curlyred | a design blog

Our party is only 11 days away!

2012-01-20T12:45:00.004-05:00

Client Spotlight: Getting Creative

2012-01-17T12:43:00.000-05:00

We at CurlyRed have the privilege of working with some truly creative clients—and man, are they fun. In working with them, we get to do what we love to do the most—design out of the box. Find a truly unique solution. And capture the spirit of an artist or several artists.

We just had to share some recent work we've done for our clients, Sihaya Designs and The Collective.

Sihaya Designs is the online store my friend Christina Allen Page has created to showcase her handmade artisan jewelry and other things of beauty. We've been longtime fans of her jewelry, so when she asked CurlyRed to design business cards and web banners for her, it was an easy answer and delightful project to work on.

Everything from the color palette to the textures and imagery
used is so reflective of her spirit and energy.

The Collective is simply put, the most original and talented group of modern dancers performing in the Baltimore area. CurlyRed has several friends that are part of the group and was thrilled to be asked to design a postcard for their upcoming season.

Our good friend Matt Roth (who also took an amazing photoshoot of Margot, heir to the CurlyRed fortune) provided the breathtaking photography, which provided such a nice backdrop for the simple yet bold typography.

As always, let us know what you think! And come to our party on the 31st!

Registration is OPEN!

2012-01-03T13:41:00.000-05:00

http://fiveyearsofcurlyred.eventbrite.com

Please RSVP now for 5 Years of CurlyRed-ness!!!

Save the Date

2011-12-12T12:53:00.004-05:00

Mark your calendars now: CurlyRed will be celebrating it's 5 year anniversary
in Baltimore on Tuesday Night, January 31st. Admission will be free,
but registration is required. Stay tuned for details!

Vintage Holiday Finds

2011-12-05T11:46:00.001-05:00

Thanks to our fall intern, Holly, for putting this blog post together!

Now that it’s officially December, here at CurlyRed we are giggling with joy about the upcoming holiday season. Family, friends, giving, Santa Claus, cookies, snow, there really is nothing like the holidays.And what makes this time of year even better? Holiday design! Some of the most interesting and visually appealing designs are actually holiday themed.

We’ve noticed that many of this year’s holiday-inspired designs, whether it be package design, holiday cards, gift tags, holiday album covers, etc. actually stem from design work of the past. A design trend this season is taking a direct influence from classic vintage design. The use of delicate patterns, flourishes, traditional typography and even sometimes imagery from those time periods seem to be everywhere we look this season.

And we certainly aren’t complaining. We can’t help but fall in love over and over again with this design trend. There’s just something about the vintage look that makes us feel all warm and fuzzy inside. While fresh, colorful holiday designs have become exceedingly popular over the years, it’s nice to know that the old-fashioned vintage aesthetic will remain a design classic forever. With this in mind, we bring to you this collection of vintage-inspired holiday designs. These designs are the perfect inspiration to get you in the holiday spirit.

Have you found any really great vintage-inspired design this holiday season?

clockwise from left to right: Vintage Christmas Photo Cards,

Vintage Holiday Party Invitations, Peace Love &Joy Letterpress Card,

A Very She &Him Christmas (we are listening to this on repeat!),

and Christmas Gift Tags: From Santa

Happy networking!

2011-11-18T15:05:00.001-05:00

We do a lot of networking around here. And we wanting to give you the heads-up about a few events that may be on CurlyRed's holiday networking agenda. Please consider attending and spreading the word about these great events:

Baltimore's Finest 35 Under 35 Party: Our friend,

Jessica Watson of JWatson Creative, is being recognized at this event!

Jingle Belle Pajama Party: pajamas, cocktails and mani/pedis? Yes, please!

2011 Spotlight on Baltimore Party to benefit BVU and GIVE on Dec 8th.
We might have to go just for the fabulous swag bag they are giving out!

Happy networking and we hope to see you there!

Reminder about Interactive Holiday cards

2011-11-04T07:01:00.002-04:00

Good morning! Just a friendly reminder that if you'd like CurlyRed to create your custom Interactive Holiday Card for 2011, your order must be placed by 5pm today, November 4th, to ensure holiday delivery.

We are very excited about the holiday cards we are already working on—let us help you stand apart from the crowd this holiday season!

Client spotlight: Mario Armstrong, tech guru

2011-11-03T13:35:00.001-04:00

This morning at the Center Club in Baltimore, we had the pleasure of seeing Mario Armstrong give a great presentation of how to use technology to grow your business. He mentioned things like making your website mobile-friendly, streamlining voicemail, note-taking assistants like EverNote, and how to run more effective meetings. It gave us some great ideas that we are excited to implement.

It also inspired us to share with you a piece we created for Mario a few months ago. We've been following Mario on the Digital Cafe for a long time, so we were thrilled to hear from him. He reached out to CurlyRed looking for an informational sheet that he could leave behind with the various contacts he makes in his day-to-day business. We loved his photography and the vintage feel of his Pac-Man t-shirt, and used that as the driving graphic force behind the piece.

In full costume mode

2011-10-21T11:53:00.002-04:00

Cinderella in mid 1860's costume

So with a daughter who is currently Disney Princess-obsessed, and Halloween/costume wearing right around the corner, we couldn't help but to share this amazing collection we found on DeviantArt.

This amazing collection of Historical Disney Princess is completely drool-worthy. All artwork was created by Microsoft Game Studios Concept Artist Claire Hummel (DeviantArt user *shoomlah). Here are a few of our favorites:

Ludwig Painting: Web Redesign

2011-10-07T10:57:00.003-04:00

Ludwig Painting was one of CurlyRed's very first web clients. When Josh Ludwig, the owner, expressed that he was ready for a "reboot," we were ready for the challenge.

Our web guru, Mark, did an outstanding job of giving the new site a clean, polished and super professional feel. And the beautiful photography was completed by our good friends, Matthias and Lisa Egger. Josh loves his new site and so do we.

New service: Interactive Holiday Cards

2011-09-27T13:38:00.001-04:00

**Please place your interactive holiday card order before November 4th to ensure your card is completed before the holidays!***

M. Kendall Ludwig, president and principal designer at CurlyRed, talks about a new service offering: interactive holiday cards. We've developed this card for a private school in upstate New York for the past three years, and we are proud to offer this service to all schools and organizations this holiday season.

If you like what you see and want more information, please contact us at 410.878.2068 or kendall@curlyred.com.

The Sam Meister Fundraiser is Monday night!

2011-09-23T15:24:00.002-04:00

Just a friendly reminder. Please join us. And if you can't and still want to donate, you can click here!

CurlyRed loves non-profits!

2011-09-15T07:46:00.003-04:00

We've been making strides here at CurlyRed to make working with non-profits an important part of our company. Why? Well, first of all, non-profits do so much to benefit the communities we live in. We support them and want to help them in the missions that have chosen to pursue.

Secondly, there are thousands of non-profits out there who need design work, but are working with limited budgets, tight deadlines and an absence of in-house graphic or web support staff.

For both of these reasons, it's become a win-win to find and partner with non-profits, both here in the Baltimore area and across the country.

Here's some non-profits we've worked with recently and what they are all about:

1. Semi-Colon Club

The Semi-Colon Club helps create and promote outreach and awareness of colon cancer. They are hosting their 3rd Annual Semi-Colon Crawl on Sunday, September 25th 2011 at 9 a.m. in Hannah More Park in Reisterstown. CurlyRed partnered with Ron Shillman at Direct Designs and the Semi-Colon Club to design a full-color mug that will distributed to all participants.

2. There Goes My Hero

There Goes My Hero provides hope and nourishment to Leukemia patients and their families. CurlyRed has been assisting There Goes My Hero with t-shirt and signage design. Some of the signs will be displayed at the upcoming Annual Bike Ride and Family Festival on September 25th, 2011 at Oregon Ridge in Hunt Valley.

3. The Sam Meister Fundraiser

Sam Meister is the the step-brother of CurlyRed's principal designer and president, M. Kendall Ludwig. Sam is a senior in high-school and battling A.L.L. Leukemia. This upcoming event on Monday, September 26th is very near and dear to our hearts. Please visit the blog to see all the details, and consider attending or donating to the cause.

And if you are non-profit or know a non-profit that could benefit from our services, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Fall Design Trends for 2011

2011-08-19T10:49:00.017-04:00

Bold Colors

No more black and grey for fall? This upcoming season is all about making a statement with color. Red and Orange were the colors for spring but designers this season has merged the two trends together and came up Emberglow.

This look from from the BCBG collection showcased at New York Fashion week

Here’s some inspiring packaging from Method Mop using colors similar to the upcoming fall trends. Remember it’s all about making a statement, both in graphic design and fashion!

Groovy Baby

It’s all about saturated shades and updating shift dresses and high necklines into short modern lengths. “Mod” is definitely in for this fall!

This look is by Bottega Veneta

Two Fins Wine design is insipired by the 60s surf poster art. Two Fins uses blocky illustration with a contemporary “Mod” swirl for the background that makes this packaging work!

Spot On

From micro dots to bold graphic spots, polka dots are in!

This Sofia Polka Dot Chiffon Blouse is by Patterson J. Kincaid

Here’s some examples of great logos using just dots for their logos. Implied Form is doing exactly what their logo says, implying form through the separate dots. The other brand is intended for pet retailers or veterinary services. Amazing what you can create by using one shape!

Want to see more of the upcoming Fall trends? Click Here.

Spur Store

2011-08-11T13:50:00.004-04:00

One of our favorite design/illustration firms in Baltimore, Spur, now has a beautiful online store where you can purchase prints, posters, note cards, and tote bags. We want everything.

Here are some of our favorites:

Yes, please!

Dan Haga's Urban Atrophy

2011-07-29T15:40:00.012-04:00

A personal friend of CurlyRed’s, photographer Dan Haga wrote Urban Atrophy. For years he has captured on film run-down buildings all over the Mid-Atlantic, a lot of which is based right here in Maryland. From asylums to movie theaters, Dan Haga has explored all things decaying and left behind. He has a fascination with things many have chosen to ignore.

Urban Atrophy is categorized by the building type; Industrial, Religious, Military, Education, Medicine, or Corrections. Not only does the book has amazing pictures of places the general public has not access to, but it also has detailed descriptions of the history of the buildings.

Famous landmarks include: Spring Grove Hospital, Hebrew Orphan Asylum, Forts Armistead and Howard Lutheran Hospital, The Enchanted Forest, American Brewery in Baltimore, Seton Psychiatric Institute, St. Mary’s College “Hell House”, Victor Cullen, Springfield Hospital, Hagerstown Power Plant andThe Jones Falls Conduit.

You can find even more amazing pictures on Dan Haga’s website

You can also purchase the book through Amazon

CurlyRed supports and values the art community in Baltimore. Dan Haga's work is a fine example of the talent that exists in our city. We love discovering and incorporating local talent when a project calls for it. Please contact us today!

A Special Announcement!

2011-07-16T07:42:00.007-04:00

We are pleased to announce that CurlyRed has just been certified MBE/DBE with the State of Maryland! This has been a long road, and we are so glad to have arrived at the end!

We hope this will enable us to serve even more businesses and organizations in the State of Maryland. Please contact us with any of your design needs.

CurlyRed's newest website: Cynthia Chin Writes

2011-06-17T14:22:00.013-04:00

CurlyRed’s newest website features Cynthia Chin. Cynthia is an award-winning writer, poet, freelance curriculum writer, editor, and tutor based in Baltimore, Maryland. She also adores texture and pattern, simplicity and elegance.

Here’s what Cynthia had to say about working with us: “Kendall Ludwig and the team at CurlyRed are not only innovative professionals who conceive fresh, captivating design, they strive to completely capture the client's vision and produce breathtaking results. Working with CurlyRed was smooth, delivery was timely, and communicating and collaborating with Kendall was a joy. Her dedication to project detail and client satisfaction is nothing short of remarkable.”

Please contact CurlyRed today to see how we can turn your vision for your website into a reality.

Go Local: Relying on our Baltimoreans

2011-06-10T15:15:00.014-04:00

With the economy, companies are relying on locals to keep their businesses alive. Companies do this by associating iconic figures to their sought out locations, not only relating locals to the figures but also to the brand.

Now even major names are going back to their roots to identify with their consumers. Perfect example is Under Armour, which was founded by the former University of Maryland football player Kevin Plank. Under Armour recently has been advertising directly to Baltimore. They have the Raven's linebacker Ray Lewis being their spokes person. On I-95 they have a billboard of Ray Lewis saying, “Welcome to Baltimore.”

M&T Bank started the ad campaign, “Checking Built for Baltimore.” Here it shows Todd Heap, tight end for the Baltimore Ravens. Heap has it so why don’t you?

Baltimore Magazine features “When Oprah Was Ours” article, Jane Marion further explains how Baltimore’s WJZ-TV hired Oprah Winfrey in 1976 and was essentially the stepping stone to what is known as “Oprah.”

Probably the most well-known billboard in Baltimore, or even Maryland is Smyth Jewelers’ 2007 Where Baltimore gets engaged billboard, in which Natty Boh is proposing to the Miss Utz. Smyth Jewelers definitely reached their goal with the billboard by attracting the “20 somethings” into purchasing their diamonds, a 15% increase in their sales, and being the talk of Baltimore.

The billboard was such a hit that the advertising agency, MGH, who created it, organized the iconic marriage for the two that was held on May 14th at Power Plant Live! and created a TV commercial using the couple’s long lasting romance as well.

Where love not only exists on billboards, but also advertising.

Cassandra Cakes: yummy new logo and testimonial!

2011-05-24T13:20:00.008-04:00

Owner Cassandra La Bella created Cassandra Cakes when her energy and ambition inspired her combination of home-grown skills with commercial baking knowledge. ‘Beautiful and delicious” is not only a motto but a way of life. Settled in the heart of Towson, Cassandra Cakes provides love, happiness and good taste to the greater Baltimore area and is the dessert supplier for Alonso’s and Loco Hombre on Coldspring Lane.

From Cassandra: “CurlyRed was a pleasure from the start. As soon as I saw their website, I knew this design company was for Cassandra Cakes. The process was timely and organized. And the best part is, I now have a logo that truly inspires me!”

Best of luck Cassandra Cakes! It was a pleasure creating for you.

New website design goodness!

2011-05-05T13:57:00.006-04:00

CurlyRed has recently added two new websites to its portfolio: New Hope Community Church in Pikesville, MD and Scientific Insect Control in Glyndon, Maryland.

New Hope's site offers lots of information to visitors and members alike, while providing links to the church's Facebook page and podcasts through iTunes.

Scientific Insect Control had no previous web presence and needed a way to reach potential customers online. The site gives an overview of how the company serves various industries and also features a blog to keep customers up-to-date on advances in the field.

We love discovering solutions for all of our clients—no matter what industry or size. If you need to have an online presence or would like to revamp your current online presence and don't know how to start, please contact CurlyRed today!

Welcome to CurlyRed's web guru!

2011-04-21T10:53:00.005-04:00

Say hi to the newest member of the CurlyRed team: Mark Ludwig. Yes, he's been doing work on the side for us for several years, including the implementation and optimization of CurlyRed's site. But now it's official: he's working part-time in the CurlyRed office as our Web Guru. He'll have an active role in the web side of our company, which is rapidly growing.

Here's a little bit about Mark: For the past 8 years, he's been primarily a Graphic Designer, Web Developer and Programmer for a small tech company in Owings Mills, MD. In his free time, he likes playing ice hockey and softball, hanging out with his wife, Kendall and 1 1/2 year old daughter, Margot, and virtually "melting faces."

snowjumpstump is the website that Mark uses to showcase his work, ranging in all mediums, along with blog section to the site for the purpose of showing new work, sharing information that inspires him, and also commenting and spreading news surrounding the Gaming Industry.

Mark's work is very clean, structured, and orderly. He likes to take a mathematical approach to most of his designs, and he prefers things to be organized. He likes writing clean code, and Mark tries (most of the time unless Microsoft shoots one out of left field) to stick to Web Standards.

Oh, and recently Mark has become an Android Developer.

We can't wait to see everything he will bring to CurlyRed—we are truly blessed to have him on our team.

11 Days! Register Now!

2011-03-29T12:37:00.004-04:00

Have you registered yet? A Day in the Life Design Conference is only 11 days away. CurlyRed is a proud sponsor and part of the planning committee, and we couldn't be more excited about the speakers, the topics, the venue, everything! This will be an amazing opportunity to learn and grow as designers and celebrate our creative community.

Plus, check it out, if you're already attending the conference, we've just added a bonus networking event directly following the conference, called Spring Fling, with beverages provided by Flying Dog!!! How cool is that? And if you're unable to attend the conference, you can still come to the networking event for just $15!

This is the design event of the year—don't miss it!

Better late than never: Pictures from CurlyRed's 4 year bash!

2011-03-21T10:04:00.006-04:00

It was a great time had by all, even the youngest guest, Margot!
A huge thank you to everyone who came out in support of CurlyRed.
Cheers to another 4 years!

CurlyRed and the Oscars?!?

2011-02-28T09:51:00.012-05:00

So we are just watching the Academy Awards last night, when they got to the nominations for Best Song, and all of the sudden, we see a logo CurlyRed designed for Marcodi and their instrument., the Harpejji!

Performance of "If I Rise" (from the film 127 Hours)
by Florence Welch and A.R. Rahman (playing the Harpejji)!

We knew when we created Marcodi's identity and instrument branding that they could accomplish great things with that instrument (but this even blew our expectations away)! We are so proud and honored that we can share a small part of their success. Congratulations to everyone at Marcodi, and may they continue to change the world of music.

And here's the Offical Video, which also shows the Harpejji being played:

V-Day Eye Candy!

2011-02-14T11:15:00.004-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! We figured a little eye candy might get you through your workday a little easier.

We've been designing websites like crazy recently, and here are our newest creations:

Rouge Catering in Timonium

Nordik Twins: two model/actress sisters that are beautiful and talented!

Presenting the Brand Spankin' New CurlyRed Website!

2011-02-01T09:28:00.005-05:00

Ta-da! This was been in the works for some time and we are thrilled to finally get to share it with all of you. We announced our new website at the party last night (with was packed with fabulous people and fun was had by all)! You'll find the newest version of our logo, new work, new testimonials and a site that just feels 100% unique to us. Enjoy, and please let us know what you think. Your feedback is extremely valuable to us.

Thank you for your support and to quote some party guests last night, “4 More years! 4 More Years!” Pictures from the party will be coming soon.

CurlyRed is 4 years old today! Huzzah!

2011-01-31T09:18:00.004-05:00

We can't wait to see many of you at the party tonight!

but wait, what is that? Interesting.

The party is only one week away!

2011-01-24T15:00:00.003-05:00

4 Years of CurlyRed-ness!

Monday, January 31 • 5:30pm - 7:30pm
The Falls in Mt. Washington, 1604 Kelly Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21209

Just a reminder to RSVP now! There will be amazing drink specials and free appetizers for all, not to mention incredible company to mix and network. Please join us and invite your friends. Can't wait to celebrate with you!

New website design by CurlyRed!

2011-01-12T13:36:00.005-05:00

Barb Clapp Advertising & Marketing is a well-known and respected ad agency in Baltimore who needed an updated website to showcase their impressive body of services and clientele in a fresh, bold and creative way. They went to CurlyRed to help capture the essence of Barb Clapp and her team. Please let us know what you think!

Come!

2011-01-06T20:01:00.001-05:00

Check out our Facebook page for more info and to RSVP!

Happy Holidays from CurlyRed!

2010-12-22T10:07:00.003-05:00

We want to take a moment and thank all of you: our clients, our fans on Facebook, readers of our blog, our friends, and our family! As our 3rd year of business comes to a close, it's hard to imagine CurlyRed not always being around. But it wouldn't be without all of your love, support and business!

A special shout out for some of our favorite people: Mark Ludwig, Margot Ludwig (aka heir to the CurlyRed fortune), Madeline Meister, Kristin LeFeber, and our summer/fall intern Sarah Linzey. Also a big thanks to our fabulous business coach Susan Katz, great clients like Andrew Rose, Larry Lichtenauer, Will Marshall and Randi Pupkin (just to name a few), not to mention some truly great designer friends such as Jessica Watson, Jenn Tucker and Illiah Manger!

Whew! Thanks a lot of people to thank! And there's many more of you...it would just take too long to list every person that's made this year a success. We wish you all a very happy and safe holiday season. Please cherish the ones you love and take a moment to reflect on your blessings.

Here's to a fantastic 2011!

Save the Date! January 31st, 2011

2010-12-14T09:23:00.003-05:00

Please mark your calendars for a happy hour event on Monday, January 31st, 2011—we are celebrating 4 YEARS of CurlyRed-ness! Time and location to be announced in the next few weeks. We might even have some exciting news to share at the party—you don't want to miss it!

HeARTwares: Grand Opening!

2010-11-16T16:37:00.008-05:00

CurlyRed is pleased to announce that we have developed the branding for an amazing store called HeARTwares by Art With a Art!

HeARTwares is having an opening celebration on Saturday, December 4th from 3-6 pm! Click here for all the details, we hope you can make it out!

Art with a Heart brings its visual art programs to abused, neglected and abandoned children; homeless people; battered women and their children; pregnant adolescents; mentally and physically disabled adults; low-income senior citizens; elementary, middle, and high school students; youth in after-school programs; and children receiving long-term health care. HeARTwares is a service-learning venue for participants of Art with a Heart programs and is an evolved version of Art with a Heart's art-to-market and Summer Job program initiatives. Like those efforts, HeARTwares will use art as a vehicle to teach job skills. Participating youth and adults will work in the store and gain real-world experience in dealing with the public, handling money, and presenting a professional appearance and attitude.

During the weekend, HeARTwares will sell a wide variety of hand-made and one-of-a-kind artwork, jewelry, house ware items, garden ornaments, and assorted gifts. The store will initially be open on weekends only, with extended hours anticipated to occur throughout the holiday season and around gift-giving holidays. The proceeds from the sale of the art are shared with the community partner.

Step 2: Get Inspired (Part 3)

2010-10-22T16:07:00.005-04:00

Where have we been?

2010-10-12T13:19:00.004-04:00

So some of you may be asking, "What's up with CurlyRed? I thought they were launching their website soon?", etc.

And to answer: Yes, it is in the works. But, as it always seems to happen in the graphic design world, several large projects that we are very excited about have all hit at once. So we are happy to report that we are very busy, but with that means a (hopefully very small) delay in releasing our new website is in order.

Please stay tuned. We promise to keep you posted. Thanks for your support, encouragement, and patience!

Moveable Feast's Blog Post about CurlyRed

2010-09-20T13:45:00.003-04:00

Thanks to Emily at Moveable Feast for blogging about CurlyRed's happy hour! And please consider donating your time, money or food to this great organization.

Step 2: Get Inspired! (Part 2)

2010-09-17T14:30:00.004-04:00

Inspiration can come from anywhere, and we are always on the lookout for amazing work our fellow designers are creating.

But when thinking about redesigning our website, we were particularly interested in finding other websites that have a similar aesthetic to ours. And here are some of our favorites:

We love this site for the Renegade Craft Fair, which just happened last weekend in Chicago. The playfulness of the handwritten top banner and buttons fit perfectly with the imagery of the handmade goods the site features. The color palette, illustrations and wood panel background texture give it a vintage feel.

The site is for a design firm in Tennessee called Level 2 Design. Rarely does a website succeed in transporting the viewer to another place and time like this site does. We also think their portfolio is showcased quite nicely.

Ahhh...good old Design Sponge. This is, hands down, one of the best design blogs on the web. And the layout, while very simple, works perfectly for the abundance of content. The texture of each element and the layering style really gives a 3-dimensional feel to the whole site. Apparently, they are in the process of redesigning their site as well. We look forward to seeing what they come up with.

Last but not least, we think it's pretty obvious why we were drawn to this site of the Dallas Advertising Agency, Targetscope. Yes, we do have a deep love for all things pinup.

Hope you enjoy these websites as much as we did! Have a great weekend.

Step 2: Get Inspired!

2010-09-15T14:16:00.008-04:00

So in the next few days, we will be sharing with you some websites we've found that we really love, but first...

Our friends Lisa and Matthias got married a few weeks ago, and we were blown away by every personal touch and detail. From the hand crafted beer and beer labels, to the hundreds of paper cranes, to the vintage glass used in the centerpieces, it was perfection. The entire day just felt so...THEM. They reminded us that everything you do should be incredibly unique to who you are. We want our website to be just as unique and creative. Thanks, Lisa and Matthais, for inspiring us!

Here are some more snapshots:

Let's start with color...

2010-09-13T10:36:00.004-04:00

Happy Monday everyone!

Here at CurlyRed, we are working on a huge project: redesigning our website! It's no small feat, and something we've been wanting to do for, well, a really long time. But then came a baby, and she threw everything off-track (in the best way possible).

But now that we are moving full steam ahead, we would like to give you a sneak peak on our creative process. One of the first steps for us was creating our color palette. So we went to our favorite color picker, Kuler, to put together some swatches. And here's what we came up with:

When you see these colors together, it seems awfully bright, almost garish. But used the right way, like on our existing website, you can see how well this palette works. Therefore, we think we will be picking to a similar basic palette, but perhaps adding in some more muted tones, and a whole lot of TEXTURE.

In our next blog post, we will be sharing with you some other websites that have truly inspired us. Stay tuned!

Wish we had thought of it first.

2010-08-26T09:59:00.006-04:00

(thanks Amy, for sending us this link!)

Blogger A Cup of Jo created a totally brilliant photo series of her daughter, see the full post here.

Margot, future CEO of CurlyRed, would have been a perfect model for this campaign. However, we doubt she would have stayed asleep through the mayhem.

CORRECTION: The images were actually taken by a blogger named Adele of her daughter, Mila. Here's her blog. Sorry for the mis-type!

Happy Hour This Thursday! Drink Specials Announced!

2010-08-09T09:08:00.004-04:00

Good morning,

We are really looking forward to the Free Happy Hour This Thursday to Benefit Moveable Feast!
But just to clarify: that means it's free to attend, but the drinks are pretty darn cheap as well!

• $2 domestic beers
• $2 vodka & cranberry drinks
• $3 margaritas

And just a reminder: We are taking a collection to donate to Moveable Feast, so we ask that you please consider bringing one (or more if you so desire) of the following: Check it out:

• tuna in water
• peanut butter
• boxes of macaroni and cheese

See you Thursday!

A Few Words About Package Design

2010-08-03T14:36:00.007-04:00

(thanks once again to our intern Sarah, for putting together this blog post!)

People all over the world are trying to make packages that are “cool” looking and functional beyond just holding said product. Now “cool” can be defined in a million different ways because well, it depends on the person talking about it. There are packages from a plain colored box with minimal text, and you can barely tell what the product is, OR you can have a box covered with 5 different prints, and hand made fonts with glitter and diamonds. To each his own I suppose.

Personally, I like a little mix of both, pretty straight forward text with a touch of a pattern or some kind of intricate element that keeps you looking at the box. This brings me to my first pick of what I think is quality packaging. This line is for an Artisan Bakery in the UK designed by Here Design firm.

The shapes pop, they are recognizable without being to detailed, and the contrast of red on white is just to die for. Clean and simple with a touch of modern elements make this packaging design pretty yummy. See more pictures here.

With the good, comes the bad though. And it seems that when it is bad, it is really bad. There is a brand out there, that I (and many others) find so upsetting to the design world, that we spent an entire semester lamenting over it and going to therapy because of it (well, not really, but you know what I mean). The culprit is WalMart’s ENTIRE line of “Great Value” packaging. Now I will give them credit for re-vamping the whole line, because I think they knew it was ugly, but it still looks awful.

They went from an awful mix of golden script and serif font, to bold boring outlined san serif font. They changed the food pictures which is good, because no food on the old Great Value packages actually look appetizing. It might have been a great value, but that was only because it was rotten, and a month past it’s expiration date (according to the pictures). The package says nothing more than, “Huh, well this looks to be a box of moderately priced fruit snacks.”

Just because something may be a Great Value, doesn’t mean the integrity of the packaging should be compromised. Cheap foods want to be pretty too. People like to feel good about their purchases, and nothing about this branding makes anyone feel anything but depressed.

Because I am a lover of mac, I have to give a shout out to the designers of the Mac brand, and commend them on their beautiful packaging. Every case that a mac product comes in is perfect. They are elegant, and both texturally and visually pleasing. I think Mac has nailed it right on the head with their packages.

If you're interested in following new and upcoming design trends in the world of packaging, I suggest putting Dieline on your google reader: It's pretty much awesome.

Social Media & In-Bound Marketing Workshop-August 6th

2010-08-02T08:09:00.003-04:00

Here's another event you should attend, put on by my friends at Blue Ocean Ideas:

(click here to register!)

Things are changing drastically in technology and culture. The marketing implications are huge.

You don't need to feel lost.

In this all-day workshop, Blue Ocean Ideas and M Design will cover what's changing and why it's changing. We'll look at the tools and platforms that you can be (and should be) engaged with right now to reach your audience effectively.

You will leave with a firm grasp of all this "stuff" that seems to be making the world so complex and fast paced. We will present the information using easy to understand examples so you leave with knowledge you can use.

Session 1
We will look at the core of web 2.0 - what that means, where it came from, and why it matters in business. We'll talk about content publishing, content management systems, search engine optimization, online video, and more.

Session 2
This will be an in-depth analysis of social media. Everyone's talking about it. Not everyone knows what to do about it. There are no formulas - and that is exactly the point. We'll look at why social media is so powerful and what questions you should be asking to determine your social media engagement strategy. We'll also teach on the most popular and most effective tools available to you (for free!) today.

Session 3
This will be an overview of the future of mobile device usage. Things like smartphones (iPhones, Droids) and tablet devices (iPad, Kindle) are changing how we learn, how we live, and, as you will see, they are changing the very way our brains work. Your business needs to know what the future holds for mobile devices.

Session 4
This will be an insightful look at the role of in-bound marketing for your organization. Given all of the changes happening in the world, it is essential that you know how to be found whenever someone is looking for whatever it is that you do.

There will be plenty of opportunities for Q&A.

Happy Hour to follow for all participants.

Free CurlyRed Happy Hour to benefit Moveable Feast—08.12.10

2010-07-21T15:15:00.010-04:00

Good afternoon everyone,

You're invited to a special summer CurlyRed Happy Hour to benefit Moveable Feast! It will be on Thursday, August 12th, from 5:30-7:30, hosted at:

The Blarney Stone Pub
704 South Broadway (in Fells Point)
Baltimore, MD 21231-3406
(410) 342-3947

We will be taking up a collection to help Moveable Feast with their amazing mission (please read their website to find out more information about all the good work they do).

We ask that you consider bringing one (or more if you so desire) of the following:
• tuna in water
• peanut butter
• boxes of macaroni and cheese

Please join us! There will be great drink specials and a great opportunity to network. We look forward to seeing you on the 12th!

New website design by CurlyRed!

2010-07-14T16:20:00.005-04:00

When our friend, Beth Fales, approached us about designing a website for the childcare facility she was starting, we were excited about the fun challenge of designing a daycare website.

Inspired by the beautiful open areas of land near her home and a color palette with kids in mind, we couldn't be more happy with the end result:

And no, we haven't updated our portfolio section just yet! We've been busy bees (a good thing) and we are hoping to put up several new pieces very soon. Thanks for your patience and stay tuned for some exciting CurlyRed news!

Design trend: Handwritten Typography

2010-07-08T11:12:00.009-04:00

(Handwritten type is not a new trend by any means, but recently we've been seeing it EVERYWHERE! So we asked our intern Sarah to dig a little deeper, and here's what she found.)

You're just my type.

It seems that more companies are looking to use fonts personal to the creators, and creating a revolution of Handwritten fonts. In a world that has gotten so mechanical, and technological, typography has followed suit. But it seems that more and more companies are reverting to handwritten type for their advertising, such as Starbucks new personalized Frappachino ad campaign. Why such the explosion of handwritten fonts? Maybe it is a way to get more in tune with the products and create personal interactions and connections with the consumer. People all over are using these handwritten unique fonts for all kinds of purposes.

Font Aid IV asked the help of over 400 artists to create a piece to raise money for Haiti. They asked the artists to create their own version of an ampersand (&). They put the 400 ampersands together in the emergency + symbol. You can buy your own copy of the project for $20 to help raise funds.

Companies like Starbucks have really boosted this new idea of personalized coffee with their use of handwritten fonts. Also their commercials for the new Starbucks Via, features coffee mugs with fonts that help depict the person drinking the coffee along with the “names” used to identify them (which aren't handwritten but have distinct personalities). Their ad campaign is a good example of the way handwritten fonts should be used.

Also other good examples are companies like Carabou Coffee, in which they use the fonts to help get across a carefree, comical connection with the consumers.

On the other hand, some designers are emphasizing the handwritten fonts in the wrong way:

As much as I like the show True Blood, most of the posters for the seasons have an awful font layout. It looks like the designer didn’t space the text evenly, and squished the “Blood” in next to the “True”. Handwritten font isn’t supposed to be perfect but this font just looks sloppy. The vampires in the show are organized and extremely intelligent, the posters should reflect this someway, this font is just all wrong. For such an awesome show, the text on the poster should be a little more regal and a little less like a 5 year old drew it with a crayon.

I think this handwritten font thing is an ever growing fad, pretty soon to be overdone, but worth looking into or trying for yourself. And to the ever-dreaded Comic Sans:

Special DIY post: Girls' Night In!

2010-06-30T16:02:00.010-04:00

(a huge thanks to our summer intern, Sarah, for creating this blog post!)

For the summer, it is always fun to go out and have some frozen drinks with some friends, chat over your day and just maybe have a nice girls night out. Unfortunately, sometimes it is not always conducive to everyone's budget. There is a simple solution to this (that most of the time turns out to be more fun): Have a “Girls' Night In” instead.

There are some simple things that you can do to make it special, and that will impress all of your friends:

Finding some fun place settings for cheap, or even making your own, add an even more intimate touch to the whole evening. Simple things like napkin holders— take old paper towel rolls, cut into sections, and wrap them in decorative papers or fabrics. Add old buttons or other embellishments to make a cute little accent to your paper or cloth napkins.

Painting your own margarita glasses will make the night more personal, and let your friends feel special because they have their own glass, that is one of a kind.

Margarita glasses can come in all forms and prices, in both plastic and glass, depending on your budget. Simple acrylic paint from stores like Michaels or Joann's would work fine on either surface. You might even have some kind of paint around the house to use (make sure it is not toxic since your friends mouths are going on the glasses). A good place to look for margarita glasses would be a party supply store, they would carry quite an array of different styles of glasses.

For the summer, fun floral patterns would be cute on the glasses, maybe a different flower for each friend. You could even put your friend's name on the glass so they know which one is theirs.

Of course you will need something to put in said Margarita glasses. There are tons of recipes for things like daiquiris and margaritas. One of my favorites is the skinny girl margarita, its delicious and low (enough) on calories! Here's the recipe:

2 oz of clear premium tequila

.5oz of orange liquor

juice of one fresh lime

add ice, just mix and enjoy!

As for food: light, fresh foods are the best on a warm summers night. Summer salads and light finger foods would be perfect for a casual, night between friends. Pick foods with a lot of color!

Other things that would be important for a perfect night, are mood lighting and other decorations. The more random the better, it gives an eclectic homey feel to the night. Candles, Tiki torches, rope lights—deck out, well... your deck or patio in the lights. Also find the prettiest garden in the neighborhood and ask your neighbor for some flowers, or purchase a wild flower bouquet to add to the table. Wild flowers tend to be more casual but beautiful, and perfect for a night such as this. Have your food on large serving dishes, or bowls, those will help fill the table up with more color!

This page has a ton of fun, light summer recipes that are nutritious and fun for outside eating. All are simple to prepare and sound delicious. AND they have a lot of color to add some pop to your table. Here's to a great Girls' Night In!

For Father's Day: Book signing and Paper Airplanes

2010-06-18T07:58:00.005-04:00

Looking for a great Father's Day gift?

Go tomorrow, Saturday, June 19th, from 2-4 pm to the Greetings & Readings in Hunt Valley, MD. Larry Lichtenauer will be signing copies of his book, 101 Tips to Help Improve the Youth Sports Coaching Experience (cover and layout design by CurlyRed, cover illustration by Peggy Fussell). This book is a quick, fun read, with many helpful pointers for any man or woman coaching a youth sports team. You can also buy it online here. Support local writers, artists and find a great gift!

OR visit Scraggly Beggars' Esty shop for another really unique gift idea: paper airplanes. Two very creative kids we know created these planes and even did testing to make sure these planes will fly high over and over again. Perfect for summertime and making memories with our dads.

Happy Father's Day to all the great fathers (and fathers-to-be) in our lives!

Social Media & In-Bound Marketing Workshop

2010-06-09T13:37:00.004-04:00

Here's an event you should attend, put on by my friends at Blue Ocean Ideas:

(click here to register!)

Things are changing drastically in technology and culture. The marketing implications are huge.

You don't need to feel lost.

In this all-day workshop, Blue Ocean Ideas will cover what's changing and why it's changing. We'll look at the tools and platforms that you can be (and should be) engaged with right now to reach your audience effectively.

You will leave with a firm grasp of all this "stuff" that seems to be making the world so complex and fast paced. We will present the information using easy to understand examples so you leave with knowledge you can use.

Session 1
We will look at the core of web 2.0 - what that means, where it came from, and why it matters in business. We'll talk about content publishing, content management systems, search engine optimization, online video, and more.

Session 2
This will be an in-depth analysis of social media. Everyone's talking about it. Not everyone knows what to do about it. There are no formulas - and that is exactly the point. We'll look at why social media is so powerful and what questions you should be asking to determine your social media engagement strategy. We'll also teach on the most popular and most effective tools available to you (for free!) today.

Session 3
This will be an overview of the future of mobile device usage. Things like smartphones (iPhones, Droids) and tablet devices (iPad, Kindle) are changing how we learn, how we live, and, as you will see, they are changing the very way our brains work. Your business needs to know what the future holds for mobile devices.

Session 4
This will be an insightful look at the role of in-bound marketing for your organization. Given all of the changes happening in the world, it is essential that you know how to be found whenever someone is looking for whatever it is that you do.

There will be plenty of opportunities for Q&A.

Happy Hour to follow for all participants.

Using Art for Good: Heart for Haiti

2010-05-18T09:26:00.005-04:00

(thanks to our intern Ashley, for writing this blog post!)

A recent local art event caught our eye:

The recent turmoil that is taking place in Haiti has brought many people together to offer aid. A charity event (put on by the awesome firm Spur Design) held in honor of those in need, 100 Heads for Haiti, was a huge success. The event was an exhibition, with over 120 artists, designed to raise money for Doctors Without Borders. The goal of the exhibition was to raise $10,000 and the successful fund raiser raised $9,700, just 300 short of the original goal.

The gallery where the event took place, Spur Gallery, at 3504 Ash Street in Baltimore, was the fundraiser destination. The individual pieces and posters were sold at Spur Gallery during the event and the remainder was sold online, at the online store until May 15^th. Charitable donations were also given at the event. The pieces in the show are still displayed on the original website created for the event.

It is heartening to know that people are still willing to help in this economic downturn to help those less fortunate. Though this event is over, donations are still welcomed by the Haitians. Until the people of Haiti are able to rebuild, donating to other charitable organizations, such as the Red Cross will help them keep hope alive.

Registration ends tomorrow!

2010-04-19T11:06:00.007-04:00

You can't buy tickets at the door, so tomorrow is your last chance to get a spot at the first EVER design conference in Baltimore! It's seriously going to be an incredible event.

The session topics, speakers, venue and special AIGA blend afterwards (at fab Red Maple) will make this event one you don't want to miss.

Kendall, the owner of CurlyRed, will be at the registration desk! Please say hi...she doesn't bite (hard).

Use Century Gothic and save ink!

2010-04-14T10:26:00.003-04:00

(thanks to our former intern Becky for sending this to us!)

We are quick to say that our favorite typeface is Century Gothic...and it's pretty apparent if you take a look at our logo. It's clean, rounded, simple and elegant. But here's one more reason to love it: it uses less ink!

From an article by NPR: “The school previously used Arial for the majority of its communications, but they found that by making the simple switch [to Century Gothic], they could save up to 30% of its ink usage. The font is a good ink saving option because of its thin profile, however because the letters are wide and sits larger it can also use up more paper. A remedy for this would be to condense the character spacing and reduce the printing margins so more text can print on each page.”

Read the full article here.

We're famous!

2010-04-02T14:04:00.006-04:00

CurlyRed's logo for Duncan Investment Partners featured in a segment for
WBAL-TV! Thanks Keith.

Inspired Wedding Invitations

2010-03-15T09:37:00.004-04:00

(thanks to our intern Ashley for creating this blog post!)

Planning a wedding is a very wonderful time in a couple’s life. This can be a very stressful and exciting time for couples. Planning what food to serve and what flowers to serve, however, are not the only important decisions to make. Finding the perfect wedding invitation for your special day can be an exciting time that allows your creativity to shine through. There are many trends that provide couples with many options to choose from. Trendsetting stripes and embellishments can give your invitations are contemporary edge while still keeping a traditional feel. Bold colors and couture textures would also give your invites a luxurious and contemporary feel as well. Vintage patterns and modern monograms also lend your invites an edge that would transform your wedding day.

clockwise from left: Carly & Shawn's wedding invitation by CurlyRed,
Enchanted Forest Wedding Invitations by Wedding Paper Divas,
Sunburst invitation by invitations4less.com
Classically cultural invitation by www.stylemepretty.com,
Black, White and Pink vintage invitation from www.onewed.com

No matter what design elements you choose to incorporate into your invitation’s design, remember to keep the theme of your decorations cohesive. Think about the colors that would best represent your union as a married couple. When planning a wedding, it also is important to keep elements similar, while still utilizing a unique flair. If you are going to be planning a beach wedding, why not keep a bohemian flair while incorporating some jeweled elements? Just remember: this is your big day, and you want to make your dreams come true.

Are you getting married in 2010? Have you found a good designer to design your wedding invitations? CurlyRed, a local graphic design firm designs beautiful work that would lend your wedding invitations an inspired flair.

Why not contact CurlyRed today for a free design consultation? Also visit www.curlyred.com to glance at her portfolio!

A Day in the Life Design Conference

2010-03-04T14:43:00.004-05:00

Hi everyone!

We have an exciting announcement: CurlyRed is proud to be a sponsor of the first annual all-day design conference in Baltimore!

It's called A Day in the Life and thanks to the incredible team headed by Jessica Watson, it's going to be an amazing day: Great sessions, a panel discussion, creative jam session, and much more!

Registration is now open, so get your tickets! Hope to see you there.

Photos from the party!

2010-02-03T14:40:00.002-05:00

Visit CurlyRed's Facebook page to see photos from our event.

If we missed you, we hope to see you next year!

CurlyRed is 3 years old today!

2010-02-01T11:03:00.001-05:00

Come celebrate tonight with us! Check out the posts below for more details.

curlyred.com has been updated!

2010-01-27T13:20:00.005-05:00

Happy Wednesday everyone!

We are pleased to announce that we have added two websites to our portfolio section:

Azul 17: a Mexican Cuisine & Tequila Lounge in Columbia, MD

R. K. Tongue: an expertise and service-driven,
nationally-capable, regionally-focused insurance agency
and brokerage based in Baltimore, Maryland.

Contact CurlyRed today about your web design needs!

The CurlyRed Anniversary Party is only one week away!

2010-01-25T09:57:00.006-05:00

Just a reminder: please come join us at Cibo Bar and Grille next week, Monday, February 1st from 5:30-8:30 pm. The address is 100 Painters Mill Rd., Owings Mills, Maryland 21117.

This event is free and open to all clients, family and friends of CurlyRed.

The drink specials are:

2.50 domestic beers
2 for 1 import beers
$2.50 rail drinks
1/2 off glasses of wine
1/2 off bottle of wines
and
$5.00 appletini and cosmos!

And bonus: 1/2 off appetizers and .59 cent wings! See you next Monday!

Super Mario Bros. Nursery: Before & After

2010-01-07T10:38:00.008-05:00

As many of you know, when we found out we were pregnant, we talked about converting the our guest room into a truly awesome nursery. Here was our blah guest bedroom before. We had just taken down the ugly wallpaper and all we had for the baby was a crib that Eric and Emily graciously passed on to us.

If the baby was to be a girl, we were going with a Madeline theme, if the baby was to be a boy, we were going with original Super Mario Bros.

Well, we never did find out the sex. Yes, we have a stubborn baby that refused to cooperate. So, we decided to go with the more gender-neutral of the two. And even though a Madeline nursery would have been beautiful, we are so happy with how the nursery came out, and Margot seems rather happy in there (she's always staring at the wall decals with wonder).

So where did we find the things to create this glorious nursery?

Well, as previously mentioned, the crib, glider and dresser were given to us by Eric and Emily. The changing table, crib sheet and bumper are from Babies R Us, the nightlight and mushroom light on the dresser are from Target, the totally rad wall decals are from ThinkGeek.com. The books, stuffed animals and piggy bank were lovingly selected and given to us by friends and family, and Mark designed and built the mobile himself!

If you have any other questions about our process, just ask!

Happy Holidays from CurlyRed!

2009-12-23T09:26:00.006-05:00

Thank you so much for another great year. May your holidays be very joyous, safe and a time to spend with those you love.

And as our special gift to you, here is the birth announcement we designed for our daughter Margot! Enjoy! We will be back in full force in the new year, ready to create!

You're invited!

2009-12-08T15:20:00.004-05:00

2010 marks 3 years that CurlyRed has been in business and that's worth celebrating! We would like to thank you for all the support, love and business you've provided for us so please come join us at Cibo Bar and Grille on Monday, February 1st from 5:30-8:30 pm. The address is 100 Painters Mill Rd., Owings Mills, Maryland 21117.

Those of you that joined us last year at Mt. Washington Tavern can testify that it was a great time, this year should be even better!

This event is free and open to all clients, family and friends of CurlyRed. There will be drink specials and a full menu of delicious bar food available for purchase (Cibo has great pizza, wings and calamari!).

This will also be a great networking opportunity, so please RSVP by e-mailing kendall@curlyred.com and get this event on your calender early!

snowjumpstump.com has launched!

2009-11-25T11:00:00.005-05:00

If you've been wondering where we've been, our family welcomed a little baby girl named Margot on November 1st. But I have some more exciting news:
My husband, Mark Ludwig, just launched his new portfolio site, www.snowjumpstump.com. He is looking for new job opportunities, particularly in the gaming or user-interface arenas.
Please take a look and feel free to contact him at markeludwig@gmail.com with any comments or questions.

Stay tuned...we will be updating this blog with more excited CurlyRed news...our 3 year anniversary is right around the corner!

thanks everyone, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

curlyred.com has been updated!

2009-10-19T10:47:00.004-04:00

I'd like to apologize in the huge lack of updates recently...as many of you know, I am expecting my first child any day now, and have been frantically tying up loose ends in preparation.

CurlyRed has finished up some really awesome projects recently, so we wanted to update our portfolio to show you what we've been up to!

Check it out: two new postcards, a new newsletter and two new logos have been added. Also, we hope to be launching two new websites in the next few weeks. Once they are live, we will be adding those to our website section.

As always, we love to hear your feedback.

Beautiful photography blog—It's All Been Easy

2009-09-09T10:29:00.003-04:00

My friend, Dominic Albanese has created an amazing blog documenting adventures he has taken over the past few years. And as much as I like reading about his travels, I'm even more inspired by the beautiful photography he's taken along the way. Take a look and you'll see what I mean.

Keep up the great work, Dom!

Baby (announcements) on the brain

2009-08-26T09:35:00.007-04:00

So while looking for inspiration for our own upcoming baby announcement, we came across some really unique, interesting and beautiful designs, so we figured we'd share!

(click for larger view)

Clockwise from top left: Vintage Frame from Tiny Prints, Animal Crackers from Tiny Prints, Pink Glamour Baby Crib from Polka Dot Design, Rhino and Birds by Inventing Matilda from Brick House Paperie, Calendar Baby from Lemon Tree Paperie, DIY announcement by Stacy Southwick (featured in Parents Magazine), and Stella by Tosh and Victoria Brown, printed by The Mandate Press

Enjoy—we can't wait to design our own!

Just a reminder....

2009-08-19T13:09:00.003-04:00

If you have a design project you'd like completed before Kendall, CurlyRed's owner, goes on maternity leave, please contact us by September 15th, 2009 (less than a month away, can you believe it?). Kendall will be returning around January 4th, 2010.

And if you refer a friend to CurlyRed before this time, you will receive 20% off your first project in 2010!

Very cool design blog

2009-08-12T10:35:00.003-04:00

The Outlaw Design Blog has free resources, tutorials, product reviews, podcasts, and a sweet western design. Check it out.

What people are saying...

2009-07-29T10:38:00.006-04:00

"The entire process was seamless. CurlyRed was selected by the Gerontological Advance Practice Nurse Association because of her creative designs and reasonable fees. [CurlyRed] was able to meet in phone conferences with the Board of Directors which was across all four time zones. Her continued timely and complete follow-up helped the Board to develop and select a logo that was professional and creatively expressive about our organization."

—Charlotte Kelley
MSN, GNP, ARNP
GAPNA Secretary

A Special Announcement from CurlyRed!

2009-07-21T09:19:00.011-04:00

(click on the image above to view larger)

Her Rainbow World at Greetings & Readings

2009-07-16T15:28:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone-

just a quick note that "Her Rainbow World", a book by Linda Biggs and John Probst, layout design by CurlyRed, is available now at Greetings & Readings.

And there's going to be a book signing! How exciting!

Good luck to Linda and thanks to John.

Brookes Publishing

2009-07-07T15:19:00.005-04:00

CurlyRed has been fortunate enough to do a lot of work for our friend John Probst at Brookes Publishing, a company that specializes in educational publications, many for students with disabilities. They recently sent out the following e-mail newsletter:

This e-mail newsletter featured two book cover designs created by CurlyRed for the books
As Far As Words Go and Sounds Like Fun. Here's a larger image of the covers:

For more samples of CurlyRed's work, please visit our portfolio page.

Refreshing Summer 2009 design trends!

2009-06-30T15:48:00.009-04:00

A big thank you to our intern Becky, for putting this together!

Fun Florals

Clockwise from top left: Floralis Wine, Shoes, Chairs, Japanese Paper, Dress, Garland Necklace, and Vector Flower Illustration

Red and Teal

Clockwise from top left: Rock Chair print, CD kit, Doily Poster, Earrings, Squirrel print, Born to Stitch, Vector Woman, and Red & Teal Room

Super Kawaii (super cute) Anime

Clockwise from top left: Hello Kitty necklace, Grey Monster Shirt, I love sour Gocco Print, Tokidoki Shoes, Cloud Shirt and Background print

For the Love of Food logo

2009-06-23T15:23:00.005-04:00

CurlyRed was given the task of redesigning the logo for one of our newest clients: a local company called For the Love of Food.

For the Love of Food provides fun and educational cooking classes, as well at catering services. So the company needed a new, fresh and fun logo. Chef Diane Bukatman loved the idea of incorporating both cooking utensils and food (such as grapes) into the logo. We also went with an eye-pleasing, earthy palette. Bon appetit!

“Real” Photoshop

2009-06-16T15:23:00.004-04:00

For all you Photoshop fans out there, check this out:

to see the story behind this great concept, read this blog post at thenextweb.com.

thanks Mark!

Two more free color resources

2009-06-15T08:12:00.001-04:00

Colourlovers

and

CSS Drive

Enjoy! Thanks Emily!

Free repeat patterns and another fashion blog

2009-06-02T14:12:00.005-04:00

Pattern 8 is a very cool resource with free downloadable patterns with many different themes, color palettes and styles. Thanks Katie!

And we've found another very cool fashion blog called Some Girls Wander. Enjoy!

Thank you interns!

2009-05-28T09:52:00.004-04:00

CurlyRed has had the pleasure of having two great interns this semester: Chris Rolfe of Towson University and Anne Beasley of the College of Notre Name of Maryland.

Chris and Anne are graduating this month and we wish them the best of luck. Thanks again!

Beehive Baltimore

2009-05-18T16:20:00.004-04:00

CurlyRed finally got a chance to check out Beehive in Canton on Friday. What a cool concept. From their website: "Beehive Baltimore is a community of freelancers, entrepreneurs, and other creative professionals sharing a common workspace in Baltimore, Maryland."

The space is really nice, and perfect for holding meetings, etc, if you don't have the space or accomodations in your own workspace. Sweet. And nice people work there, too!

CurlyRed’s portfolio has been updated!

2009-05-05T16:04:00.003-04:00

New postcards, book cover designs, product graphics, ads, and more!

Enjoy!

Inspiring spring design trends

2009-04-27T14:27:00.008-04:00

A big thanks to CurlyRed's intern, Anne Beasley, who put this blog post together!

blue: calming and refreshing

[image above, clockwise from top left: evolve™ event brochure by Chris Reinecke and Teresa Boyd-Ham, EMAC Spring Brochure by Bryan Kahrs, Paul Mitchell® Spring Season by Chris Reinecke, Spring Flowers Skateboard by farmer77 on Zazzle.com , Salon Sky Website by Doc4Design]

orange: bold and energizing

[Image above, top left: Pring Postcard by www.gtemplates.org, Middle: 2009 Spring Wedding Postage Stamp by TDSwhite on Zazzle.com, Top Right: Tulips in sunlight by ZeroToTwenty on Zazzle.com, Middle Right: International House of Philadelphia’s Magazine by Iperdesign, Bottom: elsyreyes.com redesign by Peter at automik.com]

muted earth tones and florals

[image above, Top clockwise left: PINEMAX catalog and Chantal Claire by Shannon T. Tsai at Blindspot Desig n, Middle & bottom: All found on Zazzle.com. Skateboards: Sakura Sunrise Skateboard, Robin in a Swirly Tree Skateboard, Spring Skateboard, Dragon Skateboard by RachelHWhite. Tie: Four Seasons Trees on Brown Tie. Stamp: Elegant Spring Wedding. Save-the-Date: Garden Brown and Tiffany Blue Postcard by TheWeddingShoppe]

Special Easter treat for you!

2009-04-10T14:41:00.005-04:00

This just made our week. The Washington Post has been holding an annual Sunday Source Peeps Diorama Contest for three years now. This is one of our favorites from last year:

Caption: Project Peepway

Semifinalist: Cabin John resident Kate Wilkoff, 17, a student at Walt Whitman High School, depicts the finalists and judges on a recent season of Bravo's much-watched fashion competition show, "Project Runway." (Courtesy Diorama Creator)

Brilliant!

Fresh Elite

2009-04-10T14:33:00.004-04:00

This is another creative website and blog. When you visit this site, it says:

Welcome to FreshElite, a community of creators and connoisseurs. Discover emerging talent in film, music, and fashion through spotlights and features that are updated regularly. Be Fresh... Enjoy.

They also have a blog featuring news and new artists, especially fashion designers. Very cool...keep your eye on these guys.

Another Design Blog

2009-04-01T12:49:00.003-04:00

For you package design lovers out there, this blog is for you!

TheDieline.com features creative packaging from all over the world, even occasionally featuring student work. The Villa Donosti packaging towards the bottom of the first page is particularly beautiful.

Thanks Jessica!

Springtime=color

2009-03-23T16:45:00.004-04:00

If you love color as much as we do, take a look at this site:

Kuler is a beautifully designed site featuring user-generated color schemes. Inspiring! Thanks Adobe!

Interior Transformations Website

2009-03-05T10:20:00.005-05:00

Presenting CurlyRed's newest website design: Interior Transformations.

When Debbie McHale, owner of Interior Transformations, approached CurlyRed for a website showcasing her beautiful portfolio of interior design work, we jumped at the chance! She wanted a color palette to compliment both her work and personality, and an overall sleek, minimal design that would convey a professional yet friendly feeling.

So please take a look around and let us know what you think!

Fusion Happy Hour and Give Back for Zach Photo Recap

2009-03-02T12:04:00.013-05:00

Happy Monday everyone, this was a great weekend of events for CurlyRed. Thursday night was Fusion, put on by Happy Hour Studios, at Lemongrass in Baltimore. Beautiful artwork hung on the walls, there were tasty food and cocktails, and a great turnout. Thanks to Jessica Watson, owner of Happy Hour Studios, for allowing CurlyRed to be a part of this event!

Our friends Jessica Watson (the artist!) and Rhea Brown of Cocktail Cafe.

Jessica's consistency in branding is remarkable!
These drink pins and business cards were a big hit.
________________________________________

Give Back For Zach was last night at Pazo in Baltimore, and CurlyRed was so excited to be a part of it. CurlyRed's logo for Zach's event was all around: the silent auction signage, the cake made by Charm City Cakes, and the cookie favors!

It was great to see so many people out for such a good cause. If you don't know Zach's story yet, you can read it here. Anna Sowers has become such a good friend and inspiration, it was great to see her shine last night!

Left to Right: M.Kendall Ludwig, owner, CurlyRed, Ed Norris, Anna Sowers

Reminder: Fusion Happy Hour in Baltmore is tonight!

2009-02-26T07:57:00.003-05:00

Art show, networking, cheap drinks, free food, and wine tastings all at one place!

We hope to see you out tonight.

Happy Hour Studios presents Fusion Happy Hour in Baltimore!

2009-02-20T10:22:00.008-05:00

CurlyRed is sponsoring this event, so make sure you're there!

Thursday,
February 26th,
6 - 9pm

@ Lemongrass
1300 Bank Street
(Entrance on Central Ave, before intersection of Bank St.)
Baltimore, MD 21231
410.327.7835
We have the upstairs lounge!

$8 in advance* | $10 at the door

Drink: Exclusive Happy Hour Specials for duration of event

Here is the list so far of the specials:

$5.00 Cosmopolitans
$5.00 Lemongrass Martinis
$4.00 import drafts (stella)
$3.00 house red or house white wine
$3.00 micro drafts (#9, sierra nevada, sam adams, blue moon & magic hat seasonal)
$2.00 domestic drafts (bud lite & yuengling)

Taste: Complimentary hor d’ourves

See: The original abstract alcoholic beverage series, for one night only (small art prints available) There are new drinks in the series!

Be: at Lemongrass, the happenin’ spot in Baltimore for Thursday, February 26th from 6 - 9pm

There will be door prizes!
Jessica has been painting some exclusive new cocktails in her studio that will be unveiled at this show!

REGISTRATION INFORMATION:
You can register in advance all the way up to Wednesday, February 25th. This is a great way to take advantage of the $2 discount.

*Register with one guest or more and get in for $7/each. Please visit Happy Hour Studio's website to register online !

Thank You!

2009-02-06T10:26:00.009-05:00

Last Friday CurlyRed celebrated its 2 year anniversary at Mt. Washington Tavern with family, friends, clients and colleagues! It was a great time, and we hope to see many more of you at CurlyRed's next gathering. Thank you to everyone who came out to this event and to all of you that have made these past 2 years possible.

Another big thank you to the photographers: Mary Kavanagh, Susan Katz and Mark Ludwig!

Left to Right: Christopher Woodland, Dave Stock, Susan Katz

Left to Right: Justin Bright, Kristen Vint, Eliza McLaren
Left to Right: Christina Sawyer, John Sawyer, M. Kendall Ludwig (owner, CurlyRed)

Redheaded Bombshells anyone?

2009-01-28T10:39:00.003-05:00

My brother-in-law called my attention to The Pinup Blog.

Jaime Caudill has written a blog post I can relate to.

I particularly enjoy this quote by Mark Twain:
“While the rest of the species is descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats.”

It certainly put a smile on this redhead's face. Thanks Eric!

Give Back for Zach!

2009-01-26T10:07:00.003-05:00

I designed this flyer for the event in March. Visit www.zachsowers.com to find out more about this great event! Thanks Anna for the shout out!

Now accepting credit cards!

2009-01-19T16:41:00.003-05:00

CurlyRed is pleased to announce that we now accept payment using your VISA, Mastercard or Discover!

Now you can receive great graphic design AND rewards for using your credit card (that is, if you're using a rewards card). Contact CurlyRed to find out more.

www.curlyred.com has been updated!

2009-01-14T09:03:00.002-05:00

Please visit our website to see a completely revamped portfolio section.

We've cleaned out some older pieces to make way for several new ones. We've had many new and exciting clients and projects over the past 6 months that we wanted to share.

As always, check back often and let us know what you think. Feedback is always valuable to us.

Have a great Wednesday and Let's Go Ravens!

Kendall
owner, CurlyRed Inc.

Spring 2009 Intership Available

2009-01-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

Do you live in the Baltimore area and want to intern for CurlyRed?

CurlyRed Inc. is a local graphic design company that is looking an intern for the Spring 2009 semester.

This internship is open to college students working on their degree in graphic design. It is an unpaid position for school credit, consisting of 8-10 hours per week for the spring semester. The days/hours for this internship are very flexible, CurlyRed will work around class and work schedules. The internship will start the 4th week of January, so all candidates will be interviewed no later than January 19th.

Intern duties:

• Assisting me (the owner of CurlyRed) with the production (and possible design) of CurlyRed materials, including but not limited to logos, identities, publications, brochures, advertisements, posters, promotional materials, websites etc.
• Scanning images, color correcting or modifying images, and updating design files.
• Providing administrative office support, including file and database management, answering the phone, and other office-related tasks.
• Possibly accompanying me to occasional client meetings and/or networking events.

Candidates should have:

• Proficiency with the following programs: Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, and Word.
• Some samples or a portfolio of design work.
• Reliable transportation—CurlyRed is located in the Reisterstown, MD area.
• Excellent communication and organization skills.
• Ability to work independently.
• Desire to learn about the business side as well as the creative side of owning a graphic design business.

All interested candidates: please e-mail me at kendall@curlyred.com with your resume before January 14th.

CurlyRed's top albums of 2008

2008-12-31T10:03:00.004-05:00

Music is exciting once again in 2008. I didn't get to attend as many live shows as I'd like, but did discover many new artists and sounds. I'm especially excited to be part of a band myself this year called Siberiana and to be a small part of the exciting things that are happening in the Baltimore music scene. Anyway, on with the list:

Honorable Mentions:

Santogold - Santogold
Beck - Modern Guilt
Nine Inch Nails - The Slip
The Black Keys - Attack & Release
Keane - Perfect Symmetry

Favorite Song of the Year: American Boy (feat. Kanye West) by Estelle

Top 5:

5. Coldplay - Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends

4. Of Montreal - Skeletal Lamping

3. The Ting Tings - We Started Nothing

2. The Raconteurs - Consolers of the Lonely (also my favorite live act this year)

and *drum roll*

1. Sigur Rós - Með Suð Í Eyrum Við Spilum Endalaust

Enjoy and Happy New Year :)

The best CurlyRed Christmas present ever.

2008-12-29T10:36:00.003-05:00

My amazing husband, Mark Ludwig, created this for me:

(sorry for the picture quality-it was early! and I couldn't use a flash due to the finish)

Mark was kind enough to write out his process:

December 19
1. First, I enlarged the CurlyRed Logo to approx. 2' x 3' in Photoshop. Because the image was much smaller originally, I used the Sharpen filter to crisp the edges. I also erased all outlying pixels and cleaned up the edge.

2. I took the file to Kinkos and had them print the logo out in color, full-size.

3. In the meantime, I used a table saw to cut a piece of luon (about 3/16" thick) to the 2' x 3' rough in that I needed. I then spray painted the wood a deep red. I did 2 coats on the front. I also spray painted the clock hands white, doing 2 coats on each side.

December 22
4. After the logo was here at work, I used scissors to rough in the edges. I knew I wanted about 3/4" all the way around the logo in white so after I roughed them in and freehand drew them, I used an X-acto knife to cut them cleanly.

5. I then used Super 77 spray adhesive and sprayed the back of the print and used a burnisher to mount the print onto the luon. After pushing out all of the air bubbles, I allowed the glue to dry for a few minutes.

6. I applied a light coat of Modge Podge to the front of the print, making sure to cover the edges sufficiently. The print started to bubble a little, but I still liked how it looked.

December 23
7. The next morning, the bubbling had gone away (I left it overnight in a warm room). I then applied another thin coat of Modge Podge to the print.

8. After that dried, I used a pencil and drew a freehand outline (again about 3/4") on the red of the wood to mark my cutting line. Using my jigsaw, I started carefully roughing in the shape.

9. I clamped down the piece and would only cut a little at a time. At first I was following the curves, but then I started sectioning off the piece and making straight cuts into my line, and then cutting little pieces off.

December 24
10. After I had completed all of the cutting, I used a Dremel on the edges and slowly sanded them down. Once I had the shape I needed, I used 600 grit wet sand paper and sanded the edges smooth.

11. I carefully laid the piece on its front and spray painted the back of the piece. I put 2 coats on this and then sprayed 2 coats on the edges.

12. After the paint was dry, I applied a coat of Modge Podge to the back and edges to seal them.

13. The last step was to drill through the piece and add the clock. I marked my spot with a pencil, and drilled through the hole with a small bit. I then drilled through it again with the proper bit for the diameter of the clock piece.

14. I cleaned out the hole with a cylindrical file and then pushed the clock through the luon. I attached the nut, and tightened it down. Then I attached the hour, minute, and second hands. The clock was now complete!

15. The only thing left to do was wrap it up so you could not tell what it was and (hopefully) be able to hide it and surprise Kendall on Christmas morning, which I did!

Happy Holidays from CurlyRed!

2008-12-23T12:02:00.003-05:00

Dear friends, colleagues, valued clients, and random readers of this blog,

It’s been a pleasure working with you this year. Thank you for your support and your business!

CurlyRed wishes you a very safe, healthy and happy holiday season. We hope it is as stress-free
and joyous as possible!

May you have a very prosperous and successful 2009.

Sincerely,

M. Kendall Ludwig
owner
CurlyRed Inc.

Two design blogs I'm currently obsessed with...

2008-12-16T09:57:00.004-05:00

style rookie (umm, she's 12!!)
sea of shoes (her wardrobe is to die for)

you're welcome.