Welcome! I am Kathy McGraw of KMG, a graphic designer, east coast gal transplanted to beautiful southern California/ San Diego. This is some of what inspires me. I like to think of it as a mix of west coast bohemian and east coast folk meets Mumbai meets Paris. I'm drawn to eclectic hand done looks with lots of prints and texture, particularly Indian prints and French style. I love branding, packaging, hand lettering, hand printed designs, block printing, screen printing, letterpress and illustration...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 04:20PM 
When I discovered Lauren Bishop from the UK, I was really excited by her use of silhouettes and patterns. I can see some similar influences in my own design… Be it a coincidence or something unconscious, I am not sure… but I truly love what she does…
Sunday, November 13, 2011 at 07:13PM 
I know I have been bad about posting to my blog lately, but I have been busy working on KMG's alter ego "SWEET MANGO". SWEET MANGO is my line of "yoga & holistic living" inspired greeting cards. I am happy to announce that the SWEET MANGO designs premiered at the YOGA VISTA fall Bazaar last weekend with great success! I don't have the online store for the cards up and running yet, but you can contact me directly if you are interested in purchasing any of them. NAMASTE and OM SHANTI - Kathy
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at 07:08PM 
David Bacco Chocolatier, creator of exclusive artisanal and hand-crafted chocolates approached KMG to redesign their existing logo and to create new branding for their company. KMG updated their old logo using more contemporary and elegant fonts and reworked their existing mark to make more of an elegant statement. KMG also designed beautiful business cards, and packaging wraps for their boxes of chocolates and created patterns that could be used for wrapping product.
Branding, Packaging, chocolatier, design, logo design Monday, February 21, 2011 at 08:17PM Really beautiful branding as see on designworklife by London’s Socio Design for Truth. Using exciting colors, Socio Design developed the branding elements and branding guidelines.
Branding, design, print in Brand Love Wednesday, February 16, 2011 at 05:13PM One of the all time greats of packaging design and one of my great design loves is award winning designer Louise Fili, president and founder of Louise Fili Limited. I don't even feel worthy enough to post about her. I wanted to show some of the work from her studio and why she is so inspirational. Louise has designed over 200 book covers and received has received awards from every major design competition. She taught graphic design and typography and her work is in the permanent collections of the Library of Congress, the Cooper Hewitt Museum, and the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. 
Branding, Louise Fili, Packaging, design in Designer Love Thursday, February 10, 2011 at 02:56PM I know the India Collection from Paper Source: stationery, paper, gift bags, rubber stamps and now home goods, has been around for a little while but I hadn't blogged about it yet. I definitely gravitate towards the Indian textiles, block prints and Mehndi designs. Their richness has a strong influence on the Paper Source's collection as well as my own work.
India, Paper Source, design, paper, pattern, print in Design Love Monday, February 7, 2011 at 02:31PM Amazing work by a duo/team, an illustrator Anna Johnson and Maree Oaten a designer from Australia called Little Branch. Little Branch is an Australian made artisan paper line of gift cards, wrapping paper and limited edition art prints based on the original art of Anna Johnson and the design of Maree Oaten.
Illustration, Little Branch, design, gift cards in Illustrator Love Monday, January 31, 2011 at 03:44PM I am really loving the quirky prints of Lush Designs' Marie Rodgers and Maria Livings from London.
Illustration, Lush Designs, Prints, design, silkscreen in Designer Love Wednesday, January 12, 2011 at 01:15PM I simply love this Gypsy Girl's Guide Manifesto. It truly speaks to my own heart and things that I value. It is going to be a post and PDF's soon. The Gypsy Girls Guide is a website to share inspiration among free spirits and dreamers taken by wanderlust... cultural nomads, brave explorers, writers, journalists, photographers, surfers, designers, artists, athletes, performers... believing in global consciousness. Gotta love them... 
design, inspiration, print, typography in Design Love Monday, January 10, 2011 at 08:46PM A really awesome info graphic from Colourlovers. 1,000 people were asked to name what color they thought best described and embodied the Color of the Year 2010.
Monday, January 10, 2011 at 06:43PM Poster from Aesthetic Apparatus that I like. I love the background textures and overlays of screen printing.
design, poster, silkscreen in Print Love Friday, August 6, 2010 at 06:11PM I wanted to blog about design with a social conscience and how as designers we can make a difference in people's lives. This is something I have been trying to figure out on my own and what as I designer that I can do. I participated in the "Haiti Poster Project" and designed a poster to help raise money to rebuild Haiti, but my feeling is that this is just the tip of the ice burg in what I could be doing in between my freelance business and selling my designs on merchandise. Anyway I came across a few websites that promote design to do good and I wanted to share. I am sure there are many more out there and I just have to find them... If you find more please share and let me know...
DESIGN IS LOVE is a movement where your participation & support help to shape a community around the idea of “do good”. It's a heartful place where you're encouraged to develop real relationships with other members through three active areas: Helping Hand, the Design Fund and inwords. Design is love wants to provide stimulating opportunities for our members to explore their creativity through funded projects and engaging communication, along with a match-making system that brings creatives and non-profit organizations together—taking the positive energy promoted here and sharing it with the world at-large. As stewards of our profession, you can count on DESIGN IS LOVE to lead by example and uphold standards in work practice that are beneficial to both creatives and their clients.
A BETTER WORLD THROUGH CREATIVITY - Since 1995, DESIGN INDABA has been committed to a vision that is built on the belief that creativity will fuel an economic revolution in South Africa. As such, Design Indaba is a celebration of design in a country iconic of the triumph of the human spirit. Proof that even the most intractable problem can be neutralised by the will of the people, resurgent South Africa is a beacon to the world. Design Indaba typifies this can-do spirit through its belief in design and how it can help solve the problems faced by an emerging economy. With the right support, a better future can be designed. By attracting the world’s brightest talent, Design Indaba has become a respected institution on the creative landscape and one of the few global events that celebrates all the creative sectors - graphic design, advertising, film, music, fashion design, industrial design, architecture, craft, visual art, new media, publishing, broadcasting and performing arts sector. Besides the flagship conference and expo,Design Indaba has grown into a multitiered experience that incorporates an extensive range of elements such as events, publications, education, training, business, development and community initiatives.
THE WORKING PROOF seeks to promote art and social responsibility. Prints by artists are paired with a charity of the artist's choice, to which they donate 15% of the sale of each print - creating what they believe to be a product with not just aesthetic, but social value. Besides showcasing emerging artists and great artwork, the intent of the Working Proof is to promote a variety of charities and to expose them to new supporters through the appreciation of art and creativity. THE WORKING PROOF releases a new print once a week, on Tuesdays at 1:30 pm, EST. seek to give our artists full creative control of their work by having them produce and sign the work themselves. Most of the artists create, print (by whatever method they choose - screenprint, letterpress, linocut, giclee, to name a few), sign and number a limited-edition print run that is exclusive to the Working Proof.
Is a non-profit organisation that aims to foster a discourse on social design through our international online platform and the organization of and participation in projects, exhibitions, conferences, lectures, etc.
design, karma, social conscience in Good Karma Thursday, July 22, 2010 at 01:14PM 
From Invited Ink.
For Studio Atticus, printed by Invited Ink.
Designed by Grace Edmands printed by Invited Ink.
Designed by allan peters | printed at nomadic press, shown on Share Some Candy.
business cards, design, letterpress, print in Letterpress Love Friday, July 16, 2010 at 02:47PM 
Today I want to be Melissa Crowley of RedBean in San Francisco. Her portfolio is so awesome... and she has her card designs up on Moo Cards, and products on Envelop, Organepiel and even has an Etsy store! She seems to have it altogether... Her work has also been featured in design books by by Adobe Press, Die Gestalten Verlag, Rockport Publishers, Booth-Clibborn, HOW and Taschen. I'm definitely a jealous admirer!
Melissa Crowley, design, print, textiles in Designer Love Friday, July 16, 2010 at 01:09PM 
SUBMIT YOUR DESIGN TO TEE FURY art@teefury.com: They are always looking for new art to feature. They pay $1 per shirt sold (which I don't think is very much)... and the artist retains full rights to their design. The website features one new limited-edition, graphic tee every 24 hours for only $9!
Illustration, design, print, store, tee shirt in Product Design Wednesday, June 16, 2010 at 08:03PM 
I really loved these diecut letterpressed business cards done by Poppy Flower Press and posted on the Oh So Beautiful Paper Blog.
This is my first post. Please be patient with me, as I have never blogged before and I am a bit nervous, and I am teaching myself. I wanted to share the designs that inspire me and what I read about the business of design.
