20 Insanely Colorful Things Organized Neatly
We’re firm believers that there’s a little bit of neat freak inside of us all, even your messy brother. But for those of us that are more than a little obsessed with organization and color coding, there’s “things organized neatly.” Things organized neatly is just what it sounds like: Random objects that are arranged by color, shape, size and/or category and photographed. This Instagram phenomenon (#thingsorganizedneatly) is a perfectionist’s dream. And we’ve rounded up 20 inspiring and colorful compositions that’ll make you want to create your own, STAT!
1. Hair Barrettes: Award-winning still life photographer Jim Golden is a mastermind when it comes to organizing things neatly. We are a huge fan of this array of rainbow hair barrettes, but the rest of his collections portfolio is just as mesmerizing. The best part? You can snag a print of this baby for $150! (via Jim Golden Studio)
2. Jelly Beans: This whimsical series makes us less guilty about eating the sugary snack we all know and love. Strategist and writer Katherine Emmons created a series of five different Jelly Bean arrangements (with five different flavor mixes) to prove that she’s a creative thinker. It worked, girl! (via Katherine Emmons)
3. Gender Stereotypes: Pink is for girls and blue is for boys, but these photographs are for everyone. Korean photographer JeongMee Yoon created these insane compositions (inspired by her five-year-old daughter who’s obsessed with pink) to show how much we, as a society, conform to that color-based stereotype. Every object you see was found in that child’s room. (via Fast Company)
4. Heirloom Tomatoes: These unique tomatoes are pretty on their own, but this Austin photographer took a whole bunch of ’em, sliced ’em open and organized them by color. The beauty of this photo is off the charts (and needs to be immediately framed in our kitchens). Emily Blincoe has done a bunch of other colorful arrangements, too, like eggs, nuts, flowers, candy — even things found by the seashore. Luckily for us, you can buy her prints which range from $15 to $75. (via Emily Blincoe)
5. M&Ms: Clearly, these perfectly placed morsels weren’t sourced from your average bag of chocolate coated candies. Photographer (and former fashion model) Henry Hargreaves must’ve hit up the M&M store to get a hold of these fun colors. We can’t help but wonder how many were eaten in the process. (via Henry Hargreaves)
6. Color Studies: We wouldn’t exactly call this obsessively organized, but the color stories are rocking our world! We have New York based artist Sara Cwynar to thank for creating these inspiring snapshots (and more). (via Sara Cwynar)
7. Dice: Graphic Design student Mia Monterisi is an obsessive collector of dice. Over the past seven years, she’s hoarded over 200 pieces of all sizes and materials and stores them in a big glass jar. Love! (via Obsessionistas)
8. Fruit Loops: Henry Hargreaves did something that we always secretly dreamed of doing: He color coded an entire box of Fruit Loops. First off, why are there, like, no blues? And secondly, doesn’t it seem like there’s not a lot of cereal in there? Anywho, while we sit and ponder the contents of our fave childhood cereal, check out what else Henry made with the rainbow Os! (via Things Organized Neatly)
9. Fruit Slices: This LA photographer takes some of the prettiest shots we’ve ever seen, from food and drink to products and travel snaps. But our most favorite is this grouping of fruit slices. To see more of these beauties, follow Sheila on Instagram or visit her website. (via @sheila_gim)
10. Lost + Found Objects: Blogger and editor Kathryn Jacobs posts one of these color coded still life pics every week on her IG. We’re loving the beachy blue hues in this one, but there’s a lot more where that came from. (via @kathryn_jacobs)
11. Radiant Orchid: Pantone created a still life by spray painting a bunch of household objects (and foods!) to showcase their color of the year. Ugh, if only radiant orchid hot dogs and baguettes were real. (via Pantone)
12. Food: This gorgeous arrangement wasn’t just made for fun, it was made for a cause. Designed by art director Petter Johansson partnered with Swedish food lab Atelier Food, this yummy looking still life represents the brand’s connection between food and society. And it looks like a food-filled city map — you should see the other angles! (via Design Milk)
13. Color Chart: The Swedish design office, Kontor Kontur, created this sweet color chart poster with items around the office. (via Kontor Kontur)
14. Chili Peppers: Feelin’ hot, hot, hot? Talk about a green thumb — the curious photographer behind this pic snapped this organized shot of tabasco chili peppers from his garden. (via Dan Bigelow Photography)
15. Office Supplies: This was created by someone who recently realized how many green things she owned. We could probably make a ton of these office supply creations — we’ve got a lot of color going on here at Brit HQ! (via Things Organized Neatly)
16. Lighters: Photographer Barry Rosenthal has a knack for collecting random (and discarded) objects from the beach and photographing them. In this case, colorful lighters along the coast of New York Harbor. Clearly one person’s trash is another one’s treasure. (via Barry Rosenthal Photography)
17. Colorful Rubbish: Liz Jones (aka Betty Jo) is an Australian shop owner who collects colorful objects, from vintage knick knacks to trash found on the beach. The photographs began in ’09 when Liz color coded her stuff and started snapping pics to post on her blog. It became a weekly theme where friends would suggest colors for her to make arrangements from. Eventually, the images turned into greeting cards which, unfortunately all sold out, but they’re definitely inspiring us to make some ourselves! (via Lino Forest)
18. The Strand: From the picture above, it may not look like your typical “things organized neatly” — but trust us, they’re very organized (neatly). Lighting designer Stuart Haygarth walked 500 miles along the coast of England to gather objects for this stellar installation (entitled The Strand) built in the Macmillan Cancer Centre in London. Before the chandelier was constructed, he compartmentalized all of his findings into color and photographed them. To check those out and to see The Strand close up, click here. (via Dezeen)
19. Hearts: This adorable heart series is almost as cute as the story behind it. Brooklyn photographer Katie Sokoler walked by a stoop sale in Brooklyn and bought a $5 bin of random childrens trinkets and toys (what a bargain!) and organized ‘em by color. Genius! (via Color Me Katie)
20. Farmers Market Food Collage: Blogger Julie Lee is a California-based food lover. Her gorgeous food collages (search ‘em on Instagram with #julieskitchenfoodcollage) all started as a way to showcase seasonal and local offerings from the Santa Monica farmers market. Now, they’re basically an IG phenomenon and are sold as art prints ranging from $38 – $48. (via @julieskitchen)
Are you loving these color filled arrangements as much as we are? Tweet us a pic of your best “things organized neatly” to @BritandCo!