Interview with Coralie Bickford-Smith

If you haven't noticed, I've been falling through on my (completely self-inflicted) blogging duties. I have so much to share, but school and life been more than keeping me busy. I've finally made it to "fall break" and savoring every moment of it and the excuse to go out and explore Paris without assignments hanging over my head. I'm working on some fun posts, but in the meantime, I wanted to direct you over to the latest interview I did over on design*sponge with Penguin classics cover designer, Coralie Bickford-Smith. Her work is so amazing, so I hope you enjoy the piece on the inspiration and process behind the new cloth-bound classics [not pictured]. Check it out HERE!

P.S. For quick glimpses of my life in Paris you can catch me on twitter. I've been known to upload pictures of my everyday life here.

Lettering & Type

While life in Paris is great, there are days where I could use a good dose of Baltimore. Today is one of those days I wish someone had invented a button that could transport me there in a matter of seconds. Last year I remember hearing tales of Bruce Willen and Nolen Strals of PostTypography being hard at work on their first book. I can't think of anyone more perfect to write a book called Lettering & Type (check out their work if you don't believe me). Tonight all their hard work pays off with the official launch party at MICA. But the best part is that 26 artists and designers will be presenting their favorite alphabetic letter or typographic character. I can only imagine what Baltimore will come up with!Click here for a peek inside the pages of Lettering & Type: Creating Letters & Designing Typefaces. You can pick up your very own copy right here.

Congrats Bruce and Nolen!

P.S. for those of you in NYC, the NYC launch happens Nov 17th at The Cooper Union.

P.S.S. on a separate note, in no other city can pink flamingos make the news like they can in Baltimore!

This Week in Paris

Lucky you, item one opens all around the world tomorrow (I'll just get an extra French lesson out of the subtitles). I happen to have opening day tickets for the 28th, first show of the day! My hip-hop teacher will be proud. Michael Jackson's THIS IS IT, for two weeks only! Turn your volume up and check out the trailer.

David Lebovitz talks about his favorite subject - desserts - at the American Library in Paris Wednesday night at 19h30.

LOGORAMA, a film about the over-marketed world by Ludovic Houplain, François Alaux et Hervé de Crécy. Thursday at 18h30 at the Musee des Arts Decoratifs

Happy Birthday Tour Eiffel

I can't help but laugh at the fact that about 80% of my photos I've taken since I arrived in Paris are of the Eiffel Tower. I'm such a tourist (trust me, in reality I'm not). That and I can't help that it's literally in my backyard. I'm trying to break the habit and get back to using my real camera again (all these shots are with my iphone- pas mal for night shots, ay? - it's "saving for web" that hurt the quality most). But in the meantime, I thought I'd do my part to help celebrate the Eiffel Tower's 120th birthday. The shot above left is what the Eiffel Tower typically looks like at night (and from my window, although I can only see the top of it), and to the right is what happens at the top of every hour- it twinkles for 5 minutes.

Recently, La Tour Eiffel started to look a bit more like this at night. It's particularly cool walking under it with the blue lights.
And then last night, I was on my merry way near Trocadero and happened to catch a mini lighting spectacle. There were many, many more combinations than this, but these were the most festive to share.

The World in Color

I'm currently taking a class on color as a tool for communication in marketing in art. We recently had to come up with a collection and structure, as well as naming system. I thought it would be fun to share what I came up with. You can click on the images below to enlarge and see the location for each. (Note: I feel like as I saved down the images "for web" they lost some of their color - any tips on how to avoid this in the future?)
Ultimately, I decided to base my naming system from images from Iceland. I pulled one image from each color palette, and I was happy with the resulting images. For me they were very reflective and indicative of my experience in Iceland - showcasing the mix of natural beauty, great design, and fun with color in a place one would least expect. The two naming systems were based on Iceland as a place (ie. tourism focus) and temperature.
P.S. For another inspired, unexpected way of viewing the world, don't miss "Paris Pastries" by Susan Hochbaum. It compares French pastries to architectural and everyday elements around Paris. Truly inspired and incredible (just be patient and wait for the entire show)! {via LostNCheeseland}

Boarding Pass - Ashley North Compton

I'm so bummed that just as I was leaving Baltimore, Ashley North Compton was moving to Baltimore. I wish our paths had crossed earlier, but alas, we have the wonders of the internet to connect and inspire. And who knows, maybe our paths will cross somewhere else in the world, given our mutual love of travel and design. Regardless, I'm so thrilled to have her featured for today's edition of Boarding Pass! {Thanks, Ashley!}

last trip taken:
small stints to Austin, TX + Charleston, SC, respectively. Also recently- a 2 month/23 city/9,122 mile road trip around the US coined 'wanderjaunt 2009'.

{Barton Springs :: Austin, TX}

next trip on deck:
NYC! for a wedding and general catching up. I often forget how grateful I should be that it's such a cheap/easy/awesome weekend away from the trusty Mid-Atlantic.

{Cliffs Moher :: Ireland}

one place you would go back to again and again:
Anywhere in Ireland. All of the country that I've experienced feels like home and smells like pete moss.

{Barcelona}

place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
It depends on the friend. To my designer friends- Barcelona. It's a no-brainer. So much to see and do along that vein. And yet not-to-do; hello, cava + tapas at 1pm. To anyone else, inclusive of my designohpiles- Granada, Spain. it's a lovely mix of culture, an uber-hippiesque college town and has the best gazpacho and sangria on the planet...plus Moroccan tea shops. Swoon-city. To anyone in general- perhaps, oddly, the Themal Spas in Vals, Switzerland. It's the coolest [green] architecture set into a hill, the Alps hit you in the face on the back deck, and it's inclusive of a cave thermal pool, on top of which, flower petals float. Yes please!

{Austin, TX}{Thermal Spas in Vals, Switzerland}

preferred method of transportation:
train, or car. I like seeing the sights from a window. and having more control over my schedule in that sense. I can't wait until we depend on something other than a rapidly-depleting source of fuel- monthly roadtrip? Sign me up. Trains evoke that wondrous, yesteryear feeling. it's the one major thing, besides everything else, that I wish our country got a better hold of.

{streetcar :: San Francisco}

place you've never been but dying to go:
So many places. For one, Reykjavik, Iceland- on the way to Copenhagen...truly anywhere I can catch a good to great glimpse of the Northern Lights, and/or cozy up amongst an amalgamated refined-design-sense, cozy coffee shops and amazing food. Also highly contemplating a Canadian roadtrip...whereupon I see said northern lights + otherwise don vintage snow shoes.

{Sagrada Familia :: Barcelona}

place you'd never go back:
Any major European city that I've already been too- inclusive of Madrid, Rome, Milan or maybe even Paris. No, scratch that- Paris again. and again. Not that I'd refuse a trip back to the others- they're wonderful, worthwhile places- but I feel like I have a lot more ground to cover and I sort of hate the oft-seen + ever-touted.

{Asheville, NC}

most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
My sisters wedding was in Ballyvaughan on the east coast of Ireland; following was a 2-person, 10 day roadtrip from the east coast- southernly- to the west coast. It was the perfect mix of kindredness and adventure, inclusive of some of my favorite folks and the most amazing salmon ever-- mmHM.

{Ventura, CA}

how do you prepare for a trip?
I procrastinate until the very last moment. and then I do laundry, charge all-things-chargeable and pack and repack 14 times the night before circa 1-4am whereupon I realize I need to sleep at some juncture. As far as the actual planning; I sort of do the verbal equivalent of blindly poking a locale on a spinning globe-- I say or think to myself "i would love to go here ___" or "see this ____" and then try my best to make it happen as such. I went to Spain with the first and last night's stays in Madrid planned, a list of 7 potential cities i wanted to visit, [knowing I could likely fit in 3-5...I did 4] and a train schedule...My US wanderjaunt was similar, in a way-- I printed a US map out and drew a dot where I knew a family/friend and connected the dots...things opened up from there.
I love the idea of preparedness, but ultimately get incredibly bored preparing- so I just end up 'showing up.' This works and sometimes doesn't, but the model is what I chose to employ until something more effective comes along. Or; one could say 'winging it' is the new 'booked.' I think in travel, and actually life too, the more you just show up, expect something great [without defining it completely], the more things open up to you...meeting people and seeing things you may not have otherwise.

{Getty Center :: LA}

how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
mostly via digital camera. I used to hate that my sketching was waning as technology waxed. Yet, now, I feel like I record so much more and quicker- and can sketch/design when I get back. Sometimes. I also typically record, in a blank book, what I did on a daily basis. I've also started to create something tangible from my jaunts. This time-- some t-shirts + postcards from a photo I took in White Sands [National Park], New Mexico. I also used to sell fine art photos on etsy based on past trips.

{on etsy}

{Inch Beach :: Ireland}

what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
Tiny people. No, really. That, and shadows. I think there must be some odd psychology behind that. Color blocks, obscure textures and unexpected patterns as well. In effect, I like the 'visually elusive.' I sort of like how a lot of my photos could have been taken anywhere.
Also- per the blog, I like to record how people live + work unconventionally. It makes me inexplicably happy. I had the pleasure/fortune to visit some really inspirational homes/studios [Achille Castiglioni in Milan, Neil Frankel in Chicago] while still in school, and I think that initiated a fundamental interest in seeing how people unearth + foster their opus'.

{Achille Castiglioni's Studio in Milan}

{Vitra Museum :: Germany}

on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip?
Between 500-5000. Ireland marked my first trip with digital camera [it was 2006, and I was oh-so behind...as a wannabe Luddite who ultimately caves]. I was still so cautious then, still unaccustomed to this 'digital technology.' Then it hit me- I can be nearly careless, and thus- I am, like most, less discerning and/or critical of something in that moment and cull later.
what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
My friendly nikon D50 because I am a sheep and allow Ashton Kutcher to drive my purchases [sike, I got it before he joined the ad campaign- so, he's the sheep.] a typically, partially-full sketchbook, a few blank books [which I have a penchant for] and some fun pens. I heart ink and get oddly attached to a good pen. Like a good sepia felt tip-- it can make or break an 'entry.'

{Duomo :: Florence, Italy}what do you do after a trip? how long after a trip does this happen?

I blog during a trip nowadays- in real time, more or less...scrapbooks scare me to no end. I do like to annoyingly hold onto every ticket, slip of paper someone gives me and wrapper of a favored beer or chocolate bar. knowing I will never scrapbook them- but perhaps they will end up in a big box in a tiny attic one day and I can say "remember that last day in Madrid when I was 'over' contributing my sub par Spanish to it's native country and lamely ducked into an English version of 'Juno' with Spanish subtitles?" Those significant moments are now forever encapsulated. I also did an obnoxious slideshow for my devoted family, set to music, the weekend I got back from my trip to Spain last year. Bless their abiding hearts.

{NOLA houses}

favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
Myself, more restored, inspired and ready to hit the road/skies/seas again. More so, gratitude and appreciation for what-already-is. Without sounding like an Oprah episode- for as much as I love love travel [lots]- I love the perspective it affords me...and recognizing how lucky I am to have super people/places/things in my life where I already reside...

{Marfa :: Texas, White Sands :: New Mexico, Rapid City :: South Dakota}

On a more tangible note, I have an unearthly obsession with having a gloriously globally stocked pantry...other-worldly spices, teas, wines + oils strike my fancy in a big way. That and typically one locally-designed or thrifted dress/skirt per trip. However else can one sip a foreign wine, except within a sweet little foreign frock?

links:

• website/blog :: the wanderous (don't miss the travel photomontages here and here)
• on etsy:: the wanderoushop
• on flickr
• at weheartit

Click HERE for more editions of Boarding Pass!

Take the Stairs!

Whenever given the option of taking the stairs or escalator, I always opt for the stairs. Consider this.

This Week In Paris

Johnny Miller and Baptiste Lignel bring a little bit of Americana to Paris Thursday (Oct 15th) with the opening reception of their new book, Coney Island, at Galerie Pierre-Francois Garcier. There will be Coney Island fare - nuggets, margaritas and cotton candy - to ring in the Paris premier in true style. [click image to enlarge for more information]
What timing. A week after his passing, Galerie Thierry Marlat in the Marais opens Irving Penn's " Banquet" exhibition Thursday evening from 6-9pm. Show continues through January 16th.
Nathalie Lete celebrates her new charming book "Le Petit Chaperon Rouge" this Saturday from 3-5pm at Bonton Bazar.

Boarding Pass - Nate Williams

After Eliza Jane Curtis's feature over the summer, and today's Boarding Pass with illustrator Nate Williams, I'm even more convinced that Buenos Aires is a hotbed for creativity activity. But wherever you are, chances are good that you've seen Nate's work around whether for BlueQ, Urban Outfitters, Coke, United, the New York Times and many more. I'm also inspired by the fact Nate photographs lots of hand-painted signs on his travels - it only seems appropriate for an illustrator known for his hand lettering. {Thanks, Nate!}
last trip taken:
Cordoba, Argentina

{give me a peso and I'll draw what I think you'll look like naked}

next trip on deck:
somewhere in Brasil
one place you would go back to again and again:
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
place you'd most likely recommend a friend go visit:
Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica
preferred method of transportation:
Walking
place you've never been but dying to go:
Brasil, Mexico
place you'd never go back:
Santiago, Chile
most memorable trip in 2 sentences or less:
Fiji was a very memorable tirp ... I didn't know places like that existed.
how do you prepare for a trip?
I like to know a little about he places history and climate
how do you record your travels when you're traveling?
I usually like to take photos .. just to jar my memory for later. I have a big magnet wall at my house and all I need is a small photograph to pt me mentally back in the place
what is your favorite thing to photograph in a new place?
food, bugs, buildings
on an average, how many pictures to you take on a trip? 50
what's in your "designer travel kit" ?
camera, sketchbook, books to read in transit, sharpie markers, pens
what do you do after a trip?
post pictures on my blog for my family to see and for me to have a record
favorite souvenir/thing to bring back?
information, stories, pictures
links:

• website: Nate Williams
• blog (travel links here)
  
• on Twitter
  
• on Flickr

Click HERE for all the past editions of Boarding Pass!