I spent a perfect weekend in Marais with Anna Ahonen from Ahonen&Lamberg. Mini holiday. Sun was shining in Paris, we were biking and just walking around. Visiting places we love, discussing about topics we find attractive and feel passionate about. Just perfect. 

Art

We visited galleries chosen by architecture (interior) and by (known) name, not by art itself or artist as we are maybe used to. That turned out to be an inspiring concept. Surprise art. 

Weekend's palette offered among other things a very nice solo show 'Considering Henry' by Hernan Bas in Gallery Emmanuel Perrotin (Miami&Paris).  

New romanticism, inspiration from the myths and the history of art. Lone figure in exotic landscapes, either reading alone or whispering to tree.

Gallery Emmanuel Perrotin, Paris

   
Hernan Bas, Considering Henry
I liked this isolated cabin painting

Fashion 

The release of the new Tim Burton version of Alice in Wonderland (starring Johnny Depp) had caused Alice mania in Paris. 

Printemps had collaborated with a gang of top fashion designers like Ann Demeulemeester, Maison Martin Margiela, Alexander Mcqueen etc. allowing them to decorate windows, create their versions of Alice in wonderland scenes – Alice outfits and playful display designs.

Actually Alice theme was going on in-store as well. I think that Ladurée's Alice in Wonderland tea party in the basement was amazing. Sweet delicacies & tea sipping. Books, macarons in every colour (black!), and other carefully picked theme-related objects from floor to ceiling.

The tea room itself featured a mix of chess board and grass floors. The sets were so impressive (out of this world!) that after some serious discovering and admire me and Anna couldn't find our way out from the store anymore. Art spectacular.

Photo via Heute World

Photo via Heute World 

Living 

Merci concept store is a fresh alternative for Colette. Lifestyle looking. Charity business. Merci donates all of its proceeds (after breaking even) for young women in Madagascar.  

I totally crushed on these Mydraps at Merci. First cloth serviettes 100% cotton or linen, in roll and pre-cut, for single use or to be washed and used again. High quality houseware design, with various colours and formats.  

A good idea on a roll!



THE kitchen at Merci = a system to tile three dimensionally. Originally as part of the Droog Design Collection. 
     
tiled washbasin, yes please. 

Internal fruitful Werklig discussions, yesterday's Grafia's and Aalto University's 'Future of graphic design'- seminar (We went to see how brilliant minds see it!) and for example Aiga's 'defining the designer of 2015' research shows that there is a one huge hot topic over the others. And that's the most relevant and inspirational issue that lead us, too, forward:

The ways of thinking & doing, processes, defining design, defining graphic designer and the content of art and design degrees in Finland, present and in future, keep our eyes and brains busy. We want to think that our influence is important. We need to speak out. 

In addition, there is a bunch of potential customers and the public who insistently asks questions of concrete profits they can reach by means of design, questions of added value. Lots of good argumentation work is done daily by us. I'm proud of us. 

In the past few weeks, I have found Werklig and our team to be a great success, because i think that already since Werklig's first baby steps over two years ago we have been searching solutions to right kind of questions, or more correct, we have asked the right questions and the very same ultimate ideal and goal that is in every institute's and great minds' lips now leads us forward.  

"Better vision leads to better solutions" as Marco Steinberg from Sitra puts it.

Random note page

Luxus (founded in 2001) is an advertising agency in Finland, specialized in digital media and communications. Luxus has roughly 100 employees in Helsinki, San Francisco and Singapore, and it's annual turnover in 2009 was approximately 10 million Euros. Luxus' clients are leading international and Finnish brands.
(source: Luxus)

Luxus' identity had remained more or less the same for years. There had been some updates—mostly to the logo—but the main look and feel of the company had remained unchanged for nearly a decade. As there had already been several discreet facelifts, small changes were not an option—a full identity makeover was needed. Werklig accepted the task and created a totally new visual identity for Luxus.

The new identity was designed to interpret the Luxus values and philosophy in a fresh way. It was clear that the new identity needed more colors, more energy and more "punch".

Keywords were:
· Modern
· Multicultural
· Playful
· Colorful
· Energetic
· Human
· Fresh

The logo went through a redesign, too. The old one was stylish, but maybe a bit too stylish. It also lacked visual strength and weight. So the new logo was designed to be able to stand out on its own. A bolder and more compact logo brings more personality and visibility to the identity.

The new Luxus logo and new brand colors.

In order to create more playfulness and personal vibe, Luxus pattern was designed. The basis of the pattern is logo's letter "X", which shifts and transforms through different phases in a pattern. The pattrn is designed to be used as a spice only on certain applications.

Luxus pattern.

And finally—to support all this—a solid and consistent system for typography was created both for print and screen environments.

The design process is still not finished. At the moment the basic office tools have been designed and delivered, but there a more areas to cover and assets to produce. Hopefully in the future the new identity will also be applied to all Luxus office spaces in all three continents. The new identity should be encompassing: it should reach the Luxus people (=employees) as well as Luxus clients.

Below are listed some of the applications designed and finalized so far. More will follow.

Basic office tools lined up and ready to go.

Business cards with rotating spot colors. Each employee has five different colors to choose from.

Luxus branded SIGG bottles.

Luxus pens, also using rotating spot colors. Ballograf classic model.

Luxus "boutique" bags, with two color options for strap cords. Reflective foil on white.

Old-school pencils, naturally Luxus-branded.

Custom coloured Post-It note pads. Great for internal brainstorms!

Another classic: Moleskine notebook.

There's a new club in town! DJ's KD and Jenna will play music from disco, experimental, cosmic and old French pop to new, cold and dark waves! The club starts at Musta Kissa on Friday 26/2, 21-02.

The two of them asked me to do a visual identity and consept for their club
YÉ YÉ! The brief was to come up with something surrealistic, could it get any better than that?

The idea is to alter the surrealistic kaleidoscope-like illustration a bit each time by just changing the angles and position of the elements by creating a slightly different atmosphere for each club. I will add a new pic here for each club night.

It's free and surreal! 

YÉ YÉ poster NO 1 by Inka Järvinen

YÉ YÉ poster NO 2 by Inka Järvinen

YÉ YÉ poster NO 3 by Inka Järvinen

YÉ YÉ poster NO 4 by Inka Järvinen 

Minna Parikka asked me to do a collaboration for a silk scarf collection with her. Minna Parikka is a succesful Finnish shoe designer who sells her collections around the world. I really admire Minna's way to work and I'm happy to have the opportunity to work with such a talent. For me this is a perfect way to be creative. Making something new by combining two ways of thinking forthe ambition of making something beautiful.

Photography: Nina Merikallio

Photography: Nina Merikallio

Photography: Nina Merikallio

The scarf collection was inspired by women, their beauty and some traditional silk scarf imaginary.

The collection is coming out next fall and is presented in fashion fairs in Copenhagen, Milan and Paris during this spring.

I had the honor to have some of my works published in Flashback
— A book about Retro Design in Contemporary Graphics. The book was edited by Viction:ary.

Cover of Flashback via Viction:ary

"Retro design has emerged today as designers begin to look back to the vivid 20th century and find inspirations for new graphic styles in the depressive pixel age. Some think the collective and sensational reference of the old time aesthetics is the retrieval of the lost enthusiasm for new findings and the future in the new century, others reckon it as a tribute to the prominent art and design movements between the roaring twenties and the early nineties. Taking a trip down memory lane and witnessing a bold and pronounced application of shapes, typefaces and illustration works in contemporary graphic art, Flashback unveils how the epoch persists to be an enduring spring inside modern creative studios in the well-defined sections of Geometry, Typography and Illustration."

 
One of the works published in the book: Tuli & Savu made together by Inka Järvinen &  FRÄCK

Some other Finnish contribution by: Ahonen&Lamberg, Janine Rewell, Kokoro & Moi, FRÄCK and Jonatan Eriksson