A Kit to Thwart Writers Block
All creative types have been there: no fresh ideas coming up in the old noggin. Elizabeth Dilk decided to make her own “idea box” for times when inspiration doesn’t strike. The kit has a couple of writing pads, pre-chewed pencils a 12-sided die with random actions written on each side. To advertise it, she screen printed a bunch of napkins that are pre-doodled with depressing comments on one side and the logo on the other. Unfortunately, this isn’t a real product. It was a design project where the designers were, “…asked to find something I hate, change it and make it better, and then advertise it.” No reason you can’t go off and make your own though…
(via Designbloom)
Saturday Morning Animation – Ten Thousand Pictures of You
Adidas: Kopanya
I am not a follower of socce….er….football, I mean, but I sure like this ad campaign from Adidas to celebrate the first ever Africa hosted Confederation’s Cup . The way to be famous in Africa is to have a haircut named after you and have your likeness painted on a wooden board or on the side of a building advertising your special coif. Adidas had these commissioned, each one representing the stars of the game and their special “cuts” – their noted skill at the game.
I do not know who they commissioned to do these but I sure hope they made the effort to find people who really do paint these signs in Africa and not just someone to knock ’em off.
Kopanya is a South African word for togetherness and is part of Adidas global campaign – “Together I am strong”.
(via www.ibelieveinadv.com)
Saturday Morning Animation – Slagsmålsklubben
Little Red Ridding Hood as performed in infographics. The music is a bit annoying but the second time through, I really liked it.
Kinetic Wave Sculptures by Ruben Margolin
Reuben Margolin is a San Francisco Bay Area artist who creates amazingly complected yet elegant sculptures. Inspired from nature and built using found objects, simple pulleys and motors, he is truly creating inspired stuff. And listening to him talk about his work is just as inspiring.
The video is a Make Magazine profile and well worth watching. He even makes a stop by Urban Ore, one of the greatest places on the planet as far as I am concerned. He is truly creating inspired stuff and I really enjoy hearing him talk about his work.
Western Tentacled Jay Poster
Again, I have too many posters sitting around unframed right now (including a nice Obama one) but I am VERY tempted to purchase “Western Tentacled Jay” by Chicago illustrator Phineas X. Jones.
Edition of 150, signed and numbered. Thirty bucks at octophant.us. Someone please go buy this. For me.
(via OMG Posters)
UPDATE: My wife gave me the thumbs up on this one. Damn if I didn’t marry UP! Thanks, sweetheart!
Babel Tales by Peter Funch
Photo montages are great when done right and Dutch Danish photographer Peter Funch is definitely doing it right with his series Babel Tales. Taking numerous shots of the same exact place he finds similarities in the different images and collages those elements into one image. I think it is successful and reminds me of 100 Meters of Existence.
As Fast As I Can T-Shirt
How could you not love this Threadless Tee by Thomas De Santis?
Big Plastic Head Lingo – “LOINK”
Yes, I have created my first word and that word is:
loink: n. A broken web URL; A link in a web page that either goes to the wrong location or nowhere at all.
That’s right. That’s MINE! You can go suck it, Urban Dictionary. We already have PLENTY of different words for “penis”, thank you very much. You DO NOT need this one.
Saturday morning Animation – Technological Threat
This was a 1988 Academy Award nominee from Bill Kroyer but was beat out by Tin Toy from John Lassiter of Pixar fame.
Coroporate Re-Branding Fail – Sci Fi to become SyFy
File this in the “What Were They Thinking” category. The SciFi Network has decided to change their name to SyFy.I know, right? Looks like “Siffy” to me too. According to their own press release (WARNING: lots of bad corporate speak):
“…broadens perceptions and embraces a wider and more diverse range of imagination-based entertainment including fantasy, paranormal, reality, mystery, action and adventure, as well as science fiction…”
That may be so but…SyFy? So, phonetically it is the same. I get it. Don’t want to confuse anyone now do we? But if you are trying to diversify your content on your network and distance yourself from being just a science fiction (Sci-Fi) channel, why call it something that STILL IS PRONOUNCED SCI-FI!?! It is the SAME THING but spelled poorly! If you gotta change it, frickin’ change it.
And a tag line, “Imagine Greater”!?! Horrible. People loosing their jobs left and right and someone got paid to come up with that!?! Man, I would love to see the ones that they DIDN’T choose. Apparently there were over 300! There must have been some dandy ones. As @SoundSystemSDC said on Twitter this morning, “it beat out ‘It’s Imaginably Great!’ and ‘We got yer flyin’ cars right here.'” I love that last one.
The person most responsible for this is the president of The SciF – er- SyFy Network (Ew. Now I feel dirty) David Howe who says amazing things like:
“We really do want to own the imagination space.”
You want to own the what now?
“When we tested this new name, the thing that we got back from our 18-to-34 techno-savvy crowd, which is quite a lot of our audience, is actually this is how you’d text it. It made us feel much cooler, much more cutting-edge, much more hip, which was kind of bang-on what we wanted to achieve communication-wise.”
Maybe they could add a Poochie character.
“…build a broader, more open and accessible and relatable and human-friendly brand.”
“Human-friendly”? Is there any other kind?
And how about his description of their new series ‘Warehouse 13”:
“It is a dramedy and it is set in the here and now. It’s a kind of an Indiana Jones meets ‘Moonlighting’ meets ‘The X-Files. This is a very accessible, relatable, fun show.”
I just threw up in my mouth a little.
(Quotes taken from tvweekcom article)
I would like to suggest these other changes to some other top cable networks so they too can distance themselves from their base:
Lifetime = LyfeTyme
he History Channel = The HySTORY Channel
Comedy Central = Comedy Polarized
The Weather Channel = The Whether Channel
The Food Network = I’d Eat That!
USA Network = ‘Merica
MTV = Garbage
OK, where’s my check?
The New Pepsi Logo – Smash or Trash?
I am sure you all have seen the new Pepsi logo by now. What do you think? I myself am not impressed. Also – which I find totally weird – the logo changes slightly depending on the type of Pepsi it is. The white stripe gets larger if the product is Pepsi Max (whatever the Hell THAT is) and gets skinnier for Pepsi Zero. I guess one corporate logo just wasn’t enough for these guys. And have you seen the new bottles? They TOTALLY look like wrinkly penises. Seriously. Check ’em out here if you don’t believe me.
Whatever you think, I LOVE Lawrence Yang’s take on it…
NAILED it!
Saturday Morning Animation – Death Cab For Cutie – Grapevine Fires
Sorry this is late but here is your Saturday Morning Afternoon Animation. It is the new video for Death Cab for Cuties song Grapevine Fires directed by Walter Robot Studio.
ATTENTION: WFMU is in desperate need of your help. It is a one-of-a-kind radio station out of New Jersey that you can listen to on-line. Let me tell you people, if you can’t find a show on this station that you don’t like – nay – become addicted to, then I DO NOT KNOW YOU! And they need our help. If they do not reach their goal this year they could lose their construction permit for a new transmitter. If that happens, I WILL HUNT DOWN EVERYONE WHO READS THIS BUT DOES NOT PLEDGE!! Even $15 will help. Please go here and pledge what you can today. I mean, C’mon…$15 is not even a weeks worth of coffee when these folks are bringing it EVERY DAY!
Get on it. Please.
Saturday Morning Animation – Guide Dog
The sequel to “Guard Dog” by Bill Plympton featured last week.
fig. 5~ NEWISH COMMENTS: