Stripes are simple, elegant and timeless. In bold size they are able to make a graphic statement while remaining clean and uncluttered in appearance. A fresh take I've noticed around lately is the chevron stripe (also called herringbone).

The interesting thing about this trend for me are the variations that have developed. The look emerged in the past couple of years with other 1980's revivals, but the trend is evolving to include more sophisticated, classic looks like the red bed cover at left, and the grey and white variations below.



This trend has been gaining momentum for the past couple of years, but it hasn't reached a saturation point and probably won't as quickly as something like the black and white brocade print trend.
Chevron patterns have been around for hundreds of years and are used in masonry, textile design and parquetry. Because the design has existed for so long, depending on how it is used it can work in any decor style from classic to modern.

Glassware by Artel

The name "herringbone" comes from the fish, which are well known for having a dense bone structure.

This picture has inspired me, I'd like to have some chevron print pillows for my sofa. Which is orange - hence the inspiration coming from the stack of Hermes boxes beside the blue chevron rug.

I'd also like a stack of orange Hermes boxes, but I think that will require marrying a rich European and then taking up horseback riding, so the chances of that happening are pretty slim.


I also like that this is a DIY-friendly style.
Here's a how-to guide to putting a chevron pattern your walls - even better, it's temporary and can be taken down later!

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Friends, I'm so pumped up today. I've got some pretty exciting projects on the horizon that I can't wait to kick off. The biggest problem I seem to be having at the moment is a lack of hours in the day to produce things, and that is a good problem to have. I'm having an intensely optimistic week as things seem to be falling into place. It's good stuff.

I've got two poster designs on the brain. The now ubiquitous "Keep Calm & Carry On" poster for one, which I'm sure you know about by now because it's been all over the place for a few years. It's a good message because too often in life we get caught up in the craziness and forget how truly lucky we are. And further to that, it's a good message for any workplace because even small crises are usually manageable if one stays calm and stays the course of their goals.

It's fitting that the poster has reached a height of popularity during a fiscal crisis; the poster was originally designed during the beginning of World War II to raise the morale of the population who lived in fear of being invaded. Now that's something to incite panic; a fiscal crisis pales in comparison. None the less it has been a fitting popular message in the past couple of years. (Not to mention a great piece of design work.)


But there's another one that is a take-off of it that comes to mind too and it really seems to be something that is working for me lately.

That's the "Work Hard & Be Nice to People" version.
It's a mantra for me really, because I don't know what other approach to take in life. Sometimes you are rewarded for this approach and sometimes people take it for granted. I've learned that if people take it for granted, they aren't the right people to be working for.

The past year has been one of intense change of direction. I gave up a desirable career and some money in order to have moral and personal fulfillment in my work, and while the decision seemed hard at the time, in retrospect the choice seems to have been a no-brainer. It's easy when I consider all that I've gained.

Further to that, new opportunity keeps coming my way. It seems the more effort I put in, the more hard work I do (sometimes for little or next to no pay) the better the opportunities are. So long as the bills are paid, I'm not even that concerned about the money. (Though, I wouldn't say no to more, lets be honest here...) The point is, life is bigger than a paycheque, and the liberation in realizing that fact has been so profound, I can't imagine how I ever got through my day-to-day otherwise.



I guess I'm one of the artist types I write about in my column this week. Here it is.

Artists connect and collaborate to support community

By Jacquie Severs/Columnist You often hear in the mainstream media about high dollar sales of artwork, rich and famous musicians, the big blockbuster shows and names. But the reality of being a working artist of any kind is very different. Artists hustle, often undertaking numerous business ventures and seeking opportunities in various career fields in order to keep themselves financially afloat. It is a passion for the craft that motivates and inspires, not cash payouts and fame. Though I’m sure many artists and musicians would love to earn more money for their creations, thus allowing them more time and freedom to create, I think many would say the act of creating is the greatest reward, outweighing any financial benefit. This very attitude must be the reason that so many are driven to give back to their communities by donating their creative skills. With momentum gaining in the local creative community, a number of ventures are coming up in Oshawa, encompassing both art and music together in order to support causes worthy of the attention. On the evening of Friday Jan. 28, the Instruments and Easels fundraiser supporting the Oshawa Community Health Centre includes artists donating their works for auction and sale, while musicians perform to entertain the crowd. Entrance is affordable, just a donation of canned goods or cash in any amount will get you in the door. All the details are online at instrumentsandeasels.blogspot.com In early February the Robert McLaughlin Gallery (RMG) introduces First Fridays, hosted on the first Friday of the months February, March, April and May. The pilot project brings together musicians who have donated their time and talent to help the RMG build awareness in the community about the art gallery. Donations at the event support War Child Canada, and in return War Child Canada helps bring regional and national attention to our local gallery gem. It’s a win-win, and the community benefits; it’s free to attend. Feb. 4 local acoustic soul performer Gibbran is the featured act, while March brings Ajax’s Forest City Lovers to play. April features Mandi J Byrd and the Hamilton Trading Company, both based out of Toronto but with a shared connection to Oshawa. In May, nationally-recognized sound installation artist Gordon Monahan performs. Friends of the Second Marsh are hosting an art event on Feb. 26; photographers are invited to the marsh to capture the wetlands in winter. Designed to raise awareness about the marsh and create a sense of community stewardship over this important ecological locale, the “Day in the Life of the Second Marsh” project is fully volunteer run. Photographers will be offered space to display what they have captured in various venues downtown Oshawa. There is sure to be musical participation during the showings, as local music aficionados are organizing this one. Contact mcguirkwill@gmail.com for details on how to participate. Connecting, collaborating and finding new audiences for their work is a valuable bonus to those who have donated creative time, energy and skill to these events. In turn, grassroots campaigns build community partnerships and goodwill. Participation by artists and musicians is not enough; the key for events such as these is the community at large coming out to offer support. In return, the community is engaged, enlightened and entertained.

Readers and people that know me well will know about my obsession with orange. There's the orange couch, there's the collection of odd vases, there's the teak furniture with the orange hue, there's the love for halloween. Orange, I'm all about it. I don't wear it a lot, but I love using it in my home and surrounding myself with orange accessories. I also like Orange Crush. And that new Fanta Orange pop is pretty fantastic too. 





A bit about the colour orange:

by sara morris

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Also, I joined Pinterest. It's fun. Are you a member? Let's be friends if so. It's a place to collect images like this, and share them. Do it!

This week I received a thank-you card from a client for whom I did wedding flowers. She tucked in some prints of the professional photos, which are always nice to receive because photographing flowers is difficult without the proper equipment. Here's one of the shots. The wedding was, as the bride described it "Kawasaki Green and Aubergine", which in floral terms isn't exactly the easiest combination to pull off! But, I managed to make it work with green spider mums, button mums and used deep purple lisianthus and freesia. While the bride's bouquet was really graphic in design, (it was essentially green with a streak of deep purple through the middle like a stripe) I knew the cake was going to be polka dotted so I had some fun making the topper appear green with purple polka dots too. It was a fun wedding to work on! 

Recently I've been going through my piles and piles of books deciding what to keep and what should go to the charity shop or garbage bin. Some things are obvious decisions and others not so much. I have a touch of pack-rat flair to me so I have a hard time letting go of sentimental things.

One thing I discovered on the shelf was an old notebook. It was my logo journal. When I was in design school a wise professor suggested we start collecting logos and paste them into a notebook for reference. No real organization required, but try to find ones you like, cut them out and paste them in. I have a whole notebook full of them and it is really interesting to look through. Even though I went to college less than ten years ago, in some cases the logos have dramatically changed.

Here's a great image showing the evolution of the Shell logo:

Logo evolution is important because companies grow and evolve. Their logo should let them appear as if they are staying with the times and have evolved like their customer. In some cases a logo should say "tradition" while in other cases it should say anything but that.

I wanted to call attention to the Smile.co.uk logo, which is designed to be used in some cases with different smiles in the pink box. Marilyn Monroe's smile, Mona Lisa's smile, Little Miss Happy, etc. But here is the basic logo:

Even if it isn't animated, the simplicity of the logo literally makes me smile. I find it one of those logos that is deceptive because it looks so simple and cute, you'd think it's forgettable. But if you saw this logo often enough, if it became branded to that level, I think it could reach a point where you think of this banking website simply be seeing a smile of any kind. The logo was designed by a firm in the UK The Chase.
It is interesting that it is both an image that can been seen as an image or artwork, as well as it can be read. Much like the Nike "swoosh", the "smile" as a logo is a very universal idea. It also breaks away from the concept of what a bank logo should look like in a dramatic way, which is the brand identity that Smile.co.uk is clearly trying to express. They aren't like other banks, and their brand identity makes that clear.

I like it, it makes me smile. That's a good start with any logo or brand program, right?

Speaking of smiling, logos can be wildly unsuccessful and sometimes it has hilarious results. Want to see some funny logo misfires? Click here.

Check out this awesome fundraiser:



































The November Illustrator of the Month, Dani Crosby, OCHC, Danny Guay and Natalie Garcia have put this great event together supporting the Oshawa Community Health Centre. Music and Art and a friday night? Love it.

While I'm talking about art in the local community I should mention that my last two newspaper columns of 2010 didn't get blogged. Oops!
Here they are:
Creativity is a Gift Worth Sharing
Pictures from the Past, Pictures in the Future

My column is going monthly for 2011 which is great because I love doing it and I'm looking forward to continuing onwards. I've got some other projects in the cooker I can't WAIT to tell you about, but with everything that's gone on in my personal life in the last few months (which some of you know about, others, not so much) it's been held up with getting some things in order. But, as we near the middle of January I'm seeing a light at the end of the tunnel and projects, the blog and some other good creative shenanigans are going to kick off the new year (well, if you follow the Chinese calendar anyhow) perfectly.


Stay tuned.

Dear Blog, 
My new year's resolution is to post my Illustrator of the Month Column on time each month in 2011. Kisses, Jacquie

Illustrator of the Month December 2010

My selection of Arthur Paul this month comes as a result of a delicious Christmas gift I received from my dear friend S.V.Con.It is the collected issues of Playboy from the 1950's, and it includes a dvd rom where you can browse every issue, a lovely book and the first ever issue reprinted. It's amazing and I've only just grazed the surface checking it out.

as always, click to see full size

Arthur Paul was born in Chicago and was educated at the Art Institute. After serving in the war, he went on to the Institute of Design in Chicago, often called the "Chicago Bauhaus" where he studied with Bauhaus educator  László Moholy-Nagy. When he left in 1950, he was imbued with the idea that there was no such thing as high-brow and low-brow, that all arts were relevant and that his love for the canvas and illustration could be carried forward with equal importance. I personally relate to that idea deeply. He abandoned the idea of doing only one thing as an artist and started out quite successfully freelancing as an illustrator.

the first issue,art direction by Art Paul

He quickly grew frustrated with the dry and traditional world of advertising, so when Hugh Hefner came along and offered him the job of Art Director at a new magazine he was starting called Playboy, Paul jumped at the opportunity to start something new and groundbreaking. At the beginning, Hefner and Paul were the only two people working on the magazine. Art Paul led what Print Magazine called the "Illustration Liberation Movement," and in so doing, made Playboy the most visually exciting magazine of the day. His greatest challenge in buying art for Playboy was to convince illustrators to free up and to persuade painters that they weren't selling out.

arthur paul's illustration for the july '54 cover of playboy

At first this proved very difficult and much of the work printed in the magazine was his own. By doing so, he successfully began to blur a line between commercial and fine arts. Some of his design and layout techniques are still used in the publication to this day - one such example is the interview page where there is three photos of the subject with quotes above each shot.

With exception to the first issue, Art Paul-designed bunny head icon has appeared on every cover of the magazine (often hidden) and has become one of the most recognized icons used on thousands of products to great success. Perhaps its greatest success is the fact it can be recognized as the symbol of the magazine completely independent of the word "Playboy". More than just a logo this design has become a symbol of a lifestyle, an image and a worldwide brand.

art direction by arthur paul

Paul worked for Playboy  for thirty years, winning many awards including many Art Direction clubs, Typography associations and Illustration societies. He is seen as instrumental in advancing the art of illustration to new levels of importance and relevance as an art form.

I'm loving browsing through these issues from the 50's (which are pretty hard to come by at yard sales these days) because the statement "I read it for the articles" couldn't have ever been more true. I also read it for the design, fantastic illustrations and amusing advertising and of course the lovely photographs. I find them respectful of women, respectful of women's rights and issues and groundbreaking in terms of modern publishing.




Funny how we've moved forward so far in many ways in society as women, but in other ways have also gone backwards. Perhaps the Playboy magazine of today isn't exactly as I'd like it to be, not presenting the image I really relate to as much, but the history of the magazine to me is enough to make me forgive it some mistakes.

Sources included: Art Directors Club Hall of Fame
Learn more about Art Paul:
AIGA Profile
Chicago Institute of Technology Article
Eye (Int'l Review of Design Mag) Article