Here is your freshly squeezed design inspiration for the week of April 10 2023.
- SOMETHING GORGEOUS: The Work of Studio Rhonda
- PORTFOLIO OF THE WEEK: Pooja Jadav
- Lacoste Heritage by Bonhomme
- Heinz Up & Down Bottle April Fools'
- Askly Branding & Visual Identity
- ONE GRAM: A Very Very Imaginative World
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Resource of the Week
Webflow
Webflow is my tried and trusted tool when it comes to building amazing websites for my design clients. I use it for pretty much everything, even my own personal site. When designers and creatives ask me about Webflow though, I always recommend it as a tool they should have in their kit. It has allowed me to charge more for my clients while also being able to build full interactive and engaging websites. This month Webflow has officially announced their new Webflow 101 course that is completely free to enroll.
In this course you will cover the basics of HTML and CSS, how to build responsive websites, and much more!
Get Started with Webflow Today
Something Gorgeous
The Work of Studio Rhonda
Rhonda Drakeford is cross-disciplinary British designer based in London. Her work spans interior spaces, furniture, textiles, and printed matter. Her interior work grabbed my eye as this is always how I imagined the inside of my home may look like. Beautiful color blocked walls with exciting bright colored furniture throughout. Her use of color and materials is exquisite even making the most boring of moments such as the old style radiators gorgeous.
Portfolio Of The Week
Pooja Jadav
Pooja Jadav is product illustrator currently working as a brand designer at Stark. As I was scanning the web for this week's portfolio of the week, her brightly colored bubbles and interesting typography caught my eye and knew there was something good to see here. Her portfolio website is a one page site that displays all of her selected work while also incorporating tons of personality and fun interactions. I specifically love how she integrated some of her Instagram posts onto her portfolio website to show what she is working in between projects.
All of her project case studies use a simple layout with a brief overview of the project followed by carousel of great mock ups and slides. In some of her work she even links directly out to the client's website. While I talk a lot with designers during our portfolio reviews about building out robust and comprehensive case studies for your projects. This is a great example of simpler more streamlined approach that can be used when you're just starting off.
Portfolio rating: 8.1/10
Her portfolio website was built using Framer 👍
View Pooja Jadav's portfolio here.
Creative Finds
Lacoste Heritage by Bonhomme
While Lacoste is a clothing brand I have never sported a day in my life. It doesn't take much for me to admire this beautiful website developed by Parisian digital branding studio Bonhomme. Oozing of big bold typography and glorious archival photographs, this site explores 90 years of the Lacoste brand that will keep you scrolling up and down.
Heinz Up & Down Bottle April Fools'
Following up on last week's Heinz Tattoo Ink, Heinz also went ahead and release a very funny ketchup bottle with two sides so you can always get that last drop of tomato sauce.
Askly
Askly is a chat product for e-commerce stores and while that is great and all the visual identity created by Estonian ad agency Tabasco is a bit more interesting to me. I shared a similar visual identity in a previous Creative Juice but this is starting to develop as a trend I am seeing more frequently in the world of branding. What do you think?
ONE GRAM
A Very Very Imaginative World
Ronald Ong is a digital artist creating fairytale like imagery such as zebras made of oreos and and shark birds. It's an immediate follow for me and you should too.
One Thing I Learned
Continue to Ask Questions
After my first week in Thailand and making new friends I find myself in a lot of conversations about why we enjoy traveling so much. Many have shared things like "seeing as much of the world as possible", and "trying new foods". While others and myself have raised the idea of "learning more about ourselves".
For me specifically I think it comes down to searching for the things I think I am missing. What are those things you ask? Well if I had the answers I would tell you but for now I continue to ask myself that while I travel.
I share this because I relate back to one of the very first things I learned as a graphic designer. While graphic design, yes, can be about the shiny beautiful logo you made, or the interactive website you built. I believe it is very much how you arrived at those decisions. How you came to realize what you needed to do in order to make the thing you or your client wanted. Graphic design at the heart, for me, is about asking questions. Why use these colors over those colors? Why use this typeface rather than Helvetica?
Something I mentioned during a portfolio review this week with a designer was not letting people, or most of the time clients, tell you what they need without questioning why they need it. It is very easy to fall into the mindset of a maker, where you are handed directions and told what to do. But that is where I think the good graphic designers are separated from the great.
Be great and ask every question possible under the sun!
PS. I am currently in Chiang Mai, Thailand. If you have any recommendations or are in the area. Feel free to shoot me a reply!
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