Parisians tend to flee the city in the warmer months, making it the perfect time to enjoy parks, music festivals and art galleries – without the crowds The choices for visitors to the city in summer are almost limitless. For those who enjoy lying around getting red-hot, there are the Paris-Plages from mid-July to mid-August, when stretches of the river Seine between the Pont Neuf and the Pont de Sully, and the Bassin de la Villette are transformed into oases of sun and sand. But for blue sky and balmy blooms, I prefer to take a leisurely stroll on the two-and-a-half mile Promenade Plantée , which runs from the Bastille, along a former railway viaduct, Viaduc des Arts (now full of craft boutiques, galleries and workshops), to the Bois de Vincennes. If I have any energy after that, the Bois de Vincennes has a zoo, floral park and boating on the lake. It’s also the ideal spot for a lazy picnic lunch. The Promenade Plantée features in the 2004 movie Before Sunset, as does cosy Le Pure Café (14, rue Jean Macé) in the 11th arrondissement, my favourite untouristy spot to sit outdoors with a cold drink. In the best pavement cafe stakes, a close contender is Chez Prune on rue Beaurepaire, where “bobo” (bourgeois/bohemian) regulars rub elbows on the peaceful banks of the Canal Saint Martin, with its metallic Venetian-style footbridges. When I want to sit quietly and crack open a bottle of wine, I head for the Arènes de Luteces , the remains of a Greco-Roman amphitheatre, the oldest archaeological site in Paris, tucked away off rue Monge in the Latin Quarter. Last time I was there, on one side some old men were playing boules, and on the other a group of women were improvising an operatic lesbian version of Star Wars in French. Free theatre, in short. At Paris’s prettiest cinema, La Pagode (57, rue de Babylone), you can enjoy a glass of champagne in a lush Japanese-style garden full of lilies and bamboo. The cinema itself is a late-19th-century Japanese palace with paintings, gilding, tapestries, stained glass and chandeliers. But if the temperatures are getting too much, cool off in the Ice Bar at L’Hôtel Kube (1-5 Passage Ruelle, in the 18th arrondissment). Here you can sip potent vodka in a refrigerated multi-coloured room at a numbing -10C (don’t worry: sessions last just 30 minutes and parkas are provided.) In summer, Paris offers something for lovers of all sorts of music. On 21 June, the whole city thrums and booms from dusk to dawn at the unmissable (and free) Fête de la Musique with multicultural ear candy at every bar, square and street corner, from lonesome crooners to world-class rock stars. The less-vaunted Paris Jazz Festival takes place every Saturday and Sunday in June and July, in the Park Floral, part of the Bois de Vincennes. This year, in addition to the main stage of jazz events, there’ll be a “garden of improvisations” for more intimate recitals, musical landscaping and intuitive dancing. There’s no denying the Gypsy jazz buzz in Paris right now. One atmospheric hot spot is La Chope des Puces (122, rue Rosiers, +33 1 4011 0249) in the suburb of Saint Ouen – if you haven’t shopped till you drop at the massive nearby flea market. And on rue Boyer in the 20th arrondissement are two more other savvy concert venues with eclectic programming of contemporary music: La Bellevilloise (19-21, rue Boyer, +33 1 4636 0707) was formerly Paris’s first workers’ co-operative; and La Maroquinerie (23, rue Boyer +33 1 4033 3505, lamaroquinerie.fr) was once a leather workshop. Both have charming terraces where you can enjoy cocktails and tapas. This summer I will be seeking out cabaret – red velvet and carved wood, glittering lights, bevelled mirrors and glorious ballrooms. Cabaret Sauvage on avenue Jean Jaurès (+33 1 4209 1378 , cabaretsauvage.com ) hosts world music, electro, techno, hip-hop, jazz, folk, funk, rock and reggae. Bobino (14-20 rue de la Gaîté, +33 1 4327 2424), a sexy offbeat option in Montparnasse, features a dinner show and dancers, magicians and illusionists performing into the early hours. The repertoire of open-air La Péniche Opéra (+33 1 5335 0777, penicheopera.com) ranges from contemporary and opera to chamber, comedy and cantatas — all performed on a barge on the quai de Loire – beside the Bassin de la Villette in the 19th. Chez Gégène (+33 1 4883 2943) a restaurant-cum-dancehall east of the city in Joinville le Pont on the banks of the river Marne, has a more rural feel: you can eat on an outdoor terrace and dance till 2am to trad bal-musette, frenetic rock or tango. For a dose of art, as well as the major exhibitions (Turner, Munch, Yves Saint-Laurent), the recently launched Centquatre gallery ( 104.fr ) on rue Curial, also in the 19th, is artistry at its best: a bold and energetic space complete with installations, exhibitions and open studios, not to mention readings, performances, theatre and concerts. And what would Paris be without food? Don’t miss the best open-air market near Bastille – the Marché d’Aligre . Choco-Story on boulevard Bonne Nouvelle, a new museum tracing the 4,000-year history of cacao in words, images and flavours (yes, you do get to sample some locally made chocolate.) And on the roof of the Palais de Tokyo modern art museum on avenue du Président Wilson, is the culinary phenomenon that is Art-Home , a temporary restaurant where scrumptious experimental food is prepared by a master chef before guests’ eyes, if they can tear them away from the stunning views of the Eiffel Tower. • Return rail tickets from London St Pancras to Paris cost from £69 with Eurostar Sarah Emily Miano is an American-born writer living in Paris. Her latest novel is Van Rijn (Picador £7.99) France Paris Cultural trips City breaks Weekend breaks Short breaks Restaurants guardian.co.uk

Brando – a company with a history of producing solar-powered chargers for the green gadget geek – has launched a new backpack which aims to keep your devices juiced up while you’re on the go. The freshly-unveiled Brando Multi-Purpose Solar Charger Backpack does pretty much exactly as the name suggests: combining a powerful 10,000mAh lithium-ion battery with a set of solar panels and placing the whole lot into the rear of a backpack, it offers the ability to harness the sun’s energy while you’re carting your gadgets from point A to point B and then using it to charge them when you’re at your destination. Designed – as the “ Multi-Purpose ” part of its name suggests – to power a wide range of gadgets, the removable battery pack is capable of outputting 5V, 9V, 13V, 16.8V, or 19V, meaning that everything from your USB-powered smartphone right the way through to your notebook, netbook, or even iPad should be covered, with a selection of interchangeable tips included. Although primarily designed to be charged via the solar panels – which are located on the rear of the backpack and can gather light to convert to electricity while you’re out and about – the battery pack can also be hooked up to mains power for when you need a quick boost. Brando claims that the device represents an “ environmentally-friendly, lightweight, durable, and versatile ” way of ensuring that your precious gadgets don’t run out of steam when you’re on long journeys or out in the wilderness. Speaking of wilderness, this backpack has one last trick up its sleeve: the battery pack can be used to power an included ultra-sonic mosquito repellent device, which the company claims will keep nasty biting insects away from your when you’re out walking.  There’s even a built-in LED torch – although you’ll have to remove the battery pack from the backpack in order to make use of it. Sadly, the one important factor – the amount of time it takes for the battery to fully charge in direct sunlight – is something that Brando isn’t publicizing.  With the battery pack able to store 10,000mAh of juice, that’s likely to be a bad sign – at least, for anyone in a hurry and away from mains power for long periods of time. Negatives aside, it’s a neat idea.  The Brando Multi-Purpose Solar Charger Backpack is available now for $189, with the battery pack and interchangeable tips included. Copyright

Discover here the portfolio of Anita Mihályi, also known as “thubakabra” on deviantart. Anita Mihályi is a traditional artist from Hungary; her trained hands and her precise observation are able to create beautiful and realistic portraits. Wonderful Famous People Drawings by Anita Mihályi Advertise with Design You Trust! – DYT on Twitter – Facebook

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Wonderful Famous People Drawings by Anita Mihályi

This minimalist creation in Tokyo is a duplex house with court. Through beautiful lines, the home shows that simplicity and sophistication can live in a perfect harmony. It was designed by K+S Architects / Nobuya Kashima + Aya Sato. Minimalist House In Tokyo Advertise with Design You Trust! – DYT on Twitter – Facebook

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Minimalist House In Tokyo

Last year we published an article featuring some beautiful dark package designs, it was the Ultimate Dark Package Design Inspiration . Following the same idea in this post we will feature only white package designs, but as usual, we tried to look for very stylish examples to really inspire you. For more articles and inspiration on packaging design we highly recommend that you visit and subscribe to Lovely Package website, it is a fantastic resource for this type of design, definitely worth it, but be careful, you will spend hours over there Backyard Vineyards Designed by Brandever | Illustration: Fabien Barral | Country: Canada Backyard Vineyards is named so due to it’s close proximity to metro Vancouver, BC. Fabien Barrel brought this design to life with beautiful illustrations which interact with the type and other elements on the label. Check out the shears trimming the UPC on the back. Currenna Designed by Shawn Schrader – Country: Japan “The hair care products were for anti-aging so the idea of twisting and reversing time or counter clockwise was developed for the bottles and the logo. It would not be obvious to the consumer but having a theory behind the simple design was well received” Apple iPad Designed by Apple – Country: USA Eighthirty Designed by Noah Butcher – Country: New Zealand “Eighthirty source organic beans from sustainable farms, then combine these with dedication to deliver the perfect coffee every time. Our passion is passed on in every cup to customers who care about great coffee as much as we do. Eighthirty delivers – simply good coffee.” Swiss & Global Designed by f-o-r-m-e – Country: Italy “We designed this package for our client Swiss & Global Asset Management. They are dedicated asset managers in Switzerland and worldwide and every year they make a little Easter present for their clients. They usually send some particular sweets from Sicily and we usually create a very simple package for them. On October 2009 they changed their company name – formerly Julius Baer Asset Management – so they decided to use the gift to communicate to their clients that the company name changed, but not the quality of their service. We decided to change the package to support this really important concept. We used a very beautiful kind of paper, Arjowiggins Skin, and a very refined illustration. All printed in Pantone Silver. We also used a “more vertical” form so that you think – also because of the illustration – that you’ll can find a chocolate egg inside. But when you open the package you find a card saying you ‘E’ cambiata la forma, non la sostanza’ (The form has changed, not the substance).” Mulher Designed by Liga Design – Country: Brazil “This is a gift we created for our female clients for the International Women’s Day. The package was created to conceal a watch and look like a small bag, since we know girls love to shop. The copy goes like this: “Woman, a small gift for you who present us everyday” Student Work – Dmitri Moruz Designed by Dimitri Moruz – Country: Russia “Brief is to design the packaging for a new line of organic loose teas (not a live project, tea company is Ringtons tea). Things to consider were: to have packaging eco friendly, to communicate the feel of it being exclusive, limited loose tea; try to appeal to young professionals. Solution is incorporating die-cut technique, which brings both: exclusiveness and it is saving on ink, while paper used for the outer layer is made of recycling materials.” Good Day Designed by Carefully Considered – Country: United States “Packaging design for a new men’s skin care line with a crisp English feel. Using typography as an identifier, we created an easy way to find the right products for your skin type.” Student Work – Meeta Panesar Designed by Meeta Panesar – Country: United States “The design is inspired by the colors and designs of Joseph Albers and the Op Art movement. The usage of the rectangular elements reflects Alber’s “Homage to the Square,” a series of paintings begun in 1949.” The “it” Bar Country: United States | Font: ITC Avant Garde Gothic The “it Bar from Dylan’s Candy Bar comes beautifully packaged in a white textured box with blind embossing, foil stamp and tip-on label. Nexus One Designed by Google/HTC – Country: United States Feez Designed by HvingtQuatre | Country: France A range of milk-based drinks with a take-away size in 4 flavours; Strawberry, Blackberry, Blueberry and Raspberry. The milk adorns the packaging, the tasty fruit is brought out on the milk and on the opening that enables the drinking. About the author My name is Fabio Sasso, I’m a graphic/web designer from Porto Alegre, Brazil and I’m the founder of Abduzeedo. I hope we can share lots of information, tips, and ideas through Abduzeedo. Also you can follow me on Twitter or my personal site at http://fabiosasso.com . Sponsored Links:

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Stylish White Package Design Inspiration

iPhone OS 4.0 Beta 2 slipped into the iPhone Dev Center earlier, but unless you’re a developer and really need to test apps, it’s best to skip this extra buggy beta and just keep playing around with the first. More

See more www.naxart.com/paper-fashion-gallery/ Advertise with Design You Trust! – DYT on Twitter – Facebook

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Paper Dance by Andre Nax

I find viewing other artists and designers logos is a great way to get inspired for you next project. If you want to get those creative juices flowing, you should check out this post. I have assembled a beautiful collection of fresh logo designs that will definitely help stimulate your creative juices for your next design. Enjoy! Want more articles

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70+ Inspirational Logo Designs