#Blogmas Day 9: Merry Quizmas

Okay, my little Christmas Kweens (or Kings), the time to prove your Christmas Pop-Culture Know-How has arrived! The Challenge is Merry Quizmas - A Nearly-Impossible Holiday Character Challenge that my friend sent me this morning. Things started out well for me, checking off the entire top two rows, easy peasy. Then there were some head-scratchers like...was this a Christmas movie? Why is the Russian from Rocky IV here again? I think I need to rewatch a lot of movies, starting with Trading Places. Also, this must have been made by boys because Little Women and Meet Me in St. Louis are nowhere to be found and there are so many aliens and people with guns #boymovies #amirite?

...BUT by the time I was half-way through, the entire office was in on the challenge! We were completely obsessed with guessing correctly, and as designers, we were drooling over these adorable illustrations by James Kenison! I could only manage to get 42 out of 60 on my own (the images in white vs. the colorful backgrounds). Note: I whited out the correct names so as to not give away any spoilers! Tell me your score in the comments below!

How cute are these illustrations by James Kenison?

Questions 1-30: Code by Tad Thorley

Questions 31-60: Copy by Ryan Kroker

Hungry? Why Wait!

Did you see the movie yet?? As planned, I saw The Hunger Games on Friday night in Times Square. (It still trips me out to come out of a movie and find myself in the craziest, most crowded part of New York City, though I think I love it...) But before the movie, I met Cody, the jewelry artist I blogged about here and he gifted me my very own beautiful charm necklace to wear! I was beyond surprised and excited. All through dinner, I couldn't stop looking at it...I even clutched it a few times during the movie in moments of nervous suspense. Let's be honest, the entire theatre got a little emotional at certain parts (you know exactly which ones I'm talking about) but my roommate Colleen and I were maybe the top teary offenders...Oops. Anyway, it was everything I wanted it to be. Can't wait for the next one!

And because the world is still very much suffering from Hunger Games mania, I decided to put together a little assemblage of some of my favorite Etsy items I've found while scouring the web. Hope you loved the movie! If you haven't seen it yet, or read the books, I definitely recommend both. But (as always) start with the books!

1  "Change the Game" print 11x14 from EntropyTradingCo on Etsy
2  Pyrite and Black Tourmaline crystal bobby pins from BashfulOwl on Etsy
3  "Let the Games Begin" t-shirt from DarbyandDash on Etsy
4  "I am as Radiant as the Sun" print 8x10 from FaithHopeTrick on Etsy
5  "Rue's Song" poster 11x14 from EntropyTradingCo on Etsy
6  "The Rebellion" poster 11x14 from PurpleCowPosters on Etsy
7  The Hunger Games print 11x17 from TheArtOfAdamJuresko on Etsy
8  The Hunger Games charm bracelet from 1LuckySoul on Etsy

Just my type...

Hello again! Chrissy from Harve & Polly here with some gorgeous items for all the typography lovers out there! I know Jenna must be hard at work designing and decorating her new digs - maybe something below will strike her fancy!

/ type bookshelf $? / cast iron ampersand $250.00 / R print $45.00 / H bird $75.00 / fab type $58.00

iPad Letterpress

Spotted this on the ever-inspiring blog Harve & Polly yesterday! LetterMpress is an app for your iPad that simulates the experience of hand-setting type, selecting colors, locking, inking, and printing letterpress prints! You can even create multiple impressions. While I think the idea of using an iPad to kick it old school with letterpress is kind of ironic, I think this would be something I could spend hours playing with on a long subway commute... And it's also a really great educational tool for someone who didn't get the chance to try all of this stuff in design school like Chrissy (author of Harve & Polly) and I did!

The only sad part is that while the process is basically the same, there's still nothing like holding an actual printed piece! Running your fingers over the impressions, smelling the fresh paper and ink... Maybe I'm just romancing it, but there are some experiences that computers, tablets and smartphones can't quite recreate. What do you think?

Holiday Printing Party

Wow. I had an incredible Friday night... And it started at 6:00 when Cate and I went to the Igloo Letterpress Holiday Printing Party. Kendall was there too, working, since she does her other internship at Igloo! I had never been inside Igloo before, so I was seriously mesmerized by what I found. Gorgeous, colorful, letterpress items coming (literally) out of the woodwork! Trays of movable type, tiny cubbyholes filled to the brim with envelopes and paper in every shade imaginable, and above all else, design inspiration. Everywhere.

A highlight was getting to meet and chat with Omar and Jen from These Are Things. You guys know I love them and their beauteous graphic maps because I've blogged about them here, here, here aaaaand here. Needless to say, I was excited to meet them, and score some free swag, but I about died from obscure-up-and-coming-blogger joy when they recognized me from Jenna Sais Quois! I hate getting designer starstruck, but These Are Things (And still Jeremy Slagle) invoke this feeling in me, and I can't really fight it. So I won't... But anyway, check out some images from the party that I pilfered from the Igloo and These Are Things facebook pages...including one of me with my new Ohio Letterpress Print. I am going to want lots of nods to my Ohio roots once I get to NYC, so I am beyond jazzed about this print. Plus, I even got to ink the press!

Images from here and here

Luxe Lettering

I love gathering inspiration for design projects and other odds and ends on Pinterest , in magazines, on blogs...you name it. But there's absolutely no denying the fact that sometimes the best inspiration comes from the past. In this case, waaaay back when. The gorgeous insurance maps  from the Sanborn Map Company came complete with some of the most exceptionally detailed lettering I've ever seen. And they were created over 100 years ago! I am just in awe. I really need to create something like this soon...

Images from Pinterest via Christian Annyas 

I Love You, Mom!

Attention, Attention! Today is my amazing, creative, incredibly special mother, Susan Brucoli's BIRTHDAY! 

So, since she is constantly bugging me to teach her Adobe Illustrator, but I usually end up getting frustrated and wanting to bang my head up against a wall, I am presenting to her this coupon! (See Below) Because do you think she was frustrated when she was carrying me for 9 months? Probably. Do you think she wanted to bang her head up against the wall when she was experiencing labor pains in the wee small hours of the morning until I finally decided to make the earth my permanent locale? Definitely! But did she complain? NO WAY, (or at least not to my knowledge) because being a mom clearly teaches you a selflessness you never even knew you had before. And, Mom, you are easily the most selfless, wonderful, person on this planet and the best friend a gal could ask for. Thanks for being born today, and you know...for all that aforementioned labor stuff... I love you! 

Jessica Hische Takes On "The Classics"

We've all been drooling over the Penguin Clothbound Classics for a few years now. I will happily take one of each please! They obviously thought of bringing gorgeous vintage-looking books back in response to the e-Reader phenomenon just to let us all know that reading can be both an enjoyable and beautiful experience. But...what Penguin didn't have in their arsenal was one Jessica Hische, aka my #1 Design crush. Nice job, Barnes & Noble. Way to one-up the competition! And while I definitely like the fun and feminine colors of Penguins books better, the typography, hand-lettering, and graphic details on these Barnes & Noble Classics are sooo may-jah. What do you guys think? 

Images via Jessica Hische website

 

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

I'm Still Alive

Don't be alarmed, whatever poor readers I have left! I am still alive. My lack of blogging has been in large part to my fabulous New York City vacation, and also because I've been catching up on everything I've missed while I was away. And I've also started designing my very first typeface! Images coming soon, because I really need you guys to help me figure out what to name it...

Image from here

These Are Things: American Flags

I am obviously a huge fan of These Are Things. Based right in Columbus, Ohio, I have been gushing about their maps since I've started this blog. Some posts are here, here, and here. However, I think this has to be their cutest product yet...a map of the United States using little pins and flags (I clearly love this motif, if you check out anything on my blog). I kind of definitely need to buy this.

Images from These Are Things by Jen Adrion and Omar Noory

Under the Weather

Yep, some of you may have noticed the radio silence coming from this blog for the past 2 days. And the words "Under the Weather" are quite an understatement. My prognosis is a sinus infection with some strep throat thrown in for good measure. Or just to make me extra miserable!! I'm not one to use this blog to complain, so my request is to just stick with me until I recover! There will be lots more lovely content when I'm feeling more...well, lovely! Thanks, dolls.

Via Friends of Type

For You, Mom

It must really pay to have a child who is a graphic designer by trade...My mother, a high school teacher in Howland Township, Ohio, is in charge of organizing the Prom. She enlisted my help on the ticket, and I figured roughly 10 hours of labor is payment enough for me. So this one's for you, Susan! As you can see, I gave it a little Jenna Sais Quois ribbon twist as well. It's kind of my signature at this point...

Packaging Design: Nordstrom Hosiery

I am loving the packaging redesign for Nordstrom Hosiery. They have really done some cool things with their typography, and I love the clean, classic, and vintage-glamour-inspired photography as well. They were designed by Turnstyle and featured on Lovely Package.

Images via Lovely Package

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.

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}