Melissa Gardner's Blog...check it out!

Mel's an incredible designer and the spreads she does for blanket are always some of my favourite. And now, with her blog, she gets to really show off her artsy, crafty skills as well! It's a great blog full of inspiration, cool things Mel has found and her own beautiful art on display.

I especially liked her summary of The Dieline, which is one of my favourite blogs ever and a constant inspiration in my work as a packaging designer!

Also, check out Mel's OTHER talent at Nushka Dolls, incredible Russian Babushka dolls that Mel handpaints...and sells! I love them so much and am always ducking back to this site to see the new little ladies she might have popped on there...I love alina!

Caitlin

Mad Men, Wrong Fonts

Currently, I am finding it very hard to go to my job because I just wish to sit around all day watching Season One of Mad Men, an amazing show about the 1960s fictional advertising agency of Sterling Cooper. It's classy, classic and ever so addictive! The work that the show's designers, writers and the costume & props department have put in is UNBELIEVEABLE. It's so realistic...almost.


But I think what has increased my enjoyment of the show even more is this blog by the Mark Simonson Studio. It details ALL of the mistakes the show's creators and designers have made when it comes to the fonts used. Now here's a man who knows a lot about fonts! How could Mad Men have concentrated so hard on getting all the women's hair so perfectly right, but then used Zapfino (only created in 1992) in one of the fictional ads?


Of course, it does not make me love the show any less, but it DOES add an interesting dimension to my watching. If you can, (and if you haven't already) grab Mad Men from somewhere. It really makes one appreciate one's Mac!

:) Caitlin

Helen Dardik

Helen's "Orange you lucky!" blog is beautiful (a reflection of the lady herself, it seems).

Hope her "party people" help you end your weekend with a little smile...

Blogging about blogs is ok, right?

It's a lazy and sunny Sunday afternoon here in Brisbane and I am doing one of my favourite things...going down the rabbit hole that is the Internet to admire other people's blogs.

My friend Emma got me on to this one, which I am starting to become addicted to on a morning and afternoon tea-ly basis...Ryan Blogs Coffee.

The name says it all, really: Ryan writes about every single coffee that he drinks every day. It might sound like the past-time of an obsessive compulsive who lives with his Mum and meticulously records the number plates of cars parked in his street, but Ryan actually seems like quite a cool guy. Apparently (and this is according to my friend Emma, a font of knowledge on these things), Ryan is part of the band The Cat Empire...hmmmm, don't quote me on that.

Anyway, while he waxes poetic on his coffee, Ryan also talks about music, movies, TV, youtube, 80s television ads, cool places in his neighbourhood etc etc. A funny, cool blog. I think I would like to have a coffee with Ryan sometime...

xx Caitlin

Blanket Guest Blogger: Erin from Design for Mankind

We were delighted to have the lovely Miss Erin from Design For Mankind to be our very first Blanket guest Blogger. With so much inspiration surrounding her everyday we asked Erin what inspires her?
Erin: Gracious. This is one of the hardest questions for me to answer, because I feel so inspired by so many different things! But, if I had to choose, here are my top five inspirations, along with a few reasons why I think they're totally awesome:


1. Libraries
I love the smell of old books, new books and well, books in general. Although I have to admit, art/design books smell the best.



2. Rain
I love to write during a thunderstorm. Although I don't have a tin roof like in the movies, I still feel like I'm a bit of a star.



3. Portland
As in Portland, Oregon. OK, I've never been there. But because of aforementioned #2 and the bustling art community, I feel like I would love it. I often close my eyes and pretend like I live in a tiny bungalow there. Portlanders--- do they even HAVE bungalows in OR?



4. I.D. Magazine
I get so excited when this goodie arrives in my mailbox every two months that I have my own night dedicated to the action. I call my husband, scream "It's I.D. Day!" and he brings home Chinese food as I devour every inch of those beautifully laid out margins. It's quite possibly my favorite day of the bi-month!



5. Photography
When I'm feeling low on inspiration, I browse Flickr and choose some favorites depending on my mood. It's a fun game for me to play, and sometimes I have to 'unfavorite' my picks and wonder what exact state of mind I was in when I chose that, but most of the time, I love my favorites forever.

www.designformankind.com

Welcome to the Blanket Blog!

Yes it's back again! The Blanket Blog was on hiatus for a while as I was completely overwhelmed by running Blanket magazine by myself - but thankfully I have lots of lovely contributors who help me out now so I thought it was time to bring it back!
Mostly it will be updates on what's happening in my Blanket world. Hopefully you will enjoy having a little insight into what happens at Blanket. We also aim to bring you the latest and greatest in art, design and photography so we will be including any upcoming exhibitions, artist interviews and folios, websites, products and basically anything else that takes our fancy! We might even have a few guest bloggers to inspire you!

If you would like to contribute to our blog you can email: editor(at)blanketmagazine.com
~ Bec