Sunday Treat

It's February (already?! Where did January go...) so I figured it's time to unveil the next part of my 2014 Desktop Calendar Project.

You can download the freebie desktop wallpaper calendar I've designed for February 2014 - click here to view (then right-click on the image and select "save image as..."). This is optimised for 1024 x 768 screen resolutions. (I'm happy to make other sizes on demand - just email info {at} catcodes {dot} co {dot} uk to request it!)

...Romance is in the air...

If you're looking for a little romantic inspiration, I happen to have a section in my WildCat Designs Etsy Boutique entitled "Be my Valentine" featuring some scarves with a heart pattern I designed. I can vouch for the fact that they are not only cute, but super cosy as I made (kept!) one for myself and love wearing it.

P.S. As love is in the air this month, and I'm feeling generous, I've extended the Super Scarf Sale! It will now run until Friday 14th February, giving you a chance to snap up a brand new scarf - or treat your Valentine.

Hello 2014!

Welcome in, 2014! I wonder what adventures we'll have together...

I do hope you all had a lovely festive period and are feeling refreshed 

and rejuvenated, ready to start the new year with a smile :)

A new year brings new beginnings and mine is no exception. This year I have decided to design a year's worth of monthly calendars - which I will make available to download for free from my website!

It's taken me a little bit longer than I'd intended to get the project kick-started but here is my contribution for January 2014 - click here to view (then right-click on the image and select "save image as...").

Note, this desktop wallpaper is optimised for 1024 x 768 resolutions.
I hope to produce more options in the coming months!

The image is intended to be used as a desktop calendar, but you could always print it out onto cardstock, if you prefer.

Incidentally, the website is my new portfolio site featuring my web & graphic design work - feel free to have a browse! The address is www.catcodes.co.uk.

Graphically Minded - 4KCBWDAY3

 Day 3 - Infographic

Today's task was to create an infographic or some kind of visual way of representing information relating to your beloved craft :)

As a Graphic Designer, this topic really appealed to me, rather unsurprisingly. I have been toying with the idea of creating an infographic of some sort for a while now and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to give it a whirl.

I'm a big fan of using an infographic to visualise statistics, facts and numbers... partly because I think it's so much more engaging than looking at some random digits, but also because (confession alert) I'm a bit of a geek. I'll happily pore over stats for my etsy shop or the Google Analytics for this here blog!

I was also curious about the readership of my crafty blog so I had a little look and made a nice bar chart with my findings:

It's funny how pleasing it can be to see some dull old figures rendered as a colourful little diagram!

Classic Cola Craftsmanship

Images via Creative Review
Cola and craftsmanship...those are not two words you'd perhaps ordinarily expect strung together, but then again, I have personally always viewed the curves of a traditional glass Coke bottle as a true design classic.


I recently read about the making of an old-school Coca-Cola sign back in 1954, intended for display in London. The details of the design and construction of their first neon sign for the city's Piccadily Circus are described and recorded in a book which was featured in a recent installation at the Design Museum, celebrating the company's design identity and 125th anniversary.


There can be no doubt about the craftsmanship which has gone into the making of it when you see the design drawings.


I also believe that there are some really nice elements of graphic design and typography at play here too.


See the Creative Review article here for the full story.