after watching sunday night’s televised trainwreck, also known as part 2 of the debate, my first reaction as a concerned canadian neighbour up north, was to cry (until i laughed) for america.

now that the shock has somewhat subsided, i thought, why not look around at some of the good things to have come from this debate, and election in general; most being design-related.


this jessica walsh and timothy goodman project: build kindness, not walls.

trumptower


this video of the debate to the tune of ‘i’ve had the time of my life’ shows that the internet is truly a magical place.


the fact that #sniffles was trending; a very sad sign of what could possibly be in store for america.


this breakout star of the night: ken bone.

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this fast company article that tries to solve which pantone colour donald trump’s face is.


this sagmeister & walsh project: pins won’t save the world

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the now iconic identity developed by michael beirut that has taken on a life of its own at the hands of hillary’s design team, despite harsh criticism from the design community at the start.

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lastly, that moment where trump referred to himself as a gentleman during the debate. comedy gold; we all know that’s not true.

a second set of the tragically hip tickets went on sale yesterday at 10 am, and i tried to buy,  with no luck. #sadcanadian

since no one will sell me a ticket, i spent some time unleashing my sadness with a pencil, then took to adobe illustator, to complete my lettering.

wheat kings is one of my fave songs by the hip, so i’m sharing the backdrop with you!

enjoy.
xo.

download phone backdrop: 1080 x 1920
download screen backdrop: 2560 x 1440

lauraweatherston_wheatkings_mockup

 

if there is one thing i am really proud of, and i mean by a lot, it is that i am canadian. there’s so much of canada that i’ve yet to discover, but i’m already so in love this place. it is home; in all senses of the word.

when i started following along with the news of the fires in fort mac, alberta, so many people were already displaced. they may have had to leave their brick and mortar homes, but canada is still their home; and canada is full of friendly neighbours. in a matter of days, canadians had donated more than $50 million dollars to canadian red cross, with the government matching all individual donations. i’ve seen the screens in the subway stations here in toronto advertising ways to text in your donations. it’s everywhere, and people are taking part.

without a pocket full of cash to send out to alberta, i’ve come up with a miniseries of 3 posters that can be printed and posted to try and rally more donations. might be nothing, but if they get even one person to donate a canadian loonie or toonie, it’s something.

happy sharing.
#albertastrong

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download lauraweatherston_fortmac-comeback|  download lauraweatherston_giveback-fortmac |  download lauraweatherston_supplyasnack-fortmaclauraweatherston_fortmac-comeback

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i recently downloaded the adobe draw app and i can’t get enough! it’s the perfect app for play on my commute.

so far i’ve really only been lettering with it, but today it’s an illustration for a cause.

poor pancake pete. good thing i only like my mom’s pancakes! 

colouring > cooking for me! #happypancakeday 

 

with all the time i spend perusing instagram, i figured i would spend the time to round up some of my fave lettering posts from 2015.

here they are.

1/12 travis tritt lyrics.2/12 inspiring words from picasso. 3/12 wise words from dr. seuss. 4/12 tim hortons inspired illustration for #nationaldonutday. 5/12 lazy sunday type play. 6/12 train-inspired type on my via rail commute.7/12 inspired by a sir ken robinson ted talk i watched.  

8/12 watched the inside pixar by bloomberg & got inspired. 9/12 brush pen lettered some christmas cards with my tombow markets. 10/12 11/12 hand lettered the holiday staff party save the date.  12/12 hand lettered the holiday staff party invite. 

follow my instagram page to see more.  

for the past couple of weeks, i have been working on some animal illustrations for my dad to turn into toys on wheels. it started out with many doodles and sketches, until we finally got one that my mom & dad approved. once we had the shape nailed down, my dad cut the shapes out of wood, then hand-sanded and stained them with kid-safe stain.

we then named our new whale friend wallace, to give him some personality. next up i have to make the tags, with an accompanying background story, so we can help them find a new home.

the whales will be ready for adoption this winter at craft shows in ottawa.
stay tuned!
love, laura

fun fact: the blue whale is the largest mammal to ever have lived on earth.

wooden whale by laura weatherston
wooden whale by laura weatherston
wooden whale by laura weatherston
wooden whale by laura weatherston
wooden whale by laura weatherston
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wooden whale by laura weatherston
see more of what i’m up to on instagram: laura_weatherston

i’ve spent plenty of time listening to lennon and maisy, the canadian kiddos from nashville. these girls are beyond talented, with some country strong parents behind them. i thought in the spirit of cuteness, i would share their rendition of that’s what’s up, as well as the edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros version. we all know edward sharpe from home, but this video is almost too adorable to handle.

enjoy that’s what’s up times two.

love, laura

 

 

in 2014 i was hired pro-bono, by the interchurch refugee group to create an identity for them, in celebration of their 20th year as a not-for-profit organization. the brief was simple- an image so easy to understand, it didn’t require words.

the concept of the logo came from the idea that there is always a safe place within the church- somewhere people can call home. the flat illustration style is on trend with current design, inspired by the 2D digital world. the orangey/yellow colour was used to mimic sunshine and show the refugee group as a happy, warm and hopeful place.

once the identity was done, it was rolled out into collateral like stationery and posters. afterwards, i made some special occasion & holiday cards that can be purchased in any amount as a donation, in lieu of a gift.

love, laura

interchurch refugee group logo branding by laura weatherston
celebrate card by interchurch refugee group by laura weatherston
in loving memory card for interchurch refugee group by laura weatherston
christmas card for interchurch refugee group by laura weatherston
interchurch refugee group inside of cards
interchurch refugee group poster by laura weatherston
interchurch refugee group poster by laura weatherston
interchurch refugee group letterhead by laura weatherston

another tuesday, another 12-pack. still not beer, but just as refreshing.

summer is here and that means all the tasty fruits are ripe for the picking! today i’ve illustrated 12 of my favourite fruits to snack on in the summer. sketched out in ink, photoshopped in the colour with the brush tool, and bam- an assortment of colourful treats.

enjoy!
love, laura
12-pack of healthy snacks illustration by laura weatherston