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!

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Ciera Design Studio established 2010
xo Ciera