gone quickly, and I've been busy busy.  Since my last post, I have been doing approximately one fruit-shoot a week.  

Fruit-shoot (/fro͞ot - SHo͞ot/) noun :: Amanda's term for a photo-shoot during which one dissects various fruits through photographic analysis.  This process often advances to hours of editing in Photoshop followed by photo-selection before creating a graphically-pleasing collage in InDesign.

This post isn't quite as complete as I had imagined it being, but I didn't want to not have any posts for the month.  Consider this an on-going project, and I will be uploading more as I have time. Enjoy! [Click thumbnails to view full-screen.]

Banana.

 

 Apple.

 

 

 Strawberry.

 

 Kiwi.

 

Keep posted either here or on my Flickr page for more! I've got pomegranate and blood orange up to bat. c:

Thanks for reading!

A

Fysh Eyewear :: A Product-Packaging Review

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Design Portfolio, Photography and Resume/Bio tabs.]

Way back in October, I needed new glasses.  My prescription had not been updated since 2008; driving had become scary.  I purchased my new glasses from a really cool UK-based company, Fysh.  My glasses are really modern and neat with their blue anodized aluminum frame and partially-frameless lenses, however, being the design nerd that I am, I absolutely raved about my glasses case.

First up, here are some detail shots of the the overall product. The case is lined with in-your-face, bright blue felt with an exterior of a soft, black raincoat-like material. As mentioned above, the frames are made with lightweight aluminum with even lighter plastic temples.  The temple-tips are easily adjustable (wire is visible), and the nose-pads correspond with the brand.

So, just what's so awesome about that case?  The Fysh glasses case can lay completely flat to allow for flat-pack shipment!  Why is this so beneficial?  Think of the wasted space inside that case when they are on their way from manufacturers. Ok, I'll just tell you. When they are not housing eye-wear, 18.75 cubic inches are wasted inside each case.  Now, just think how much money those manufacturers save in shipment simply because they are able to lay the cases one on top of another, packed tightly in a box. Mind-blowing, yeah? Yeah.

The two-dimensional case is made three-dimensional with a series flaps of that same in-your-face, bright blue felt. 

Overall, this packaging solution is really great.  It looks neat and modern, saves the manufacturer money in gas and boxing in shipment, and is just unique in a "Hey, look at my cool glasses case!" kind of way.  As someone who cringes when people don't recycle, my one complaint about the case is that it doesn't seem recyclable. I can't be sure unless I dissect it, but I believe that the felt is glued to the exterior.  If it isn't recyclable, it could be up-cycled for a new use. 

Check out their company website! 

Thanks for reading! 

A

A Bathroom Door

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Design Portfolio and Resume/Bio tabs.]

Good evening!  I hope you are all staying safe and dry on this rainy, gross day.

Today's blog post branched off of my Cafe Interior post from Saturday (below).  As I was picking out my cafe colors, textures and furnishings, I began to imagine what sort of a brand I would want throughout my cafe/shop.  Would it be a cute polka-dotted strategy of whimsy? A modern streamlined approach? Ponder, ponder. 

[If you are unfamiliar with exactly what branding means, here's a definition:
Creating a unique name and image for a product/company in the consumers' mind, mainly through advertising campaigns with a consistent theme. Branding aims to establish a significant and differentiated presence in the market that attracts and retains loyal customers.]


For some reason, my mental journey of "branding" for the cafe started with the signage on the restroom doors.  I began to sketch different graphics, but this sketch-session strayed further from the cafe to more of a "what would this bathroom door say about the establishment?"-session.  

Here are my concepts, their applications and what kind of an establishment I think they may be seen in. [Click each to view larger.]


 




Modern Twist :: laser cut from stainless steel; mounted onto dark-stained wooden door. 

Where :: a trendy, modern office/studio or restaurant.

Unique/Artsy :: bright-colored decal applied to a funky door that has a bold pattern.

Where :: a hip local clothing store or cafe/coffee shop; comic book shop or record store.

Metaphoric :: sand-blasted (deep) on frosted glass window set in a dark-stained wooden door in a mood-lit bathroom hallway

Where :: classy lounge bar/restaurant

Whimsical :: wooden door; laser-cut bright-colored acrylic bows; face circles are set in the wood - stained a different color than the rest of the door.

Where :: a cafe/coffee shop/hangout where customers have wide-rimmed glasses, and dress like Zooey Deschanel.

Minimal :: laser-cut from numerous materials - metal, wood, plastic, etc.

Where :: an easy placement in many trendy places.

Realistic :: decal printed to contrast door color

Where :: classy spa/wellness center or gym; where there is focus on the body

Also, I love this branding experiment, and felt it was relevant. Click, and enjoy! 


Thanks for reading!
A


Source: www.businessdictionary.com (definition of branding)

A Cafe Interior

[If you've come to view my portfolio, see the Design Portfolio and Resume/Bio tabs.] 

One day last week, I started to draw the layout of what I hope will one day be an awesome store where I sell my own products, after having manufactured them in my shop out back, after having designed them in my window-walled studio upstairs via a spiral staircase.  A girl can dream, right?

I also plan for this place to have a cafe featuring my BFF's recipes.  For the sake of the blog, and not completely publishing our awesome idea, I decided to do a post concerning only the cafe and hang-out area of the establishment.  The following images are guidelines for the layout, color scheme and overall vibe of the unnamed cafe (to be honest, we've thought of a very cute name, but I'm keeping it under wraps).  

The more I designed, the more I exclaimed loudly in my best Liz Lemon expression, 
"I want to go to there."

Quick Floor Plan

I know that this is usually the job of an Interior Designer, but who doesn't like shopping and piecing together a color palette? I started picking out my furnishings for the cafe, the outdoor patio and the lounge.

Larger View of Floor Plan with Call-outs

Cafe View

There you have it!  Perhaps you've just had a glimpse into what will someday be my cafe + design shop.

By the way, a little explanation on my fixation of manufacturing and selling my own product in-house:  In the field of design, I feel like so much is disposable and wasted these days.  I am really striving to be a part of something that is treasured and lasts for a while, rather than ending up in a junk pile in the garage after a season.  In my dream-job-search, I've narrowed that passion down to two possible dream-positions.  One being to design and sell individually-crafted products, perhaps with a small local firm, or to work at a multidiscipilnary firm alongside Architects, Interior Designers and Graphic Designers to design custom, specialty spaces [this project began to explore that].

Thanks for reading! Check out my resume and work in the above tabs!

List of Furnishings by Space ::
Cafe and Patio ::
Magnus Stained Chair - Restoration Hardware [9 Indoor / 20 Outdoor]
Bertoia Bar Chair - Knoll Studio  [10]
Min Table (Sm) - Design Within Reach [3]
Petal Dining Table - Design Within Reach [5]
Copper Shade Pendant - Tom Dixon at Lumens.com [3]
Clear Globe Pendant - West Elm [6]
Scrapwood Wallpaper - Peit Hein Eeek [Sq. Footage of Floating Wall]
Corian Solid Surface "Designer White" - DuPont [Bar]
Corian Solid Surface "Ethereal Azure" - DePont [Cafe Register/Coffee Counters]
Outdoor patio to be stone laid in radial pattern with moss between cracks 

Lounge ::
10' Lancaster Sofa in Brompton Cocoa Leather - Restoration Hardware [1]
Professor's Chair in Brompton Cocoa Leather - Restoration Hardware [4]
Contemporary Block Coffee Table in White - Furniture Depot [1]
Immer White Wood and Steel End Table - Casual Home Furnishings [2]
96" Boulangerie Extension Dining Table - Restoration Hardware [1]
Copper Shade Pendant - Tom Dixon at Lumens.com [2]
Magnus Stained Chair - Restoration Hardware [10]
Bertoia Bar Chair - Knoll Studio  [9]
Corian Solid Surface "Designer White" - DuPont [Bar Along Window]

Entry / Throughout ::
Bocci Suspension Lamp - Houzz [Entry]
Tobacco Road Acacia Handscraped Wood Flooring - Lumber Liquidators 
Brick Arches painted in an Antique White similar to Magnus Chair Stain

**Again, a girl can dream, right? What's a budget? =p

-A