We got an usual request from the photographer Andrea Stanley. She wanted to know if we could print hundred dollar bills.

Naturally, we hesitated until she explained that the bill design would be modified, printed with magenta ink on pink paper and used as props for a Maybelline calendar photo shoot.

Andrea photographed Adriana Francesca Lima, a Brazilian supermodel best known for her work with Victoria’s Secret, in a tub overflowing with 20,000 bills, or $2,000,000.

After many years of working in the same diverse and crowded field, the hows and whys of creating my own niche, and starting my own business finally came together in my mind. So after all my really hard work in developing the concept and business plan, how difficult could it be to translate it into print?

Let me save you some time here, it was plenty difficult. Over the years, my client base was established through face-to-face contacts. In my mind, being good at what I did automatically meant I could be good at other things if I wanted, and put my mind to it. Frankly, it was a big surprise to realize that in print, very few of my one-to-one communication skills held any value.

Because I’d be working from home, with no storefront or walk-in office, to be successful the marketing needed to connect with and engage people in a succinct, yet creative way; one that accurately represented the niche concept, and me.

Frustrated, after walking into countless print shops, being shown the same catalogs of papers and stock logos, and finding their level of help more passive, really just answering questions-I found Ditto through a search engine.

Wanting to keep start-up costs in check, I had no intention of hiring a graphic designer, was looking for recycled paper products to do a prototype business card and have it copied and printed to start-but after briefly speaking with Rick, I became curious about what Ditto could do for me, and at what cost.

The product is amazing, and the experience has been gratifying, and one of great learning. He asked questions, and listened to my answers. He was open to possibilities, taking my words, thoughts, concepts-and even a bag full of magazine photos and costume jewelry I brought in when I didn’t have the words to explain-and, one element at a time, seamlessly, beautifully translated me and my vision for the business, onto paper, and a website.

Also of great importance to me was that while I was a partner in the process, I was thoughtfully and professionally guided. My wildly alternating naiveté, fears and over-confidence were all handled with diplomacy and grace, and without judgment. They not only do it all, they get the nuances and do it well. Thank you, Ditto!!

Marie Graham
the refreshed home

Type designers decode the presidential candidates

Typography can subtly or boldly define a company, product, or person. Whether it is Best Buy’s big, bold, screaming signs or the sweet, elegant script on a wine label, the type talks to us, the reader. The logos of the presidential candidates are no exception.

Click here to read the complete article.

(via Swiss Miss)

Here’s a helpful color wheel that lets you create palettes and
displays the CMYK and RGB values.

Amazing Green Roof Art School in Singapore
by Ali Kriscenski

Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Art, Design, Media, green roofs, natural landscaping, CPG Consultants, glass facade, nanyang1.jpg

If art school was in our future we might opt to study under, or on top of, the amazing green roof at the School of Art, Design and Media at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. This 5 story facility sweeps a wooded corner of the campus with an organic, vegetated form that blends landscape and structure, nature and high-tech and symbolizes the creativity it houses.

Click here to read the complete article

Want to go green with your shoes? Well Nike has come out with the Air Jordan XX3 – a “green” shoe. It’s made with sustainable materials. The Air Jordan has been completely redesigned in terms of patterns but still maintains the classic Air Jordan style. It’s set to come out in a limited edition style for $230 and then released world wide, for $185/pair. No news on whether manufacturing will be either ethical or Fair Trade.

(Via The Alternative Consumer)

I love this chair by Palette Industries.

Text reads: Stand, Forget, Breathe, Acknowledge & Observe.

Inspired by the proliferation of very tall signs in the American Mid-West, Floating Logos seeks to draw attention to this often overlooked form of advertising. Perched atop very tall poles or stanchions, these corporate beacons emit their message by looming over us in their glowing, plastic perfection. Elimination of the support structure in the photographs allows the signs to literally float above the earth. In some cases the ground is purposefully left out of the image to further emphasize the disconnect between the corporate symbols and terra firma.

Click here for more

The 789 is an eye-catching amalgam of styling from Chevrolet’s 1957, 1958, and 1959 models. It can be ordered in 10,000 color combinations from custom automaker n2a Motors.