I work in a really interesting part of San Francisco. It’s right on the bay and used to be a big shipping area, but that died off a while back. I was told that it’s only been in the past few years that Dogpatch has started to come back to life which makes for an interesting mix of old/grundy/trendy/cool. The neighborhood could seem a little scrappy for a first-timer, but I love it.

So rather than bring you some sort of foodie design this evening, I collected images of my walk from B’stro to the train station (i.e., a few benches under 280).

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the different sensory triggers we experience at any given time during the day. It’s pretty incredible if you think about it.

I was riding my bike from work to the train station this evening — it was windy, rainy, and cold. A pretty miserable ride actually. However while the rain was pelting my face, my sense of smell was on over-drive from a tantalizing aroma wafting from a nearby cafe.

This made me wonder if it’s possible to incorporate such a wide variety of triggers (good, bad, or both) into a design. The goal isn’t to create a physical reaction, because sensory triggers don’t always cause a physical reaction. In fact, we don’t even notice most of them.

Such an interesting subject. I’ve got a feeling I may be exploring more of this in the near future.

Even though it’s a short week, it’s been a busy one for me at B’stro. And while I could be riding the train home in the evenings, my husband has been kind enough to pick me up from work the past two nights. Isn’t he great!?

That being said, in lieu of my commute design project, I wanted to share a very cool, informative new website. I’m absolutely in love with Say100, a site that features one of my favorite bloggers, Swiss Miss, along with 9 other experts. The goal of the site? Identify 100 voices that matter.

Check it out – you’ll love it!

I’m one of those extraordinarily lucky people in the U.S. that got President’s Day off work, which also means there is no commute for me today. However, this morning I was feeling productive and whipped (pun intended) up a design for you to enjoy. Doesn’t white whipped cream have a nice ring?

Here’s to the Presidents!

I ran across Accidental Mysteries on Design Observer this morning from their weekly recap email and love it! How did I not know about this?

The column is currated by John Foster and appears once a week.

From The Possibilities Are Endless

Claire Pestaille from Paul Stolper

Kurt Schwitters postcard to Hannah Hoch, 1921 on defacedbook

Many of you may already know my husband is a software developer, and a good one at that. But you may not know that he’s also quite an innovator and thinker. Not only does he spend his days at Apple writing code that looks like Greek to most of the world, he’s constantly thinking of new ideas.

The other night I caught him sketching on his iPad and begged him to send me a screenshot. The elements all tie together very nicely, plus I love merging science, math, and design — the results are always gorgeous.

Do vegetarians eat animal crackers?

I’m sad to say this isn’t my own original quote — just a quick Google search will tell you that. And yes, you’ll even find actual questions about whether or not vegetarians are allowed to eat animal crackers. I’m a flexitarian-leaning-toward-vegetarian but I can tell you one thing. I eat animal crackers.

If you couldn’t tell yesterday, I’m using drawings that I previously created in my Sketchbook Project journal, taking a picture of the sketch I want to use with my iPhone, emailing it to myself, and adding digital elements.

It is quite the process and the picture isn’t always pretty, but that’s part of what I love about this project. Even the best designers don’t turn out 5-star designs every time they sit down in front of the computer (or sketchbook).

Admittedly, I started this design on my commute to work this morning. I already knew what sketch I wanted to use and didn’t want to wait. I love how the bag behind the journal is blown out — I think it adds to the concept. I also think you’d all probably agree, this should have been yesterday’s design.

And yes, I’ve got an addiction to bright colors. I’m sure it’s just a phase.

It’s Valentines Day and lots of starry-eyed couples will be heading out for dinner. A perfect day for a food-related design! I had an entire story about being from the midwest, signs promoting beef and pork…but I have to admit, this one is just a good excuse to use pigs in a design.

It was fun to experience yet another lovely weekend in the Bay Area. Vince and I enjoyed a fun afternoon / evening in San Francisco on Saturday and even had time for a hike in the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve this afternoon. Can you tell I’m loving my new home?

Enjoying the city before dinner and we found an art gallery with a neon sign show. Maybe I have a small neon sign obsession?

We enjoyed dinner at the Salt House. Yum!

Our spectacularly gorgeous Sunday afternoon hike.