Produced in the country of Ireland (who knew?!), Mic's Chilli Sauce features wonderfully intricate and interesting illustrations by artist Steve Simpson.

With motifs inspired by Mayan, Mexican, and Chinese cultures, Simpson has created beautiful works of art that are fun to explore. He has even designed custom barcodes that are in keeping with the flavor of the design (click link for images).

*camille

JouJou is a toy store that is part of The Grand America hotel in Salt Lake City. In keeping with the whimsical luxury of the hotel, Utah firm Stuck managed to capture the feel of a child's imaginary paradise.

The colors, architectural details and playful iterations of the JouJou logo are certain to bring a smile to the faces of adults and children alike. In fact, I'm sitting here wondering if I have any reason to take a road trip to Salt Lake City. FAO Schwartz, move over!

Click the link above for more images, including an interesting look into the design development process.

*camille

See the full gallery on Posterous

Square Inch Design Blog posted this great series of posters illustrating -- in a gloriously minimalist way -- various children's stories.

Love these!

*camille

In the age of specialty, gourmet baked goods (have you been to your local cupcake shop lately?), it's always a treat to see how something old (cake!...) is made new again with unique packaging (...in jars!).

These Austrian treats offer a new way to enjoy a single serving of cake, nicely contained in a colorfully labeled glass jar. There's even a petite wooden spoon affixed to the outside for immediate enjoyment.

I wonder if this will catch on in the States...? Only time will tell!

*camille

Warm colors, rustic illustrations and an appealing mix of typography make for a lovely carton of eggs.

This colorful design was intended to "elevate" Rahal Farms' sustainable, fresh eggs above others on the store shelves. The design is certainly elegant, but it's also very approachable. There's an implied quality and attention to detail that you don't mind paying a little extra for.

*camille

Quick post: I came across a thorough round-up of the D&AD packaging design winners on the Lovely Package website. Click the link to see the winners and get a little inspiration. Lots of exceptional work!

*camille

The array of fun images and colors used for the Dallas restaurant Sissy's Southern Kitchen must be a hit with the locals.

Sure, there's a place for classy, mature, upscale elegance...But there are plenty of times when you just want to sit down in a place that makes you smile. It looks like Sissy's might fit the bill in that regard.

If the menus are indicative of the restaurant's interior, I'm pretty sure Sissy's would be on my list of favorite hang-outs.

*camille

When El Paso Chile Co. commissioned Charles S. Anderson Design in Minneapolis to create a new packaging system for its retail salsa and marinade lines, it wanted to make sure that consumers grasped the fact that its products were authentic Tex-Mex, not wannabe imitations made in places like Cincinnati or Brooklyn. A border town in far west Texas, El Paso is so close to Juarez in Mexico that the two cities are sometimes considered one metro area. El Paso Chile Co. knows its salsas and wanted the packaging to capture that in look and feel.

To get the Minnesota-based designers into the right mindset, El Paso Chile CEO W. Park Kerr insisted that they fly down to Texas and take a donkey ride through the desert to experience the true feel of the Southwest. He also nixed the first set of names — Gasping Gringo, Exploding Armadillo — that the Anderson team came up with, in favor of ones that sounded less aimed at tourists and more toward sophisticated Southwest cooks – e.g., Salsa Divino, Salsa Diablo. Authenticity was the one quality that El Paso Chile wanted to convey to consumers. That led the Anderson team to scour flea markets in Mexico City to identify true Mexican iconography and designs and even inspired them to package El Paso Chile’s fajita marinade in Mexican-style “beer” bottles with the label art pieced together from printed scrap.

My home state of Colorado has its share of salsa-lovers and salsa-makers, so I always have my eyes open for a nice label that helps distinguish one product from another.

This Texas-made salsa succeeds in having a homemade feel (with the rustic stamps) and nicely incorporates warm hints of color on an otherwise basic white label. The brand name imprinted along the edge of the jar top is also a great touch, differentiating the product just a bit more on the shelves.

*camille

But, mostly the logo.

Specifically, I like the way the apostrophe "S" is illustrated in the "Molly's" part of the name. It's a unique way to illustrate that a grammatical necessity without that pesky apostrophe.

More: If you want to see the packaging upon which this logo is applied, click the link to Dieline!

*camille

The Tucumen brand of wine is the product of an Argentinean vineyard and represents the regions of Tucuman and Mendoza.

Appropriately, the design of the labels use a "patchwork" layout to convey the joining of two different areas of the country, while also applying color that brings to mind the vibrant Latin culture that is Argentina.

These features, along with the fun mix of font types, help the Tucumen brand stand out among its stuffier competitors on retail shelves.

*camille

Apparently (I'm not really a beer-drinker), this is the re-introduction of Miller64 -- a 64-calorie light beer option from MillerCoors. Regardless, of whether one is familiar with the product, this new identity is certainly eye-catching.

The subtle design details, crisp typography, and masculine color scheme (I love the rich grey blue!) bring a refreshingly modern aesthetic to the the beer world.

*camille

How gorgeous is this...? Sign me up!

*camille

A quick post to start off a cheerful Friday: This colorful wedding invitation "suite" features all sorts of nice touches, including a wax seal, a great mix of typography, and...lilacs.

Click the link for many more detailed images of these spring-inspired pieces.

Oh, and have a wonderful Friday!

*camille

A quick post: The twisted construction of this tubed packaging is pretty interesting. The resulting folds at the top and bottom wonderful details on their own, as well.

*camille

Labels for small jars and containers can be challenging to create due to limited space and, sometimes, a requirement for extensive information.

For this skincare line, I like the simple band used at the bottom of the label to convey the actual product name, used in conjunction with the bold color and shape that provides a quick visual cue to the consumer.

Nothing flashy, but the design is clean and straightforward -- using various visual tools to communicate the information.

*camille

I like the mix of the different elements used for these cereal boxes: metallic text, "earthy" cardboard, and warm, but vibrant, color combos. The simplified illustrations are nicely adapted for each variation, as well.

*camille

No designer (or writer, or artist, or doodler) can resist a unique and beautiful sketchbook. Hence, I had to share these.

The wonderfully crisp patterns created by a blind deboss are beautiful and interesting. They also have a lovely hand-made quality to them due to the stitched binding.

All in all, I would be proud to carry one of these into my local coffeehouse or to my next client meeting.

*camille

What better way to kick of the week than with some fun food truck graphics? Great colors, fun type, entertaining messages, and useful (I hope) QR codes all add up to a great reason to skip the restaurant and hit the streets.

*camille

The design of these labels for Granny's Secret (based in Serbia) are understated and delicately done. But, it is the integration of the die-cut label with the custom jar shape that I find particularly lovely.

These design solutions are evidence that one can make a strong visual impact - that stands out from competitors - using something other than a vibrant color palette. Indeed, these labels allow the products to stand on their own and beckon to the consumer.

Check the link for some nice close-ups of the details of the labels and glass packaging.

*camille