81 : clouds

Granted, living in Southern California, blue skies are majority of what we see. But when the sky starts to get creative and add in some beautiful clouds it is a nice change of scene. They are a reminder of the long lost "cloud shape" game from when we were kids but are also just simply beautiful, and fleeting, abstract art.

80 : dares

Most of us have taken a dare at some point in our lives. Recently a brave friend of ours, Jeff, took a crazy dare involving BeanBoozled™ jelly beans from Jelly Belly® Jelly Beans . If you haven't heard of them, the basic gist is that Jelly Belly® thought they would toy with your taste-buds... and gag reflex by mixing in "crazy" flavors with their regular flavors. The dare...to bravely try a flavor from the box not knowing if it is regular or not. They traded black licorice with skunk, peach with barf, chocolate pudding with dog food, and well, just check out the chart to get the full effect:

Although the thrill of a dare makes us happy, the results on this one, not as much. Sorry Jeff! You have no fear!! We did though. We tried toothpaste and baby wipes but only got as far as cutting the other ones in half and taking a smell. Jeff, how you were able to stomach almost every single one of those "crazy" flavors is "crazy"!

If anyone wants to make a game out of it, you can even get the BeanBoozled™ Gift Box complete with a spinning arrow that decides your flavor fate.

79 : helvetica

In 2007, there was a world released documentary film with an unexpected leading character....a font! Amazingly enough, the font Helvetica, designed in 1957, was the star of the self titled film by Gary Hustwit. Knowing the type nerds we are, you can venture to guess that the film blew us away. It was great seeing typographic history and graphic design icons on the big screen.

 
If you haven't seen the film, do check it out. You'll be amazed at how Helvetica has played a part in history and even touched your own life and you may not have even realized. Did you know that the NYC subway system uses Helvetica in it's signage? Or that you've witnessed the beautiful simplicity of Helvetica already in brands like American Airlines, AT&T, Apple, Toyota....It's amazing to see examples of how much typography and graphic design factor into your life and history. 
 
You can even stop by our office and watch it with us, we have our own copy. :)

78 : yogurtland

With the frozen yogurt craze of the past few years, you may have noticed the self-serve yogurt shops popping up everywhere. Our favorite? Yogurtland. Hands. Down.

With tons of yogurt flavors and even more topping options, it's hard to decide what to get. Even though there is a Pinkberry across the street, we still find ourselves driving down to Riviera Village to grab some of their yummy goodness.

Mmm...Yogurtland.

77 : found art/jewelry

There is something magical in the idea of found art transferring an unexpected object into a reinterpretation of itself. One of our clients, Mary Donald, performs this magic on her jewelry. We were introduced to her work and method when starting on her website awhile back. Anything from found metal, to rubber, to plastic is transformed into beautiful jewelry. Actually these amazing pieces are more like fine art sculptures you can wear. Not only is the work beautiful but she redefines the structure of what you would commonly think of as a ring or necklace. Would you believe that the piece above isn't an abstract flower sculpture but a comfortable ring? Yep, it slides in between your fingers with the blue pieces on top and the metal petals on the underside of your fingers all held in place with a plastic cord. And below, another magical example of tire rubber transforming into an edgy black bracelet. Amazing.

76 : movie nights

We heart movies. Whether at the theater, or around our computer screens...from blockbuster hits to foreign indies, we love it all. 

Earlier today we decided we were due for a movie night. So our evening will entail of grabbing some Thai and sitting around the computer (and may even include a little bit of wine...we'll see).

75 : gotham

If you've seen any of work in the past year (or our own logo/business cards), you may have noticed the amazingly simple letter forms of Gotham. With so many different weights (thin, extra light, light, book, medium, black, ultra) and options (regular, condensed, narrow and ultra narrow for EACH of the weights) there is sure to be a variation for almost any project.

Oh, and an interesting Wikipedia tidbit: Gotham was used on some of the Obama campaign materials.

74 : fondue

Every once and awhile we'll have a fondue lunch at the office (we even have an "office" fondue pot). Today was one of those days.

With staples like granny smith apples, baguette, turkey and steamed veggies, it's an all out feast.

You know you wish you worked with us. Don't lie.

73 : puppies

Puppies make us happy. How many people don't smile when they see a puppy? Seriously.

Today being National Puppy Day, we thought we'd once again share a photo of the monster... A little over 3 years ago I saw this face on Recycler.com and fell in love.

Cutest. Thing. Ever.

72 : national goof off day

National Goof Off Day + Margarita Monday + Photo Booth =

Enough. Said.

71 : house industries

House Industries has done it again. In addition to their Neutra and Girard inspired fonts, they have recently come out with one inspired by Charles & Ray Eames. As nice as the entire font family is, it's the Cover Numeral set that really does it for me.

So iconographic from the old Art & Architecture Magazines from the 50's, I'd recognize these numbers anywhere...(the outlined version at least).

They currently have a little exhibition going on at the Eames Office in celebration of the fonts release. Hopefully we'll make it down there before it closes.

Now, we just need to find a project to use these on.

70 : saturday & sunday

All of us have heard the saying "time flew by" many times, and isn't it SO true? Our days seem to blur together and just like déjà vu, we seem to find ourselves saying "Is the week really over already?" all the time. The same goes for the weekend. Once Friday is over, it is Monday again before you know it. We often forget there is such a word as "weekend"! It makes us happy when Saturdays and Sundays come around that take their time to end :).

Last year, a designer by the name of Thomas Williams made a "weekend" calendar that portrayed Saturdays and Sundays during the year in a clean and graphic way. It is beautiful in it's simplicity. Love it, and wish there was a weekend calendar for 2010!

69 : zzzz's

Who isn't happy with a good night's rest? Both of us have been counting the sheep these past couple nights, so some much needed zzz's are in order! There is nothing like waking up in the morning after a solid night's rest. Hope you enjoy the impromptu "sleep sheep" drawings above! Good night...

68 : gizzy cuddles

We know what you're thinking...we already did the 4 pound firecracker as our post for Day 01... And you're right. But he's so flipping cute, plus we needed to show just how cuddly he actually is. Luckily the camera phone was able to capture him and all his cuteness.

How could you not love this cute little face?

It's actually amazing we get any work done at all.

Oh how I heart you my little guy. <3

67 : clean fish tank

When we first got our office in 2007, one thing we knew we wanted to have was fish. Being the designers we are, we didn't want a standard old bowl. So we tried various glass vases, until we discovered that if we really wanted goldfish, we'd need an aquarium.

So we scoured the internet and finally found the mini biOrb aquarium. It's super modern and looks great sitting centered on the edge of our desks.

After purchasing 3 goldfish, we learned just how dirty they actually are (they're called "pigs of the water"... harsh?). We also learned the aquarium needs cleaning pretty often.

With the tank in plain site for us and visitors, there's nothing like having a freshly cleaned, crystal clear tank. Even if we have been guilty of waiting...a bit too long to clean it (Monique told the guy at the fish store that we clean it when it gets "funky"... I'm surprised they didn't kick us out on the spot).

But hey, we still have Lulu, our lone goldfish, alive and well for almost 2 years!

66 : oranges

I love citrus. I love the freshness, the smell, the sweet mixed with sour... And I absolutely love when the local farmer's market has the most delicious oranges. For the past few weeks I have gone just to replenish my supply.

And as much as I love the actual taste of oranges, I think I like the way I smell after peeling them even more...

65 : wine tasting

Guess where we went today?

Yup, on what would normally be a Margarita Monday, we partook in wine tasting. The Howell Mountain Wine Tasting was at the Petersen Automotive Museum in LA, so it was a win-win; free wine (you know how we like that) and ridiculously nice cars.

Since we're designers, and not hardcore winos (there were 27 wineries, most pouring 2 different types of wine), we had to be a little selective. So we judged which wines to taste based on their label designs and/or the winery's name...(and one which had neither a nice label or name, but simply had a cute boy pouring).

After who knows how many tastes, we came out with two favorites: Cakebread's Cab (the name alone makes us happy) and the Summit Lake Port. Yum!

64 : anthropologie window displays

One of our most favorite stores ever is Anthropologie. They have some of the most amazingly beautiful things, and the details they put into everything from their catalog, to store displays to the window displays are simply magical.

If you have yet to step inside one of their fabulous stores, we highly recommend it. Now, for some window display eye candy...

Oh, Anthropologie...we heart you so.

63 : recycling

Although our office building doesn't have recycling bins, that doesn't stop us. Every chance we get we set aside our papers & plastics and bring them home with us to put in our own bins. It makes us happy to know that even though there isn't an easy way to recycle at the studio, we make sure we're doing our little part. So if our neighbors are wondering why we are sticking trash bags in our trunks and have empty bottles on our back seats, now you know. :)

62 : girl scout cookies

Yup, folks, it's that time again. When you see those cute little girl scouts standing outside the supermarket pushing their brightly colored boxes of crack...oh, we mean cookies. You know you wait for your box of Thin Mints or Samoas all year long. It's ok, we do too.

So today, in honor of National Girl Scout Day (who makes this stuff up anyway?) we salute you Girl Scouts, for bringing Thin Mint happiness to so many.

61 : packages from clients

We LOVE getting stuff in the mail. We love it even more when it's something from a client. Such a happy surprise when Mr. UPS man comes to our door and hands us something.

Yesterday, we received a package from Carlson Chocolates in New York. We designed their logo & their 12 piece chocolate box. So when we opened the package to discover a box filled with truffles, we were two happy ladies. Now, to photograph the box for our portfolio before we eat them...

Today, we received the newest Knotty Girl product, Vanilla Cupcake flavored Beauty Batter Leave-in Conditioner (that's a mouthful Renee!) along with an old fav Marshmallow Drama Queen Shampoo & Conditioner. If you have a wee one at home (or love smelling yummy), we totally recommend the entire Knotty Girl line!

60 : laughing out loud

Laughter is the sound of happiness. It is a good day when you find yourself laughing out loud at something, better when you find yourself with a belly laugh, and even better yet if there are tears. Majority of the time if you are around the office you can hear our laughs echoing down the hallway. Not too sure how much our neighbors like that, but we can't help it, laughter is contagious!

Random fact: The study of laughter is called gelotology.

59 : fortune cookies

At the end of a meal, there doesn't seem to be anything quite as fun as finishing with a fortune cookie. There is so much to the idea of opening up that cookie and wondering what fortune has waiting for you. You just never know what you are going to get!

We heart our fortune cookies even if we are still waiting for 99% of them to happen already. Each of us have small saved stacks of our fortunes. A good amount though are floating around solo in random places and happen to resurface every now and then. Some of our favorites are the more specific ones such as one fortune we both got that read "A blonde from afar has something interesting for you." Specific yes? We're both still waiting.

And did you know about "Fortune Cookie Etiquette"? Yep, many people note the "proper" way to eat a fortune cookie. From choosing the cookie with your right hand or your eyes closed, to reading the fortune aloud before eating, to eating half first and half after reading, to making sure not to read aloud, to making sure to eat the entire cookie or else it won't come true.... there seems to be as many different ways to eat the cookie as there are fortunes. Or you can just eat the cookie and after you read it add "in bed".

58 : colors of sunset

 

There is something simply magical about being at the beach during sunset. From the sounds and smells to the breath-taking colors. It's happiness in its purest form.

57 : daffodils

Every year around this time I make frequent stops to Trader Joe's to grab a few bunches of daffodils.

They're so bright & cheery, I can't help but be happy when I look at them.

56 : bravo!

We love South Bay Ballet for more reasons than one. Not only are their performances AMAZING, they are, in fact, our longest ongoing client since starting the studio. We have produced some fantastic materials for them over the past two and half years, and feel very fortunate to be working with them.

Tonight, we'll be at the Armstrong attending BRAVO! for the third year in a row. If you don't have plans this weekend, you should definitely check them out. You won't be disappointed...

And be sure to bring the kiddos to see The Sleeping Beauty in June. We've seen Janice and her gang over at SBB hard at work on costumes, and they are simply stunning.

Here's to an amazing show!

55 : painting sessions

After some shaky starts to our new "step away from the computer" Fridays (mouthful?) we finally got in a full session of painting time. Hooray! Ok, so it wasn't exactly the full day... it could have been called "step away from the computer for 2 hours" Friday but we still were able to fit in some some quality painting. Blasting iTunes and sitting with our canvases it was a much needed break from the computer screen.

The paintings aren't finished yet, we'll post those another time, but I love the way the palettes look with the mixed paints on them. Like little pieces of art.

54 : kitchen nightmares

Lately, if you catch us at the office after hours, we're doing one of two things: watching a movie, or watching Kitchen Nightmares online. There is just something oh-so-entertaining about watching Gordon attempt to turn around failing restaurants by telling it like it is. 

With 26 full episodes currently on FOX, we'll give you one guess what we'll be doing tonight?

53 : your happiness

Today is national "I want you to be happy" day. And nothing makes us happier, than when the people we love are happy.

So to help with your happiness, we give you this very important flow chart (which also makes us happy).


Poster design by Typcut and can be seen here.

52 : at home in pajamas

There is a basic sort of happiness simply in the word "home". Wouldn't you agree that it is one of the most natural and universal places of comfort? One word that goes right along with it is the word "pajamas"! Being at home in pajamas is pure happiness. Add some fuzzy slippers, preferably in the shape of some sort of animal, and some coffee or...hot chocolate and enough said. Love it.

51 : clients who are now friends

It is a special thing when you find yourself working on a project with someone who is not just your client but can be called a friend. We consider ourselves lucky for the close bonds we have been able to make with our clients. Its our intention to have a project end with not just a logo, a website, a brochure, an invitation... but with a friendship. Thanks to all our clients, who we know consider friends, you make us happy and we love working with you.