A cohesive look

Multiplicity - a bouncy, roving-like chunky wool

I've been working with Plymouth Yarn Company to create a new branding identity for their yarns. Plymouth felt that their yarns were being overlooked on store shelves because consumers did not realize the yarn was the product of this trusted company. Knitters are very loyal customers and Plymouth wanted to better capitalize on this fact. They came to me to create a new series of labels to identify them as the strong, quality yarn brand they are. Together we developed a recognizable label family that can be used across many types of yarn skeins.

We made some important changes. We made sure the yarn name was clear and easily readable. Another important task was to include the yarn content right on the front of the ball so you don't have to turn it over or dig inside to figure out what it's made from. And to further the brand recognition we incorporated the large ship from the logo onto the front of the label.

Bungee sock yarn

New and improved

I redesigned my website! Wow for me.

I've never been a web designer before today. I decided long ago that a better niche for my graphic design career would be print design, but I really think it's time to expand my horizons and embrace the digital world.

My new site is a clean, simple design much like a lot of my other work but I didn't use Dreamweaver or any other fancy program. I wrote the site by hand! Yes. I typed in all the code that makes that site pop up on computer screens across the world. I finally dipped my pinkie toe into the Olympic-sized swimming pool of the world wide web. But, this new site never would have happened without my wonderful, always available husband who sometimes gets really frustrated and thoroughly burdened by the questions I continue to ask him. So, thank you Thomas! (When do you want to start working on my blog redesign? *wink, wink*)

Go check it out. Let's work together!

Camera Tricks: Magnifying Lens Filter

If you've read this blog before you'd know that I like taking photos. I like taking photos of my two crazy dogs, but I really like taking photos of flowers. I think flowers are incredible samples of nature. I mean what's better than a glossy orange tulip or a feathery pink hibiscus? Not too much.

Moving to California has brought a whole new set of flowers into my vocabulary. I don't stop at azalea and iris anymore. Now I can talk about bougainvillea and angel's trumpet. I head out in the garden at some point every day and today I fixed on fuzzy, yellow kangaroo paw.

This image was taken at the maximum focal length of my 55mm lens. I can get close and with a crop I could remove a lot of the background "noise" but then the final size of the photo would be smaller.

Enter the magnifying lens filter.

With an 8x magnifying lens filter and my focal length set to the same 55mm, I can get so up this flower's nose it's not even funny. As you can see a lot of the background has been left out and what's left is a sharply focused flower and shorter focal depth. I think I'll have to get a couple more lens filters because I can have lots of camera fun for about 10 bucks!

Orange you sad?

Have you noticed the new Tropicana orange juice packaging? I like it.

It's bright and fresh with more white space and less clutter. But apparently I am in the minority of the opinionated. Since launching their new packaging Tropicana has been bombarded with a massive amount of negative feedback. The company is returning to its previous packaging. The New York Times writes,

The about-face comes after consumers complained about the makeover in letters, e-mail messages and telephone calls and clamored for a return of the original look.

Some of those commenting described the new packaging as “ugly” or “stupid,” and resembling “a generic bargain brand” or a “store brand.”

“Do any of these package-design people actually shop for orange juice?” the writer of one e-mail message asked rhetorically. “Because I do, and the new cartons stink.”

Others described the redesign as making it more difficult to distinguish among the varieties of Tropicana or differentiate Tropicana from other orange juices.

I think the new package looks very European, modern and clean. Everything in the grocery store with their BIG bold letters is trying to jump off the shelf to the passing consumer and it just doesn't work. The subtlety of this package spoke to me, and my husband and I even discussed how refreshing it looked.

I was happy to see the orange-with-a-straw-poking-from-it design disappear. I remember disliking it even as a child. The television ad would have a straw wielding kid hopelessly chasing around an orange on the loose. I'm sad to see it return. I thought it was gone for good.

Maybe I should have emailed Tropicana to let them know how much I liked the new look. It seems like the company was sent so much negative feedback that the started to doubt their own decision making abilities.

What do you think?

F.O. - Finished Object

As an avid knitter the only thing more exciting than receiving a box of yarn in the mail is receiving a box of yarn that has label I designed.

Client: Plymouth Yarn Company

Project: To create a label for a new baby yarn that showed both youth and quality.

The label needed to speak for itself much like various other products that are on store shelves. Yarn has a slight advantage because it isn't sold in big, badly lit warehouses but rather small boutique stores. Consumers can ask a store clerk their opinion, potentially see knitted samples and be inspired by patterns. The yarn needs to appeal on touch and feel and also quality and value. Touch and feel are not factors I can change but the intangible ideas can be conveyed through the design of the label. Let's hope knitters like it!