Designspiration: Black&White I

As a designer, I see a lot of beauty in simplicity. Crazy, outrageous, trendy graphics will come and go but minimal design lives forever. Ever wonder why the iconic Chanel bag is still popular after all this time? Because the design is 'timeless'. A seemingly simple structure, the classic Chanel bag was intricately and intelligently designed. From the subtlety of the quilted pattern to the elegance of the woven leather through gold plated chains, each detail was thoughtfully created. Make no mistake, these bags are not simply sought after time and time again because of celebrities or just because Chanel is a well known luxury name. Whether you're a classy 50's Audrey Hepburn-style fashionista or rocking out in Nasty Gal and Hot Topic clothes, these bags will literally fit any type of wardrobe. Dress up or dress down, the bag will go with everything. You can thank the simplistic design structure for that. Bottom line: Simplicity is evergreen. 

With that said, Black & White and structure are key elements to my own design aesthetics. There is something undeniably sleek about geometrical sharpness and a monochrome palette. Check out those killer shoes! A prime example of intricate design that is trendy yet can be in style for a long time due to practical structure. And that is what I like to achieve in my own designs. I hope this Designspiration board will inspire you to love the monochrome colors as much as I do.

Mood Board: YKM

Boy, let me tell ya, there is no greater feeling than having design work that is actually enjoyable. I kinda forgot what that was like for a good chunk of my career because I was used to the 9 to 6 grind. And there's nothing wrong with the 9 to 6 grind for the most part. I love my working environment but to be honest, the work itself is far from "fun" or even creative. It's much more technical and redundant. So when a design opportunity knocks on my door and yells "FUN!", I take full advantage of it (and trust me, it doesn't happen very often). I had a client reach out to me for a project that I pretty much jumped on in a heart beat because I love the field of work they do and what they are asking for. Actually, this is 1 of 3 projects I jumped on board! All of which I'm pretty excited to bring into fruition. 

I created this mood board based off the feedback I was getting from the client. She and I have similar aesthetics so I already knew things were hitting off to a good start. A good mood board gives you an overall idea of how the branding should be displayed. This was actually the second mood board I created for her because she wasn't quite feeling the first one. It's a good thing because we established something she did like and did resonate with. My professor throughout my first two years in design school always had us create mood boards with our projects. I loved making them then because I'm a completely visual person (obviously :P) and I still utilize them now in my career. In essence, they are just pretty inspirational images to look at. But it can also be used as a crucial tool of communication with a client. If you haven't started utilizing mood boards for any design works, whether it's at your job, for yourself or freelance projects, I highly recommend you doing so. And besides, they are a lot of fun to make. Time-consuming yes, but definitely FUN.