Pantone has released its Color of 2011, and I have to admit to being a bit off with my musings over fuchsia – but not by much, I promise.

Presenting: Honeysuckle.

Pantone of course offers an array of products in the new It Color, and I’ll be keeping my eye out for this lighter, brighter shade (as compared to my beloved fuchsia) in interiors and fashion as the year unfolds.

Officially, of course, Union Jack Creative is still pretty partial to purple. Just sayin…

We may be outing ourselves as linguistic nerds, but this 19th century poem by Charles Battell Loomis gave us a chuckle. Through the narration of a presumed Frenchman, the author laments the complexities of the English language in an exploration of O-U-G-H. Enjoy!

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A favorite passage from When Death Comes, by Mary Oliver. Read more

In a fit of testing all of the paper in our stash for ability to withstand copperplate calligraphy without shredding or bleeding, I penned this quote from John Burroughs. Perhaps my affinity for this goes a long way toward explaining why we were up so late with friends on a Sunday night…

I use quotes like this one as lettering practice, primarily because I get bored with repeating anonymous swirls. Do you have any favorite quotes or poems that would lend themselves well to calligraphy practice? Let us know in the comments, and see more images after the jump.

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Enjoying this minor distraction from MC Frontalot – loving the graphic style, and the message. Presently reevaluating my personal definition of problems.

As the child of an art teacher, I never went without fresh crayons (always Crayola, never the cheap, waxy kind) – not even when I colored on the walls. I also have distinct memories of being threatened with not being allowed to visit the Crayola factory if I didn’t behave myself; it may be the very first time I recognized any future implication of my immediate behavior. And boy, it was effective.

Jack loves making-of videos, so when I came across a post yesterday featuring a stop at the Crayola visitors center in Easton, PA I decided to go on a hunt for more factory videos. That, friends, is how I came across this gem – a clip from vintage Sesame Street, with a rockin’ soundtrack.

Now I’m craving a crisp, new box of crayons, and pondering a return trip to the Crayola factory next time I’m in Pennsylvania. Potentially, it could be less fun as an adult – but that seems unlikely.

For more Crayola making-of goodness, sans Sesame Street soundtrack, check out this more detailed factory video at How Stuff Works.

Though I’ve shared this Fast Company article previously in our notebook preview, I found this quote to be particularly inspiring – worth lettering, and a second mention. Are there any quotes you’re finding particularly relevant to your life right now? We’d love to know what mantras motivate you!

Leave a comment and see more images after the jump.

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It’s advice that comes up again and again, and which most recently came to my attention as I read a Fast Company piece about Pentagram designer Michael Bierut and his tips for productive creatives:

1. Keep a notebook. Bierut started this practice in 1992, and now has 86 of the things. But they’re not some fancy Moleskins full of lush watercolor sketches. They’re plain vanilla notebooks, filled with, well, notes and the occasional sketch. They seem to work as well as the high-priced spread.

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I keep this post-it on my computer, to remind me not to slouch into a ball in my chair. Ergonomics only help so much when you sit cross-legged at your desk…

Happy Monday!

Here’s to the special men in our lives.