Brooklyn Brownstones

Ahhh, Brooklyn. Take me in. It's all too easy to whip out the digital camera to try to capture the charming streets of Park Slope. A few days ago I hopped aboard the F train with sketchbook, pen, coffee and bagel in-hand, and parked myself opposite a row of these quintessential Brooklyn abodes for about 2 hours. Not sure what will become of my wiggly little illustration, but thought I'd start by uploading it here.

Brooklyn Brewery Packaging

The most interesting thing I learned on my tour of the Brooklyn Brewery recently was that in the 1970's, designers were charging upwards of US $40,000 for a logo. The Brooklyn Brewery logo was designed by the same guy (Milton Glaser) who did the iconic "I heart NY" logo, for which he won a "National Medal of Arts" award, presented by the US President. But let's get back to the number there. $40,000?! Do studios still charge that? Are they getting more (they should be, with inflation, right?)? Apparently Glaser refused the $20,000 offered to him by the young Brooklyn entrepreneurs at the time, and asked for shares instead... nice move I reckon. Maybe we should be doing that. Or just giving a little more thought about the value of our practice.

New York embraces the flying rat

Taking a wander through Brooklyn today and I spotted yet another ode to this city's dirty bird. Experimental folk artists Maps & Atlases poster for upcoming shows here (2) is a woodblock-printed design and oh so Brooklyn. Made me think of a few other pigeon references I've seen around, and thought I'd share these. 1: Bag available in many colours by Paul Farrell 3: Tshirt by Chinchilla Entertainment 4. The perfect Brooklyn Souvenier by Alyssa Zygmunt 5. Pigeon light. I saw a Tshirt at Cog & Pearl in Park Slope the other day with an embroidered pigeon – with a wooden leg and an eye patch. Can't find the link but I think that one has been my favourite.

Treasures in North 6th, Williamsburg

Last time I stayed in New York I was in East Village, noisy and alive and to be honest, a little smelly. This time I'm in the hipster neighbourhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn... where inspiration is to be found on every corner, and on each street in between. Yesterday I took a wander down North 6th, where there are a few designer stores set amidst charming cafes and rowdy bars. I saw the above limited edition one colour neon subway map poster by Triboro Design (www.triborodesign.com) at store The Future Perfect (www.thefutureperfect.com). Also enjoyed visiting Merch, who have a great website too at www.aandgmerch.com. Just wish I could bring all these beautiful things back home with me!

Pictures on postcards

Not sure if the link between these two finds is all that obvious, but in the last 24 hours I've stumbled upon two examples of vintage imagery which really caught my attention. Top is one of the spreads from the brand new Arcade Fire album, and above is a postcard I picked up from a bar downtown Brooklyn. I really like the 3D font too. I can't tell how these images would have been printed – I'm guessing some kind of silk screen or hand colouring. Have a look at The Lodge website too: www.lodgenyc.com

Pretty sky at a beach in New York

Coney Island is a peculiar place. I'm back in New York City for a couple of weeks (lucky me!) and took this picture along with a few others using my Holga. I'll be sure to check in with anything new and inspirational that comes my way.

How much for that?

I went to the Design Museum the other day to take a look at the Brit Insurance Design of the Year Awards which showcased 99 of the most innovative designs (product, fashion and graphic) from around the world. It was amazing. I found this particular project by London based studio kennardphillips that I thought I'd share not only because of the impact it had on me, but because I saw a relevance in the work that we at Boheem do.

Cafe of Equivalent$ was a food stall set up in the bustling financial district of London which sought to question how much diners should pay for their food by equating their salaries with the cost of lunch for a worker in the producing countries such as Mozambique and Indonesia. Backed by research that a worker in Mozambique spends 10% of their $2 daily wage on lunch, Cafe of Equivalent$ started charging $181 for a bowl of soup and bread -that is, 10% of the earnings of the average bonus-earning banker. Now that puts things into perspective!

A simple and brilliant idea supported by beautiful graphics makes this project hard to forget. It's so great to see how visual communication can be used in a powerful way to engage viewers, provoke thought and instill a strong message.

Something special

I came across these fabulous posters at an exhibition featuring the work of Warsaw based studio 'Homework'. They've won stacks of awards for their use of visual puns to create effective posters for cultural events. Love, love, love their work.

This week I clung tightly to my handbag and took to the neighbourhood of East London. Brick Lane, Old Street, Shoreditch and Spitalfields are the equivalent, some would say, to Sydney's Surry Hills and Newtown. This place oozes coolness. Design studios, awesome exhibition spaces and funky little cafes dot the streets of the East and I was left feeling incredibly refreshed.

Street art here is embraced so heartily. It's not harsh or threatening, but rather pleasant in its randomness. I would turn a corner and find a small sprig of mushrooms stenciled on a wall, or a little boy pointing to the sky. I love that the artists here are smart in how they use their environment and whilst I didn't find any of Banksy's work, I discovered ROA (pictured first), who is perfect for demonstrating my point.

"ROA started painting abandoned buildings and warehouses in the isolated industrial outskirts of his hometown, Ghent, in Belgium. Fixating on the animals he found there, the wildlife became the central subject matter of his work, inspired by their clever ability to adapt as scavengers in order to survive. He used the dilapidated, coarse interiors and exteriors of the unyielding landscape as a canvas to portray his large-scale creatures".

I'm in awe of this guy. His official exhibition begins next week and I can't wait to see more.

Even the Tube is inspiring

I found this poster at Chalk Farm Station. Pretty clever I thought.

Week 1 in London...

...what a joy. Who knew that under that looming dark grey sky stood a city full of typographic surprises that would blow me away. Everywhere I look I see a poster, a shopfront or a typeface that makes my heart skip a beat. It's obvious to me now why London has a strong reputation for cutting-edge, smart design. And something about the juxtaposition of huge block type faces against the old vintage buildings and cobblestone alleys works so wonderfully. It makes me smile.

I took these photos walking down Carnaby Street (near Oxford Circus) where I was exchanging a pair of boots. I admit that the shopping in this city gives me just as much joy as the design does! 'Sketch Book' is one of the few 'pop-up shops' I've come across in London –there's plenty of them. Shops that stand for a month or so to promote creativity or express a social/political voice. I love that places like this exist in between the clothes shops –that creative culture is embraced here and made a part of everyday life. It inspires me.

This coming week, I'm heading to the Eastern side of London for an edgier, more gritty view of London. Fingers crossed I come across some Bansky.

Mind the gap in the Boheem Studio

There'll be a gap indeed in the Boheem Studio for the next couple of months. Chantel is heading overseas to London on a Boheem-endorsed self-discovery design adventure. She'll be taking her laptop and after a little holiday in Europe will be settling down in a corner of London where she'll be meeting UK designers, getting involved in local design events, seeking short-term work experience in London agencies, and just generally absorbing what's really happening in design and creative culture on the other side of the world. It follows Kass and Claire's 3 month 'sabbaticals' in New York, when each director took time out to allow themselves to be influenced and inspired by the goings-on in the Big Apple. Check out Claire's blog here: http://clairebonnor.blogspot.com . We're hoping that Chantel finds plenty to write home about: head back to this page in a couple of weeks to find out what she's been up to. We can all live vicariously through her for a while.

Later this year, Mei will be heading to New York for an experience of her own as well. They grow up so fast, don't they?