Wall Murals

Again I must apologize for being MIA for WAAAAYYYY to long from the blogging world. As a result, I'm extremely behind in my creative antic updates. Well, Husband, baby and I recently moved and settled into our new home by painting EVERY wall and decorating...I'll post more on that later...so time has drifted elsewhere but with the cold weather settling in (and the gift of a new Serger sewing machine!!!) I'm feeling the tug to settle down into comfy pants, sip an irish hot chocolate and get crafty!

A recent new venture is {wall murals}. Who needs a silly little canvas? Lets go BIG! While anyone can go out and purchase wall vinyl's, it gets way too expensive when you want an entire wall sticker or looking for "just the right thing".
Insert.the.designer.
"Hi, Let's chat".

I'm sure there's many approaches to producing the perfect wall, but I've found taking photos of the space and using photoshop allows me to digitally create a visual mockup and show the client EXACTLY what the wall will look like.
"Exactly"? you ask? "How"?
Well, yes, i could redraw everything on the wall by hand---taking more time/money -- or I can use a hand dandy projector. If you don't have access to one, check this DIY projector or this one which uses your iPhone (so easy!).
Then just match your paint chips to your computer image, grab your brushes and go!

A huge trend lately is tree's - and i love the birch tree's- and animals.

Top: Digital Mockup of wall mural.
Below: Physical, finalized version on the wall. A whimsical forest for a 2-3year old classroom with 3D tree's. 

Another great idea to make your own wall murals pop is to add 3D elements (see above). Using simple ply board (stiff but lightweight) and securing to the wall using 2x4's, you can push the mural further.

I can't wait to get started on my next classroom for 5-6 year old's. Here's the digital mock up:

Tempting {Typography}

Get inspired by Fonts in Use - a great catalog of real-world typography in use. It showcases the importance of the most basic element of communication: {type}. A great tool for inspiring you how to rethink your next project. Don't think of simply "letters" or "WORDS" , but expand and see shapes, form, and expression.

Great design isn't just about WHAT you're saying, but HOW and WHERE - color, size and placement can sell or sink your communication.

I design magazine covers for a travel company and have been getting tired with the 'same old fonts' - and while you want to stay within branding, I'm reminded that there is SOOO much creativity within a typeface, (I know, I'm a design nerd :) ), you just have to explore and have fun with it.

New challenge for myself: Find the NEXT big font family to represent communications and not to get too stuck in the fashionable- think forward!