Polish Movie Posters

This site has an amazing inventory of original Polish movie posters from the 40s through 90s. You can take advantage of their marked-down "everything must go" prices (up to 70% off) and add one of these visual explosions to your walls. I love the graphics here-- a little raw, a little over saturated, and all message.

AIGA Design Archives

The AIGA Design Archives are a rich resource of past typography, book design, illustration and graphic innovation. This is an extensive collection of contemporary design and it is remarkable for its breadth and beauty. Remind yourself what great design looks like. From the top: Edward Sorel (1959), Chermayeff & Geismar Associates (1959), Paprika (2008), Vignelli Associates (1964)

Turner Duckworth for Waitrose

These packages for the British grocer Waitrose are amazingly simple and oh so appealing. Turner Duckworth is the longterm branding agency behind these fantastic designs. Their labels are graphic statements-- uncluttered and arranged for maximum visual impact. Each one is like a mini poster. I find a straightforward presentation nearly irresistible. I mean really, have celery hearts ever looked more beautiful?

Patterns from NeoJaponisme

The latest free downloadable patterns from NeoJaponisme are available here. These are red, white, and black patterns based on Modern Japanese graphic design from the 1950s. I love the simple geometrics here -- these would look so great in any number of paper products.

kiosk

Finish chalk, licorice, and crayons now available on Kiosk. Great packages.

Naked & Angry

I've seen some of the products from Naked & Angry on blogs, but I did not realize how great their patterns and aesthetic are until a friend on facebook became a fan. 27 bold designs and products-- umbrellas, hand-screened wallpaper, dinner ware, wallets, and bags. Once again, I'm impressed how one-color goodness can be so strong and clear.
But it gets better. On their site, you can submit pattern designs to be scored and manufactured into "blow-your-mind products." If your design receives a highest score, N&A will send you cash and prizes. Check it all out here. This is graphic design at its best.

Tape

This is exactly the type of thing that always gets my attention. Colored tape. A ten-pack of colored masking tape to be specific. I mean, sometimes I really am that easy to please.

Cultural Revolution Clip Art, Circa 1971

Cultural Revolution Clip Art, Circa 1971, originally uploaded by Oldtasty.

This collection of clip art from the Chinese Cultural Revolution is so interesting, especially as I've been working on making a linoleum block print lately. I love the simplicity of two-co;or work, the strength of the images and the straight-forward messages.

Sanna Annukka

I love these designs and illustrations from Sanna Annukka. This artist is half Finnish and half English, and her work has a beautiful Scandinavian quality. She has an online shop where you can buy her screenprint and bags. She is also the illustrator behind Keane's second album cover, "Under the Iron Sea." I find the mix of folklore and fairy tale imagery quite beautiful. See her portfolio here.

Pearlfisher

Take a look at this new brand creation for chef Jamie Oliver from the Pearlfisher agency. Great use of typography and bold graphics to establish some interesting and compelling packaging. Oliver is moving from cookbooks and kitchen utensils into packaged foods and home supplies. Great work!

Paul Rand

Remind yourself of Paul Rand's works-- timeless, simple, clean design. He was a master at typography and identity. Beautiful.

Pop Inc / French Paper

Besides being a family -owned US paper mill of innovation and great marketing, French Paper is behind the great designs of Pop Inc. . Gift wrap, paper cards, even wall art, with a great vintage tongue-in-cheek sensibility. They also offer outstanding stock images through their sister company CSA Images.

Pattern Foundry

The Pattern Foundry is an archive of decorative patterns, open for anyone to license and use, created by designers and artists from around the world. There are 82 patterns in the library and it's an interesting site for surface design inspiration or to pick up a pattern or two.

Perfect Palettes

If you don't know the blog Kris's Color Stripes, you're going to thank me. Kris creates a daily color palette of something that she finds and photographs. Her sophisticated color sense makes her site very inspiring. I look to her for grat color compliments, some from nature, some from great juxtapositions like the chair and wall above. What I love is the photo and then the resulting palette. Kris, your site is fantastic!



In a similar vein, there is ColourLovers, a site (and blog) featuring color palettes sent in and voted on by readers. The site is an endless resource for color reference, with searchable palettes, discussion groups, trend information and plenty of color bars!

Cigarette Packs

These vintage cigarette packs have great graphics-- once again my obsession with packaging knows no bounds. Great composition and simple messages. Cigarette package designers clearly understand personalities like mine: "Cigarette package designer John Digianni, states: ‘a cigarette package is part of a smoker's clothing, and when he saunters into a bar and plunks it down, he makes a statement about himself.'" That said, you cannot deny the appeal of these packages.

(via design boom)

Archer Farms

I will buy nearly anything if it has great packaging. This is a proposed campaign for Target, who wanted an upscale look for its premium line Archer Farm. Tomorrow Partners agency created this clean Euro leaf motif that allows for simple graphics and peekaboo windows showing the product. I don't think we'll see this in Target anytime soon, but I love the thought and creativity behind this. (Via ffffound)