Lifestyle & Aesthetic

If you look at branding in the food industry, red dominates the visual landscape. Years ago, color studies established red as a tone that stimulates appetite. The concept stuck in practice, brands leaned toward this in their logos, and interior designers added it to layouts for restaurants. Bright or primary red tones, in particular, constantly popping up in food advertisements. The photo receptors in your eyes are particularly sensitive to long wavelength light, which we see as red. “There’s an incentive to make logos red because red is the most visible color,” says Bevil Conway, a neuroscientist and artist with [...]

I said, "These outfits are starring in a daytime show where they murder their cheating husbands." File that under captions I didn't put on my client's Instagram. I fell in love with these three evenly matched hues from the moment I saw them on mannequins. File that under outfits I would never wear. I enjoyed them as I pulled the punchy tones for the color combination above. File that under colors I probably would use quite sparingly in a design. My life isn't particularly sultry or silky. I lead a linen, denim, and jersey knit life. The colors for this [...]

"Not to write is for many of us to die." - Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing This week, I'm listening to Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury as I work. I churn through audiobooks each week, as I create graphic designs, develop websites, and edit images. Most of the time, I choose light faire — from pleasant classics such as Anne of Windy Poplars to easy listens like Ava Strong's murder mysteries. Little turns of phrase inspire me to jot down quotes or make a note about something. But, for all my listening, and [...]

This week, I was reminded of the old idioms about flowers and weeds. As I snapped photos for these weeds, growing by the side of a trail, I considered what a welcome break the scattering of purple made in the greenery. Bees buzzed through them. The bobbing flower heads danced in the soft, summer heat. I decided to use that ombre of purple on the petals as the inspiration for my weekly color palette. Perhaps I relate to these purple blooms because I've had several of my own weed moments. I think of times when I felt unappreciated or boxed [...]

Sometimes, when I look back at old photos of myself, I feel like I've given little pieces of myself away. Jobs do that. Marriage does that. Friends, church, and family do that. Everything about living, in some way, feels like it shaves me down a little. I don't think that feeling is unique — losing little bits of yourself or being slowly shaped into a new animal by the passage of time. Some may say it's an improvement. You learn to blend in. Sometimes, you learn to succeed. Sometimes, it's just a way to survive. Purple is a piece that [...]

Whenever I walk in a garden, or plant seeds on the earth, I experience a life-bringing calm. It's fresh energy but, also peaceful. That vibe inspired these natural colors. Natural Colors for Garden-Inspired Website Designs Although these groups offer a lot of shades of green, I wanted to bring in some other apt tones. You'll find muddy browns, brilliant blues, and organic oranges to offset the predictable tones. This Magic Moment Colors A pink-beige background brings this green group together. Two greenhouse shades layer perfectly on the pink. Dark brown and black-green offer reader-friendly tones for text and links. Sympathique [...]

I spent all of my twenties job-hopping and apartment hunting. Along the way, I learned that home is where you make it but ⁠— you really have to make it. Why did I move 9 times in 12 years?  I moved so many times because I could. I started my adult post-college life with a 400-square-foot apartment in Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, Florida. I was hired a few days before the housing bubble burst and watched intense rounds of layoffs from my cubicle. I decided to postpone home-buying indefinitely. Lesson 1: My Home is my Place to Recharge At the time, most home inspiration focused on [...]