Oklahoma, a State of Creativity

Oklahoma is putting in all of it's effort to become a district of creativity. Their mission statement is "to establish Oklahoma as a world-renowned center of creativity and innovation in commerce, culture, and education." What a great way to not only gain attention for a city but to motivate residents of the state to love and be proud of where they're from.

Oklahoma is the only North American state recognized by The Creativity
World Forum as one of 12 Creative Districts worldwide, a distinction
sought by cities and regions around the world. Districts include
Baden-Wurttemberg, Flanders, Quebec, Scotland, Shanghai and others.


For me this is all new, I was never aware that there were 'creative' districts and am curious as to how one becomes recognized as a creative district, the requirements and how these districts came to be.

Link: State of Creativity

Louise Fili


Louise Fili is an art director that has worked with Herb Lubalin, Steven Heller and many more. The work coming out of Louise Fili Ltd. is nothing less than extraordinary.

You can view the full write up I did on her as an inspiration on my blog:

http://blog.fayeandco.com/2009/01/13/louise-fili/

Link: Louisi Fili, Art Director Extraordinaire

Calligraphy

I'm a sucker for hand-lettering and calligraphy, especially if it's accompanied by illustration. It adds a personal touch to any piece and just has an appeal that no other does. I'm a huge fan of calligraphers below and can really appreciate and respect the amount of work that they put into their craft. If I had the time I would push myself to learn calligraphy because I think it's one of the few crafts that can still be appreciated and uncomparable.

List of favorite Calligraphers:

Crystal Kluge
Betsy Dunlap
Jenna Heine
Nancy Howell
Tracy Joe

If you have the opportunity to infuse hand-lettering and illustration into your designs, I strongly suggest it!

Marian Bantjes - Typography Goddess

Marian Bantjes is known for her aesthetic in design utilizing the techniques of hand-lettering, calligraphy, color choice and tedious details that many wouldn't even want to attempt.

Marian's career has been exposed when working with the likes of Stefan Sagmeister, Veer, Pentagram and many other collaborations that have been successful with her abilities tossed into the ring.

I first was introduced to Marian and her work from Speak Up website where her words are always graceful, have meaning and self-respect behind them. She has a tone that is unlike others that expresses experience and a true sea of knowledge when it comes to design and typography.

Her work is amazing and if you don't believe me visit her website!

Link: Marian Bantjes - Personal Website

Pentagram - The Ultimate Designers

Pentagram is a design studio known for it's quality, integrity and overall aesthetic around the globe and is the highest-respected company in the design community.

Pentagram would be the Heaven if design were a religion. I'm not sure if that would make the partners at Pentagram the apostles ... you get the idea.

They have offices in London, New York, San Francisco, Austin and Berlin and hire on (if I understand) an invitation only basis. This may only apply to partners, but it's a good method.

Pentagram works in all areas of design including interiors, architecture, product design, graphic design, editorial, identities and just about any other area you can think of, they always seem to up to the challenge presented to them.

If I had the choice to work for any design company, it would be Pentagram.

Link: Pentagram - website