Graphic Design: Coffee and Travel

One of today's design projects was a new yarn label for a fiber called Coffee Beenz. The yarn is intended for adult and sophisticated children's sweaters. A neutral color palette led the way for this coffee house inspired yarn.

To design the label I had to get thinking about coffee. I made myself a cappuccino as inspiration and sat down at my computer to research all things coffee.

I first hit the major coffee house players to see how they are selling coffee these days.

Starbucks, in the upper left hand corner, is clean and stark. I was surprised to find their site so white and so simplified from previous versions. I like it, but it wasn't the warmth I had in mind. Next up was The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Their site invokes the the emotions that go with knitting, things like warmth, softness and comfort. I like all the layers and colors too. Seattle's Best on the bottom right was so red. I know their logo is red, but wow. I think a red label would be too strong for this yarn. Peet's rounds out my main search and I like their look that has warm tones and a foreign feel.

Also, Starbucks coffee bean bag.

By researching these and a few more samples I was able to narrow down the ideas I had for this yarn label. I like the browns, greens and tans. I like the feeling of foreign travel and the exotic locations coffee beans come from. I kept thinking of the old world, the seven seas, and traveling by boat. But I also wanted the label to be fresh and enticing.

Here's my final design approved by the client.

I chose a warm greenish-brown background with a slight gradient. The seal in the background I created from the company's logo to invoke the feeling of coffee farms in exotic foreign locations. For yarn name and other important information I used a rich tan. A couple hand drawn coffee beans add interest and fun. I can't wait to see it on the skein!

The rain's a comin'

92054.

A surprising sunrise

It's been a long January

Warning: Complaining and whining below.

After a too-much-fun New Year's Eve, I spend the first days of 2010 not feeling as good as I should have. Then came Sunday the third. Then Sunday was over and it was Monday. The hardest Monday of the year, the real first day of the year, the one where you have to get back to work. Ugh. Ouch.

I organized my thoughts and wrote every thing I needed to do in a huge list. I was up and headed to a client's office bright and early. Then I had some coffee, and some more coffee, and seven mugs of hot water because... what's that? No, it couldn't be. Am I still hungover from New Year's Eve? No. So it must be... a sore throat! Ugh. Ouch.

I didn't sleep Monday night because it felt like I was swallowing nails. Tuesday I continued to drink and drink because it felt better than having the Sahara on the left side of my throat. Wednesday I lost my voice, but still I worked. Thursday and Friday blurred together with more work, no voice, no sleep and a chest rattling cough. Ugh. Ouch.

Saturday came early. I left bed at 5 AM, because what was the point of being in there anymore? And I had to prep for the Yarn Show! Not only was my sister in town and it's incredibly fun to watch that girl spend money, but I had a client meeting of my own. TNNA came early this year and there was no way a little cold was going to hold me back. I got home at 10 PM too excited to sleep. Sunday came too quickly and while we both agreed we were going to spend the day working we went to the beach instead. Ahhhh.

Monday hit and I just couldn't move. I had lost my drive so I finally called the doctor, got some prescriptions and did only the work that was on deadline. My friend brought us some yummy soup for dinner and I slept marginally well for the first time in a week only waking up twice with weird dreams, like this one I had where a shampoo was specially designed to wash your hair and the soles of your feet. Not really hairy feet, just normal feet. Bizarre.

Today I had to have my car smog check and run out for milk and other food. I haven't been coughing nearly as much and feel like I might one day be healthy again. I've landed in such a rut through all of this and I need some inspiration. I don't think I've been this sick since I was in college and I can't seem to see through the haze. I have to get my mojo back, but I feel like it may never come. I wish I could start the year over again... Help!

Now with less space in her home!

These are some new labels I designed for Plymouth Yarn Company. Grass up there is a cool cotton and hemp blend, hence the name. And Sweet Caroline and Covington are some new cottons that my mom will love. Dreamin' rounds out the bunch sporting the first label I designed for Plymouth. It's a sassy, sparkly mess of a label for a giant ball of yarn that includes the pattern and enough yarn to knit an entire baby sweater. And lastly, there is now more yarn than ever in my studio office because I just have to have multiple samples of my design work!