Vale Design : Freelance Package Design & Branding

Mini-Marathon DIY Pasta Project

We have a friend who will be running in the Indianapolis Mini-marathon this weekend. My husband and I have run this 13.1 mile race before and it is so much fun! They have bands and people cheering on the sidelines for you the entire time. You even have the opportunity to run around the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway! We were trying to think or something fun and inspiring to give to him for good luck. What could be better than a pasta dinner?! The recipe is on the back of the sauce jar and a personal note is on the back of the pasta jar. I purchased these inexpensive smooth ball jars at Hobby Lobby and the tri-color pasta from Whole Foods. The sauce is a Giada De Laurentiis receipe. It is super easy. Good Luck Henry!

CHEERS

VOTE FOR ME!

Super excited to find out that my DIY SEED PACKETS [both designs] were suggested and accepted to printspiration.com. Vote for me! I will shamelessly plug myself! Click on the image or the link to get to the voting! I think you click on the VOTE section in the upper right near the hero shot. Thanks everyone!

CHEERS

DIY Scrapbook Paper Seed Packet {project 2}

Here is seed packet project number 2. It is a seed packet made out of SCRAPBOOK PAPER. As stated in project 1, I was trying to figure out a way to make some cute seed packets without using that much ink. Yesterday, I wandered into a local craft store and was blown away by all the scrapbook paper! There were so many great patterns and colors. This seed packet design is printed on the BACK WHITE side of the scrapbook paper. The design has a small sticker label, in black or brown, that can be placed anywhere on the packet. As you can see from the shots, I have placed the sticker upper left, center, and bottom right. You can print these labels on sticker stock or on any colored text weight paper [make sure it is not too dark that you loose the type] and apply it as a sticker or with double stick tape. The design has two blank lines at the bottom of the packet to write in your personalized copy. Thoughts: mix and match paper and label colors. Matchy-matchy is too boring! Enjoy!  

**Please note the dieline is different from the previous project

Materials needed:

 

Quote "Love is the seed of all hope." All paper purchased from Hobby Lobby.

Download design here.

Download BLACK sticker here. (12 stickers per sheet)

Download BROWN sticker here.  (12 stickers per sheet)

Would be great as a wedding favor or as part of a gift for Mother's Day or for any day!

CHEERS

DIE AND DESIGN © 2010 VALE DESIGN. PERSONAL USE ONLY. NOT INTENDED FOR COMMERCIAL USE.

COMMON SENSE RULE: PLEASE DO NOT COPY, REPRODUCE, MODIFY OR PROFIT FROM THIS DESIGN IN ANYWAY. {Cheating means we have to stop sharing. Please don't be that person.}

DIY Seed Packet {project 1}

With all the nice weather, I have been working in the yard for the past couple of days. While I was digging away in the dirt, I thought about how fun it would be to design some seed packets. So I did! I was also trying to think of ways to cut back on using so much ink. This super easy DIY is one of two seed packet designs I will be sharing. The design uses only black ink and has three blank lines at the bottom of the packet to write in your personalized copy. Your only limitation is choosing what color sheets of paper to use! The second project should follow very shortly. Enjoy!

Materials needed

 

 

 

 

Quote "This very moment is a seed from which the flowers of tomorrow's happiness grow."

Download design here.

Would be great as a wedding favor or as part of a gift for Mother's Day or for any day!

CHEERS

DIE AND DESIGN © 2010 VALE DESIGN. PERSONAL USE ONLY. NOT INTENDED FOR COMMERCIAL USE.

COMMON SENSE RULE: PLEASE DO NOT COPY, REPRODUCE, MODIFY OR PROFIT FROM THIS DESIGN IN ANYWAY. {Cheating means we have to stop sharing. Please don't be that person.}

Don't forget about Dover

I have been a package designer for almost a decade and sometimes I forget about a great design resource, Dover Publications. They publish books of black or full color royalty-free art that can either be scanned or found on the provided CD. I already have so much clip art in my arsenal, but I picked up some new material today. When I am not designing, I can be found slowly browsing through antique stores for any vintage packaging labels or ads. Today while I was browsing through Barnes n Noble, I found a Dover book called Full Color Old Time Label Art. GORGEOUS! Even if I do not use any of the art, the labels are inspirations in color, diecuts shapes, illustrations and typography. Stunning. The book included the 300 dpi RGB TIFF artwork on CD for both Mac and Windows. Here is the cover and an example TIFF. Don't forget, these are also a great reference for stationery design and wedding invitations! Initial artwork and woodcut illustrations.

 

Example artwork

Other Dover favorites of mine:

- 1500 Decorative Ornaments (CD included)

- Ornate Letters and Initials

- Printer's Ornaments from the Renaissance to 20th Century

- Old Fashioned Christmas Illustrations

[Remember, for the items you need to scan in, either change them to vector paths out of Photoshop or save them as TIFFs, EPSs or bitmaps.]

CHEERS

Merchandise Catalog {freelance work}

I am so excited to be able to share this freelance project with you. I loved every step. It is a merchandise catalog that was done as a support piece to a magalog that I had also collaborated on. The client was amazing and the design firm that I worked with, Evolve Creative, is a talented and friendly bunch. Definintely one of my favorites to have the opportunity to work with. Below are some category dividers and spreads. This piece will also be featured in my Portfolio under the Print section. Have a great weekend!

CHEERS

Nate Berkus would be proud

Cutey Nate Berkus, Oprah's favorite interior designer, says that everyone should collect something. I have always bucked against this even though I come from collectors. I thought it just cluttered a home. Throughout the years though, I have changed my mind. Collecting does not necessarily have to be little campy knick-knacks. To each his own. My collection was born out of my excitement to be married and change my last name. I am proud of that and that started to manifest itself into a collection of "V's," both new and vintage. I live for the weekends when I have the opportunity to raid antique stores, garage sales, and Anthropolgie! These are a couple of my favorites that are scattered throughout our home. Now if you would kindly excuse me...that face is calling my name to take her on a walk! It is finally gorgeous outside.

Top Hobby Lobby, Anthropologie

Middle [both] Anthropologie

Bottom Daisy, Anthropologie

Still scouring the architectural salvage yards for that GIANT V. Has anyone seen one somewhere? What do you collect?

CHEERS [hope everyone is enjoying the sunshine!]

::earth day 3:: DIY Gorgeously Green all-purpose cleaner

Happy Earth Day everyone! I am a big fan of the book Gorgeously Green by Sophie Uliano. As a treat, I have added a DIY from the book for her all-purpose spray cleaner. Enjoy reduce, reuse, recycle!

32 oz plastic spray bottle

2 cups water

1/2 cup distilled white vinegar (I used a cup b/c I love vinegar as a cleaner!)

1 teaspoon pure castile soap

3/4 cup hydrogen peroxide

20 drops tea tree oil

20 drops lavender or lemongrass essential oil

10 drops citronella (optional, but good for an insect repellent)

Spray is suitable for acrylic, ceramic tile, wood, marble and granite.

Mix all ingredients together and pour into spray bottle and you're done! Try to use an old rag or t-shirt to clean instead of paper towels. When done, just toss them in the washing machine and use them another day.

CHEERS

IdeaPaint is too cool!

I just learned about this on SwissMiss twitter. It is called IdeaPaint. It is paint that turns any surface into a dry-erase board! Now, being a designer who is a firm believer in brainstorming, this is an awesome idea. There is never enough space on the walls of my office for me to put all of my ideas and now the whole room could be a brainstorming surface. Such a great idea!

CHEERS

::earth day 2:: Bye Bye Plastic Bottles!

We are all aware that there are WAY too many plastic bottles in circulation. According to Fast Company, we throw away 38 billion water bottles into landfills a year. YIKES! If my husband brings some home, we make sure they all make it out into the recycling bin. We have been known to leave friends and family's homes with bottles to recycle. Nowadays there are alternative options.

Reusable water bottles by Sigg. I found these designy examples at reusablebags.com. [Love the kids version illustrations]

The Cola companies are stepping up by moving back into glass. Pepsi has an option in a glass bottle called Pepsi Natural. Coke has BLaK, a cola slash coffee drink. "The American and Canadian versions have a plastic RESEALABLE CAP on a glass bottle that resembles the classic Coke bottle, whereas the French/Czech version is a bottle shape formed from aluminum." [from wikipedia] 

Most recycling would like you to remove the caps and only recycle the bottle. If you are like me you think, "now what do I do with the caps?" Here is an interesting option. Aveda offers a cap recycling program. The link will let you know what type of cap you can and can not bring into the Aveda stores to be recycled. Just checked with the Aveda store near me and they participate! Yeah!

CHEERS

Nature's Source follow up {free sample!}

I am amazed everyday by the power of the internet and networking. I wrote a post the other day about my intrigue with the SC Johnson Nature's Source packaging. I was contacted via email not too much after the post went up by a PR person [who ended up being the coolest] and today with a ring of the doorbell, I had a free full size sample. PS the packaging looks great!

CHEERS [to M. thank you very much!]

::earth day 1:: DIY Tote & Reusable Bag ideas

In honor of Earth Day/Week, we will be featuring Earth friendly ideas, resources and DIYs.

Found this great detailed DIY on CraftStylish on how to make your own reusable tote using an apple as inspiration. So cute! [This is on the top of my own to-do list.]

Some great reusable bag Etsy purchases from left to right: Fabrik, LittleGreenPea, and NaturallyFelt.

There is also an online company based out of Chicago called Reusable Bags that you should check out. Many eco-friendly products on that website. You can also follow them on Twitter.

 

[They just posted a great link for Kids Konserve Waste Free Lunch Kit]

Also found this great site, Cosa Verde, on papernstitch. Cosa Verde is a wonderful site "connecting independent and emerging artists with environmentally-conscious consumers."

Try to do something everyday this week that will help the environment. Even a small act will help!

CHEERS

Dasani Essence bottle

I came around a corner in Target the other day and noticed the Dasani Essence bottles on an endcap. It is an interesting shape. Seems like a simple, clean design for bottled waters. Almost a bit more upscale. After doing a bit of quick research, this is a snippet of a press release that I stumbled onto from Coke:

"SUSTAINABILITY QUESTIONS

WHY IS MY DASANI® BOTTLE LIGHTER? 

We are reducing the weight of our DASANI® bottles in order to enhance resource efficiency. Lighter weight bottles require less plastic which helps to conserve natural resources and lower CO2 emissions. 

HOW MUCH LIGHTER ARE THESE BOTTLES? 

The weight of DASANI® bottles has been reduced by 30% since the brand's inception. 

IS MY DASANI® BOTTLE RECYCLABLE? 

Yes, the DASANI® bottle is 100% recyclable. In fact, during the initial design process we worked closely with recyclers to optimize every aspect of the DASANI® package for recycling - including the cap, label, inks and glues. Even the light blue color of the bottle was specifically selected due to its desirability by recyclers over alternative options."

CHEERS

Illustrator Jessica Gonacha

MADLY. IN. LOVE. with illustrator Jessica Gonacha. I had an impossible time trying to pull just 8 of her patterns that I loved. She is young, talented, and has a great sense of color combinations. I am following her now on twitter and am very interested in her Etsy shop. If you are a connoisseur of patterns like I am, please visit her site. You will fall in love and get inspired! Such creativity! Have a great weekend!

Jessica Gonacha

follow her on twitter

CHEERS

Vector Tutorials and Free Downloads

Do you like to doodle and draw. You too can be a graphic designer! [I hate that commercial] If you twitter than you should definitely be connected to VecTips. They have some great tutorial links and a ton of free vector downloads. Sometimes, depending on time, it is nicer to have the beginning shape to manipulate other than drawing them from scratch. I have been pretty pleased with the links that I have quickly checked out. I have moved one, the seamless paisley pattern, into my Fav Tutorial category. If you are a designer on twitter, get connected. You never know when you will need a new trick up your sleeve for that next project!

 

CHEERS

The Little Seed

Soleil Moon Frye and Paige Goldberg Tolmach are the founders of a baby boutique in LA called The Little Seed. It is a children's specialty store carrying organic and eco-friendly products. I do not have a child yet...but this gets me thinkin'!

CHEERS

Nature's Source

I have been seeing snippets of this packaging, but have yet to get to the store to check it out in person. This is a new line of "natural" type cleaning products from SC Johnson called Nature's Source. I like the clear hierarchy of brand and sub-brand. They have a nice looking website as well. Interested to see the small details in person.

CHEERS

New Healthy Choice packaging

Have you seen the commercials with the new Healthy Choice packaging featuring Julia Louis Dreyfus? I love that they are so lighthearted. They are really reflecting the new look of the packaging. Fresh, modern, and clean. I really like the use of the strong bold exclamation point as a branding element both on the package and integrated into the logo as well. I also like how the mark changes color to distinguish the lines under the main brand umbrella and how it quietly tucks behind the plate on the Cafe Steamers. Nice subtle touch.

CHEERS

Temporary insanity

Apparently our site is not being seen correctly at the moment. Some of the navigation bar links may not be working as well due to this issue. Should be resolved within in the next 48 hours. Thank you for your patience. Technology...

CHEERS   :)

Blog love

Some mornings it is tough to get moving. Since I have dipped my toe into the blogiverse, it is amazing to see how many creative people, resources and DIY projects are out there! Also, it is wonderful to see everyone wanting to share their ideas! I have been wondering around, searching for the end of the internet, and have stumbled onto a couple of new blogs and design references that I think you may enjoy.

 

This one is not new, but should be one of your staples. They have a great new section called "Top Packaging Advice" from the Pros. Only good can come from seasoned designers sharing with passionate eager younger designers. I love to hear about other people's process. I am always looking for ways to tweak and challenge my own.

 

Another new favorite blog of mine, Mint, was brought to my attention by another of my fav's, Twig & Thistle. There are some great finds, links and resources on this blog. I especially like the posts of note section.

CHEERS

Home

Hello everyone! Happy Monday after Easter. We are home after interviews, a 5 year old birthday party, Easter brunch, a quick trip to Chicago, some running and a 6:30 am breakfast of long awaited cake on Easter Sunday. As you can imagine I am up to my elbows in chores and errands so I will leave you with some of my favorite design work to date! Who can beat a gift like this from the niece?!

CHEERS

Happy Holidays

I am away from my computer, but I wanted to wish you all a Good Friday and Easter! Safe travel to all! CHEERS (and rabbit ears)

Inspiration for the day

In all of my running around today, I just happened to [accidentally] stop into Anthropologie. I love that store! Great colors, clothing, dish and bedding patterns, in-store displays, and definitely packaging. Today, my graphic eye was drawn to a cloth napkin that was hiding on the bottom shelf in the kitchen section. It is my favorite color and I love the graphic and color combination. You just never know where creative inspiration is going to come from. Always keep your eyes open!

CHEERS [off for a run! peanut butter bagel here I come!]

New domain name

Great logo reference website

Happy Monday everyone! I wanted to pass along this website that my mom forwarded to me this morning. I usually do not even open something that is forwarded, but she mentioned this one was worth looking at and boy was it ever! It is called AllMyFaves and it is a website that has multiple categories with multiple logos and links. It was nice to have all of those links on one site, but it is also a great reference to have for a logo designer. All of those corporate logos all in one place. I have added this link to my design reference column to the right. This will certainly be a site I will use often.

Brand New Invitation Section

Wedding Reception Announcements, Invitations, and RSVP

Here is a sneak peek of the brother's wedding reception kit that will be mailed soon! Can you see the hidden image?

CHEERS

Brand Packaging Magazine

If you are a package designer, then you should have a subscription to Brand Packaging Magazine. It is a FREE monthly publication that focuses on trends, brands, structures, substrates, sustainable, and has great articles. Sometimes when you are doing research on package design, it is hard to find great references. This one is a must have. It is not loaded down like Communications Arts. It is a nice, light, quick read with large visual images. They also offer an online option if you would like to save some trees! Thankfully, this always seems to arrive when I am stumped on a project. Always gets my brain moving again!

 

CHEERS

Coolest Teakettle!

My husband travels to China a lot for work. In all of his travels, he has become a connoisseur of tea. He is always looking for the latest, greatest, coolest, oldest way to drink all the tea he brings home with him. I think I have found it. A former colleague of mine, who is one of the co-founders and partners of Vessel, an Industrial Design firm in Chicago, sent me a link to their new award winning teakettle, One. So cool! I need to find out how to get one of these for the husband. He will love it!

CHEERS

Favorite Illustrators of the moment

I use ILLUSTRATOR but that does not make me an ILLUSTRATOR. Don't get me wrong, if the project calls for it, done. But then there are people in the world who have the amazing ability to illustrate. To take a simple thought and interpret it all different ways. I love to see who they are as people and how they see the world translate onto the page. These are 2 of my current favorites. One of which I am lucky enough to call friend and to call whenever I need some whimsical advice. Enjoy!

TAD CARPENTER

His website and his Twitter.

FRESH PICKED WHIMSY

Her website and her Twitter.

CHEERS [Happy April Fool's Day!]