Fun Stuff ~ Alina Peña

Packaging

The Secret Soda Society

Inspired by the fascinating and cryptic visual landscape of secret fraternal societies like the Freemasons and Odd Fellows, I decided to make a secret society of my own...a Secret Soda Society. The fictional herbal tonic comes in five mysterious flavors: Love Charm (hibiscus & rose), Immortality (holy basil & dandelion), Transformation (schisandra & cinnamon), SoothSayer (blue lotus & lavender), and Poison (rhubarb & nutmeg). Each is decorated with illustrations of enigmatic Masonic and Odd Fellows symbols, and each label bears the shape of a parade banner, one of the most important elements of this esoteric design system.

@streetview_typography

Streetview Typography

As an excuse to traverse the digital globe, fellow designer (and BFF) Paula Volchok and I started Google Streetview Typography. Using randomized GPS coordinates, we scroll through (get it?) the streets of faraway cities in search of compelling street signs, restaurant awnings, billboards, and the like.

@simply_a_egg

Guardian of the Egg

The Egg, despite its ostensibly simple form (that is, before the shell has been cracked), is a behemoth of symbolism. The Egg is the beginning, the source, the birth of the cosmos—both the mysterious origin and center of all things. As a symbol of rebirth and fertility, it is as much an occult and folk staple as it is a culinary one. And this is to say nothing of the ways in which its shape-shifting properties make it a natural source of aesthetic inspiration. From perfect porcelain ovum to ooey-gooey yolk, to sunnyside up and scrambled, The Egg would be a muse even if it weren't so symbolically resonant. All that is to say, @simply_a_egg is where I wax poetic about such things and collect compelling images of eggs throughout art, history, and culture.

@cartoonfashionista

Cartoon Fashionista

Like fashion? Love cartoons? Follow @cartoonfashionista, where I document uncanny resemblances between the sartorial choices of cartoon characters and celebrities, asking the fundamental question of the ages...who wore it better?

Experiments

Ephemera Collage

I take a lot of inspiration from design history, most especially graphic ephemera. Whimsical elements from the recycling bin of history: vintage candy wrappers, old railroad tickets, and antique luggage labels, can be made new again in the context of a digital space. This collage channels my fascination for vintage graphic ephemera into an experimental collage.

Poster

Tarantino Film Festival

In this poster series for a hypothetical weekend-long nonstop screening of Quentin Tarantino's most revenge-fueled films, I've used typography to viscerally evoke the crime and bloodshed of Tarantino's films. "Literally" through iconic quotes that have been violently distorted—typographically slashed, stabbed, and shot. And figuratively, through numerous "type crimes" committed throughout the series, such as stretched type, excessive tracking, nonexistent margins and reverse italics.

Message in a bottle not your style?
Email me @ alinapena95@gmail.com

Prefer to communicate via emojis?
Call or text me @ 917 330 4067