Of course I needed a logo for the site. This is the result:

The typeface that I used is Patagonia from the Kingdom of Awesome. I used substitution to replace the “i” in “Bita” with a bubbling beaker. I originally was going to just put the beaker next to the words, but after experimenting in Illustrator for a while I thought that this seemed more interesting. There are still a few problems with it, such as the fact that it doesn’t work that well at small sizes, but for a quick fix to spice up an otherwise boring WordPress theme I think this did the trick!

I also made a quick landing page for the index of starbitspets.com that can direct users to the Labs or to the Oekaki. I had fun experimenting with CSS3 text drop-shadows.

So, that’s just a quick update on what I’ve been working on over winter break. Hopefully this next semester will be a bit less hectic so I’ll have time to post more. I have a couple of drafts written up, so expect some more content soon!

Yesterday I somehow stumbled upon a really nice collection of historic biology books online at BioLib.de.  Most of the works are in German and my two years of that language doesn’t allow me to read any of them.  However, the text is not what is amazing about these.  Many of these books are filled with beautifully drawn and designed prints of the natural world back from the days of Darwin.  The drawings of these early naturalists are not only ridiculously detailed, but are put together in interesting ways that go above and beyond simple documentation.  I actually have a large archive of these types of naturalist images that I like to look at for reference and because they are in the mostly in the public domain.  There are literally thousands of pictures on the site, and the amazing thing is that they are generally very high quality…some are actually 300 dpi!  And all are available for free!  There are so many to look through I haven’t even scratched the surface, but so far my favorite find is the complete Kunstformen der Natur by Ernst Haeckel.  You can download high quality versions of each page, or download the free .pdf licensed under the GNU.

Here are some links to other books in the BioLib with lots of nice images:

A Synopsis of the Birds of Australia

Die Raupen der Schmetterlinge Europas

Brehms Tierleben. Allgemeine Kunde des Tierreichs. Die Säugetiere.

Die Radiolarien

Brachyura, Atlas

Butterflies

Some of my favorite images from Kunstformen der Natur.

I finally got an invite to Pinterest, a social network/link sharing site that started up recently.  It’s still in development, but I think it could be the next big thing.  I know I’m really enjoying it!

Imagine a cork board where you can post links to products, crafts, tutorials, art, design stuff, basically anything you like that has an interesting theme.  It’s similar to liking something on facebook or tweeting it but instead of just getting put into a big ol’ list it is dropped into a nice visual grid that adjusts itself dynamically depending on the size of the images you post.  I have two pinboards so far, one for royalty free typography and one for easy DIY apartment decorating.

Really, I think the best way to describe Pinterest is a hybrid between Twitter and Etsy Treasuries.  It’s like Twitter in that you can “repin” other people’s pins.  Similar to retweeting.  My DIY Decorating pinboard shown above is mostly made out of repins, whereas my Royalty Free Typography pinboard is mostly pins I found myself.  You can also “Follow” people on Pinterest and in your comments for each pin you can use # and @ the same way you would for Twitter.  Pinterest is probably best used in conjunction with Twitter.  You can link both your Twitter and Facebook accounts to Pinterest and have them updated each time you make a new pin.

“…the best way to describe Pinterest is a hybrid between Twitter and Etsy Treasuries.”

Overall it’s very appealing to those who may be more visually oriented.  Heck, they won’t even let you pin something unless there are high quality images to choose from on the page.  It’s really easy (and kind of fun) to pin something.  All you have to do is drag their “Pin It” link to your bookmarks toolbar and when you’re on a page you like and click it it will automatically search the page for high quality images.  You just choose the one you like, write a short comment, and you’re done!  All without leaving the page or having to install another add-on to your browser.  It’s very satisfying to see a shiny new pin appear on your pinboard.  I daresay I’m addicted.

There are only a couple things that bother me about Pinterest.  One is that since it’s invite only there isn’t much variety in the way of users at the moment.  It seems to be filled with a lot of Etsy types, which is good, but there could be more variety I think.  Also, for some reason when I look at the design section everybody seems to think that graphic design = rainbow colors…which is crazy.  Why is there this assumption?  There need to be more graphic designers on there to fix this…I’m sure it will sort itself out as more people join.  It’s actually kind of nice that it’s relatively small at the moment, it keeps the content high quality.

If you’d like to learn more about Pinterest, they have a nice about section.  If you’ve been searching for a network with an emphasis on good design and sharing, this is the site for you!  I still have a few invites left, so if you need one just let me know.  You can also get invites through their facebook page.

Is anybody else using Pinterest?  If so, how do you like it?  I’d love to know your opinion. :D

I’m moving into a new apartment at the end of the summer so I’ve been looking through house stuff online, and I’ve been noticing quite a few cool products featuring animal silhouettes and simplified outlines in bright colors (often CMYK) on sites such as Etsy and ModCloth.  As somebody who is very interested in animal behavior, evolution, and their design prospects (a.k.a. cuteness) this is a trend I highly approve of!

When I look at these types of designs I am reminded of the master symbol maker, Lance Wyman who designed (and is currently redesigning) the route map of Washington Metro.  The symbols and logos he develops for zoos are my favorite.  They are so clear and clever in the way they incorporate animals and still manage to convey the information needed.

Here is a great article that talks about Wyman’s process and symbols in detail.  Back to the current trend I’ve noticed lately, it seems like animals are invading product design and the craft scene.  Perhaps it is because of the eco-friendly fad?  It would be great if some of these animal related products actually got people thinking about preserving some of these wonderful creatures…

In any event, looks like minimalist colorful animal designs are in!  Good news for me! ;D  The house-wares you see above are all from ModCloth.com, a great site that sells vintage, handmade, and independently designed clothing and objects.  Even if you’re not looking to buy anything, I often go there to look at their apartment and accessories section for design inspiration.  It’s a great collection of cool stuff.  Thanks for reading!

Ever since my design class Skype’d with a motion graphics designer from Trollbäck I’ve become very aware of the beauty of moving images, in advertising, movie intros, and elsewhere.  Even if you’ve already seen these watching them from a design perspective is fascinating.  If you haven’t, you’re in for a real treat!

DVNO

D.A.N.C.E.

A Very Verbose Side Note…

On a final Justice related note…I thought it was amusing that so many people gave the video for their their newest single, “Civilization” a bad rating.  They said it was “weird.”  Hah!  Since when have music videos not been weird?  If that’s weird what do they think of Queen’s “Radio Gaga?”  Or speaking of gagas…Lady Gaga’s bizarre on-stage antics for her latest album where she pretends to be pregnant…I could go on forever about the weirdness of musicians.  Isn’t that weirdness why we liked these people in the first place?  It’s refreshing for me to see a video that rewards those who pay attention and are willing to look for symbolism and connections.  Heck, the symbols are pretty obvious in “Civilization,” so how can people complain that they “don’t get it?”  All you need is VERY basic knowledge of world religions and monuments, and if you really want to get deep with it, maybe this drawing from Genesis.  At the very least I thought that giant rocks falling from the sky towards running American Bison would be entertaining enough, but I guess it has to be a super CG superhero action transformers flick to interest those types.

Or maybe it is “weird.”  I doubt my tolerance for weirdness is normal considering the amount of times I’ve been forced to watch Guy Madden’s The Saddest Music in the World.  Either way, thanks for reading! ;P

I really like making small plushies for key chains, cell phone charms, necklaces, and the like, but the way I was doing it before was very, very involved for the price that I could sell such a craft for.  For each tiny plush I had to sew a tiny body complete with an applique heart patch.  Making something so small was difficult for me, the little critters always ended up with a lopsided head or one leg that was bigger than the other.  It took a lot of time and energy, and after I factored in my actual sewing time and calculated a decent hourly wage the price was outrageous!  Few people want to buy a keychain for $30+ after all!

Eureka!

That’s when (while reading the manga Kuragehime of all things) I saw something that caught my eye.  I did some research and it turned out to be a Japanese weather charm called a Teru teru bōzu.  I decided to adapt the idea into a bean sprout plushie.  I used gathering to make a round little head and sewed on some of my new and improved poseable leaf shaped ears.  I left the flowy ruffles around the edges; they reminded me of flower petals.  After the first somewhat ill-proportioned prototype I made the two key chains you see above.  They turned out great!  I think they’re even more adorable than the original key chain pattern I was using…possibly because they have more dimension than their flat cousins.  And since the bodies are so much easier to make I can spend more time making each unique by adding different shaped leaf-ears, petals, vines, etc. such to each.  I also am spending much less time making them so I can charge less as well!

You can expect these little key chain plushies to appear in the new Etsy shop that I’m working on.  I want to create a good starting inventory for it before I open…not to mention come up with the logo and all the branding.  Oh!  Also, as you can no doubt tell…this is the first post on my new blog!  I am not sure what my “theme” will be yet…the blogs that do the best have a hook you know…I’ll just see how it evolves as I use it.  It will probably end up having an emphasis on design.  Either way, thanks for reading my first post!

If you’d like to make your own simple teru teru bōzu, this is a cute video where you can also hear the song that goes along with the amulet.  It would be a great thing for kids, or if you’re trying to drive away rainy weather. ;P