re:treat | vintage candy wrappers

Think of this as my Halloween gift to you.

Some of my favorites from  The Candy Wrapper Museum.

I actually have this one by R. Crumb. Had the good sense to pay $1 for it at the now-defunct-but-never-forgotten Tower Records on Broadway. The candy bar has crumbled (no pun intended), but the package sits on my desk and makes me laugh every day.

From Jason Leibig’s awesome Candy and Snacks Flickr set.

some creative briefs are more intriguing than others

For instance, if you happened to be Andy Warhol, and your client happened to be Mick Jagger, your brief might look like this:

I saw this for the first time on Swiss Miss, and it looks like Letters of Note (gosh, this might be my new favorite site) published it in September.

My favorite line….I leave it in your capable hands to do whatever you want….and please write back saying how much money you would like.

where the wild things are

“Inside all of us is a Wild Thing”
— Where the Wild Things Are

I knew this was a special story the first time around.  I remember reading Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are to my younger brother (about 1969 or so) and, of course, to my own daughters. Somehow I scored the one well-worn copy and have it tucked away for my future grandchildren. Funny thing about WTWTA, I thought I was the only one who loved Max and his wolf suit.

Nine sentences. It had adventure, hope, fear, wonder, and the goodness of home in just a few wonderful pages.

Unless you have been hiding in your room, or on a deserted island nurturing your own inner-wild thing, you know that next week, the much anticipated Spike Jonze-Dave Eggers movie will be released October 16.

(There’s something a little goofy with the trailer. You just have to click the You Tube link. Go ahead, it’s worth it.)

There’s more, of course. Steven Heller wrote a wonderful interview with writer and illustrator, Maurice Sendak.

And Dave Eggers (my new superhero) has written a 300-page novelization, The Wild Things. The cover alone makes me want to buy it.

Furry and standard editions. (Update: I ordered the furry guy.)

Here’s a cool piece about Geoff McFetridge, the title designer (it’s the official Wild Things blog). Check out the design studies. What a project.

And, there’s a WTWTA week in New York and WTWTA fashion at Urban Outfitters.

And you know, there’s an iPhone app.

Me, I’ll take the movie, and maybe the music. And the book of fur.

Let the wild rumpus start!

wet paint | water into wine

We have a wonderful client, Larry Walker & Associates, who are water and environmental engineering consultants. We’ve been able to refresh the LWA website and collateral, and get to know some of the family who help run this company (where everyone is treated as family).  LWA  truly cares about doing the right thing for their clients, for the environment, and for their staff. That comes from Larry, himself.

Larry and his wife, Louise, are retiring after 30 years with the company, and the staff chose to honor them at their retreat at Lake Tahoe last weekend. Lucky for us, they decided to do it with wine for all, and Steve was asked to design a wine label for the event, illustrating the passions of Larry and Louise. Italy (especially Lucca), art (especially sculpture) and water (especially Roman aqueducts). Of course, Larry and Louise were also presented with the painting, along with the wine.

The painting:

The label:

The wine:

Illustration: Steve Barbaria

Label printing: Monarch Color Services

Wine: Putah Creek Winery

Client of the day, Kathryn Walker!

core values

Two values, one poster. From Anthony Burrill.  Simple and true.

Once again, thanks to Swiss Miss, archeologist of all things cool and relevant (at least to me).