Cards!

Talking about cards is one of our favorite pastimes here at eInvite's Insights. However, I recently came across a fantastic archive which offers another genre of cards: playing cards.The Yale University Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library is home to the Cary Playing Card Database, an archive freely available through this link.

While one may never have thought to look to something as simple and ubiquitous as playing cards for visual inspiration, the contents of the database are rich with examples of bold patterns and detailed ornamentation. What I find interesting is the contrast of said bold and detailed patterns with others in the collection; there are plenty of examples of equally visually striking patterns, though wrought from nothing more than lines of various weights.

Have a look!

Match Maker

Not only as a designer, but also as a collector of vintage tins, I truly appreciate old typography and graphic design. Anything that dons the aesthetic of days-gone-by has a cozy place in my heart. At the moment, I’m particularly enamored with vintage matchboxes or anything resembling them in the slightest. Their illustrative graphics, paired with interesting phrases and colorful typography, are captivating and otherworldly. The fact that older boxes are made of wood, make them ideal for reuse, either to store more matches in, or perhaps small valuables. At a vintage themed wedding, old matchboxes could make for great favors, or decorations at each table. However, if shopping on Ebay for days-on-end, or scouring antique shops is not necessarily in your schedule, there are fabulous alternatives that would give the same old-world vibe. I’ve featured a few options above, as well as, some photos of the real deal. Be sure to check out wackystuff’s photostream on flickr. The Russian matchbox labels circa 1965 are amazing!!

{images L to R}
Vintage Belgian Matches from P.O.S.H
Daily Fortune Matchbooks by Rosebud Design Studio
Luxe Covered Matchboxes by Cori Kindred
Vintage Matchbox Labels via Wackystuff's Photostream on Flickr

Kawaii Master

A style of art and design prominent in Japan since the 1970's, known as "kawaii" (Japanese for cuteness) has become hugely prevalent in Japanese culture in everything from advertising to clothing, furniture, even behavior. It is a style that has widely embraced by both the young and adult.

In art, probably the most famous of artists working in this style is Takashi Murakami. His paintings, done in a technique called "super-flat", can almost take on a digitally printed look, but are brush painted in acrylics often on a massive scale. Murakami's works show a surreal kawaii cuteness, but range from the cuddly to an ironic violence.

His work has attained world wide fame and has led his design company "KaiKai KiKi" to high profile collaborations such as handbag patterns for Louis Vuitton. In 2008 he was listed in Time Magazine's "100 most influential people".

I was lucky to see one of his giant paintings at the Museum of Fine Art, Boston and I was blown away by the beauty and boldness of the piece. I love Murakami's art for the endless variety of imagination it represents.

{top image is from www.artcess.wordpress.com, bottom image from www.arttattler.com}