I've got 18 Reasons...
Rena B. has been shooting a lot of events lately at the Mission community food space 18 Reasons - and for good reason. Supporting, learning from and enjoying the vibrant food scene at this wonderful non-profit is the way work should feel everyday. Currently 4 out of 5 photo galleries on their Facebook page feature my images!
posted by Rena B. @ 9:54 PM
fantastic fancy food...
The Fancy Food Show in San Francisco was again a wild mix of flavors with - literally - much to take in! Here are the new products I'm most excited about:
posted by Rena B. @ 11:55 AM
Launched and live...
Our latest "baby" is alive and well - the temporary site for California Coffee Cake Company! Despite constantly evolving flavors and big plans for the future, we were able to get this first issue off the ground. The best part: photographing and tasting all the different cakes!
posted by Rena B. @ 11:38 AM
Just Launched...
In the times of Open Studios and all things ART, we just finished and launched fine artist Monika Steiner's revamped web site! Paring down and organizing the information and artwork on display, integrating some nice video interviews and improving the overall ease-of use were our goals - see for yourself and take a look at her abstract paintings at monikasteiner.net
posted by Rena B. @ 3:43 PM
a new downtown treat...
Today is a big day: Rena B. DESIGN client California Coffee Cake Company is opening their sales kiosk at the Westfield Centre downtown San Francisco! A number of unforeseen circumstances led to this opportunity, and led us to a 4-week race to design an identity, packaging and booth look and produce it all in record time. The web site will take a little longer, but head on down to try some of their delicious treats in the basement Food Court!
posted by Rena B. @ 11:45 AM
Quote of the week...
"We believe that innovation is the key to the success of any business, and we are convinced that this can only be fueled by the creative thinking and problem-solving that designers can offer."
-Carlos Losada, Director General
ESADE
(named the #1 business school in the world by the Wall Street Journal)
posted by Rena B. @ 8:39 AM
Did you know...
So many ways to be green, so many symbols to tell you, well, what exactly? Once and for all, I wanted to know the difference, so here's a select group of GREEN symbols from the world of design for packaging and print material, so we all know what to look for (and be sure to specify) on the next project using recycled or recycle-able material! No claim of completeness, of course.
2 Green-e marks items manufactured with electricity that is offset with Green-e certified renewable energy certificates
3 Various iterations of the original Recycling symbol now come in different shapes or forms. Paper products typically display the outline form, often with lettering such as 'This product can be recycled' or 'Recyclable'. When identified with one of the symbols, products, containers or packaging materials are referred to as recyclable products.
4 The negative version indicates that the product was manufactured with at least some materials that have been recycled, a given percentage in the symbol states the recycled content.
posted by Rena B. @ 5:29 PM
Go See...
I went and saw the documentary about Edward Burtynsky's photography recently, and it took my breath away. In my own work as a photographer, I am often dazzled by how much beauty you can find in the most mundane places, but he is definitely taking this idea a whole lot further: documenting man's effect on nature and the many unreal, horrifying yet fascinating outcrops of our "culture" around the world. I haven't been moved by anbody's images this way in a long time. For the trailer to the movie "Manufactured Landscape" by Jennifer Baichwal, click here.
posted by Rena B. @ 10:46 PM
Taking type to new level...
Last week in New York, I visited the new New York Times building, with an amazing installation in the lobby called "Moveable Type" - it displays realtime and archived bits of information from the NYTimes, while making manual typewriter, teletype machine and rotary phone noises. Sequence, speed and categories change all the time, and the combinations are compeltely random – it's a fascinating piece that truly blurs the lines of art, design, information and type. It successfully visualizes the crazy amount of media information streaming by our eyes at all times! Inspirational.
Read more about it at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/arts/design/25vide.html
posted by Rena B. @ 5:26 PM
Design Matters...
In a world where terrible things are happening every day, where we're concerned with the economy, the election, the threat of environmental catastrophe and global wars, sometimes thinking about design seems frivolous or unimportant in comparison - and of course being able to obsess about type proportion and nuances of color ARE privilege to those who can afford to. But every now and then it's good to refresh our outlook. Inspired by my monthly meeting with a group of graphic designers eager to do good and do well, I re-discovered the taped interviews with famous design luminaries about profane and profound issues concerning design, and invite you to check out their archive for some interesting and entertaining thoughts at http://www.sterlingbrands.com/DesignMatters.html
posted by Rena B. @ 11:01 AM
This Week...
This week is all about San Francisco Open Studios, and I can't help but doing a little cross-promotion. I have a new studio space at the ART EXPLOSION, where I will be showing my photography and mixed media work. It's a large warehouse space with lots of different artists, where we open our doors to the public and host a few fun events:
Thursday from 5-8pm is Preview Night
Friday from 7-11pm is the big Opening Reception
Sat/Sun from 11am-6pm the building is open for art browsing and buying, nibbling, chatting, you get the idea. Come by and bring your friends, I look forward to seeing you!
posted by Rena B. @ 9:17 AM
EXTRAS...
I recently discovered the thread. That's right. For a small run of booklets that use doubled-over pages to increase thickness, we experimented with Japanese stab binding. After trying a variety of options, we eventually settled on a 4-stitch pattern and I think it came out really nice. Not something you want to try with high volume, since everything is done by hand (by the pros at LogosGraphics) and takes a while. See project description here.
posted by Rena B. @ 5:17 PM
Resources...
food trends, blogs & events
posted by Rena B. @ 10:53 AM
Rena B. has been shooting a lot of events lately at the Mission community food space 18 Reasons - and for good reason. Supporting, learning from and enjoying the vibrant food scene at this wonderful non-profit is the way work should feel everyday. Currently 4 out of 5 photo galleries on their Facebook page feature my images!
posted by Rena B. @ 9:54 PM
fantastic fancy food...
The Fancy Food Show in San Francisco was again a wild mix of flavors with - literally - much to take in! Here are the new products I'm most excited about:
Plocky's Hummus and Rice&Bean Chips - gluten-free and delectable!
Ohgave! Low glycemic agave syrup with natural honey or maple flavor, delicious!
Tisane - tea made from the discarded, dried hulls of the coffeebean fruit with addition of herbs & spices
(click on photos for a link to their sites)
posted by Rena B. @ 11:55 AM
Launched and live...
Our latest "baby" is alive and well - the temporary site for California Coffee Cake Company! Despite constantly evolving flavors and big plans for the future, we were able to get this first issue off the ground. The best part: photographing and tasting all the different cakes!posted by Rena B. @ 11:38 AM
Just Launched...
In the times of Open Studios and all things ART, we just finished and launched fine artist Monika Steiner's revamped web site! Paring down and organizing the information and artwork on display, integrating some nice video interviews and improving the overall ease-of use were our goals - see for yourself and take a look at her abstract paintings at monikasteiner.net
posted by Rena B. @ 3:43 PM
a new downtown treat...
Today is a big day: Rena B. DESIGN client California Coffee Cake Company is opening their sales kiosk at the Westfield Centre downtown San Francisco! A number of unforeseen circumstances led to this opportunity, and led us to a 4-week race to design an identity, packaging and booth look and produce it all in record time. The web site will take a little longer, but head on down to try some of their delicious treats in the basement Food Court!
posted by Rena B. @ 11:45 AM
Quote of the week...
"We believe that innovation is the key to the success of any business, and we are convinced that this can only be fueled by the creative thinking and problem-solving that designers can offer."
-Carlos Losada, Director General
ESADE
(named the #1 business school in the world by the Wall Street Journal)
posted by Rena B. @ 8:39 AM
Did you know...
So many ways to be green, so many symbols to tell you, well, what exactly? Once and for all, I wanted to know the difference, so here's a select group of GREEN symbols from the world of design for packaging and print material, so we all know what to look for (and be sure to specify) on the next project using recycled or recycle-able material! No claim of completeness, of course.1 The Forest Stewardship Council certification guarantees that the wood used in the production of paper comes from a certified well-managed forest
2 Green-e marks items manufactured with electricity that is offset with Green-e certified renewable energy certificates
3 Various iterations of the original Recycling symbol now come in different shapes or forms. Paper products typically display the outline form, often with lettering such as 'This product can be recycled' or 'Recyclable'. When identified with one of the symbols, products, containers or packaging materials are referred to as recyclable products.
4 The negative version indicates that the product was manufactured with at least some materials that have been recycled, a given percentage in the symbol states the recycled content.
5 A 'recyclable' symbol for use on glass packaging that can be recycled - which is pretty much all glass.
6 Der Gruene Punkt! This "green dot" is the recycling symbol used in Germany and throughout Europe. I grew up with these! The presence of a 'green dot' symbol on packaging denotes that the manufacturer of the package has purchased a license for the right to use the 'green dot' trademark. The cumulative license fees fund a system of not only recovering and recycling packaging materials, but also of minimizing the use of packaging material, and of creating packaging that is easier to recycle. Not a bad idea, and in effect since 1991.
7 A relatively new symbol stating the obvious
8 Lastly, a 'recyclable' symbol for use on corrugated packaging that can be recycled. Meaning it isn't coated with wax, asphalt or other components that aren't convertible to pulp.
We're not getting into the specifics of plastic recycling and the identification numbers for all the various types of plastic here, but of course: use as little as you can, and recycle where possible!
posted by Rena B. @ 5:29 PM
Go See...
I went and saw the documentary about Edward Burtynsky's photography recently, and it took my breath away. In my own work as a photographer, I am often dazzled by how much beauty you can find in the most mundane places, but he is definitely taking this idea a whole lot further: documenting man's effect on nature and the many unreal, horrifying yet fascinating outcrops of our "culture" around the world. I haven't been moved by anbody's images this way in a long time. For the trailer to the movie "Manufactured Landscape" by Jennifer Baichwal, click here.
posted by Rena B. @ 10:46 PM
Taking type to new level...
Last week in New York, I visited the new New York Times building, with an amazing installation in the lobby called "Moveable Type" - it displays realtime and archived bits of information from the NYTimes, while making manual typewriter, teletype machine and rotary phone noises. Sequence, speed and categories change all the time, and the combinations are compeltely random – it's a fascinating piece that truly blurs the lines of art, design, information and type. It successfully visualizes the crazy amount of media information streaming by our eyes at all times! Inspirational.
Read more about it at http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/25/arts/design/25vide.html
posted by Rena B. @ 5:26 PM
Design Matters...
In a world where terrible things are happening every day, where we're concerned with the economy, the election, the threat of environmental catastrophe and global wars, sometimes thinking about design seems frivolous or unimportant in comparison - and of course being able to obsess about type proportion and nuances of color ARE privilege to those who can afford to. But every now and then it's good to refresh our outlook. Inspired by my monthly meeting with a group of graphic designers eager to do good and do well, I re-discovered the taped interviews with famous design luminaries about profane and profound issues concerning design, and invite you to check out their archive for some interesting and entertaining thoughts at http://www.sterlingbrands.com/DesignMatters.html
posted by Rena B. @ 11:01 AM
This Week...
This week is all about San Francisco Open Studios, and I can't help but doing a little cross-promotion. I have a new studio space at the ART EXPLOSION, where I will be showing my photography and mixed media work. It's a large warehouse space with lots of different artists, where we open our doors to the public and host a few fun events:
Thursday from 5-8pm is Preview Night
Friday from 7-11pm is the big Opening Reception
Sat/Sun from 11am-6pm the building is open for art browsing and buying, nibbling, chatting, you get the idea. Come by and bring your friends, I look forward to seeing you!
posted by Rena B. @ 9:17 AM
EXTRAS...
I recently discovered the thread. That's right. For a small run of booklets that use doubled-over pages to increase thickness, we experimented with Japanese stab binding. After trying a variety of options, we eventually settled on a 4-stitch pattern and I think it came out really nice. Not something you want to try with high volume, since everything is done by hand (by the pros at LogosGraphics) and takes a while. See project description here.
For a different piece, actually artwork that I am printing on a scroll, I tried sewing a seam across to create a loop for the wooden pole that will hold it up at top and bottom - worked like a charm and looks so cool!
posted by Rena B. @ 5:17 PM
Resources...
food trends, blogs & events
posted by Rena B. @ 10:53 AM