Strawberry Swing Video

I have been fascinated with music videos my entire life, and this one for Coldplay's song "Strawberry Swing" made my creative fuzzies go to work. It works as a story of sorts, a short film almost. After watching generic dance move videos on MTV (if MTV is actually playing music) for the past few years, this is a breath of fresh air. The video is almost entirely illustrated, and features Chris Martin as the main character. During the duration of the song he floats on a smoke cloud and fights off a giant squirrel by throwing a tempting acorn at it. The art was created by Shynola, designers who have created similar videos for Beck, Radiohead and many others. The essence of the song really seems to be captured in their work. If the design process interests you, check out this interview with Shynola about the creation of Coldplay's video. I'm all giddy now...someone has to stop me.

Attention typography snobs!

This morning I came upon the wonderful website of House Industries. Check out the awesome clothing and home furnishings for designers. You can request a free catalog, and even nab three free fonts while you're there.

I heart illustration

All images above can be found on Nate's website.

I am constantly looking for interesting and innovative artists, products and random quirky objects. Last summer I discovered the illustrations of Nate Williams. You may recognize his work, which has been featured in publications all over the world. His playful integration of color, line quality and hand lettering never fails to grab my attention. Nate's website includes examples of his illustrations, as well as wallpaper options for your computer, iPod or iPhone. Also check out Letter Playground, a site Nate launched that allows users to upload their own illustrated typography.

Critters and Creatures, Oh My!

So I really need to get back to working on my freelance project, but I'll give you a quick overview of last Sunday.

Mpls Farmers Market

I forgot to take pictures since I was so in love with the beautiful fruits and vegetables. I try to go to the Farmer's market every other weekend for fresh produce. Don's mom Vicki accompanied us, and we had fresh squeezed orange juice and a pecan roll for breakfast! I brought home tomatoes, cilantro, potatoes, berries, cucumbers and tons of other goodies. Yum.

Como Zoo

I had never been to the Como Zoo before, and it was the perfect day to go. It operates off of donations and is so much fun. Some of the animals we saw included giraffes, zebras, lions, tigers, sea lions, and gorillas. One of the gorillas had a baby that was struggling to swing on the ropes, and finally gave up and was aimlessly wandering on the ground. The mom realized it was lonely and reached for its hand and pulled it up. Oh, and apparently gorillas like the throw things.

Forget the animals for a second, I really liked the typographic art piece on the wall that listed major donors. :) Look above for our experience in photos.

State Fair Wonderful-ness

For once in my life, I had last weekend off! Don and I decided to make the most of it and on Saturday went to the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul. To avoid eating a mountain of greasy fried on-a-stick food, we ate breakfast at Sonic, the most delicious place ever. Last year we dealt with a great deal of frustration when trying to find a parking spot, so this year we utilized the Park and Ride to get there.

It was a beautiful day, and we spent a majority of our time at the animal building and the art gallery. Most of the artwork was very impressive, and we saw (from a distance) a vet performing surgery on an animal that we weren't close enough to identify. I also can't forget that Don insisted that we stare at "big machines" or anything that had an interesting engineering component.

Highlights of our visit:

1. Don saying that he could imagine a giant monster gobbling up the people who were being escorted from one side of the fair to the other in the seats. Sorry, for the life of me I can't think of what they are called. Maybe he has watched Cloverfield too many times. Look at the picture below if I have completely confused you with my vague descriptions.

2. While there, I also received a message that my friend Jessie got engaged! Congrats, Jessie!

3. The yummy strawberry smoothies, and pretending to be Mona Lisa. See below.

Visiting Iowa

A few weeks ago I made a trip to Iowa to visit my mom and brother, and I would have to say that visiting the Santa Maria Winery in Caroll, Iowa was the most enjoyable thing we did together. Having heard mixed reviews from locals, the three of us decided to form our own opinions.

The restaurant has a tuscan-inspired interior, which is unusual for a small town like Carroll. I'm not much of a wine fan, but I do love food. My choice of food was the caprese panini (the basic mozzarella, tomatoes and fresh basil) with lemon mayo on sourdough. It was absolutely delicious and was served with a salad and fresh vegetables. After eating we decided to look around the rest of the building, which was formerly an auto dealership. It has been transformed into not only a restaurant, but an event center complete with an outdoor courtyard. Sculptural art pieces are built onto the walls themselves, and even the restrooms have a sophisticated and modern appeal to them.

Here is the website if anyone is interested in checking it out online:

http://www.santamariawinery.com/?www.catchwine.com

Yay for sophisticated local businesses!

New ventures

First of all, I'd like to apologize for neglecting my blog. My schedule has been frantic lately. I'm currently working on a book for my aunt's friend, while also attempting to complete my portfolio for my job search. I also took a trip to Iowa to see my family, went to the Minnesota State Fair and the Como Zoo, and have been using my dad's camera to practice my love for photography. I'll be posting each of these experiences separately today.

Ok, woah!

Dear Blog,

I know I've neglected you, but I've been very busy lately. More to come after the weekend, I promise!

Love,

Heidi