live. breathe. design.

this week’s “pack it up, baby!” features another vintage design. this one was a particularly unique  find (thanks again to Tom). federal meats is a local butcher shop with several locations and has been around since 1930, making it a buffalo,ny staple. this insulated paper bag looks like it was from the late 40s or 50s. the illustration is so whimsical and charming in it’s simplicity. what is particulary exciting about this find, is that my father-in-law is a long time employee and manager of federal meats. so not only is it a great piece of local graphic design history but we have a personal connection to it, too! enjoy

in the spirit of the giant candy filled easter basket, i had this idea. i thought, wouldn’t it be cool to feature some vintage chocolate packaging from the long time local candy shops? between fowler’s chocolates, parkside candy, watson’s chocolates and niagara chocolate and all of the photos people post online now i thought it would be easy to find some cool retro boxes to share. not as easy as i thought, it turns out. i did however come across a couple of cool items though.

someone had posted a fowler’s chocolates easter box for sale on ebay. after much searching, it was exciting to find. the illustrations & coloring are just so sweet and 1950s. my favorite part though is the inside, i love the typography and that cute little whimsical bunny!

my other find was an item offered on etsy. it came up on my search of buffalo candy vintage. a fun find, it looks like a local business that existed in the past. i wonder if they sold candy or meat here?  i thought it was fitting of the season still, because of our rich german and polish heritage, sausage (as seen in the man’s basket) is a huge easter tradition in this area. design wise, i love the type in the logo and address. does anyone know anything further about this company? i am interested to find out more!

today i am proud to be introducing a new feature to my blog. every thursday there will be a piece of well designed packaging featured here. there are so many cool items out there and we encounter them in our everyday lives. i think these items create inspiration, whether that is inspiration to purchase then and there or to create something new and exciting ourselves. sometimes they just make us smile, which is pretty nice too.

to kick off the series i am featuring a great local brewery’s packaging, southern tier brewing company. i noticed their beautiful new packaging when i was shopping at consumer’s beverages a couple weeks ago. this photo is blurry because i had to snap it on my cell, but you get the idea.

what’s to love:

• bright colors, different for each brew so you can easily grab what you want
• large text for the type of beer, again makes it easy to find what you are looking for
• unfamiliar with this brand? no problem – on the right side of the box, next to the type of beer,  the box lists what it’s brewed with
• a slightly different than normal six pack box shape. definitely a step above what you normally see. it draws your attention to the brand, especially in a sea of everything else that feels the same.
• logo in same color banding all the way across the box, creates an impressive shelf display and keeps the brand top of mind
• beautiful patterns. different for each brew of course!
• boxes made from 100% recycled paper. eco-friendly packaging = major bonus points. even cooler, they have a 422 earth day brew, packaging is printed with soy based inks, and lists simple ways to be greener. awesome.

i grabbed some images from wegmans.com to show off the design a little better than in the above blurry shelf shot!

roll your mouse over to see the full screen (thumbnails will hide then!)

i am by no means a professional photographer. though i am a great admirer of many professionals out there. every once and a while i like to have a little fun with my camera when out and about, and there was just so much to see at the parade – i had to share! enjoy this little break from the usual here…

thank you so much to all who made it possible for me to participate in the buffalo small press book fair this year, and of course to all who stopped in! it was so much fun to be a part of this great event. vendors from all over the region were present, including individuals from as far as NYC and Toronto. the place was packed for most of the day, with 110 vendors and tons of shoppers, there something for everyone to see. i had so much fun participating, met lots of great artists and am so happy to have been able to be a part of it!

check out this article in the Buffalo News!