samanthatroy, Author at The Experts Agree

Modern Ecomomy Sample Sale

April 21st, 2009 by samanthatroy

For those of you in San Francisco, I highly recommend checking out the Modern Ecomony Sample Sale at Fort Mason on May 2nd. The sale is organized by Mateo Ilasco and will feature over 40 great designers including Jill Bliss, Petit Collage, Perch! and Variegated, Inc.

For those of you who aren’t in San Francisco, it looks like Modern Economy will be having a 48-hour online sale beginning September 9th.

creative mapping

April 20th, 2009 by samanthatroy

I love seeing the ways in which different artists approach the same theme. The four artists below use the boundaries of maps to create beautiful pieces of art all in distinct styles and media.

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I’ve been admiring these State Maps from Frank Chimero for a while â€” I first saw them at his shop at 1000 Markets where you can get prints of the individual states (in addition to selling at 1000 Markets, he also works as the interaction designer for the site). You can see see more of his work on his site and if you’d like to learn more about his work and process, there is an extensive interview over on Grain Edit.

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Great typographic City Neighborhood posters by Ork Posters; available both as posters and screenprints in a variety of colorways.

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The World

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Detail from Manhattan, 2007

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Middle East, 2007

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Paris, 2007
I would love to see these amazing typographic map paintings by Paula Scher in person. I have a feeling that the images online don’t really do them justice â€” the level of detail looks unbelievable. View more maps at Paula Scher’s site and at the Maya Stendhal Gallery.

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I’ve become quite a fan of cut paper recently. Check out this beautiful map of Paris by Famille Summerbelle.
via black eiffel

Me and Alhambra Water making friends

April 17th, 2009 by samanthatroy

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I have always loved the design for the Alhambra Water truck. I think it is great that they used such a basic material, giant sequins, to achieve such an elegant design solution. I saw this truck when I was coming into work this morning, and just had to share.

TypograFriday: fantastic clothing and accessory finds for type lovers

April 17th, 2009 by samanthatroy

Row 1:
This Kern ring set from plastique* was the inspiration for this week’s Font-y Friday. These rings are so geeky, but I think they are hysterical. They remind me of the Veer sweatshirt which I have always wanted, but still don’t have.

Owen bought me this Epershand Necklace from Isette during a fit of etsy shopping a few weeks ago. Each time I wear it, I get a ton of compliments on it. (In case you are wondering, ephersand is the Scots and Scotish English word for ampersand).

Row 2:
Lorem Ipsum “Ketchup and Mustard” shirt from The Select Series at Threadless.com. Almost any shirt with this classic greeked text phrase would be a hit with us, but this one is executed perfectly in streams of ketchup and mustard.

In a similar script, with a tagline that gets funnier with each line, there’s also the “My Baseline is lower than yours….much lower…” shirt from Workerman.

Row 3:
My appreciation of Helvetica has grown hugely since watching Helvetica. Show your love for this classic typeface by wearing this Helvetica Neue Descending tank from typography shop.

Futura Bold necklace from This is Star Jewelry. Owen says, “It’s one cmd-i away from being the perfect accessory to wear to a Barbara Kruger exhibit.”

Row 4:
The Swash Buckle and Kern Sweatshirt from veer.com; Veer has a bunch of great products for the discerning type nerd â€” these are just two of our favorites.

Row 5:
I bought Owen this Personalized Typography T-shirt from Enzyme Press for Christmas last year. It calls out the typographic terminology of your chosen word (baseline, counter, x-height etc) and you can choose from a variety of typefaces, shirt and ink colors.

Great screenprinted Typography shirt from stiksel. Owen bought a handkerchief from her the other day; it’s pretty fantastic too.

we love typography

April 15th, 2009 by samanthatroy

I probably should wait until Font-y Friday to post about this, but John Boardley and Kari PÃ¤tilÃ¤ just launched we love typography, the companion site to John’s blog i love typography. As John says, “Itâ€™s like an FFFFound for type-related content, a type-themed delicio.us for theÂ eyes.” So far, it looks pretty awesome.

EtsyGreetings Mother’s Day promo

April 14th, 2009 by samanthatroy

Owen and I are members of the etsy team Etsy Greetings. It is a pretty active group of greeting card designers. One of the things I like most about selling on etsy is the sense of community and support you feel from other sellers. Etsy teams are a really great way to help build those connections.

Etsy Greetings is running a free shipping for Mother’s Day promotion from April 13th â€“ May 5th. We’re offering free secondary shipping (to the US and Canada) on cards from our Cards for Mom section.

To view a complete list of cards from the participating shops, click here. Participating shops will be using this avatar, so they are easier to identify.

Indie Parade

April 10th, 2009 by samanthatroy

Owen and I are really excited that our Thank You cards are being featured on Indie Parade. Indie Parade is a blog that features work by independent crafters and designers that is submitted by its readers. All of the images/products are reviewed by Indie Parade, and if selected, get featured on the site. You can submit your own work (which could be a good marketing tool) but, someone else submitted our cards. There are a bunch ways you can search for products and because the items are submitted by different people, there is a good range of aesthetic tastes.

Etsy Schmetsy: matryoshka

April 9th, 2009 by samanthatroy

It’s no mystery why Russian nesting dolls are as popular as they are. Check out some of these great finds from etsy:

Row 1:
Block-printed magnets by Amanda Kindregan; Hand-printed cotton handkerchief set by HippieJo

Row2:
Photographic print by Angie Muldowney; Hand-sewn journal by art kitten

Row 3:
Organic T-shirt by maryink; Acrylic brooch by A Skulk of Foxes

Row 4:
Set of hand-carved rubber stamps by Cupcake Tree Designs; Adorable baby shower invites with coordinating thank you notes by inky livie

Row 5:
Set of 5 unpainted dolls from sherla; wrapping paper from enna

Kikkerland!

April 7th, 2009 by samanthatroy

While looking at Swiss Miss today, I came across this awesome Superhero Magnetic Pixels puzzle and was reminded how much I like Kikkerland. Kikkerland sells an amazingly diverse range of super-clever products from anatomical models to globes to cufflinks. I think this pixel puzzle would make a really fun gift for both designers and superhero fans.

Check out a few more of our favorites after the jump.

Continue reading Kikkerland!

tiniest j — now on etsy!

April 6th, 2009 by samanthatroy

Since no one really enjoys promoting themseleves, I thought I would do it for her. Jessica (aka tiniestj) has finally opened an etsy shop with lovely owl buttons. Go check it out!