muun design studio

Latest NEWS - Our Blog has moved !

2009-07-09T13:48:00.005-04:00

We have migrated this blog to our own website !
Yeah ! It has always been what I wanted as part of our web-branding strategy.
Definitely a great achievement for me ... (a non web-developer).

Simply go to the muun design website to read the latest blog.

Doing our part for the Community

2009-05-29T00:06:00.006-04:00

It's finally open after a 2-week long Opening Celebration. The 19th on the Park Centre for the Arts and Entertainment in the heart of Stouffville ended its premiere celebrations with a Volunteer/ Start-up committee BBQ tonight. It has been a fun experience for us to be involved with this community event. Part of our contributions include gathering more than 10 local restaurants to participate in the Premiere Gala... and setting up our Chocolat Truffle booth during one of the opening events called Spring Spirit Day. They were both successful events due to the dedication from the volunteers involved. It's great to see such commitment and to be a part of it. Thanks to all our friends we bought a box of truffles to support the event and also our supplier (ACL display works) for sponsoring the Acrylic display boxes which we designed for the truffle-stand. And check out our Truffle Menu and custom posters...

Beside us in the event is our dear friend Eilla B. ... who is there to support us and the community ... selling her FAMOUS muffins and cookies. Thanks for keeping us warm with your hugs and treats on the windy day.

worn in TO

2009-05-28T00:52:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to share a fantastic magazine with everyone.
Worn fashion journal is based in Toronto, and we really like the underground/ indie vibe going on there. Thanks for being an inspiration.... click here to find out more about Worn.

Ginza on the Go...

2009-05-16T00:43:00.005-04:00

custom back-lit menu board with magnetic backing, direct UV printed on acetate.

Channel Letters at the fabrication shop ... look how dark the colour looks unlit.

...and lit.

Tree Lattice finally up ...

It's been more than a month of working on the sushi restaurants....wish there were more sushi-sampling though. The 3-dimensional Tree Lattice, Sushi Bar poster, banners, exterior signage, menu boards, menus, take-out menus and business cards are all done. Seems like a lot of work and sleepless nights have gone into it, but i think the great team effort paid off. Ginza sushi finally opened their doors at Yorkville's trendy downtown location last weekend. I heard they were giving out roses to passer-bys on mother's day, May 10th. We still have the actual Main Menus waiting to be completed. Our translucent PP covers still need to be UV printed, die-cut and shipped. So it won't be another week or two before we see them.

Anyway, here is a preview of all that was completed...including some behind the scene construction photos. Oh, did we also mention the pains we went through trying to achieve the right tone of purple for the exterior channel letters? We experimented and finally used 4 layers of vinyl in digital print colour to get the right colour when lit. Never have we gone to such lengths to do colour matching. Remind me never to do digital printing for outdoor signs. Let's just stick with the Avery colours.

Environmental graphics of the "raw" nature

2009-03-29T00:41:00.006-04:00

We've been working with Dialogue 38 on some interior graphics and art direction for a new sushi restaurant at Yorkville. It's still in production now but i think will be exciting to see it up. It's a 3D tree lattice structure that wraps around the walls and ceiling of the entire space. It's going to feel like dining in the envelope of trees. We are also working to finalize a 4 x 10 feet poster image at the back of the sushi bar...will update once we are done. Looks like we will doing a lot more environment graphics which is kind of like going back to our roots and training in architecture. Don't you believe that things always end in full circles? Some people call it karma ... fate or destiny. For us, as long as we working the creative side of the brain, we are happy and can call it our own.

Gotta Love Typography

2009-03-11T00:59:00.004-04:00

Have been doing some research on type and came across some pretty cool sites. Here is one featuring Typographic posters. I think the eclectic and spatial nature of each single letter makes them great graphic elements that are cross-genre and cross cultures. The type of today is no longer just to communicate the words, but are themselves a visual statement.

Hardcore typographic addicts visit this site for inspiration and updates on the world of type. The writer is John D Boardley, a graphic designer based in japan. "I love typography" is going to be part of our RSS list for sure.

Live Life or Love Life in 2009 ?

2009-03-03T16:05:00.004-05:00

2009 has already proven to be full of challenges as we finally launched our website on Feb 14th, after a long incubation period... It seems appropriate to start on the day where love and friendship is celebrated. We believe that 'relationships' will be one of the major building blocks for businesses this year...

You'll be seeing alot of our LIVE LIFE or LOVE LIFE campaign below :
_____________________________________________________________

There is always two choices in life (and in business):
Live Life as usual and see what happens...or find ways to Love Life as you live it.

We believe that Muun Design Studio can make Corporate, Retail and Industry business owners & professionals Love Life in 2009, by taking care of their creatives while they handle the more important things in their business.

So choose to Love Life in 2009 and let us grow together with your business. We welcome you to our home. Look around, get familiarized with our works and see what we can do for you.
www.muundesign.com is born.

light as air

2009-02-11T15:39:00.004-05:00

Sometimes simplicity is the way to go for great impact. The Helium B2B project is completed with results that are subtle but effective. This new agency was looking for a professional almost clinical look for their brand. A simple blind de-boss logo played off the Periodic table of elements, using classic Helvetica fonts. The next experiment with the Helium brand will probably involve the use of plastics to go for more transparency.

winter colours

2009-01-15T16:57:00.003-05:00

Today's the coldest day of winter this year ... -30 degrees Celsius outside my studio. Thought I'd just share the moods and colours of my day here.

Small Magazine

2009-01-12T10:08:00.007-05:00

Always love the idea of online magazines. Thought it'd be nice to share some of our favourite reading materials on a Monday morning. This is one that we really love ... The Small Magazine. "Flipping" through it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy ...even though it's -8 degrees outside.

The Brand Gap

2009-01-12T09:57:00.005-05:00

Just finished reading this amazing book called "The Brand Gap" by Marty Neumeier. Must say that it has been inspiring and great for consolidating my thoughts for the design studio. It is a must read for all business owners. If I could send along a copy to all my clients before the project starts I would. It would definitely bring them into focus on what's important to their business and what good design can do for them. Instead of just looking at how much the postcards/brochures would cost them, with the economy being in the downturn, people need to spend wisely and look at what is worth spending to expand their business.

a new shift in the new year ...

2009-01-08T00:53:00.005-05:00

Shift studio's yoga/pilates practice is in a phase of transition right now. So we created a calm, static and rooted image for their one-page website to represent their current state of mind...unflustered and undisturbed.

New Year greetings ...

2009-01-06T23:23:00.008-05:00

Happy New Year !! The first entry in 2009 is about 6 days late due to all the festivities. We've had a good year, with friend's support and a network of business associates that work hard to help each other. We're hoping to ramp it up in the new year. Our holiday e-card gives thanks to all who has made our year good. Thanks to my friend Rossana who inspired our illustration of holiday Elfs...

Well, enroute to deliver holiday greetings to clients and friends, we dropped by Quinceflowers to drop off our FAMOUS chocolate truffles. We perfected 6 varieties this year, featuring a laminated wood packaging, printed brown paper wrappers and finished off with baker's twine and a card made with my new Big-shot die-cut machine. I love the die-cuts ...

And coincidentally it was also Rosie's (Quinceflower's owner) birthday that day. So it was meant to be and we had to take a shot of the wonderful sign we designed for them.

I think the New Year will be full of such beautiful coincidences....

Stampin' it

2008-11-06T12:52:00.005-05:00

This might sound crazy, but I just got a die-cut machine and a whole set of rubber stamps to make some promotional materials for muun design. Holiday cards, thank you notes and give aways are in the "plan". It's going to be fun ! My first project, just to test out the white ink pad and the flourish stamps...was my notepad / receipt file. Love how it turned out, but the ink is still wet after 2 hours, so we have to figure that out.

Construction from Nature's Point of view

2008-10-28T22:04:00.003-04:00

Just completed an ad campaign for the Daily Commercial News and Journal of Commerce, in the Construction Canada Association Magazine. We took inspiration from nature's hardest working bunch ... the worker bees, and played up on the symbolism of the colour yellow (think of Caterpillar trucks, Bulldozers and yellow Construction hats). The ad is meant to convey both the print and online presence of these Construction Newspapers.

Quinceflower's new website

2008-10-28T14:12:00.003-04:00

Congratulations to Quince Flowers on the launch of their new online presence.
They are truly THE BEST florist in Toronto, and now they have a website to match.
www.Quinceflowers.com

New Facebook Group

2008-10-28T14:04:00.003-04:00

Just managed to set up a decent group on Facebook ....yes, we are joining the ranks of social networking to grow the business. I guess it's the cheapest form of advertising and promotion these days, besides calling up all your friends and making sure they give you all the business.
Visit us HERE.

Before and After Branding

2008-10-16T23:56:00.006-04:00

Many people are curious what some of the brands we worked on looked like before. So i have compiled a series of Before and After shots for comparison....just like the slimming ads you see on TV.

The Money Club

2008-10-16T23:50:00.003-04:00

We have been working on Ron's book cover illustration for a few months now. It has finally been nailed down. There are still 10 other illustrations for the inside sections to be completed...watch out for that soon.

Ron's book is about Money and how to spend wisely, while linking us to the industry experts for advice. Especially with these economic times, this topic is surely relevant. Cannot wait to be able to put a "Bestseller" sticker on the cover.

Branding at home downtown

2008-10-16T23:37:00.007-04:00

We have completed this project months ago, and Kat Tsoi has been enjoying her newly branded business cards and letterheads. There has been so much chemistry working with a young, energetic entrepreneur like Kat. Her positive attitude and quest for "only the best" is definitely something that rubbed off on us. Visit www.athomedowntown.ca if you need a free home evaluation or advice on pre-sale procedures.

Block Party at Quince Flowers and Oma Chiropractic

2008-10-16T23:16:00.006-04:00

Just wanted to congratulate Quince Flowers on the official opening of their new store on Queen Street East's Riverside. They are also launching their new website on the same day.

The store is looking fabulous as always....thanks to Rosie and her hardworking staff. Whoever is reading this blog is invited to their Block party tomorrow, Oct 17th. Check out the invitations we designed for them. The map is courtesy of the National Archives circa 1800s, juxtaposed with a google satellite image of today. Will post photos from the party later.

Fat Lip Clothing

2008-09-11T11:55:00.007-04:00

Our dear dear friend Mike Wolfe, has finally launched their new Winter 08/09 collection for Fat Lip Clothing. And we just wanna say how we love the new website and art direction. The logo is a timeless representation of their brand and will bring it to ride a 50-footer at Mavericks. Best of luck at the tradeshow in Atlantic city! Hopefully he'll be back energized with bag loads of orders, or at least some great stories to tell.

Our own business cards !

2008-09-11T00:38:00.005-04:00

Finally we have something to give out to our clients.
Digital propaganda did a great job with the print and I have been getting nothing but good comments about it so far. We even tied a little string at the end to make it more "tactile". We want our own graphics to become more 'real' and 'down to earth' by getting in tuned with hand-made elements. That is the direction we took for our business cards.

Revamping Construction News...

2008-09-11T00:12:00.007-04:00

Who would think Construction newsletters could look so hip?
We just completed our first 2 projects with the leading Construction News Publisher : Reed Construction Data. Working closely with their marketing manager, Sonia, we freshened up a series of 3 email blast for their CONSTRUCT CANADA pre-show guide and planner. Clean, bold imagery and a brand new Construct Canada "stamp" was created to give it a crisp new design direction.

We also create a completely new look for Flyers, Order forms and sell sheets that promote another one of their publications, the MUNICIPAL REDBOOK for Alberta and B.C.. There was much debate about whether the red bird should stay in the final layout. But with some persuasion, they agreed that it added that extra "something" to the flyer and tied in with the "Early Bird special".

In the following weeks we are also working on a 2 page Ad for The Journal of Commerce and Daily Commercial news. Check in for updates.

Other projects currently brewing are our own website, as well as a business card and web update for Shift Studio - a yoga/pilates studio owned by Sheila Cameron. We did their branding, logo and environmental design when they first started in 2006. Now the dynamics of the studio has changed and they require a change of their image as well.

Signs and Flowers

2008-09-10T23:58:00.006-04:00

The Quinceflowers main signage is finally on the way to fabrication. We confirmed and did all the colour matching at Burry Signs last week and it's good to go. Can't wait to see it up on the storefront. Since we are on the topic of signs, the side door sign that we designed for Quinceflowers must have been so attractive that it was stolen a week after it was up....Or it could have been the bad neighbourhood. :) This 'was' the sign >>