Inspiration comes from every pocket of life- from the worn path on your weekend hike to the makeup counter on your lunch hour errand run. Sometimes the parallels are crystal clear, though oftentimes it’s easy to miss the touch points. Today’s post highlights how close natural and manufactured patterns can be and how taking note of your surroundings can expand your creative palette. This geometric print at the Sephora counter is timeless, popular and a staple for many designers. While it’s common to see this pattern in concrete and urban architecture, it’s refreshing to see a man-made path. What natural paths have you found to be inspiring?

In the branding world, people are forever in search of mood-enhancing visuals. When it comes to print and textiles, the objective is similar, though more tactile. Today’s feature takes pattern-blocking and shows its versatility in storytelling.

Mark Allan Miller is a master at creating nostalgia through pattern and illustration. Realizing this style in home product design, this pillow from the Parisian homegoods store, Bensimon takes a similarly bold and illustrative approach. Veering away from this minimalist style, Jamal Vrno makes mixing and matching fun, proving the right patchwork can emit any message.

This past weekend a wonderful little package arrived in the mail: Matt W. Moore‘s most recent foray in publishing: Diagnol Thinking, an 88-page softcover book filled with black and white images. As I flipped through Moore’s illustrations, murals and graffiti patterns, it was easy to see the immediate translation of what inspires him. Everything from cloud patterns to concrete structures to spray paint and ragged brushes round out the mix, mirroring polished vector drawings. Beyond being a beautifully-bound compilation, this first volume is an interesting window into an artist’s mind. With a limited run of 500, make sure to get yours before they’re gone!

It’s always interesting to see how brands interpret seemingly simple trends. Boxed grids, for example, keep surfacing throughout fashion and retail displays this summer. From store windows to dress prints to retail structures, grids are an intrinsic part of this season’s design. This Gregory Parkinson dress marries a 2D print with 3D patchwork, mirroring the front and backside of ceramic tiling. Proving this style can easily become a wearable print, Dries Van Norton adds texture and shading. Using color blocking and grout, this boutique in the Daikanyama district, just outside of Tokyo proves that the intersecting lines are just as interesting as the tiles, something Louis Vuitton’s made evident with their hand-drawn window display on Fifth Avenue this month.

We’re all familiar with facebook’s photo narrative. Your friends upload a few images and shortly thereafter it appears in your livestream. The images are often disjointed and location-based and sometimes skewed with a vintage or poloroid filter. Moments after, you’re on to the next distraction. It takes a hint of creativity to really convey a message, stop you in your tracks and make you dissect the layout. This poloroid collage from the blog, Don’t Touch My Moleskin, does exactly that with it’s hipster meets Urban Outfitters angle. Using mixed media techniques and interesting photography, the larger layout is pieced together, trusting the audience to fill in the blanks. Tapping this mosaic method yet going in an entirely different direction, Theme Magazine proves busy isn’t [...]

Graphic designers get really excited when the art world a.) beautifies and b.) acknowledges their daily design tools. Today we present you with Julien David and his most recent collaboration with Pringle of Scotland, Colette and DC Comics. Using bold illustrations, vivid colors and rich fabrics, David single handedly creates a playful dialogue for the luxury market to wrap it’s head around. The symbolism behind the keyboard and Superman logo remind us of the importance and influence both images hold on a global scale. By enlarging and repeating, we see how easy it can be to force an audience to heed a message. Whether you’re wearing a twinset or a scarf, all of David’s pieces are conversation starters, not to mention, exciting interpretations of pop culture.

What’s the first thing that comes to mind when viewing the latest rare prints collection from Ray Ban? My gut response channels a modern day Garbage Pail Kid set, only PG and without the creative titling. That being said, Ray Ban’s Never Hide campaign is an amazing example of how patterns can be incorporated into a high visibility ad campaign. Matt W. Moore, a Pattern Pulp favorite was tapped to design the limited edition shades and joins a talented roster of artists for the bold and colorful round up.

When graphics are bold and balanced, they’re downright compelling. Everyone from the programmers at Adobe Illustrator to the designers at Wired Magazine to the marketers at the Gyre Department store in Omotosando Hills, Tokyo can agree here. Why else would squares, circles and lines be preloaded in Illustrator 3′s Creative Suite? Jumping to the pages of this month’s Wired, the Will Ferrell feature uses a patterned-blocked pie chart to communicate futuristic topics ranging from designer babies to clean coal. Adding color and textural layering, the Gyre store booklet applies circles for a neutral airy layout. Adding Japanese characters to the video and web component, the simple shading and spiraling technique reminds us that black and white rarely fails, so long as there’s movement, balance and dynamism.

The title of today’s feature couldn’t be more appropriate given the current state of the Gulf Coast. This week’s New Yorker cover by Bob Staake tips its hat to the oil slick that’s been glistening like a mirage for the past two months. Interestingly, and somewhat oddly, the nod to M.C. Escher’s graphic puzzle was eerily foreshadowed and beautifully executed by Alexander McQueen at this time last year. The print is timeless, adaptable and a seamless reflection of the times.