Ciera Design Studio

Brand identity and design solutions for creative businesses and passionate entrepreneurs

Thankful For…

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I am thankful for my family, the ones who love me unconditionally… for my boyfriend… coffee… my education… photography… my health… yummy food. I’m thankful that I get to do what I love for a living…

I’m thankful for blogging and the internet… everyday I am excited to find and post the things that inspire me. There is so much talent out there that challenges me to try new things and make new connections…

Thankful for friends… new and old… when I decided to move last year some people told me that moving from the friendly South to the unsociable Northeast was going to be hard. Boston is known to be a less social city of people who find it inappropriate to say hello to strangers and ignore their neighbors. But I am happy to report that those people were wrong! I have really enjoyed meeting a ton of new, awesome people that I now call friends!

… then there are my two best friends in the world who have been around for 16 years of fun, laughs, cries, support, adventures, inspiration, traveling, ideas, parties, serious times and silly times… needless to say, I am VERY thankful for those girls! And without further ado, a few photos of my BFFs and I…

BFF Collage

Thanks to everyone who inspires me, encourages me and pushes me to become a better and more creative person! I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving with family and friends!

Populaire Font [Friday Favorites]

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A new favorite font for you on this beautiful Friday! Populaire, is the latest font from PintassilgoPrints, a two-person Brazilian outfit that specializes in spirited display fonts with a playful, handcrafted feel. 

Inspired by the electrifying posters from May 1968 by Atelier Populaire, this dynamic font is flexible enough to bring freshness and energy to a wide range of design applications.

The typeface comes with four exchangeable glyphs for each letter. When the Populaire font is used in OpenType-savvy applications, its Contextual Alternates feature produce a striking random-like effect on glyphs distribution, achieved by cycling through alternates.

 

 As part of the font, there is also a cool set of ornaments and pictures.

And the best part, Populaire, can be acquired from MyFonts at a very affordable price! Type samples and description from MyFonts.

Handwritten Letters – A New Project by Mary Kate McDevitt

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I am a huge fan of Mary Kate McDevitt’s work so I am very excited about the new project, Handwritten Letters, that she announced today. She plans to write a letter to someone everyday for at least one year! She will actually draw and send YOU a letter (you know, like, from the alphabet). How exciting! You can read more about her project and sign up for a letter of your own at your handwritten letters. You better believe I already signed up!

Images from Mary Kate McDevitt

The National Branding by Love and War

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I’m really enjoying the simplicity of this brand for The National – an all-occasion “grand café” inspired by London cafés and French bistros, but with a unique, New York City twist. 

Love and War, a branding and advertising agency, developed the visual identity including a minimal wordmark logo and a beautiful abbreviated alternate. The agency also created the website, promotions, illustrations and a range of in-restaurant materials from menus to tableware.

Simple is extremely hard to do well, but Love and War nailed it and I’m not the only one who thinks so. The agency was awarded a 2011 James Beard Award of Outstanding Graphics for this work. What do you think about this identity?

Photos from Love and War and The National.

Pinterest Picks – Neutrals with a touch of mint

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A few of my recent pins to inspire you this weekend. I want my front door to look like that and would love to have that beautiful lace dress!

Pinterest-Picks-2

1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 
Unfortunately I can not find the origin of image 3, if anyone knows please share!

Head over to my boards and pins for all of the inspiration that I have been collecting and if you’re on Pinterest, leave a link below so I can check out your pins!

October Favorites – A Recap

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This past month was amazing! Experiencing my first Fall…celebrating my two year blogiversary…working on a bunch of new projects and so much more! Here are some of my favorite posts from October…

October-Favorite-Posts

1 // The A-Z of Ciera
2 // Workspace Snapshot 10/5/11
3 // Apple Picking
4 // DIY Jewelry Organizers
5 // Sweet Snack: Cinnamon Apple Chips
6 // Free Faces – Design Resource
7 // Autumn Hues and Some Blues
8 // Two Year Blogiversary and Giveaway
9 // Three Ponds Vintage

I have lots planned for November but if you have any special requests just let me know! xo Ciera

Arnold Arboretum

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The Arnold Arboretum is the oldest public arboretum in North America and one of the world’s leading centers for the study of plants. It has an amazing collection and beautiful walking paths. It is very close to my new apartment and good thing because I’m obsessed! Here are some photos that Zander took on our last visit.

Portfolio Updates – Long Overdue

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I made a few updates to my design portfolio that were long overdue. Click through to see more about the work I did for each project.

 

Salvations – Event Identity and Collaterals

Salvations is a furniture design competition utilizing reclaimed, repurposed and recycled materials all to benefit New Orleans’ oldest local environmental non-profit, The Green Project. The Green Project keeps over 1.8 million pounds of usable materials from the waste stream and over 40,000 gallons of paint out of the ground water supply and wetlands. See full project.

Salvations Invite 2

 

YLC 25th Anniversary Logo and Role Model Gala Event Package

The Young Leadership Council has maintained its tradition of highlighting 25 members of the community each year since its inception in 1986. Role Models are selected each year by a committee comprised of past Role Model honorees and members of the YLC’s Board of Directors.

Honorees have distinguished themselves by: promoting a positive attitude and an unyielding desire to enhance the quality of life in our community; striving to unite our community in collaborative efforts for its future prosperity; serving as an exemplary role model to young talent in the community; taking an effective and vigorous leadership role in the community; and/or making significant contributions in their specific fields of endeavor. See full project.

young leadership council gala 4

I am very proud and honored to have the opportunity to work with these organizations that do so much for the city I love!

Please contact me if you are interested in custom designs.

Two Year Blogiversary

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Hi friends! This month my blog turns two years old! I can’t believe two years can go by so fast. Whether you’re a new reader or have been around since day one, I want to thank you for following me on this journey. I have shared a lot with y’all over the years and I thought it would be fun to recap some major milestones along the way! Click on the images to read the original blog post.

I’m so thankful that I get to do what I love on a daily basis and can’t wait to see where I’ll be in two years from now! As a thank you to all of my readers I am having a two year blogiversary giveaway! It’s a good one so don’t miss out! You can also check out my current giveaway over at Freckled Nest!

Free Faces – Design Resource

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Free Faces is a website created by designer Simon Foster as a resource for fellow designers. The site is dedicated to free fonts that he uses regularly and that are readily available on the web. 

Of course free fonts aren’t always the best option and good typography isn’t just about pretty fonts, but there are a few out there that are more than worth a look… check it out!

Sweet Snack: Cinnamon Apple Chips

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These cinnamon apple chips may be the best thing I have ever made! The light dusting of cinnamon and sugar over the fresh apples makes this the perfect Fall sweet snack with some hot chocolate or cider.

Cinnamon Apple Chip Recipe Title Image

Cinnamon Apple Chip Recipe Process Photos

Finished Pile of Cinnamon Apple Chips

Ingredients: 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar, 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon and 2 large apples. I used apples from the orchard when I went apple picking!
Directions: Preheat oven to 250°. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Using a knife or mandoline, thinly slice two apples. Arrange in a single layer on baking sheets; sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar. Bake the apple slices, turning every half hour, until dry, about 2 hours. Remove and transfer to racks to cool and enjoy! I am loving this sweet snack and hope you do too!

I would like to thank Matt Scribner for the idea to make this delicious snack and Rachael Ray for the recipe.

DIY Jewelry Organizers

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My sister redid her bedroom and sent me Instagrams of these awesome DIY jewelry organizers she made. Two old rake heads attached to the wall for necklaces and a piece of sturdy lace pinned over her curtains for earrings. What great ideas right?

Jewelry-Necklace

Jewelry-Earrings

Thanks to Jasmine for these photos and awesome DIYs!

Apple Picking

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Having four distinct seasons to the year is a whole new thing for me. Growing up in New Orleans we had a hot, humid summer and a few cold days here and there. My first Fall in the northeast has been amazing! Last week we took a short road trip to Honey Pot Hill Orchards and went apple picking. We picked Macouns, MacIntosh, Cortand, Empire and Red Delicious apples. We have already made cinnamon apple chips, apple cider sangrias and chunky apple sauce and still have tons of fruit left. Hope you enjoy these photos from the trip and that you are having a fabulous Fall. Oh – and I’ll be posting the cinnamon apple chip recipe next week!

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Click here to see Zander’s photos from Apple Picking.

 

Workspace Snapshot 10/5/11

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Welcome to my wonderful new office space! It has sloped ceilings and skylights that fill the room with natural light. Right now I’m on the lookout for a big work table for the center of the room. As you can see I am working on the floor for now… 

Upstairs Workspace

Upstairs Workspace Detail

More photos to come once it is a little more put together.

The A-Z of Ciera

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Ciera A-Z

Saw this on Our.City.Lights (and lot’s of the other blogs I follow) and decided I would join in the fun!

A. Age: 28

B. Bed size: Queen

C. Chore that you hate: Cleaning the bathroom.

D. Dogs: 
“D’ya like dags?
Dags? What?
Yeah, dags.
Oh, dogs. Sure, I like dags. I like caravans more.” 
(first thing that popped into my head when I read this)

E. Essential start to your day: Breakfast and coffee, otherwise I am cranky.

F. Favorite color: Kelly green

G. Gold or Silver: I like both, depends on the day but I guess I’m in a gold phase right now.

H. Height: 5’3″

I. Instruments you play: NOT musically talented, I took piano and violin lessons when I was little but those did not last long.

J. Job title: Freelance graphic designer

K. Kids: One day

L. Live: Living in Boston since December

M. Mother’s name: Cecilia, the reason my name starts with a C

N. Nicknames: Era, Ce, Hungry, Holzie

O. Overnight hospital stays:  No overnighters

P. Pet peeves: People who are not aware of personal space and when people stop in the middle of a doorway/path etc.

Q. Quote from a movie: “How can a train be lost? It’s on rails.”

R. Right or left handed: Righty. Funny story: My sister (who is a lefty) and I both swear that my dad used to be left handed and we made him switch to a righty. My parents have NO idea what we are talking about.

S. Siblings: 1 little sis. Jasmine. 

T. Tattoos: I like them on other people, but I don’t have any.

U. Underwear: Yes, I wear them.

V. Vegetable you hate: I never choose to eat brussel sprouts but I wouldn’t say I hate them. I love all vegetables!

W. What makes you run late: Not enough sleep.

X. X-Rays you’ve had: I had my hand x-rayed once, it randomly hurt for a year… never figured out why, but I’m glad that stopped.

Y. Yummy food that you make: I like to make red beans and rice but my boyfriend has taken over most of the cooking because he is WAY better at it.

Z. Zoo animal: Giraffes make me laugh.

I hope you enjoyed learning more about me. If you join in, post a link in the comments so I can read your A-Zs! Photo by Zander White.

Brother & Sister Fonts [Friday Favorites]

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How cute, brother and sister fonts! Verna is a fun, modern and versatile font that has a set of automatic ligatures, discretionary ligatures, swash initials and a selection of ornaments.

Verner, the ‘script brother’ comes with a set of nicely drawn ligatures, swash characters, a selection of ornaments and some alternate characters. The fonts from Fenotype can both be acquired from MyFonts at an affordable price.

Type samples from MyFonts.

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Ciera Design Studio established 2010
xo Ciera