Last week I decided to browse [aka spend hours going] from blog to blog, website to website. I came across a very inspiring and beautifully designed site. The owner: LAURIE FRANKEL, a dynamic photographer with an impressive list of clients [Roost, Dwell Magazine, Real Simple, Vosges Haut Chocolates, etc.] and gorgeous shots. She photographs still lifes, kids, food, and some interiors [check them out]. My favorite were some of her still lifes. She captures highlights in objects perfectly, has a great eye for composition, and made me hungry while I glanced through her delicious food shots.

Some of my favorites. Enjoy!

Intricate paper die cuts, bright colors, beautiful geometric patterns, and unique papers only begin to describe the beautiful cards and prints created by Esther, the owner of ESSIMAR. She is a Chicago-based artist with a wonderful eye for design and likes little accidental spots of ink. One of my favorite pieces is a print called 'coneja'. It is a silhouette cut out of a rabbit with small little cut-out shapes on its back. I especially love the little bits of layered paper on it's nose. Is mounted on an 8x8 sheet of paper and is ready to be bought and framed. Another favorite of mine are the screen printed cards with minimalist patterns. The 'whiskers card' has 5 different printed colors which contrast each other well and the 'neighborgood card' has four pastel stripes and one black stripe that uniquely wrap around the crease to the back of the brown paper card. Her work is stunning and reasonably priced. A perfect gift for anyone!

Also check out her interesting blog

In an interview by Rob Walker, Greta Ackerman describes herself as "a fine art student turned-advertising-designer"; a very true-to-fact statement. She attended Savannah College of Art and Design with plans to major in Illustration. Sticking to a loose and fluid style she aced classes with pieces inspired by her life, whether they were objects or actual images of friends or even particular events. She was also never afraid to get her hands dirty, working in many mediums, from gauche to pen and ink, collage to acrylic. I was her room mate for three years and witnessed these beautiful pieces of work come to life while she occupied the entire room with materials and 'the process'. After graduation she remained in Savannah to get her masters in Advertising. And once again after working her butt off she graduated and landed an internship at Merkley + Partners in New York. After a couple months interning, Merkley + Partners hired her full time as junior graphic designer. Greta Ackerman now lives at home in New Jersey and commutes every week day into the busy city by foot, than bus, than train listening to her ipod to keep her sane and drinking her coffee to keep her ready for the day. She likes "clean design, but [tries] to infuse [her] work with the human element...whether hand-drawn illustrations or handwriting, even collage and hand-printing methods" and describes her style as "mongrel... drawing from everywhere, but still refined - a quiet aesthetic." Despite Greta's love and beginning in old-school methods to create design, she has recently become addicted to the computer and has fallen for fonts. Her talent is one that will not go unmissed in this world. 

Greta Ackerman's thesis is about the Ironic Brand and is interesting and informative. If you are like me, an anti superbrand, anti label wearing consumer, I recommend reading it along with the article by Rob Walker called The Brand Underground; her inspiration for the subject of her thesis.
email me for thesis: jmburkart@gmail.com

to view more of Greta's work >