Jingle all the way...

Another great Thanksgiving, this year in LA where our family keeps expanding. LA traffic is always terrible, so I didn't think much of it when we were stuck in traffic leaving my brother's around 11pm Thanksgiving evening. It wasn't until we approached a mall exit when I realized the roads were practically gridlocked thanks to what quickly became Black Friday Eve. After having spent a full day cooking, eating and visiting, I couldn't even imagine the idea of hours waiting in line for a bargain to ultimately overspend on senseless material possessions.

I admit, I do get a chuckle at the insane shoppers in the Target and Walmart ads that are unfortunately way too close to the truth but I have to wonder how many people are actually getting a Lexus this year as a holiday gift. Maybe I will be lucky enough to receive a cell phone or music box that has been pre-programmed to play a magical little jingle to suggest what is waiting (with a big red bow) for me outside my home. A little far fetched, don't you think?

I love the more modest approach by Honda in their campaign which pokes fun at all the cliches:

The sweet smell of a crisp, fresh, ripe new apple

Not Enough Words.

Worth a Pretty Penney?

You can try, but you can't take the heart, soul and thoughtfulness out of my creative process. And it doesn't come for free either. It's disheartening when I continue to read about well established companies seeking out free work from the minds of creative professionals. How many other service areas can you "try on" professional knowledge and experience before you choose which one you are going to compensate? The sad truth is as long as individuals, agencies, or even students, continue to give away valuable work, this issue will never go away and our reputation as one unified, talented and important industry will continue to be damaged and taken advantage of.

In the news: JCPenney has rebranded themselves. Er, let me rephrase that since the term 'rebrand' applies to a more intelligent strategy and process...JCPenney got a new logo! There, that sounds more like it.

You can read the press release for yourself here, but the new mark is "symbolizing jcpenney's transformation to become America's favorite shopping destination for discovering great styles at compelling prices."

I could easily criticize the fact that the 'jcp' within the red box is so distracting that it reads as "jcp enney" rather than "jc penney." I could argue if this is in fact a "modern logo" and it's debatable whether or not the "fresh, bold design" actually "evokes a sense of movement and discovery as the letters appear to break out of the box, symbolizing an emergence into an exciting, new future." But that's not even the biggest problem. If they worked through a creative process where each decision was intentionally made to support the original goal, then who am I to say this is a right, or wrong solution. There are some obvious readability issues that I would think could be argued as "wrong," but if the process supports the intention, then time will tell if this new logo holds up. Fun fact: the previous logo was originally designed by the great and powerful Massimo Vignelli and for the most part has held strong for 40 years. Timeless.

But the REAL issue that is making many creative professionals absolutely crazy is that this new logo is the result of contest. jcp enny "sought submissions that reflect a wide range of perspectives. Participants included the Company's associates, several design agencies and two art schools...and the winning design was provided be Luke Langhus..." Congrats to the third year design student at University of Cincinnati, but I hope as he continues to be educated on best practices and the value of a brand and his own skills, that he realizes that this cannot be a logical process for a billion dollar company to take on.

Spec work severely cheapens the service that is provided. The design industry takes pride in the skills we have, and the knowledge to be able to share these skills to help communicate important messages to the rest of the world. Our creative vision only works when we fully understand what the client is intending to communicate - it's a privilege to be able to partner with companies and work through their thoughts and vision to create a solution that was hopefully even better than what they had originally imagined. You can't expect that level of partnership and intimate collaboration to be achieved through a contest. Crowdsourcing may give you a nice batch of fine looking work to choose from, but a strong brand needs to go so much deeper than simply looking nice. I would be curious to see how much background info was provided before all these designs were submitted.

I digress. I am so proud to be in the design community and it just makes me so upset that those who should know better stoop to such cheap levels to take advantage of our skill. I am sure it will be a never-ending battle, but it sure is worth the fight.

A Brooklyn Brand, Brewing Strong

Brooklyn Brewery, located in Williamsburg, NY, has been around since 1988 and this weekend I decided to check it out. Admission is free and once inside you can jump into a quick tour, or purchase drink tokens to hang out and sample the brews.

What was once uninhabited and desolate land on the other side of the river has turned into a very trendy neighborhood over the past decade thanks to artists and small businesses moving in and taking advantage of cheap prices. As trends will have it, Williamsburg has evolved into a very culturally eclectic and desirable location leading to a quick rise in population and with that, a rise in cost of living and doing business. But the brewery will remain in Brooklyn and recently took on additional space with plans to begin expanding within the next few years.

Legendary Milton Glaser (you may know him best for the "I love NY" logo) worked with brewery owners Tom Potter and Steve Hindy in creating the corporate identity and from there all the packaging and communication design for the brand. If you are not familiar with industry practices, a true branding and identity project is a very involved process and could be attributed to some of the best spent time, energy and money when working on building a company. We learned from the tour that Tom and Steve had really wanted Milton Glaser to design their logo but a project like this would cost them something in the $40,000 range which was about double what they had budgeted for the process. They approached Mr. Glaser to see what they could afford and whether true or not, the story goes that Milton Glaser told them to forget about their money and that he would be happy to take on the project and all he wanted in return was a small share in the company and free beer for the rest of his life. The best business deal ever made, some would say. Now in his early 80s, Mr. Glaser is probably still benefiting from this clever contract that was made 24 years ago.

Brown Ale, IPA, Lager, Penant Ale, Pilsner and a Weisse make up the core brews while a Summer Ale, Oktoberfest, Pumpkin Ale, and Winter Ale are some of the specialty seasonal blends.

The Brooklyn Brewery logo features a "B" emblem which was influenced by the original Brooklyn Dodgers. The color story changes with each bottle, creating a colorful blend of packaging. Below are a few pictures from the visit while I enjoyed a pint of the pilsner and listned to the brief history of the local brewery.

Williamsburg waterfront - spectacular view of Manhattan

The Brew House

Inside

Logo painted on original exposed brick

A simple wrap around the corner - so much cooler than smack

dab center of the wall

Delicious

Winter Blues?

It's all in how you look at it.

Color has a tremendous effect on the way we perceive, feel, and respond to just about anything we look at.

When it comes to consumer products, I like to believe that I am a brand conscious shopper, rather than impulsively making my decision based on appearance. OK, it's the inner substance and performance that you are looking for but looking good on the outside certainly can't hurt, right?

Pantone revealed that the new color of the year is Honeysuckle (or, 18-2120).

Goodbye to the winter blues and hello to brighter days.

How do you wear your color?

Design for Haiti

Throughout history, the design community has played an integral role at helping to communicate the need for aid during times of crisis. Whether it be promoting benefits, or simply visually expressing the severity of the tragedy to bring awareness, design has the power to evoke emotion with the intention to lead to action.

Here we are 1 year after the horrific hurricane devastated Haiti and much of it's spirit, and we look back at the progress that has been made.

Mr. Robert Greene, a Buffalo lawyer who out of the good of his heart assisted me when I was starting my business, has had a personal connection to the residents of Port-au-Prince, in particular, the Notre Dame de Lourdes orphanage. The building was both a clinic and an orphanage, and all the efforts at providing medical equipment, clean water, food, education, and a safe environment was lost with the storm.

Wanting to do something, this was clearly the organization that I could comfortably contribute to, knowing that in a very small but important way, I am possibly showing my gratitude and making a difference in the lives of those who need it so desperately.

I will continue to support when I can in hopes that in 2011, all those working with the orphanage will be able to fulfill the goal of successfully rebuilding in 2011. They have already received over $350,000 of their $400,000 goal to fund the new building. (www.haitianorphanagefund.com)

Tragedies like the events in Haiti have called for support on many different levels.

The Haiti Poster Project was established last year, immediately after the earthquake. Designers from around the world created limited edition signed posters, with all money raised to be donated to Doctors Without Borders.

Below are a few of the posters from The Haiti Poster Project, and you can follow the link to view more, and perhaps purchase one of your own.

www.thehaitiposterproject.com