One of my favourite times of the year.
Today was the first day in the two day creative conference, Semi Permanent. This is one of my favourite times of the year. Something that I always look forward to. I think this is the 5th Semi Permanent I have attended, and boy, do the speakers keep getting better and better. Side note: the goodie bag seems to go further down hill year after year…
I will do a bit of a recap after the entire event about what I learnt and took away from it. And yes, I am aware I said the same thing last year and then never did it. But I promise I will this time! 
These are the speakers at this year’s event:
- Special – Design/Advertising
- Gmunk – Motion Graphics
- Swifty – Graphic Design
- Moffitt.Moffitt – Creative Directors
- Benja Harney – Paper Engineer
- SouthSouthwest – Graphic Design
- Alex Trochut – Typographer/Designer
- The Monkeys – Advertising
- Stolen Girlfriends Club – Fashion Label
- Kelli Anderson – Graphic Designer/Artist
- Wallpaper* Magazine – Publishing
- Hi-Res – Web/Digital Agency
- Stefano De Luigi – Documentary Photographer
- Bec Winnel – Illustrator/Artist
- Industrial Light & Magic – Special Effects
- Ron English – Artist
Let me just say, it’s going to be hard to top my favourite from today so the day two speakers better bring it!
Freebie: February Desktop Wallpaper
It’s February (my birthday month – woo!) which means Valentines Day is nearly here. I’m not that into it, I think it’s a bit of a gimmick holiday… but I thought it might be nice to do a ‘love’ themed wallpaper for this month. I’m totally in love with this font Mishka, so I thought it was appropriate that I use it for this. Hope you enjoy it!
DOWNLOAD WITHOUT DATES: 2560 x 1440 1440 x 900 1280 x 1024
DOWNLOAD WITH DATES: 2560 x 1440 1440 x 900 1280 x 1024
Freebie: January Desktop Wallpaper
Welcome to 2012! I thought that this amazing photo, which Hook took while we were on Mount Maunganui, was quite fitting for this months desktop wallpaper. The sun setting on 2011 and a brand new year starting to shine through. Plus it has sheep in it. And sheep are always awesome – classic New Zealand. Hahaha. Enjoy!
DOWNLOAD HERE: 2560 x 1440 1440 x 900 1280 x 1024
Freebie: December Desktop Wallpaper
I have been meaning to start making desktop wallpapers for far too long now. About time I actually start doing them! So here is my first one, a little bit late – my bad! Hope ya’ll like it! 
I thought the red version might be too intense for some peeps so I made a grey version too!
RED WITH CALENDAR
RED WITHOUT CALENDAR
GREY WITH CALENDAR
GREY WITHOUT CALENDAR
If there are particular resolution sizes you would like just let me know and I can make them up for you and add them to the list of ones I should do every month!
No pink please.
A peak at the baby shower invitations I sent out last week to a lovely lady in Australia. The design was one I had made previously (as seen here and here) and it worked perfectly for Emily in this pastel green and chocolate brown colour scheme to match the cake she is getting for the baby shower. Easy!
I had a little fun packaging them up for her too! I love using striped bakers twine for gift wrapping. So cute.
Looking forward to sending out more paper goodies soon!
Designer Love: Kelli Anderson
I have admired Kelli Anderson‘s different pieces of work so many times now without realising they were all done by the same girl. Her work is popping up on design sites and blogs all over the place at the moment. The AMAZING paper record player wedding invitation (watch the video of it here!) and handkerchief map wedding invitation she designed blew my mind. And her latest project, a solar powered popsicle truck, pretty much sums up how awesome her work is.
She has a fantastic eye for colour and typography. Everything she has designed seems so effortlessly cohesive and her infographics are inspirational to fellow graphic designers like myself.
While you’re checking out all of Kelli’s work here, you should also take a gander at her and Daniel Dunnam‘s amazing home here. I’m in love with the grey and white wallpaper design in the bedroom. And to top off that neat home, Kelli has her own little letterpress studio in there! Jealousssss.
Tattly love.
The awesome Tina of Swissmiss has recently launched Tattly, a store full of temporary tattoos that have been designed by an amazing line up of creatives such as Jessica Hische, Josh Smith, Kelli Anderson and Jessi Arrington – just to name a few.
They are super cheap too! Especially for me, since the New Zealand dollar is so good right now. You can get a set of two for $5 USD or get the entire full set for just $35 USD. Bargain! Be sure to get your order in quick!
I just put my order in for the Type Nerd and Tattone tattoos. Cannot wait for them to arrive!
Ever so sweet.
Well over a year ago, The Inspired Bride posted this awesome dessert buffet save the date DIY which I downloaded immediately.
Not long after downloading it my mother’s birthday came around, right when I was extremely busy, so I edited this save the date to become a birthday card!
I used one of the cupcake designs to make a little note inside the card with some lyrics from a song that I love – ‘Ever So Sweet’ by The Early November – which I though fit nicely with the dessert table / baking theme.
I made a matching DIY envelope for the card, as well as a matching address label.
The design worked great as a birthday card. I thought about changing the colours but I actually really liked that minty green / teal colour and it went so well with the brown so I left it as it was.
Free printables are fantastic and I download every one I come across in case I can use it for something later on. I might have a go at designing some of my own and putting them up for download sometime soon!
We Can Create.
Every year, just a few months before August rolls around, I start to get excited. Two of my favourite days of the year are on their way and I just cannot wait. Once those two days are over, I’m always left with a feeling of sadness, yet, I’m inspired.
Semi-Permanent is an annual event held in Auckland, New Zealand (as well as Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne, Australia) which brings together thousands of likeminded people for an international showcase of creatives.
I have been lucky enough to see so many inspirational people such as Stefan Sagmeister, Jessica Hische, Kate Moross, Duncan Speakman, Andrew Gordon (Pixar), Storm Thorgerson, Alexia Sinclair, Pentagram, Bibliothéque, Marian Bantjes and Genevieve Gauckler. Images shown above are of or made by these designers.
Every year I plan out who I do and don’t want to see and usually end up seeing all of them ‘just in case’. Often some of my favourite speakers have been people I never intended on seeing.
However… this year, The Church (who pull the entire SP event together) decided to branch away from Semi-Permanent and curate their own art and media festival;
We Can Create New Zealand’s biggest art and creative industries showcase.
So far these are the speakers who have been announced:
1. Taika Waititi
2. Morag Myerscough
3. Hort
4. KesselsKramer
5. The Rumpus Room
6. Sara Blake
7. Stamen Design
+ 5 more still to be announced
To make it all even sweeter, Semi-Permanent will still be carrying on and will be held in April/May 2012. Now I have two awesome creative design events to attend every year!
So if there are any graphic designers in New Zealand who haven’t attended Semi-Permanent before, I strongly urge you to go to We Can Create and/or Semi-Permanent. It may be a fair bit of money, but trust me, it will be worth it. And you will no doubt end up going every year from there on in. Just like me!
My first feature!
I woke up this morning to find that my passport wedding invitation had it’s very own feature post on Paper Crave!
Check out the post here!
So so so happy! I’ve had such fantastic feedback about my invitation and couldn’t be more pleased. I cannot wait to do more fun wedding invitation designs to follow this one up!
