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15 Things a Designer Should Never Say

Interesting article - how many are you guilty of?

15 things...

Matt Webb on the Role of the Designer in the 21st Century

An interesting talk by Matt Webb in Copenhagen. (Courtesy of The Design Observer)

Matt Webb

Cool Bookend

I love this - I really need to start putting more "clever" into my design work.

Bookends

Pringles Banner Ad

This started floating around Twitter, and no lie, it could keep me entertained for a while. It is a banner ad for Pringles...click once, click twice...keep going...

View it here - Pringles Ad

Chip Kidd's Favorite Recent Covers

The link is from the Design Observer - a brilliant cover designer identifies other brilliant cover designers... Read it here: Chip Kidd's Picks

Nassal

This place does themed design for parks and attractions - they've done some really sweet work... They just finished the Hard Rock Theme Park (now Freestyle Music Park) and are starting work on the Harry Potter Park in Orlando.

Check them out - Nassal

Design Observer Letter

Great letter to all levels of students - love the last statement...

Letter to Students

PostSecret DC

I also got the opportunity to check out the PostSecret exhibit in DC. If you are in the area, there is a small display at the Hillyer Art Space. Probably my favorite part was that they left out postcards so that guests could write their own secrets and put them on the wall. It added an even more human, connected quality to it.

Tabletop in DC

I had the pleasure of visiting DC this past week, and found an awesome store in DuPont. The website only begins to do it justice. Its called "Tabletop," and I feel like it is somewhat of a designer's dream. Quirky calendars, handbags, shot glass ice cube trays, and a million other things for you to use and display...

Check it out here - Tabletop

OrangeArt Miniature Letterpress Books

Found these at a boutique store and thought they were sweet - all tiny letterpressed minibooks with titles like "Love," "Incomplete Book of Dog Names," and "Cheerful Thoughts."

Check them out here - OrangeArt

Keep Calm and Don't Sneeze

Designers never miss a beat when it comes to putting their skills to use in current events. Check out this poster for the Swine Flu - Keep Calm and Don't Sneeze

Snickers

I saw some billboards out for Snickers, and you know what I love about them? They envelope the style of Snickers without using the name anywhere in the ad. It shows the power of good branding, as well as that Snickers is willing to take a chance on something that is not the same old song and dance. Very cool.

View an article here - Snickers

North Carolina Aquarium

Saw some billboards for the North Carolina Aquarium and LOVE them... The theme? "What's your fish face?" All the billboards have the catch phrase with pictures of kids making fish faces. I really like that it is smart, and I like that they did an aquarium ad that doesn't necessarily show fish... Apparently they did a whole internet campaign on it as well. It definitely seems to have legs.

See the internet contest here - NC Aquarium

Rules of Facebook Etiquette

A friend posted this on Twitter and I thought it was great - Rules of Facebook Etiquette

Is it sad that we now judge our dating status based on whether or not we are "In a Relationship" on Facebook? It was even on "The Big Bang Theory" this season. View that clip here - Facebook Status

Ism - Blog

Ism also had a blog entry on social networking that I found interesting.

Your Tweet is Very Important to Us

I guess what struck a chord with me was the commentary on the evolution of everything. In reality, I have a similar view. When things get too popular, they die out. I am still fairly young - part of the crowd that remembers when facebook started, and was for college students only. Now, it is starting to hit big with high school students and baby boomers...and honestly, I am beginning to wonder how long it will remain the "in" thing. Already facebook itself has made a few highly unpopular updates to its own look and feel. It is trying too hard for something that started out quite inspired.

I just joined Twitter, and already I can see all the companies latching on to it as well - to advertise, to connect with clients... I am not sure how I feel about it yet, but I can see the advantages of it. Then again, maybe it is expanding too quickly for its own good too? Already I have tried to view my home page and gotten a "Twitter is overloaded" type message, more than once... Who knows?

What does everyone else think?

Ism

Some interesting travel marketing from the Boston area. I like that they have a niche too, instead of trying to cater to everyone... Their name: Ism.

Check it out here - Ism

I especially love the piece with the giant ampersand. See the partial photo below...

Seth Godin on Graphic Design

At one point, I worked at an agency that based itself on Seth Godin's purple cow principal. What makes your business "purple" and how do we market that? It seemed like a pretty good theory... In fact, its an incredibly popular one. But recently, Seth Godin published his ideas about Graphic Design on his blog...and THESE I am not so sure about...

Check it out here - Why aren't you (really) good at Graphic Design?

Trust Me

So there is a new show that I stumbled upon on TNT called "Trust Me." It is all about the cut throat world of being in the ad business. I am kind of wondering what agency they are basing it on - any thoughts? Yesterday they mentioned Ogilvy as a competitor.

They even set up a website for the "agency." RGM

They were having a contest to art direct a Dove Commercial - I wonder if those actually IN the ad business were allowed to compete.

Visit the show here - Trust Me

Outliers

For anyone that doesn't read Malcolm Gladwell's books, I highly recommend them.  I started reading his latest book, Outliers, last night, and I find his books fascinating.  This particular book is talking about how it is not only innate skill, but the advantage of birth date, time, place, etc that makes successful people rise to the top.  For example, the first section talks about how almost all the major Canadian hockey players were born in the first months of the year...because the cutoff is in Jan, and therefore these boys will be bigger and more mature, and will be seen as more skilled therefore getting the advantage of extra practice and encouragement, thereby becoming more successful...  What advantages do you have that have made you who you are?

Daniel Bowman

One of my favorite Southern designers/artists is Daniel Bowman from Wilmington.  I think his prints are really simple, yet detailed.  He truly has an eye for shape and color.

See his work here:  One Twice

This is the one I have a small print of I believe:

Electric Mini Cooper

I saw a bit on the Today Show about the new all electric Mini Cooper.  The car itself is cool but what got me was a short clip on the car in London.  They showed charging stations (called something like Juice Stations) on the side of the road where you park, so you can charge up your little electric car.  I thought that was an interesting idea for the future of the auto industry.  Instead of gas stations and metered parking, now we'd have charging stations...  It would take quite a while for the car to be functional in the US, because everyone would have to install them. But it is definitely an interesting solution...

Virgin Megastore Times Square

So I found out today that they are closing the Virgin Megastore in Times Square.  It is truly the end of something.  The Virgin Megastore is like a fixture in Times Square, and I can not even imagine the area without it.  Tons of artists have launched CD's there.  It also makes one question if the end of the CD is near.  I am a sucker for package design, but will all those who exclusively design covers be out of a job in the near future due to digital music downloads?  It would be a terrible shame.  

Anyways, read the closing article here:  Virgin Megastore

The Fray

So I fell in love with The Fray and their new song "You Found Me."  Since I am a designer, and still like to go buy the actual CD to see the cover design, I went to Best Buy to get it today.  Its actually really interesting - it is the first CD I have seen that is done without the plastic - a fully cardboard case.  I am wondering if it is somehow  a "green" thing.  It has pockets for the book and CD, although I would like to make a suggestion on the CD pocket - it runs entirely to the edge and makes it slightly difficult to get the CD out.  Overall it has a real nice feel to it - nice paper quality.  And the book on the inside has a gritty photojournalism feel to it, with the names of the songs written in neon and put into different landscapes.

Is neon the thing this year?  The Express bags referenced a few entries ago were a similar style, though they have recently switched over to bright spring bags (not nearly as impressive).

Guitar Hero Commercial

I think that the new Guitar Hero commercial with Heidi Klum that mocks Risky Business is an absolute stroke of genius. 

Check it out on YouTube - Guitar Hero

Advertising as an Experience - Victoria's Secret

Everyone knows how certain brands dominate the market - Coke and Pepsi, Fuji and Kodak, Cannon and Nikon...  We talked about Brand Loyalty when I was in school - things that you will only buy in one specific brand because you feel it is the best.  But a lot of this is centered not around the advertising, but the development of the brand as an experience.  I learned this when I worked at Ann Taylor for a short time - repeat customers were loyal because we were trained in the experience of the brand - outfitting the customer, being aware of different shapes, etc.  You aren't buying the clothes as much as paying for the experience of buying the clothes, and that makes you loyal.

Yesterday I discovered another brand experience - Victoria's Secret.  Most people are aware that they do fittings, but has anyone else heard of a "bra box"?  For the customer that is new to the brand, they keep a box of bra's in the fitting room, categorized by size.  Each size box has one of each of their most popular bra to try on, so that you can determine what works for you best without rooting around the store for one of each.  To ad to the overall experience is the care they take in their promotions and ephemera items - for example heavy duty shopping bags, and purchases wrapped in tissue.  And their boxes are by far the easiest to put together...  Overall, they are a thorough and well thought out brand that thrives on providing the experience to the customer in ingenious, but effective ways...

Tea Bags

I found these on a blog and I ADORE them.  I really wish I had thought of it - people hanging off tea bags.  I will attach a picture, but check it out here - Tea Bags

Express Bags

Apparently decorating the inside of shopping bags is in this year - not only was I impressed by the Saks bags (referenced in a previous post) but I went to Express today and found that they too have new bags!  "EXPRESS" in neon lights on the outside, and then a yellow neon star pattern on the inside.  I am pretty impressed.  I tried to find a picture online to put up, but haven't stumbled across it yet, so if you want to see it for yourself, stop by the store.  There is a killer sale going on, regardless.  Happy shopping!