PhotoshopDesign

It has only been 2 months since we launched Seamless Studio and already we're overwhelmed by all the great new patterns that have been created by all of you. Here we're highlighting 25 new patterns where you can see the original pattern followed by a few colored by other members. Keep creating and spreading the color love!

Have you noticed or created a new pattern that you think is the tops? Recommend it to the rest of us by posting an example in the comments.

Feeling inspired and want to get coloring? Click on any of these patterns then "Create Pattern" to get started. You can also select from all of the patterns or browse the pattern library for more inspiration.

If you're looking for a little help working with Seamless Studio check out the forum post: Design Tips - Seamless Patterns.

Pattern Design by madda

Isn't it funny to reminisce about the infancy of the internet? Sure you could say we're still in toddler-hood, but way back when in aught-2, Flash dominated the web and your junk mail consisted of AOL coasters startup CDs...Man, those were the days.

2002-2003 was right about the time when I started job hunting which meant clicking through one graphic design firm's website after another, twiddling my thumbs watching delicately crafted pre-loaders process while the bulky Flash site loaded behind them. And finally once "inside" the site, having to process and absorb yet another almost completely obtuse navigation. I even taught myself the program and churned out a couple entirely-Flash sites early in my career which, needless to say, were practically outdated before they launched.

Even as Flash is going the way of the Dodo, there are the occasional websites that demonstrate a modern take on all those bells and whistles that were more prevalent in the heydays of the big F. I like to call them "storybook sites" because there's a certain flow or narrative that takes you through the content without feeling intrusive or letting you get lost. And even more impressively, these storybook sites use no Flash whatsoever but instead rely on a Javascript genius who has the ability to write that functionality from scratch. * Which is pretty bad*ss if you ask me.

Here's a handful of examples.

Isn't it funny to reminisce about the infancy of the internet? Sure you could say we're still in toddler-hood, but way back when in aught-2, Flash dominated the web and your junk mail consisted of AOL coasters startup CDs...Man, those were the days.

2002-2003 was right about the time when I started job hunting which meant clicking through one graphic design firm's website after another, twiddling my thumbs watching delicately crafted pre-loaders process while the bulky Flash site loaded behind them. And finally once "inside" the site, having to process and absorb yet another almost completely obtuse navigation. I even taught myself the program and churned out a couple entirely-Flash sites early in my career which, needless to say, were practically outdated before they launched.

Even as Flash is going the way of the Dodo, there are the occasional websites that demonstrate a modern take on all those bells and whistles that were more prevalent in the heydays of the big F. I like to call them "storybook sites" because there's a certain flow or narrative that takes you through the content without feeling intrusive or letting you get lost. And even more impressively, these storybook sites use no Flash whatsoever, but instead rely on a Javascript genius who has the ability to write that functionality from scratch. Which is pretty bad*ss if you ask me.

Here's a handful of examples.

Last month, we took a closer look at some of the style-minded groups here at COLOURlovers (see part one here). Those initial five were just a small sample of the number of groups in the community piecing together colors, palettes and patterns to create (or re-create) their favorite articles of clothing, fashion trends, designer creations and editorial inspiration.

Today, we're spotlighting five more groups. Don't see yours? Tell us all about it. Starting one of your own? We'd love to know about it, too. In the meantime, here's what these fashion-inclined color lovers are up to.

clothing palettes

Headed up by lover wearpalettes--who we've featured for his blog, wear palettes, where he matches up color palettes with inspirational street-style photos from Close Up and Private and Lookbook.nu (and formerly The Sartorialist)--clothing palettes is a place for group members to record their own sartorial efforts. wear palettes recommends members include their inspiration colors, clothing or Web sites along with palettes and patterns; with 1,194 palettes, there's plenty of inspiration to be had within the group, too.

[looks]

[looks] is for those wanting to document daily ensembles in color form--palettes and patterns modeled after what group members are wearing. Seasonal color trends are also in the mix.

Fashion is hard to imagine without blackâ€"after all, every season, there's a color that's taken it's place as the epitome of chic (unless, of course, black reclaims its crown). Black is rich and stark and hard and soft all at the same time, and those nuances are undoubtedly why it's fashion's favorite color.

It's also why black is the focus of a new exhibition at the MoMU Fashion Museum in Antwerp, Belgium. Open through Aug. 8, "BLACK. Masters of Black in Fashion in Costume" pairs contemporary and haute couture pieces from minimal designers with, among other things, historical portraits and runway videos.

Said T Magazine's Rad Hourani, "Black was once described as an extreme color, and this central idea runs through the 22 installations, which span not only the history of the color but also its rendering in treatments ranging from embroidery to 3-D. One learns from the exhibition that the perfect black actually has hues of blue, red or brown in it â€" thereby answering the age-old question of whether black is in fact a color."

A few current looks from designers included in the show:

Ann Demeulemeester; Olivier Theyskens (Nina Ricci).

Advertising

Koleston Naturals Die-cut Billboard

Cream Global

Koleston Naturals, a hair colorant product, wanted to target females aged 25-40 who were health and beauty conscious and also enjoyed spending time outdoors, for walking, sports, or just to be as close to nature as possible.

Koleston's objective was to showcase the aesthetically appealing aspects of the product in terms of pure colour, whilst reassuring consumers about its "natural" quality. The idea was to use nature itself as a backdrop to achieve this communication goal... - Cream Global

Horsetail Firefall

Each year, during part of February, if the lighting conditions are just right, Horsetail falls, a small seasonal waterfall in Yosemite National Park, transforms color for a fleeting moment, turning gold and then appearing as if lava were flowing down the side of El Captain.

Daleberts

TuckerH586

RC Designer

Daleberts

On March 9, Alexander McQueen's Fall 2010 ready-to-wear collection debuted in Paris. Each medieval-inspired dress had something distinctly McQueen: There were billowing skirts, there was crisp tailoring, there were exaggerated silhouettes, there were fierce shoes.

There were 16 looks, each of them nearly finished at the time of McQueen's death on Feb. 11, 2010. The designer was 40.

In the 20 years he spent working in the fashion industry, McQueen changed the industry with his vision and innovation. He was unafraid to take risks, to do what no one else was doing--he was a rebel, "l'enfant terrible," and he was greatly loved.

Lee Alexander McQueen was born in London in 1969. He started making dresses for his sisters in his youth; in his teens, he took an apprenticeship in London's Savile Row, a shopping street known for men's bespoke tailoring. What he learned there translated to his future designs, both under his own name and at Givenchy, where he served as head designer from 1996 to 2001.

A far cry from that snazzy Lisa Frank Trapper Keeper you had as a kid, and definitely not some boring faux-leather ledger, these beautiful sketchbooks, notebooks and office supplies deliver color in a surprising way. Definitely gets me excited to start a new project!

From Tas-ka.

Our sunny days will soon be filled with familiar melodies roaming our neighborhoods and the sight of sweaty crowds anxiously awaiting their colorful treats from the ice cream truck (van)... but while we wait for that day to arrive here's a little color love for one of our favorite summer pastimes, with photos taken all over the world and a collection of palettes from the library.

Mac Kane

Image link

This week, we're starting an occasional Fashion Channel series to spotlight the editors, stylists, photographers and makeup artists behind the glossy magazine spreads that are as much about the artistry of fashion as they are about the clothes themselves. These pages are often where style inspiration for the everyday closet starts when it comes to color, pattern, fabric and shape.

First up: Vogue Paris Fashion Director Emmanuelle Alt.

world_of_wolves

Much-loved in the fashion blogosphere for her own cool, laid-back, androgynous personal style, Alt has been styling shoots with chic sharpness for Vogue Paris since 2001.

Using a pastel palette can be fun for a Spring wedding, but be careful not to make it look too much like a baby shower, and make sure your groom has a place amongst the delicate use of colour.

If you've decided with a light and fluffy palette and want to add bit of sophistication, try adding some patterns, textures and beadwork to things like your cake, table and printed materials (accessories). Remember too, that pastel doesn't always have to include an Easter basket theme. Pastel simply means any colour washed out, so use your imagination.

I came across a great example of using pastels in a more original and toned down sense from Aimee and Colin's Rustic Ranch Wedding posted by GreenWeddingShoes.com. The entire post is really worth taking a look at. Great style and wonderful creativity!

Aimee and Colin utilized pastel's within the groomsmen on their ties and the bridesmaids sashes.

Fernanda Viégas and Martin Wattenberg are research scientists in IBM's Visual Communication Lab. Their work explores the power of visualization as a mass medium and the social forms of data analysis it enables. HINT.FM is a collection of the duo's collaborative efforts.

Their entire body of work is thoughtful and intelligent, and lends to the development of our understanding of self and society. A kaleidoscope of art, technology, science, & sensuality their projects acutely record and analyze our responses to the colorful world around us.

"The two became a team in 2003 when they decided to visualize Wikipedia, leading to the “history flow” project that revealed the self-healing nature of the online encyclopedia. Viégas is known for her pioneering work on depicting chat histories and email. Wattenberg’s visualizations of the stock market and baby names are considered Internet classics. Viégas and Wattenberg are also known for their visualization-based artwork, which has been exhibited in venues such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York, London Institute of Contemporary Arts and the Whitney Museum of American Art. " - hint.fm/about

Here are some of their projects as described by the team.

Lucious

Luscious pays homage to fashion designers and photographers, those who compose rousing images of light and color that fill the pages of glossy magazines. The piece is our attempt to distill their visions into abstract compositions.

To create the images in luscious, we began with a series of magazine advertisements for luxury brands. We then used a custom algorithm designed to extract “peak” colors from any picture (much like our Wired anniversary piece). A random arrangement of concentric circles fills the plane, representing the essential colors of each region. The resulting image hides context and representation and lets the viewer concentrate on pure color.

To celebrate and welcome the change in color that spring brings, here are some inspiring photos and recent colors from the library. If you have a new spring palette you've been wanting to show off post it in the comments. And drop by these groups anytime to share and discuss the latest spring colors and trends.

Photo Inspiration

Photos shared by estatic (flickr). Photos link to originals.