Aroha Silhouettes Vs The Slot Of Doom

I go through phases of obsessing about packaging. Seriously, hours and hours disappear while I google every possible word I can think of that might lead me to the nonexistent company that sells exactly what I need. It’s both frustrating and addictive at the same time!

The reason it goes in phases is because I end up throwing my arms in the air and going ‘why the *#%$ can’t I just buy lightweight slim black boxes with a non tacky insert that fits through Canada Posts 2 cm evil slot of doom!’ and then I give up. Until a week or two later when I try again. It’s a total love hate relationship.

Here’s a couple of my favourite jewellery designers that have totally nailed slim and lightweight packaging for their gorgeous pieces.

byAMT use layers of die cut museum board which is held together by cute little rubber bands. Clever cookies ...


Bandada use shaped medium density fiberboard to create really unique boxes for their jewellery ...


I refuse giving up hope, the right packaging for my jewellery is out there somewhere and I WILL find it!

The House Of Quinn

Love the style and photography for the Death Becomes Her 2010 collection by The House Of Quinn. Sterile + a little creepy at the same time.

Via Kingdom of Style

Why Is It So Hard To Just Start?

I seem to have hit some sort of weird roadblock. Everything is totally in place to start designing a new collection. I know exactly what I want to do and I can see exactly how it's going to look so clearly. I have all the tools I need to begin and I’m super pumped about getting started on it.

So why can’t I get moving? I’m putting it off and I have no idea why! Especially since I can’t wait to get into it and see how it turns out.

Perhaps I’m just procrastinating? I do like to put things off for no good reason. Or maybe I’m waiting for something? Like that little boost of inspiration that will take the new collection of designs to the next level. Argh, time to make it happen already!

Really, I probably just need to unplug the wifi ...

Paperself Eyelashes

These paper eyelashes by Paperself are so pretty, the silhouettes are totally stunning. I need an excuse to use these in a photo shoot!


Via NotCot

How Many Designs To Put In A Jewellery Collection?

I have recently started the design work for a new jewellery collection and have found myself wondering ‘how many designs should I include?’. I tend to get a little out of control with collection size and really want to go for a more logical approach this time around.

I guess it's one of those 'each to their own' situations. Some jewellery designers seem to have 20+ designs in a collection, others sticking with less than 10 designs.

Here are the main points I’ve been considering while trying to decide how many different designs I should include in my next collection …

PHOTOGRAPHY
It’s a nice idea to think that a few snaps on a white background is going to cut it. Although simple images with white backgrounds are needed for product shots, they’re pretty boring. Setting up a shoot in a studio with a photographer, stylist and a model doesn’t come cheap but I think it's worth the effort. The fewer designs there are in a collection the less photography work is required. Lazy but true.

STOCK
The more designs there are in a collection the more designs that need to be kept in stock. When a store asks for 25 pieces of jewellery I want to be able to ship out the door the next day.

VERSITILITY
I like to be able to double up and use the same design as a necklace or for a pair of earrings. I find it helps with keeping pieces in stock and providing more styles of jewellery. Although that being said, I think I take it a little too far! Eight necklaces also equals eight pairs of earrings which quickly escalates to 16 pieces. Must resist the urge to double up on everything this time!

COST TO PRODUCE
When working with laser cutting and other manufacturing techniques there is a direct cost for producing the designs initially. More designs mean a higher upfront cost.

ADDING ONE OF A KIND
While the collection is a concrete set of designs, there’s no reason why I can’t add one of a kind designs that compliment the collection as well!

QUALITY
Having fewer designs this time around will really force me to only have my absolute favourite designs as part of the collection. Hopefully resulting in having the most amazing collection ever!

So the magic number of designs for my next collection … EIGHT! I just made that up, but it seems like it could be the perfect number. Not too little, not too much, just right.

How many designs to do you think works best for a jewellery collection?

Caged Wrist

Cheap Monday Cube Cuff over at Nasty Gal. I have little skinny wrists so it would probably look kind of odd on me, but I still love it!

Aroha Silhouettes – 2010 Identity Makeover

For a while now I’ve felt like Aroha Silhouettes has outgrown the identity I created for the brand back in 2008. Back then Aroha Silhouettes was just a wee spring chicken with no solid direction or aesthetic and I put together the logo before I had even released any jewellery. As time went on and things became more refined I really started to crave a revamp. Initially I toyed with the idea of doing another DIY job on the logo but I decided against it. Just because I can use Illustrator it doesn’t make me a logo designer!

I’ve been a massive fan of Nubby Twiglet’s blog and design work for years, so there was no question about it that I wanted her to be the one to design the new identity.

My wish list for the new logo was pretty extensive. I wanted something that could be used with or without the text ‘Aroha Silhouettes’, fit with my design influences and could be scaled down to teeny tiny while still being recognizable. Most of all I wanted something that helped set Aroha Silhouettes apart from the rest.

Here’s the final result!

I absolutely LOVE it. Love love love it! I think Nubby totally nailed it. It can be scaled down very small and can also be made huge, it would make cool stickers, works as a repetitive pattern and it works in any colour. And having the choice of different lockups makes it super versatile. It fits with my influences and really is everything I was hoping for, the more I stare at it the more I love it! I couldn't be happier with it and I’m so stoked that I decided to have a professional design it.


Thanks Nubby!

Camels, Shawarmas And New Zealand

It's been a whirlwind month and a half! An itchy feet somewhat spontaneous holiday led me to Bahrain in the Middle East. A few nights catching up with friends in Toronto and six glorious nights somewhere kind of random was exactly what I needed to shake up the routine! We fed cookies to camels, indulged in far too many shawarmas, swam in the rooftop pool and drank cocktails. I even got to wakeboard the Persian Gulf! The 33 hour mission back to Vancouver was a bit rough, but the trip was totally worth it.


Just a week after getting back an emergency took me back home to New Zealand on the next direct flight to spend time with friends and family. A sad time, but I'm really happy I went home.

Now I'm all settled back in and ready to get back to being a crazed workoholic! And part of that is giving this blog a lot more love and attention. Initially it was merely a place for me to keep track of Aroha Silhouettes progress and all the amazing reviews and articles that had been written all over the internet about my jewellery. Now I would really love to transform it into something a little more, a blog that I would actually read myself!