Stack and Scare by Invisible Creatures. From Product to Packaging, Blocks Don't Get Much Cooler Than These.

Over a year in the making, Stack And Scare™ is a new series of 4 stackable wooden monster block sets designed by Invisible Creature and produced by the coolest toy blocks store ever, Uncle Goose.



Each of the four sets contains 14-18 pieces in various shapes and sizes. Featuring eyeballs, teeth, horns, arms, rounded shapes for shoulders and eyes, monster heads, hands, feet, legs, torsos, patterns and more. Mix and match shapes or combine with other Stack And Scare™ sets to unleash endless (and taller) creature combinations!

The Products:









How They Are Made:


The Packaging:




Beautifully and meticulously crafted by the folks at Uncle Goose in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the blocks are made from FSC certified basswood, using non-toxic inks.

The Commercial:
The folks over at Invisible Creature thought it would be fitting to create a short “IC Filmmercial” featuring their wooden critters in action, so they enlisted their friends in Portland, Beautiful Eulogy, to create a score using the blocks themselves and the result is pretty fantastic:


You can purchase Stack And Scare™ directly from the designers , from Uncle Goose or independent toy stores everywhere.

Introducing The Ponysaurus Brewing Co. And Their Beautifully Branded Beers.

Launched just 2 months ago by David Baldwin, Keil Jansen and Nick Johnson, the Ponysaurus Brewing Co. in Durham, North Carolina touts itself as a 'forward-thinking, backward-tasting brewery based in Durham, NC, creating beers that are meant to be savored, appreciated, contemplated, philosophized, studied, nuzzled, and mindfully guzzled.'



above: David Baldwin, Keil Jansen and Nick Johnson of the Ponysaurus Brewing Co.

With seven craft brews thus far under their label, the beautifully branded beer just released photos of their bottle, label, packaging and collateral design by Baldwin& (who is part owner of the brewery), designer Kellyn McGarity, writer Chad Temples and illustrator Steven Nobel who helped out on the Ponysaurus icon.














The Beers:

Degarde:
An homage to higher-gravity French farmhouse ales, Biere de Garde roughly translates to “beer for keeping.” Our version reflects the historical realities of this style of farming, when brewers made do with what was on hand. With three types of barley, wheat, rye, and oats, its aroma smacks of apple, pear,almond, and vanilla, with just a hint of lemon rind.


IPA:
For our IPA, we used the traditional West Coast India Pale Ale as our template, then forgot where we put the template, then created something completely different. It’s a simple, easily enjoyable IPA with a crisp bouquet of lemon citrus, grapefruit rind, and melon. Tangerine and passion fruit dominate the hop flavor, but without the usual overwhelming bitterness.


Fig:
Our take on the crisp, flavorful ales brewed by farmers specifically for summer refreshment, the Fig Saison starts with several varieties of wheat, barely, rye, and, of course, figs. With a complex mix of yeast and fruit aromas that perfectly match its higher level of carbonation, the Fig Saison pours a rich red color and finishes dry with a mix of fruit, floral, spice, and subtle fig-ish notes.


Imperial:
Created in the 18th Century by British brewers for the kinda scary Czars of Russia, the Imperial Stout was designed to be dark, strong, and hardy enough to handle the long and perilous voyage across the Baltic Sea. And you do not want to disappoint the Czars of Russia. Our version is made to stand the test of time, too, featuring rich flavors of chocolate, toffee, coffee, currant, and vanilla. Budem zdorovy!


Reserve:
The result of our finest brewing efforts, the Ponysaurus Réserve is a Belgian Dark Strong Ale featuring rich brown malts and Belgian candy syrup made in-house. Flavorful Belgian yeast yields a complex yet elegant set of fruit and floral notes, while the candy syrup ferments almost completely, resulting in a scarily drinkable beer clocking in at just under 10% ABV.


Weissbier:
A celebration of traditional German wheat beers, our Weissbier features the classic banana and clove flavors, with the refreshing tartness and citrus notes that can only be found when the beer is at its freshest. We serve the beer cloudy on purpose, as the suspended yeast is crucial to its overall impression.


Vidieri:
A collaboration between Ponysaurus and local chocolatier Videri, our Chocolate Stout is designed to mimic the pure simplicity of a bar of dark chocolate. With a simple grain bill and fresh cocoa nibs added directly to the beer for ultimate flavor commingling, the result is a dark, clean beer that tastes more like artisan chocolate than chocolate cake.

Not available in liquor stores, you have to be a locoal to get a taste of their brews. The beer can be found at Geer Street Garden, Poole's Diner, Watts Grocery, and/or Mateo



Ponysaurus Brewing Co.

Ross Lovegrove Designs This Year's Traditional Saber and Champagne Case For Mumm.

In the past I shared with you designer Patrick Jouin's specially designed versions of Champagne House G.H. Mumm's traditional Cordon Rouge Case and Saber for 2011 and 2010. The companies' ceremonial Saber is a sword used to expel the cork and an accompanying case is designed to bold both the Saber and the Champagne.



This year, G.H. MUMM enlisted industrial designer Ross Lovegrove for the annual task. By entrusting the internationally renowned designer with the task of creating a sabre, G.H.MUMM has brought a modern touch to this great tradition. A gamble that has paid off handsomely, combining two worlds: that of a Champagne House constantly looking to innovate and that of a designer recognised as a leader of 21st century aesthetics.



"It's one of those magical acts that is so poly-sensorial and culturally enriching that as a designer one is naturally drawn to the cult of the object"- Ross Lovegrove for G.H.MUMM.

THE SABER:





The G.H.MUMM sabre is a true product of Ross Lovegrove’s world: an approach in which beauty and intelligence unite, where energy is transformed into an object with clean-cut lines. Stainless steel was the designer’s material of choice precisely because of its modernity and because it is as timeless as champagne itself". Curved at the pommel, the line then straightens towards the tip, where the signatures of the House and the artist are engraved. Designed for both left- and right-handed use, the G.H.MUMM sabre offers the perfect balance between weight and mass."

THE DELUXE CASE:




The lines of the Deluxe Case are beautifully sculpted, a prestigious casket designed exclusively by the artist to house both the sabre and a magnum of G.H.MUMM Cordon Rouge. In white polyurethane lacquer, embellished by the touch of red that is a G.H.MUMM hallmark, it is a clean-cut case, a metaphor for an age marked by innovation and discovery, style and freedom of expression". Personally signed by the designer, G.H.MUMM's Deluxe Case illustrates Ross Lovegrove's desire to create objects of timeless beauty."



This video was created in collaboration with GH.Mumm, John Ross studio and Ross Lovegrove. It beautifully documents Ross’ vision from sketch to finished object and the wonderful act of the sabrage:



Ross Lovegrove
G.H. Mumm

The Egg Nog Project - A Kitschy Collection of Cartons From All Over The Country.

Seattle, Washington based Graphic Designer Madeleine Eiche began her fascination with Egg Nog cartons when she was working at a New York Coffee Shop back in 2002.  The kitschy packaging of Canastota's Egg Nog, coupled with her love of pop-art and her fondness for dairy products, inspired Madeline to begin an on-going collection of store bought egg nog cartons from all over the country.

She says "The peculiarities of the packaging range from festive to banal, minimal to unappetizing, and each seem to be printed with complete disregard for color alignment. It is precisely these things that make for such compelling kitsch."


above: the carton that started it all, Dairy Fresh, Canastota, New York

The majority of the cartons are so ugly, I'd hesitate to even call them 'kitsch.' However when viewed together they certainly represent the annual tradition as well as a facet of retail packaging category in sore need of redesign, with a few exceptions.

Guers Dairy, Pottsville, Pennsylvania:


Marcus Dairy, Danbury, Connecticut:


Derle Farms, Jamaica, New York:


Guida-Seibert Dairy, New Britain, Connecticut:


Dairyworld Foods, Vancouver, British Columbia CANADA:


Lucerne Foods, Pleasanton, California (2):



Faith Dairy, Tacoma, Washington:


Umpqua Dairy, Roseburg, Oregon:


Elmhurst Dairy, Roxbury, New York:


Wengerts Dairy for Swiss Premium, Lebanon, Pennsylvania:


Dean's Dairy, Sharpsville, Pennsylvania (2):



Crowley Foods, Binghamton, New York:


Giant, Landover, Maryland:


Tuscan Brand, Franklin, Massachusetts:


Schneider's Dairy, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:


Parmalat Dairy, Toronto, Ontario CANADA:


Mountain Dairy Inter-American Products, Cincinnati, Ohio:


Swiss Premium Dairy, Lebanon, Pennsylvania:


Smith Dairy, Orrville, Ohio (2):



America's Choice, Montvale, New Jersey:


Wilcox Farms, Roy, Washington (2):



Turkey Hill Dairy, Conestoga, Pennsylvania:


Rockview Farms, Downey, California:


Lehigh Valley Dairy, Lansdale, Pennsylvania:


Horizon Organic, Boulder, Colorado:


Garelick Farms, Franklin, Massachusetts:


Organic Valley, La Farge, Wisconsin:


Southern Comfort, Lynnfield, Massachusetts:


Southern Comfort (Vanilla), Chelsea, Massachusetts:


Trader Joe's, Monrovia, California:


Silk, Boulder, Colorado:


Originally from Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, Madeleine Eiche is a graphic designer whose other collections include push puppets and floaty pens. Find her work at eiche.co.uk.

Photos by Justin Gollmer.

The Egg Nog Project