Straight out of Nashville, Tennessee Third Man Records is the brick and mortar brainchild of producer, songwriter and musician Jack White. They record, print and press vinyl records right there in the store (the majority of which are produced by Jack). The rest of the building is set up as a record label, photo studio, dark room and venue. Any White Stripes fans out there may recognize the name “Third Man” from the song “Ball and Biscuit” or from Jack’s former career at Third Man Upholstery. The black and yellow color scheme, which was a big part of the upholstery business has nicely found its way into the brand of the record company.

There is much to be said for what Third Man Records is doing for the music industry. At the forefront, it’s promoting musicians and an authentic music experience. This authenticity that makes owning and playing records so appealing. We’ve certainly caught the bug at Orange Element as a few of us have begun to scour the internet for 7″ vinyls.

The Portable Record Player comes with USB capabilities, software for ripping audio, a belt driven turntable with three speeds, automatic return tone arm and diamond stylus needle, adjustable tone control, and dynamic full range speakers. I’m not exactly sure what all of those features entail but I can tell you the sound is amazing.

Drop on by sometime and we’ll let you have a listen. Remember, your turntable’s not dead.

Dave Colson
www.orange-element.com

Fun Fact: Currently available at the Fells Point Sound Garden: White Stripes White Blood Cells, self-titled, and De Stijl vinyl albums.

Check out this handy little infographic that compiles a list of 11 Tried-and-True Ways to Keep Spirits at Bay. Even if you aren’t a believer in “the great beyond,” you’ll definitely appreciate learning about different superstitions from cultures all around the world.

Do you have any special superstitions or traditions? Any lucky charms you must keep by your side to ensure that perfect day? Post a comment to let us know!

Kuoting
www.orange-element.com

Last Friday in Fells Point is an example that comes to mind. In honor of Edgar Allen Poe and the 162^nd Anniversary of his death, The Raven, a new movie coming out in March, set up an installation throughout Fells Point. The installation consisted of black, plastic wrapped objects (cars, mannequins, benches, etc.) with the movie logo painted on it and a little QR Code. I was so surprised to see these eerie figures out and about that I had to download a QR Reader just to find out where the QR Code would lead me. This clever advertising installation led me to check out the trailer for the new movie. Just goes to show the possibilities for this little guy could be endless.

Have you seen any really cool examples of the QR Codes in action? Are you pro or against using QR Codes? Let us know in your comments!

Kuoting

Mooncakes are essential little desserts for this holiday. The filling is typically a lotus seed paste or sweet bean paste with an egg in the middle to symbolize the moon. The top of the pastry is also pressed or decorated with the symbol for longevity or harmony as well as the bakery and filling inside.

From a designer perspective, outside of the dessert’s actual tastiness, I love the intricate details in the design of the pastry and its packaging. Every year the designs for these delicious treats and their tins just get better as people flock to the stores to buy them for friends, family, colleagues and clients.

Even big businesses overseas jump to take part in this holiday super-seller. Check out Starbuck’s mooncake packaging design along with these various hotel mooncake packaging.

So be sure to keep an eye out for these deliciously beautiful treats the next time you stop by an Asian market. Even though the dessert may take an acquired taste, the packaging is definitely worth collecting!

Kuoting
www.orange-element.com

All this fresh food can really lend a novice foodie, like me, some real inspiration for creative cooking. With good ingredients in hand, I decided to browse the Internet to find a good cookbook. And if it’s well designed too? That’s even better.

The Good Life Cookbook happens to be both. This book contains some seriously beautiful typography and stunning photos that really capture the essence of comfort food. On the cooking side of things, I love how the chapters highlight seasonal ingredients and recipes. Even better for a beginner like me, the book offers Masterclass sections that teach you basic cooking techniques. I personally can’t wait to add this one to my collection and let the food adventures begin.

Kuoting Lian
www.orange-element.com

From Tacos to Grilled Cheese – these trucks are serving up gourmet eats in the Baltimore area. The best way to find out where they are or plan to be is to follow them on twitter (some on Facebook). Some of the trucks I have had the pleasure of visiting, and the food I ordered:
The Silver Platter – awesome lobster mac & cheese
The Gypsy Queen Cafe – red velvet waffles with cream cheese icing
GrrChe – grilled cheese with tomato & bacon

Even MORE great news is that these cool trucks get together to have “food courts” and special events, such as “The Gathering,” to raise money for a cause. The next “Gathering” will be held on friday September 2, 2011. The location is TBD. Visit The Silver Platter’s Facebook page for more information.

Here are the list of local food trucks I know of (and their twitter pages)
Souper Soup: @SouperFreaky
Iced Gems: @icedgemsbaking
The Gypsy Queen Cafe: @thegypsytruck
Kooper’s Chowhound: @BRGRwagon
GrrChe: @GrrChe
Miss Shirley’s Cafe: @MissShirleys
Haute Dog Cart: @hautedogcarte (permanent location on Falls Rd. but makes appearances for events)
Fojol Bros.: @fojolbros (out of DC but they come to Bmore for events)
Creperie Breizh: @CreperieBreizh
Curbside Cafe: @Curbside_Cafe

Share some of your favorite food trucks with me! And let me know if I am missing any. HAPPY EATING!

Rachel Smith | rachel@orange-element.com

Dave Colson
www.orange-element.com

Matt Paley – Medford MA

Tommy Bett – Texas A&M

Sabrina Kogan – Baltimore MD

Fred Brickenkamp – Potomac MD

Polly Basile – Stanwood, MI

Carmen Guido Calvo – Baltimore, MD

Mark Bentley – Baltimore, MD

Congratulations to our seven lucky winners! If your name is listed above please email your contact information to info@orange-element.com and your poster will be mailed out in the next few weeks. There are still seven more posters to give away for our twitter contest and only 2 days left to get your name in the drawing. To enter simply retweet @orange_elements “POSTER GIVEAWAY” post as many times as you want your name to be entered by Friday at 4pm and we will pick 7 more winners to be announced on Monday. Happy Tweeting!

ande
www.orange-element.com

If you’re a fan of our 7th anniversary, limited-edition poster that we recently screen printed at Globe Poster but you missed the chance to get your hands on one at the Paper Show last Thursday, now is your time to win one! In an effort to explore some of our other social media channels there will be two ways you can win:

1. Win a poster through Twitter
Between now and Friday (April 2nd) at 4 pm every person who retweets @orange_element ‘s “Poster giveaway” post will be entered to win one of seven “Lucky 7″ posters we will be giving away. Tweeters will be randomly selected and multiple retweets will increase your chances of winning.

2. Win a poster through Facebook
If you are not a fan of Orange Element on facebook, now is the time to check out our page and see what everyone is talking about! This past week we saw our fan count roll over 100 and to celebrate our growing fan base we will select seven lucky fans to win a “Lucky 7″ poster once we reach 150 fans! So now is the time to spread the word by suggesting our page if you know anyone who loves design and all things orange as much as we do.

So your chance to win starts today and we hope you are as excited as we are! Winners will be announced on Monday, April 5th so good luck! International shipments may require a shipping fee.