Judge the book by the cover - I do

Oh my, I haven't updated in ages. I've been meaning to, several times, in fact, but I've been busy with numerous projects...

As I have already mentioned in my personal blog, me and a student colleague of mine are working on the visuals for a fashion show. It's a show organized by our school's fashion design students, and linked to a bigger event. Very interesting, but challenging and time-consuming as well.

My class is also working on the illustrations and all sorts of amusing problems and assignments for a magazine directed to children. This is, for our part, nearly done.

Also I'm having a course on package design, and have been, for the past few days, designing a series of packages for candy drops which, for the purpose of the assignment, go by the name Routa. I actually just finished the layouts and shall print and construct the packages tomorrow - however, I'm not posting them here just yet, the deadline is on thursday so I'll post them here then ;)

I've been so excited about graphic design lately, and really thought that I'm just where I'm supposed to be! We made a few visits to printing offices and editorial offices last week, and I couldn't have been happier. I was on the verge of mental orgasm when I saw all the cool stuff you can do to your work when printing - oh the metallic shine and reliefs and glitters!

Speaking of mental orgasms, I don't know how I've never found it before, but anyone interested in packaging design - or graphic design in general - should definitely check out The Dieline. I've been crying tears of joy and swimming in pools of inspiration for the past week, spending my free moments geeking over the innovative and cool designs presented there.

And now, for something else than orgasms entirely - my schoolwork.


The assignment was to redesign the cover of S. H. Steinberg's 500 years of printing. Sadly I didn't use as much time on this as I should have, but I sort of like the clean-cut feel of it anyway.


Here we were to choose a book the cover of which we disliked, and redesign it. I hate the cover of the copy I have, so here's my take on Anne Rice's The Interview with the Vampire. I've always hated Claudia with a passion, though.


Aaand here's a close-up of the illustration. Sorry for the ugly watermarks, I'm that paranoid. I would have liked to work on this more, but didn't have the time for it. I actually made this with vectors at first, then realized that I can't get the look I want with them (d'uh) and so I went and digitally painted over it.

That's all I can show for now, I'm afraid. I'll come back on thursday with some candy boxes!

...well alright, have this work-in-progress-chihuahua-on-acid.

Well, who died and left YOU god, Mr. Claus?!

Oh wow it's Christmas soon! :D I've had so much on my mind lately that I haven't really fully realized it until quite recently. Luckily I have all my Christmas shopping done for this year, and so, with a purse that is remarkably lighter than it was until last week but a mind that's quite content, I ready myself for holidays. Today was the last day of school - I actually had an appointment with the doctor this morning, and by the time I arrived at school, our teacher was just wishing us all a very merry Christmas!

Still a lot to do before I can really kick back though - we ought to clean the kitchen cupboards and our fridge, though otherwise the apartment has been cleaned and we can leave it for Christmas so that it's nice to come back to... We also have a chunk of gingerbread cookie dough still unbaked in the fridge :)

Plus, the day after tomorrow my roommate celebrates her engagement at her fiancé's folks, and so me and my other roomie (we'll be maids of honour in the wedding!) head for Kauhajoki at 7:45 in the morning... and come back the same day. It takes roughly three hours by train from Tikkurila to Seinäjoki, and an hour by car to Kauhajoki from there. My folks will be picking me up from Koivukylä so I don't have to take the bus to Vihti after that, but still, we won't be at Vihti before midnight. And at the start of the week I'll have a couple of days of work and I'll have to do some Christmas cleaning and possibly baking at my parents'..! But it's all worth it, I'm so happy it's holidays at last.

The header is, by the way, from the great song Surabaya-Santa from Jason Robert Brown's musical Songs for a New World.

Now for some visuals ;)


Schoolwork - a typography poster presenting three typefaces. We had a number of quotes to pick from, I liked that one.


Magazine layout for a spread consisting of Bradbury Thompson's poem and a short text about him.


A tiny painting of two foxcubs I did sometime during the summer, I only found it when visiting my folks a couple of weeks back.

Merry, snowy and in all ways lovely Christmas to you all! ♥