Looking for package design inspiration? Here you go. This window display has it all.
And in case you are wondering, they sell everything edible except foie gras.

Bad photo, fun design touch. Seen in Amsterdam restaurant Hemelse Modder (“Heavenly Mud”, referring to the Dutch name for chocolate mousse)

Ever since the Amsterdam tourist office came up with this slogan I have absolutely loved its cleverness. What a brilliant combo of copy and design. Simplicity rules.

If you have good eyes you might find me and Hoyt’s brother and his girlfriend in this photo:

I was caught in a torrential downpour yesterday. Searching for a place to hide I suddenly found myself in Holland’s latest grocery concept. Marqt only sells ‘real food’, a fancy mix between a farmers market and a yuppie store. The overload of packaging and prepared foods plus the lack of whole foods and local produce was not quite what I expected and it won’t become my regular store except…

I might have to go back to marvel at the cool design of the store and all the branding. Oh, and the food packaging. A downplayed style is what you’ll find at Marqt: make food look as if it came straight from the field by using butcher paper, handwritten labels and such.

Marqt is the most expensive grocery store I know so perhaps I’ll stick with the many outdoor markets around town where the fish is still wrapped in newspaper (and not because someone decided that this would make the fish look ‘real’.)

Schrank8 is a 1930s showcase cabinet originally from Germany. It’s now part of the living room & studio of graphic designer Hansje van Halem in Amsterdam. Every two months an artist will be invited to fill the cabinet. I just missed my opportunity to check this one out. The blog is in English and is fun to follow for all lovers of the graphic arts: http://schrank8.blogspot.com/

Visit Hansje’s web site too. She designed some of the Dutch stamps. http://www.hansje.net/