The Photoshop Evolution

Over the years, ever since its creation in 1987 the Photoshop logo has faced just as many changes, if not more than the program itself. The screen icons and intro have also been constantly changing. It seems though that while the program is getting more and more advance, the icons and logos that represent it become less creative and meaningful. The new cs3 icons are as minimalist as can get. So I wonder whether that is because Photoshop is already so well know that there is simply no need for as much symbolic representation or are they simply trying to follow a design trend.

The Lonely Jacket

This jacket was designed for lonely people, called the Takkiainen.

It was designed for people who are bored and want to have fun, to connect

with others. The jacket is made of velcro and sticks to the other jackets.

The Parents can even carry their kids around!

Illy comes in corners...

I think most of you guys are familiar with the coffee brand Illy, which was originally come from Italy. It is a large international coffee beans retailer, selling its coffee-related products in approximately 131 countries worldwide. Obviously, the company makes its brand standing out of the crowds with a simple and strong logo with white text and red background.
It intends not only to sell more of its high-quality coffee, but to purvey the original Italian cult of espresso. It also tries to create a stylistic experience for their customers while enjoying their coffee within its highly designed edgy-minimalist interiors.

More over, many designers take the advantage of designing a impressive interior which corporates with Illy brand. I found this interesting post on line saying that artist/architect Adam Kalkin has transformed standard shipping containers into living quarters. His Quick House can be used for different circumstances, from disaster-relief housing to luxury dwellings and for promotional purposes. With the push of a button, the Illy house opens in 90 seconds like a flower and transforms from a compact container into a fully furnished and functional space with a kitchen, dining room, bathroom, bedroom, living room and library. All materials used were recyclable or recycled.
Illy has used the Quick House at the 52nd Venice Biennale to provide visitors a space to relax and to enjoy their complimentary espresso.

That would be great if we can have a chance to check out this Quick House.

http://www.quik-build.com/quikHouse/QH_main.htm

AMERICAN APPARAL aka amature soft core porn ads?

Alright so they try to hammer in the idea of being an anti sweatshop company with non-logo shirts and all that great stuff, but really i can’t stand their ads. Not only does the photography work look armature but also the models are pretty much exploiting themselves like in some amateur porn. Some of their campaigns consists of female models posing with arm pit hair, sweat drenched shirts, and crouch shots with pubic hair crawling out from underneath her pantone red undies. But on the other hand I might just be mad because its not some sexy supermodel with the crouch shot. You the viewer decide!

Universal Toilet

We always see different brands for bathroom ware. However, the productions just changing to what designer want but not what consumer actually need. This universal toilet project has been slove the of disable people need. Disable people can just simply go to toilet by moving forward to the sit instead of sideway traditionally. And the toilet also has the dish for hand washing for normal people as well, however normal people have to change their hand washing habit from stand to sit to sitisfy the new production.
This toliet didn't have a brand yet as it is not under any company. I think sometimes a good design not necessary to have a brand unless the producer want to be famous and get money from the business society!

At Leap Frog we believe kids don't just grow up...

...they think up! (hehe)



As an advertising student, what really catches my eye is a good ad.
The new Leap Frog ads are soooo cute. Attatched is a link from YouTube to the ad in question. I think down to their casting (of kids) the ads are very consistent with what LeapFrog is trying to put out there- educational toys disguised as REGULAR toys that kids have fun with. The logo needs work (although they've done a good job at taking its colours and being consistent with their products to their website... which, at the end of the day is how to build a good brand. Casting cute kids in commercials doesn't hurt, either.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNsTExqEGjI

Camel No. 9

Camel cigarettes launched their new campaign with an entire new look, aimed specifically at women. If you ever want to blame the company for endorsing cigarette appeal so beautifully, it would be R.J. Reynolds. I think its elegant and beautiful, and way too appealing for such a vice - dangerous in fact. The concept of using the name "Camel No.9" (reference to Chanel No.9 a timeless and popular perfume) is brilliant - I would want to buy a pack just for the package itself.
The pink and green represent flavours in regular, and Menthol. I love how they even got the pink camel icon on each cigarette.

The tagline associated is"light and luscious" and what consumers get from this product is
"pretty", "minty" and "sweet". Up to this point, Camel was generally a male targeted cigarette,
with other brands such as Virginia Slims, Capri and Misty more female oriented, but now Camel
has been feminized, made to taste sweeter and lighter for the new target market.

In an article online, critics are upset with their aggressive marketing tactics:
They have been launching and promoting their cigarettes at night clubs which are
themed "girls night out" providing women with these cigarettes along with other giveaways.
As well, health critics and people in general are upset at magazines that expose their ads,
especially those that are 'well-being' conscious. While there are age restrictions at clubs, a lot of beauty and fashion magazines are bought by teens, stirring up concerns from the public. It definitely appeals to current female smokers, and by beautifying the package, it takes that extra step to draw smokers and non-smokers alike.

Reference: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=890974, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/85460.php

isn't she HOT ?

What a big difference !!!!

What happened to her?
I never knew Marge Simpson was such a lovely lady.
Compare to her “Corn” hair she looks more charming, elegant and feminine.
Now she is officially ready to fascinate her husband Homer Simpson. lol

In terms of women always desire to look sexy and attractive, having a natural fresh looking hair is one of the preconditions.
This fabulous advertisement introduces Dove’s effect really well.

It's showing that anyone can have sleek hair without going hair salon.
My Mom used to use Dove shampoo and I loved touching her soft silky hair all the time; it felt and looked really smooth like Marge Simpson’s new hair style.
Beside, her blue hair represents Dove’s trade colour as well as symbol.
When I saw this poster first time at subway station, I thought it was extremely humorous and brilliant.

It's one of my favorite advetisments.

Aquafina's All Dried Up

There's many brands of bottled water trying to sell the image of purity and quality while providing a status symbol, but deep down, how many of us *really* bought that? Everyone I ask speculated it was just glorified tap water. Turns out they were right. Aquafina, the bottled water distributed by Pepsi Co landed itself in hot water (so to speak) when public attention was brought to the fact that it is drawn from the Mississauga public water source, although a source in Vancouver is also used for the west coast. From now on, Aquafina has to display this fact prominently on the label, to let consumers know that the water comes from a public water source. I personally can't think of a worse thing to happen to a brand. The image of purity and luxury, and the mental image of clear, unpolluted water from some distant exotic glacier is all the bottled water industry really has to work with. With this shattered, can Pepsi Co snap back? Is Aquafina going to vanish due to all the bad press? Rumor has it that similar label changes have been suggested to Coca-Cola for their brand of water, Dasani. Maybe this will mean the end to "gourmet" bottled water? But not likely. Personally I think there has to be a change after this. I can't really picture everything going back to the way it was. What happens to a brand when it's image gets shattered? I'll be following this story very closely for the end.

Like a Hummer for media buyers...

"Giant advertisements for people to look at while their plane is landing, it's genius! Lets start a company and sell this genius idea to everyone!" I really hope the people behind AdAir aren't this ignorant. But seriously, I think brand's need to really evaluate their marketing program if they think the millions it will take to buy this much ad space will save their service/product. Granted, I think this type of advertising does have room somewhere, just the marketing strategy must be supported by this medium. I wonder what point size they use for the type?

Dairy Queen, what the @%&!?

old



new

Umm ...What the hell happened?! I think there's something I'm missing here. Dairy Queen's new logo (which fortunately I haven't had the displeasure of actually seeing in a store) looks more dated (very 90's) than the old one. There really wasn't anything wrong with Dairy Queen's logo to begin with, so I really cant understand why they would make the decision to change it, spend large quantities of money in order to do so, and then settle on this pile of crap. The new logo brings nothing new to the table ... that is, unless you count the unnecessary typeface change and ugly swooshes (would you call them swooshes? it seems like the only name for them ... maybe speedlines? or wings? or large, deformed sprinkles?). Anyway, I hate to be completely subjective but, it's ugly and I hate it.

Celebrity Brands

Looking for a GREAT BRANDING STRATEGY? Get a celebrity to lend you their name!
Celebrity names appearing on products - it's the trend that seems to keep growing day by day. No matter how bad the product however, it's proven that celebrities can sell it all: from sugary perfumes and edible cosmetics to umbrellas-ellas-eeeeeehh-eehs.
P.Diddy is one of the celebrities that's actually developed long lasting brands like his Sean John clothing line. I personally think that the branding was done very tastefully on this one and instead of just sticking celebrity name on a product, P Diddy has provided a very well positioned brand. To me when I see the clothes from the Sean John line they look representative of the urban hip-hop style while at the same time they look sophisticated. They use the ultimate luxury colour combination of black and gold on their website that seems to be worthy of the celebrity signature in their logo. I think that this brand has been successful because it didn't solely rely on celebrity's name but on the whole branding strategy behind it.
I read in yesterday's Metro that P Diddy's next project will be branding of vodka so let's keep an eye out for that one because he did proclaim "I am not just a celebrity endorser, I am a brand builder. I'm a luxury brand builder."

Reduce The Bumps!

This week I came upon an advertisement for Nivea’s Good-bye Cellulite Lotion. Designed by TWBA from Toronto, the ad consists of a billboard sized poster that says ‘Reduce the bumps.’ and an image of the lotion. The billboard is covered by bubble wrap, where their audience, people walking down the street, can pop the bubbles and in fact ‘reduce the bumps’. I think that its really cool how street advertising has now become interactive and how designers have discovered a new way to catch their audience’s attention and draw them into noticing their product. Apparently other firms already used this concept for Playstation 2 and a tea advertisement, but whoever came up with this idea is pretty creative.

Tag mimicking Axe?

Many of us have seen these commercials on television and have joked around with the content with friends. However, when recalling the commercial associated with the product, confusion stirs. Was it Axe? or Tag?

There is no diffraction between both products through packaging, marketing, and also positioning which is quite odd cause the fundamental principle in advertising is to be different. In advertising not to be different is virtually suicidal.

is an internet experience, better than the one in person?

Aritzia is a trendy mid-high priced youth and young adult clothing store located across Canada. Carrying many of their own lines, the store is extremely popular, offering the current trends, with a fun or unique twist. However, while the products should be selling the brand, I do personally believe that the website is incredible. With different features like : video feature : fall fashion, feature artist, feature album, aritzia's freshest, featured denim, the seen, etc. It's more than just pretty clothes, and a fun website. The actual art direction of the site changes often and always remains true to the brand and the customers. Check it out http://www.aritzia.com/aritzia.php
i doubt you will leave unimpressed with this site

A letter to Sony

Photo caption: (Left) Apple Ipod Nano; (Right) Sony DSC-T2, which was released two days ago (24th Oct, 2007)

A picture is worth a thousand words. I don’t need to explain what happened in the poster. I just have little confession to make, specifically to Sony.

Dear Sony,

First of all, I must admit that I quite like you. I have ever since the age of 12, the very first time I bought one of your products: a cassette walkman (wow, what a successful brand name!) It was then I became one of your fans. I bought your MD Walkman, headphones, cell phone, television, computer, PS1/2, PSP…etc. Presently I am planning to buy the PS3 for this Christmas despite PS3 being badly marketed and expensive. I was wishing your Blue-ray would beat HD-DVD. I support you even though I am in such a hardcore apple-loved environment. You meant something in my childhood, you know? You represented elegance and high technology. It’s heart breaking for me to see you copying other company’s ideas—not only the product itself but the advertisement as well. Please tell me you didn’t intentionally to do this. You are Sony. You are not a small company from wherever. You are “Like.no.others” Sony. I hope this is just an isolated incidence and that it will not happen again. Promise me, okay?

With Love


Disappointed Sony lover, Dickson Wong

Detail: http://www.engadget.com/2007/10/25/apple-and-sony-like-peas-in-an-ipod/

Burger King ad

Burger King is the one that has various interesting ads every time and it brings to mind one ad I found most intriguing. It was a print ad. The image was of a woman’s mouth that has bandages in both sides of her lips. It really caught my attention. My first thought was “what happened to her mouth?” When I first saw it, I was not able to read the image, or understand what message they were trying to convey. However, as soon as I read the text at the bottom of the ad, which is saying “really BIG burger.” I was like Oh, this is a very clever idea of showing exactly how big Burger King’s burgers really are. In comparison with its one competitor, MacDonald’s, the big size is the most powerful concept of Burger King itself. The ad is much exaggerated, with the cuts on the model’s mouth and it is very effective marketing because it was successful in catching the audiences attention. This campaign seems very different from other Burger King ads, seems more mysterious, or unknown until you find the Burger King logo. Previously, Burger King targeted the Children’s market, using the “Burger King” in the majority of its ads. This is a very different approach and delivers a strong message to an adult population. I am not sure if children will like it.

Boooooooring...

My last blog entry was about us designers stepping out of our comfort zone and branching out to other creative venues to solve creative problems. Otherwise we will never see another creative breakthrough like the "Nike swoosh" logo. I am going to extend a little bit on that notion for this week. So as a continuation to my last blog entry, I want to publicly proclaim this fact and that is: I am creatively bored and unsatisfied. Everyday as i commute back and forth, i make it my duty to look around and notice designs around me. On the subway trains, TTC buses, Bus shelters, Billboards and even publications, I look to see if there will be something that will catch my attention enough for me to want to mimic that certain idea. Unfortunately, I find none. There is so much bad design out there that it makes me want to have everything corrected. And even if i do see some good designs, are they good enought to get recognition like the "CN" logo gets? No. They are all designs that have been done before. Lets do better folks.

urban outfitters blog

Urban Outfitters is an amazing brand. They have numerous stores located around the world and have well design products that are fresh and in style. I recently found out that they have a blog linked to their home webpage. I am not really into blogs, but seeing as this is one of my favourite brands I had to check it out. It’s a really interesting site that provides links to the work of interesting artist and designers. One link was for Chris Gilmour, who makes life-size sculptures of inanimate objects out of cardboard. Also on the projects page of the website there was a map of the United States that displayed various illustrations provided by the designers of Urban Outfitters. I think the site is well designed and stays in tune with the brand character.
http://blog.urbanoutfitters.com/blog/

Speak and it types for you

Today I overheard 2 people talking about this piece of technology that sounded pretty neat. Yeah, that's right, neat! It's a machine that types out documents, emails, instant messages and more while you just speak the words. The guy that was talking about it was saying he'd just bought this item for himself, and was explaining that it made very few errors, that it understood several different accents and only costs around 100$. So I looked up this item called Dragon Naturally Speaking, and after watching the demo i was amazed to see the magic it works. According to their representative this item is 99% accurate, it spells complicated words correctly, it can make your type bold, italic etc just by saying so, it even surfs the web for you. You're basically talking to your computer and telling it what to do and where to go, only now it listens. How well does the product work? Im hesitant to say flawlessly. Plus, do we really want to get attached to our computers like that? However it does benefit slow typers, people with disabilities that can't use a keyboard and the classic lazy individual that doesn't feel like typing. Like I said before, it is a pretty neat toy.. but is it much more than that? check it out at http://www.nuance.com/talk/

Cheese-rific!

Today I went grocery shopping with my girlfriend and she bought Babybel. At first I was puzzled at what this was, but I remember seeing commercials as a child about these things. I started researching the company and the most coherent answers I could get came from a Wikipedia page. The company apparently made this as a more portal version of the Bonbel cheese in 1952! After all these years this cheese company is still alive and strong and the cheese itself is quite tasty. The brand itself seems to have stayed true to the red wax signature it first gave itself, showing that with time change is hard, but if the product doesn't decrease in quality, there should be no need for change. I believe any brand if given a chance to show the quality they can carry should be able to keep their initial logo and name like Coca Cola, or Apple.

RBC for you and for me.

As soon as BBDO Toronto won the RBC account, they have not only improved their brand character in many ways, but are also targeting a younger audience. I have noticed that recently Banks are changing to target younger audiences and I feel RBC has successfully done so. For example, the WANTED TTC shelter ads target the university student, as they are located within the U of T campus and pertain to college life. They have pushed the brand character very far in minute detailing within each advertisement. On the WANTED advertisements there is a number located on the print that relates to the crime of stealing condiments, which is the premise of the ad. You can actually call the number taking you to a false crime calling location. This detailing makes RBC as a brand stand out.

Applebees - Rebrand/ Commerical

Applebee's International is the largest casual dining chain in America, they have been trying to position themselves as a local gathering place, for a while.
Applebee’s is currently rebranding campaign which includes a wide-reaching advertising effort, new logo, new uniforms, redesigned restaurants, menu and a new theme, “Together is good.” Applebee’s logo and employee uniforms have been redesigned to look more modern, and a renovation of all 2,000 locations is also under way.

The revitalization effort comes in the midst of difficult times for casual dining restaurant. Applebee’s net income fell to $80.9 million in 2006, from $101.8 million in 2005 and $110.9 million in 2004.

Sales have decreased due to more budget-conscious consumers which are eating out less. Currently Applebee’s,leads the estimated $70 billion category which also includes other restaurant franchise; Ruby Tuesday and T.G.I. Friday’s, are given a new face lift to appeal to a new generation.

The star of the new commercials is a Red Delicious apple, given voice by comedian Wanda Sykes, who will chastise people eating at their desks, sending text messages to friends on a park bench, imploring them instead to gather with friends and family at Applebee’s for “the flavors that bring people together.”

The commercial will be airing on Sundays, the 15- and 30-second spots featuring Ms. Sykes will run on programs like Desperate Housewives,Extreme Makeover.The objective in the commercial is to build on the image of Applebee’s as a neighborhood hot spot.

It is a great idea and it might just help them to increase their sales. However, the reason can also be that people don't remember the brand and that there is really nothing, too unique about. Rebrand might just increase market share and consumer awareness, the apple is a strong symbol.

Pop-up Rock and Roll

Here is a great example of having fun when it comes to CD design and also creating a really great brand identity. The Agency, Rethink, created this interactive cd case for Likeness to Lily's recently released full length album, Solitude’s Dollhouse. The unassuming case once unfolded reveals a miniature dollhouse with a pop out rock band and a CD disguised as a carpet. The bands characters can pop out and you actually play with them. Its a great way for the consumer to interact with the cd and the band themselves. Rethink has defiantly brought CD design to a whole new level.

Microsoft takes over Facebook Adspace

Mircosoft just closed a deal with Facebook for $240 Million. The Facebook network is currently valued at over $15 billion. Most of that value coming from the information companies can get from people's profiles. Microsoft now owns 1.6% of Facebook. That 1.6% being the rights to sell all the banner ads to international markets and all the display advertising that we all see everytime we load a new facebook page. Facebook had been negotiating with Google and after losing out the them for a number of jobs over the last few years Microsoft was excited to land this one.

Facebook is raking in the dough with it's newly updated cost per click ad program called Facebook Flyers. This program lets advertisers target users based on their demographics and profile information. Soon Facebook is about to launch a new ad system that will enable advertisers to target placements via profile data on Facebook and other Web sites. Google, AOL and Yahoo are all getting set to put their advertising on other websites. Microsoft rep Van Natta feels that both the advertiser and the consumer/user are winning from this situation, "That win is through highly targeted, relevant ads. This partnership is all about delivering on that." The financing is likely to give Facebook the time and resources to continue building up it's social network.

Is this going to benefit consumers? Or does it just mean that we are going to be bombarded with more pop-ups and more blinking "Click to win your new Vaccation!"? Selling user information seems to have some ethical problems and it definitely makes me rethink my 'Favourites' and all the information I put in my profile. It was only a matter of time until bigger badder corporations got a hold of Facebook and it's users.

Cloverfield… Monstrous… 1-18-08… Slusho…

After writing a blog entry about the transformers DVD release last week, it jolted my memory about a mysterious trailer I saw when I watched the movie in theaters. The trailer started out as a homemade video being filmed during a party when an alarming event occurs. No film title was attached to the trailer and the only details included were what people are assuming are the release date '1-18-08' and that it involves Lost creator, JJ Abrams. After watching the trailer, it had me asking people if they knew what it was. I never did find out too much about the movie. The only thing I later found out was that it came to be codenamed Cloverfield.

The trailer did a really good job at creating a lot of hype around this movie and caused many people to become curious about it. The information about the film is kept under tight wraps. Even its actual title is unknown. Websites resembling Japanese companies and other viral sites popped up and started to promote the film by gradually adding updates with little bits of vague information as we slowly draw closer to the release date of 1-18-08.

This is a very effective and interactive campaign and it will be interesting to see where it goes and how successful the film will be. However, since the codename ‘Cloverfield’ has been used to identify the film for the past few months and the name may have been burned into the audience’s minds, I wonder if changing the name later can have the potential to cause some people to be let down or reduce the effectiveness of the campaign.

Intelligentsia Coffee

Intelligentsia is a small coffee company devoted to what is becoming known as 'direct trade' with it's farmers and quality coffee beans.

Direct Trade is different from Fair Trade in a number of ways, but most specifically in that, while Fair Trade products are still usually brokered by importers and exporters, Direct Trade products involve companies literally meeting with and buying directly from source. Not only this, but Direct Trade farmers are paid a minimum of 25% above the going Fair Trade rate for their product. This can be done because of the lack of middlemen that must be paid from the transition from farm to package to sale.

In addition to paying their farmers well, Intelligentsia is also able to use this relationship to broker safe environmental growing conditions, usually by keeping the coffees organic and by keeping a percentage of farmland as virgin forest.

Well treated farmers also make great beans, Intelligentsia beans are rated in the 90's (out of 100) by professional coffee reviewers.

Intelligentsia beans are micro-roasted in Chicago and are available for sale at Manic Coffee at Bathurst and College.

Brown Gets You "a" Job

These ads are beginning to annoy me, but it's difficult to state why. The ads for George Brown College are resurfacing with the same idea as last year: Brown Gets You the Job. I'm very confused by this statement because unfortunately, to me, once I hear brown I associate it with UPS. Is this an effective campaign? Also, "9 out of 10 grads are hired within 6 months." It's unfortunate for that 1 out of the 10 to not be able to find a job. Multiply that by 10 and 10 grads will be unemployed for 6 months. I'm not sure who to compare it to, but is this a good statistic? You can visit their website by clicking here.

Le Cerveau

Also known as, the brain, hopefully, we've all got one. It is not widely known that we think predominately with one side of our brains. Recently, a young lady in one of my classes presented this theory. I found it to be quite interesting and obviously related to how we interpret, design, create, and understand things. Each side represents the following:
Left Brain- Logical, Sequential, Rational, Analytical, Objective, Looks at parts
Right Brain- Random, Intuitive, Holistic, Synthesizing, Subjective, Looks at wholes.
This is also based on the hand we right with, thus enforcing the creative point.
What side of the brain do you thing you use?

Saw IV

Not sure if any of you guys are fans of this grisly series of flicks, but the marketing of the latest installment is really off the wall and effective in communicating the eeriness of the film. In fact, the ads bring the film out of the realm of cinema and into the realm of reality in some very unsettling ways.
I saw the first ad while watching tv one night with my family. In between regular commercials, there would be a 5 second, grainy clip of the evil marionette from the film, as if filmed on a camcorder. Then, before you could realize what it was, it would end and a normal ad would come on. Then, after that, the creepy footage, slightly longer this time. Then a different ad. By this time I was like "What is that? Isn't that the thing from Saw?". It's really unsettling because it doesnt feel like a commercial, but like the evil thing is inside your tv or something. Then, the final time, the words Saw IV and the release date flash on the screen for a split second. It's like Guerilla TV advertising, as weird as that sounds. Never seen anything like it.
Side Note: I saw a chalk, dead body outline at Yonge and Dundas today, with Saw IV written in it. Also, unusual, but more traditional guerilla tactics.
PS: I'm still not seeing it. Too scary.

New Pepsi Cans

So Pepsi Canada has released a couple new can designs into our market with the intent on creating interest with their product by connecting with their audience.

First up is the hockey can, produced exclusively for Canada. Does it portray any Canadian teams, players, or anything related to Canada and the sport? Not really, it's just some illustrations of people in generic hockey equipment on a can.

Secondly is the All American Rejects can. Good lord. Awful band, awful can. Hands holding lightning bolts with guitars and... uh... stuff I guess the awful teen angst band things is cool? Brutal.

How does this connect with Pepsi the drink or company? Well, unless we count sponsorship dollars, not a hell of a lot. But Pepsi as a company was never really about it's drink, it was about 'The Taste of the New Generation', basically creating an image of youth and rebellion simply by telling people this corporate drink was about youth and rebellion. All of Pepsi's marketing is ludicrously shallow.