Shanghai Tang Holiday Catalog's Balloon Art Will Leave You Breathless

... and that's without your having to blow up the thousands of balloons used in the catalog.




Every year retail companies scramble together around mid-june to start concepting and designing catalogs for the holiday season. It's hard to keep them fresh, original and memorable. But Shanghai Tang, the chinese lifetyle brand, has done it yet again.

Teaming up with Chandelier Creative, the cutting edge design firm (who has produced other fabulous holiday catalogs for them in the past) they've produce a 2009 holiday catalogue inspired by the whimsical world of balloon art. It's amazing what they've done in terms of styling stunning backgrounds and unusual product shots, photographed by talented product photographer Kanji Ishii, with simple colored balloons.

These are not all the images from the actual catalog, nor are they in order, but these are my favorites and I think you'll find them inspiring:
















In addition to a beautiful catalog, Shanghai Tang's gifts are equally as fabulous, shop for them here.

To see other impressive balloon art and design, check these out:

A Photographer Who Is Full Of Hot Air: Paul Graves' Balloon Sculpture Series
Paul Graves' Newest Work - Balloon Expletives & More

Paul Graves' Newest Work - Balloon Expletives & More

above: detail of Paul Graves' Balloon Beauty

The last time I showed the balloon series photography of Paul Graves, there was a great deal of interest in his unusual work. Now, he has personally just sent me the latest of his continued balloon sculptures and photography series which was just published in the art fashion magazine spring/summer 09 of "booklet" which just hit the news stands in Europe.

No one can describe their photos better than the photographer themselves and in Paul's own words to me, he wrote:

This entire project is about exploring the non-expected side of the material of balloons.

With more and more "balloon images" being made these days from advertisement to fashion editorial the material has taken on a very strong cultural reality that already needs to be transformed to the next level.

Im not saying I accomplish that goal with this work but I try to push the viewer to question and explore.

Also this work has more of a free spirit then some of the last balloon projects I have done. I wanted to be free from the "art of twisting balloons" and still make an image full of emotion and ideas.

The fact that the work was published in Booklet is because the publishers asked me for an "art project" to translate my idea of "hells angles", the theme of this issue.

Moving away from selling products and more towards images that stand alone and have a life outside the commercial photography world.

above: The opening spread for the editorial in Booklet #10

And here's a good look at the photos.

Balloon Beauty:


Fuck:


Headache:


detail of Headache:


Pussy Party:


Shit:


Whip It:


The May issue of Booklet Magazine in which the photos are shown:

www.booklet.ws


If you didn't see my first post on Paul's balloon Sculpture Photography, take a look at it here.



Paul has lots of terrific product photography in his portfolio, such as his shot for Nina Peter shown above, so be sure to look at all of Paul's wonderful work at his site here

A Photographer Who Is Full Of Hot Air: Paul Graves' Balloon Sculpture Series

above: Paul Graves, phenomenon 3, from The balloon sculpture series, 2008

This month Italian magazine Domus' cover features photographer Paul Graves' photo of a balloon constructed person and his innards. Below are more shots from his 2008 Balloon Sculpture Series.




The image as it appeared on Domus' January cover:


A photographer who has worked with balloons before, Paul has created a balloon Garden of Eden for a previous editorial:


See the fabulous details:







Prior to that, he created this fun series of celebrities as balloons, using simply their trademark hair (or lack thereof) to immediately give the balloon the recognizable persona.

Don King:

Andy Warhol:

Pippi Longstocking:

Kojak (Telly Savalas):

Liza Minelli:

David Bowie:


Paul shoots many styles a has a large range to see his complete portfolio click here.

In light of balloon 'fun', and the off chance that you are one of the 3 people left in the world who has not seen the fabulous durex condom ad with balloon animals, here it is for you:

• See a newer post on the Balloon sculptures of photographer Paul Graves, that include his balloon expletives here.