Yügen Fotografi

My friend (and current co-worker/former studio-mate from college) Jaclyn Denmark is a rockstar designer by day but also an amazing photographer by night and weekend. She just started this blog to showcase some of the photos captured during her life as a summertime beach bum and year-round Brooklynite and I couldn't wait to share it with you guys as well. I think she does a super job of capturing texture in her pics and truly conveying the beautiful "grit" of city life. I hope you enjoy some of my favorites from Yügen Fotografi:

All images copyright Jaclyn Denmark

ColumBucket List: pizza with Pizza

My goodbye tour of Columbus kicked off a few weeks ago, when my amaaaazing bestie threw me the most incredible surprise bash with all my friends at our favorite local watering hole, Zeno's. Since then, I've been trying to mentally wrap my head around the fact that each time I do something I love around this town, it will most likely be for the last time! (Of course I'll visit...but for now, it's time to say goodbye!) While I'll certainly miss friends and co-workers, I'm confident that we'll stay in touch. So the thing that is hitting me the hardest is leaving behind some of my favorite quintessential Columbus foods!

If you were ever lucky enough to be a South campus student at Ohio State, you know perfectly well that the best pizza in this entire town comes from Adriatico's. It claims to be New York style, so I'm praying I'll find something comparable, but who knows!? I've been an avid customer since freshman year when their friendly door was just a block or two away from my dorm. The number has been programmed into every cellphone I've had since I was 19. I have to say, it will be pretty weird to not see it located as #2 on my contact list... Cate and I have our order down to an absolute science. A Medium thick-crust pizza, always covered with green & red peppers and onions. Half with black olives for me, and the other half with pepperoni for my non-vegetarian pal. And, of course, an order of breadsticks with garlic sauce and pizza sauce and a 2-liter bottle of Diet Coke.

Then, last halloween, we met a lovely man (pictured above, mid-chew) named Will, who, as luck would have it, happened to be dressed like pizza! I'm serious. He was dressed like a slice of pizza...if pizza happened to accessorize its look with a worn out, blue Kentucky hat. And, very unfortunately for him, we kept making him hang out with us, and the nickname "Pizza" just stuck! Now, over a year later, I can honestly say I love Pizza almost as much as I love pizza. See what I did there? The proper noun and all? So I couldn't think of a better way to spend our last evening together (before he jets off to his medical school interviews tomorrow and misses the opportunity to help me lift heavy boxes into my Uhaul truck...) than by splitting an Adriatico's pizza! A farewell to both the #1 pizzas in my life!

Note: Pizza happens to like his pizza with pepperoni and green olives, which I will just never understand...I'm willing to overlook the blatant cannibalism, but green olives? Never. 10 more days!!

L'Amour List: Rose

It's time again for another L'Amour List. This time I am thrilled to be featuring an Ohio State student, fantastic marketing intern, and all around lovely lady named Rose. I'm very excited, as is Rose, to show you a few of her favorite things. I hope you enjoy them!



1  Harney & Sons English Breakfast Tea is her absolute favorite!
2  Rose love photorealistic paintings. Especially this one by Ralph Goings. It's also a dream of hers to be a "regular" somewhere, at a diner or breakfast place or something, which is why she loves this particular painting so much.
3  She loves art inspired outfits like this one on Polyvore. She loves black, white, and the gorgeous champagne color...not to mention this very poster is hanging in her room right now!

4  This dress from Modcloth is on Rose's wishlist! Red is her favorite color, and sheath dresses are her favorite silhouette for sure.

5  Pugs! They are her favorite dogs.

6  Dystopian Novels are Rose's favorite genre... She's not quite sure why, but she's read 1984 and Brave New World several times each!
7  Her go-to scent, especially in the winter months! It has a deep, rich, spicy scent that's perfect for holiday parties or spicing up an otherwise dreary winter day. Unfortunately she just ran out, so a new bottle is on her Christmas wish list!
8  Another great dress from Modcloth in Rose's second favorite color...(and MY favorite, obviously.) She loves how this color dresses up an otherwise conservative cut. She would pair it with a cropped jacket and red heels. Super cute!
9  Rose has been eyeing these vintage-looking earrings, also from Modcloth.
10  Last, but certainly not least, the Chipotle burrito! Her favorite food of all time...everyone at work knows this. She can't NOT mention Chipotle.

There you have it! Rose's L'Amour List. (I truly can not believe no one has ever mentioned Chipotle before in these...Can you??) To see other great L'Amour Lists, click here! And while you're clicking away, be a doll and follow me on Bloglovin'!

A Designer's (EXPENSIVE) Toolkit

I had a very expensive day today... The kind of day where you're literally just s t u n n e d.
The kind of day where I saw basically a year of scrimping and saving (and freelancing my pants off) flash before my eyes with just one swift swipe of the debit card. And I left not wanting to scare the nice gentleman helping me carry my new treasures to my car by quietly weeping...

You will know this feeling well if you've ever been a graphic designer who desperately needed to stock up on new hardware AND software all in the same hour-long trip to the technology store. I am feeling better about it now, especially since while I was going swipe happy,  I added a pair of Warby Parker glasses to my expenditure tally. You gotta be able to see straight (and look cool) to be a designer, I've learned! And I didn't end up really loving any of these ones... Once I crack open this new Macbook Pro, upload all of my new software, and try on my new glasses, I will just be a brand new lady! What do you think? Have you guys ever taken a soul-crushing trip to the Apple store? Here are a tally of today's purchases:

1  15-inch: 2.4 GHz MacBook Pro
My 3-year-old MacBook Pro has survived an exploded battery, a blown left speaker (which has left it whistling like a tea-kettle), 2 years of design school, a senior thesis project, and a job designing a magazine... It's officially time to retire him. Also, you should note, I NEVER go without AppleCare protection. It has saved me twice in the past, and I'd definitely rather be safe than sorry...

2 Adobe CS5.5 Design Premium
Who could pass up an Ohio State Employee discount on Adobe CS5.5 Design Premium when instead of costing the usual $1,899.99 smackers, I got it here for a miniscule $350 dollars??

3  Microsoft Office:Mac 2011
I once again chose to utilize my Ohio State employee discount to get this software down from $149.99 to a mere $85.00. Thanks, Wired Out!

4  A FREE HP Deskjet 3050A e-All-in-One Printer/Scanner/Copier 
I use a printer next to never, but why turn down a freebie? And who knows? Maybe I will use it more than I think I will?

5  Crosby Burgundy Fade glasses from Warby Parker
This was the biggest surprise of the day, actually. Libby, my lovely coworker, had utilized Warby Parker's amazing 5-pair "Try Before You Buy" offer, and we were so excited to get the package today! I love trying on glasses, so I snatched a few pairs to try on for myself, and kinda-sorta fell in love with this pair. They are exactly what I was looking for in a pair of big, plastic statement glasses. And I love the coloring, because it looks almost black on top when they're on, but with the red fade pattern, they go well with my hair. It was a great surprise, because I really never would have tried these on if they weren't sitting out on a table in our office. I ended up loving these way more than the ones I debated in this post...and thus, I was sold.

So I am truthfully stocked up on every piece of equipment a good designer could possibly need to do her job. I don't even know what to do next. But the answer is probably design something, so I can make back some of my squandered money!!

Pinspiration Fashion Challenge

Next week, my coworkers and I are going to spice up our week with a little something I have dubbed the Pinspiration Fashion Challenge. Each day of the week, we need to find an outfit on Pinterest to recreate using clothes from our own wardrobes. I think it will be a fun way to put some extra thought into getting ready, and to take a second look at what we already have in order to find pairings we've never thought of before. I am busy pinning away...and one (or more) of these outfits from the September Pull & Bear Lookbook is definitely going to be inspiring one of my looks during the week... I'm excited! I'm hoping to share a few "best-of" pics here on JSQ so you all can see how it all turned out!

L'Amour List: Eric

Hey lovelies! It's time for another L'Amour List! This week's featured lister is Eric, creative director of The Ohio Union, here in Columbus, my boss, and also the Capitol City's resident (real) ginger. Mine is fake, I'm sad to say... So without further ado, enjoy Eric's pop-culture explosion L'Amour List!

1  Eric is a very 3-dimensional thinker, and the possibilities with packaging design are virtually endless!
2  Andrew Yang's Kouklitas Couture fashion rag dolls are a huge inspiration for his interest in art toy design. The detail is exquisite!
3  Disney! It sparked Eric's ambition to become an illustrator and designer from a very young age.
4  Eric loves himself some Spice Girls music. Has since junior high.
5  Tom Ford...a true inspiration.
6  He's obsessed with all-things British.
7  Mashed Potatoes are his favorite comfort food.
8  Vintage wallpaper inspires him to create wonderful patterns and explore color within his own work.
9  Jem and the Holograms, He-Man, Ringer Tees, Cassette Tapes...What's not to love about the 80s?
10  Halloween is never complete without these delicious treats; Franken Berry, Count Chocula, and Boo Berry cereals!

And there you have it folks, Eric's amazing L'Amour List! Would you like to share some of the things you love? Leave a comment below and you could be next Week's featured L'Amour Lister! (After you, Rose!)

Urban Picnic Engagement Shoot

This blonde bombshell is my college roommate Katie, and that dashing lad is her fiancee, Kevin. I like to say I actually introduced them because on a football saturday in college, my girlfriends were sitting outside on our front porch, and he and his pals strolled by and asked if they could join us. They looked normal enough, and were carrying a case of beer, so we naturally (being the friendly OSU students we were) obliged. Then Katie came outside and they struck up a conversation, and realized they were from the same hometown and had lots in common. Through a few more years of college for Katie and three years at Harvard Law for Kevin, they stayed in touch until Katie moved to Korea for work. There, Kevin flew in to sweep Katie off her feet, which brought them back together and eventually relocated them to Chicago. Cue to 5 years later, they are getting married this December! (He actually proposed on our old porch, which is both sweetly sentimental and hilarious, because the place is now condemned...) Anyway, I couldn't help but share their fantastic engagement photos with you, because they are so inspiring. Of course they are both styled to perfection (Katie has impeccable taste), and the shots are sweetly captured by her grad school cohort and pro photographer Ryan Cosens. His work is amazing. Please check it out! The city of Chicago makes a perfect backdrop for romance.

All photos by (amazing) Chicago-area photographer Ryan Cosens

Remember That Time I Wrote That Book?

Well, it's only been a year and three months, but I finally got around to having a photographer, Cameron Winchester, take some glamour shots of my CSCA award winning senior thesis, For Kids: Nutrition Education, for my portfolio! I'm super happy with how they turned out. Plus, you could never tell how legit my little ole' book is just from regular old page files. Check it out!

Images copyright Jenna Brucoli, sick photography by Cameron Winchester

Ohio Love

With all this talk of land across the Atlantic, I want to bring it home for just a second and celebrate my friend, and fellow blogger Chrissy Raftery of the blog Harve & Polly. She is moving on to a new design job in Concord, Massachusetts and leaving the "Heart of it All" for the East Coast! So what better way to say goodbye to the Buckeye state than with a composite post of all things quintessentially O-H-I-O?

Image via Harve & Polly

I have my eye on more than a few items on this list! Check out where to get them here! Oh, and don't forget to read all about Chrissy's designing adventures and travel endeavors at Harve & Polly!

Blog Spotlight: Harve & Polly

I am delighted to introduce you all to a new blog I just discovered, Harve & Polly, written by my dear friend & fellow designer, Chrissy Raftery. This gal and I were interns and design students together at Ohio State, and now we are both designers for the University. I am so excited she started a blog, because she has excellent taste and her compilations are so adorable! Follow her blog, friends! I promise you'll like what you see.

Image from Harve & Polly

Image from Harve & Polly

That's a Wrap!

Today is National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day (it was invented 51 years ago today) and the Ohio Union is taking it pretty seriously... Every banister is lined with the stuff. Every table in the building has some on it. They are giving away cans of pop, and popcorn, and even using a bubble machine to fill the place with bubbles. People are walking through the building, clearly trying to resist popping the Bubble Wrap, but it's just impossible! What is with this stuff? It just makes you happier. I read that the Sealed Air company, the manufacturers of Bubble Wrap, even has "stress-relief boxes" filled with it in their corporate offices for their employees to pop. The verdict: people love Bubble Wrap. And I can't think of a better way to beat those winter blues than popping some.

Missing

I know I really only spent a week with them, but the Habitat for Humanity group I took to John's Island, SC this December on Ohio State's Alternative Winter Break was soo unbelievably amazing. It was my first time playing "Faculty Advisor" and as you can see from the matching tech vests standing outside Wal-Mart (partially my idea), I wasn't much more mature than they were... Anyway, I really miss these goobers.

Kyle, Yang, Katie, Julie, Brittney, Me (in safety goggles), Lauren and Halle

Do The Charleston!

I have spent the past 3 days at work creating this poster, which was just way too much fun for me. I am kind of obsessed with all things vintage, so when I got the chance to work with Art Deco and the Jazz Age, I was like a kid in a candy store. What do you guys think?

I had the most fun with her dress, honestly. It brought me back to those crazy times in my teens when I thought fashion illustration would be a lucrative career option. Dreeeaaaaams.

Freudian Slip

One of my biggest challenges at work is that I had the very big shoes of Laura Sanders to fill! She is one of the most talented designers I've ever met (and a very funny stand-up comedienne as well), and she's definitely a designer with a very distinct style. The hard part is that when I took on her clients, a lot of them want things the way she would have done them...I feel a bit like the graphic designer equivalent of Julia Roberts in Stepmom.

This poster has been an ongoing quarterly thing for the Psychology Club at Ohio State, and features an illustration of Sigmund Freud doing seasonally appropriate activities. The first two images were created by Laura, and the third is the one I did while attempting to mimic Laura's style. I am proud of the final product, and hopefully the untrained eye won't know the difference! But what do your highly-trained eyes think?

{Images 1+2 by Laura Sanders, and 3 by Jenna Brucoli}

Sea Island Habitat for Humanity

Hello to whichever faithful blog readers have stuck it out through the radio silence of this Autumn and early Winter here at Jenna Sais Quois. I just got back from a week-long trip to John's Island, South Carolina where myself, and 17 Ohio State Students, participated in the Alternative Winter Break program through Buck-I-Serv. It was an incredible experience, and we worked with Sea Island Habitat for Humanity building flooring systems for two different homes in the area. In the end, our work was completely covered up by plywood, but houses don't stand up straight without a lot of infrastructural stuff underneath, which we were happy to help out with!

It was really hard work, and hammering super long nails into cold, hard wood was a challenge, but by the end we all got some muscles, some construction smarts...and sustained a few minor injuries along the way (i.e. splinters, blisters, bruises, etc.) Here are some photos from the trip. Enjoy!

Sideways hammering is even harder than normal hammering!

Lifting a side beam for the exterior frame

Tacking the floor joists in place

Stop! Hammertime.

I used a drop saw to cut all of these joists...Luckily, I still have all my fingers.

All of our hard work lies beneath these plywood sheets...

Group O-H-I-O / Fork in the Garbage Disposal shot

 {All photos via Sam and Lindsey's facebook albums...Thanks girls!}

For Kids: A Closer Look

So, I remember promising more of my thesis to those friends and family who wanted to see how I spent a non-exaggerated 15-20 hours/day Spring Quarter prior to my graduation. Well, today you are in luck, folks. I wanted to share with you some of the pages of my book, as I prep them to zip off to the Index Awards in Copenhagen! (More on THAT later)

I am well aware that these images aren't the best...I'm working on it. But for now, please enjoy a more in depth (albeit very low-quality) look into my senior thesis project. And please click the images for a larger view!

{All images copyright protected by Jenna Brucoli}