Creative, Inspiring, Thoughtful and Cool
You have to check out these two online websites that perhaps you have never heard of… I stumbled these sites while surfing online for a possible holiday gifts for my friends and family.
This co-founders of this earth friendly “sustainable design for living” website was co-founded by Paul Donald and Tracy Brien. Paul spent 12 years in graphic design and magazine publishing - he helped create Spy, Wired, The Industry Standard and Sunset (check them out when you get a chance). Tracy has “extensive knowledge of environmental issues and sustainable, small-scale community development” - she has worked for such organizations as Greenpeace, the International Rivers Network, and International Development Exchange.
In this case mixing design and environmentalism results in a web design that not only inspires us but also offers cool, thoughtful and wholly appealing product on every level. I highly recommend reading their What is Branch? section - think paradigm shift for shopping.
Blub.com is the other site which I think is the “bee’s-knee’s” and brings personalization and creativity to a new level. The website is a genius idea that is capturing every bit of of the perosnalization trend - similar to the US Postal service or www.stamps.com perosnalization service which allows you to customize stamps with your own pictures. Blurb.com is the ulitmate in capturing the current personalization trend: It gives the everyday person the ability to make a linen bound, proefessional-qaulity book for next to nothing.
“Blurb is a company and a community that believes passionately in the joy of books – reading them, making them, sharing them, and selling them.”
Creating your own book is simple - download their free software, import your pics and images, design your ideal layout and creat a masterpiece. The end product is a professionally designed (by you) book that has the same quality as anything you would pull off the shelves of Borders, Barns & Noble or other bookstores.
Ok, so this post was a little off the beaten path - but it is shopping season and also the web design and creativity of both sites is very inspiring.
July 22nd, 2008 at 11:18 pm
While a bit late, I did enjoy viewing them. Thanks.