SKAGGS Blog

Since we finished Amy Helfand's portfolio website in the nick of time for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, Elspeth and I decided to pop over to the Jacob Javits Center and take a look at her artwork booth.

It was cool to see the rugs up close–we had been working with Amy's images in digital format for a couple of…

What level of commitment does it take to see a project through from concept to execution? Passion, commitment and even–sometimes–a trip to the Emergency Room!

Regular readers of this blog will know that as part of my involvement with nurturing talented young designers on American and Icelandic shores, I am often asked to lend my expertise and experience to teaching undergraduates the basics of branding and design.

This week SKAGGS played host to some of Syracuse University’s most talented young artists and designers.

The students came by to soak up a little of our studio atmosphere and to hear about how a typical design project rolls out. With Sam’s unparalleled expertise and Jonina’s teaching experience, we were happy to oblige! Best of all, we were delighted to receive leave-behind pieces from each student which…

Established in 1949, The Madelaine Chocolate Company is dedicated to perfecting a superior taste and quality in their chocolate. The belief that everyone should be able to afford great tasting chocolate is what drives their commitment to their customers, ensuring they never compromise on flavor or quality.

We had the honor of completely recreating and redesigning The Madelaine Chocolate Company website. Due to the huge range of products the Madelaine Chocolate Company…

SKAGGS is proud to announce the launch of visual artist Rodney Durso’s new portfolio site. Rodney is a Chelsea-based visual artist and a fixture of the New York art and music scene.

He wanted a design that wasn’t the traditional stagnant portfolio site: the usual flip-through format didn’t suit his varied forms of expression and he wanted something more dynamic. We were tasked with programming a website…

Recently Bradley and I had the pleasure of hanging out with artist Amy Helfand and her canine companion Jengo at her Redhook-based studio.

Jengo’s a big dog, but still a puppy! We’ll be working with Amy to update her identity and to create a new website which will showcase her artwork.

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There’s no stopping photographer Kfir Ziv’s unmistakeable talent and ability to constantly change the game.

Kfir approached us in July to design the labels for his very own signature wine, which he created with New York’s famous City Winery. Kfir named the wine after his newborn son, Kai. Inspired by one of Kfir’s photographs, SKAGGS worked with Kfir to create the photograph used on the label.…

I recently got a new camera (Canon S90) and while I’m no expert (and admittedly a beginner), I’ve taken on a whole new appreciation for light and the art of photography. While looking through iphoto I noticed a common theme – the light…THE LIGHT!! Honestly, I can’t take a lot of credit because on most of the flicks I’ve literally gone – “point-shoot-move on”, but I will say that the S90 is flippin’ amazing when it comes…

The holiday season is upon us, and with it the cards, gift boxes and wrapping paper. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that Americans will generate five million tons of household waste – twenty-five percent more than the usual four million. That’s equal to the weight of five million Volkswagen beetles, twenty-five-thousand 747 airplanes, or thirteen and a half Empire State Buildings.

In order to cut down…

According to a recent study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Trust for America’s Health, two-thirds of all Americans are overweight or obese. But as the health care debate continues in Washington, members of the so-called “fat pride” community are fighting what they see as a national prejudice against fat people. As the New York Times reported recently, “heavier Americans are pushing back now with newfound vigor in the policy…

Scents from the Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris collection

On Wednesday, Sam and I sashayed over to Bergdorf Goodman to represent the SKAGGS team at the launch of new fragrance collection Maison Francis Kurkdjian Paris hosted by KVD NYC .

Francis Kurkdjian is largely known for the fragrances he has created for Jean Paul Gaultier, Yves Saint…

I had the pleasure of interviewing France born - Brooklyn based designer - Sophie Theallet back in Feburary for the Celeste Duquesne website. Sophie was fantastic to interview and is one of the realest, warmest people I’ve met in fashion. Her Fall 2009 collection was absolutely beautiful - her clothes have no fuss, no frills - just simple and sophisticated detail. It comes as no surprise that she won the coveted…

Late last month, the Reykjavik City Environment and Transport Council agreed to establish a task force to increase the presence of electric cars and charging stations in Iceland’s capital. Their decision to shift toward an electricity-based model was born out of the 2008 Driving Sustainability Conference in Reykjavik, where pioneers in the movement to achieve environmentally sustainable transportation decided that electricity proved more efficient than hydrogen. The recent 2009 Conference saw…

As the McDonald’s franchise closed up shop in Reykjavik last weekend, many perceived the company’s decision to pull out of Iceland as yet another setback for the country’s struggling economy. In truth, it was just the opposite.

By contract, the McDonald’s franchise holder in Iceland – Lyst, which, coincidentally, means “appetite” – was required to import all of its food from Germany. The result was that much of the 650 krona…