Consumers Vs. Designers and Corporate Heads – Case of the Tropicana OJ Containers
Just two months ago Tropicana (owned by PepsiCo) dropped it’s new carton design (created by Peter Arnell of the Arnell Group) on consumers. That is it up there on the right. Needles to say, US customers flipped out (as they really do fear change) and bitched and moaned to Tropicana headquarters. Comments about the new packaging (containing the same product inside) were in the range of ‘ugly’, ‘stupid’ and ‘a generic bargain brand’. They also mentioned that it was hard to differentiate between their different juices.
Tropicana listened to their customers and, saying that they, “…underestimated the deep emotional bond” their loyal customers had with the product, have said that they are returning to their old package design. Even the designer (possibly one of the worst bosses in New York) has sided with the head honchos at Tropicana North America on this one saying, “Tropicana is doing exactly what it should be doing. I’m glad Tropicana is getting this kind of attention.” The only thing that they are keeping is the new cap design.
What do you think? Do you drink it? Does it matter to you? Which one do you like better? If I get 50 comments on this post I will raffle of the latest edition of McSweeney’s Quarterly. Family is excluded from raffle. Sorry Karen and Marc.
(via designbloom.com)
Saturday Morning Animation – Guard Dog by Bill Plympton
Saturday Morning Animation – Kaboom! by Pes
Another clever animation by Pes. LOVE the clowns.
UNO Hispanic Branding Posters
Go check out this nice collection of Hispanic posters over at Behance Network. Unfortunately there isn’t any information about them at all. I think they are all by Luis Fitch over at Uno Branding but I am not sure.
Saturday Morning Animation – Superman Short
This is less animation than it is a series of stills. I still really like it.
Barack Obama’s First Signature as President
That is one nice signature. Sure beats the last guys.
Patton Oswalt Posters From Jay Ryan
Oh my. It is not fair that I have five posters sitting at home that need framing and then come across these two awesome posters by Jay Ryan at The Bird Machine. These are from Patton Oswalt’s recent gigs in Athens and Atlanta Georgia and featuring Patton’s dog Grumpus and Star Wars action figures. (Patton is a huge Star Wars nerd.) I really shouldn’t get any more posters since we are out of wall space and I still have those other five to frame but, since my wife is gone for the week, the only question for me at this point is which one to buy. I think I am leaning toward the Boba Fett one.
The two posters approximately 17.5 x 23 inches, printed on white cover using five screens. Each has an edition of 300 that are signed and sell for $20. Fine art for twenty bucks, folks. Good deal. Now go support an artist!
Saturday Morning Animation – Her Morning Elegance
Some great stop motion animation in this video from Oren Lavie.
High Line Park, NYC
I find this both exciting and inspirational. I remember hearing about plans to take a portion of the elevated train system in NYC and turn it into a park a few years ago but I wrote it off as just being a beautiful pipe dream that would never come to fruition. I have never been more glad to be wrong.
The High Line was built in between 1929 and 1934 on Manhattan’s West side. The High Line went right through the middle of city blocks so that freight trains (it could support 2, fully loaded) could roll right in to warehouses and factories to pick up and drop off goods. This alleviated any interference with street traffic that was starting to become a problem in the bustling city. By the 50’s, trucking began replacing the railway and, after some demolition in the 60’s, it finally stopped seeing any use in 1980.
To make a long story short, advocates spoke, protection of the abandoned railway was granted and funding was raised. A design competition was held and architects were chosen. And now, it is physically happening. The first section of the High Line (Gansevoort Street to 20th Street) is projected to open in the Spring of 2009. That is almost now, people!
Here is a great video kind of showing what it will be:
Here is the Friends of the High Line blog that has some great info and updates.
Name My Design Company Machine
I have always been asked, “Why ‘Big Plastic Head’?” And I’m all, “I don’t know. It just sounds badass and is easy to remember.” And then they are all, “Pft. Whatever.” And then they never ask about it again. Nor return to the site. (Unless ‘they’ are my wife and brother-in-law. They are like groupies. Seriously. Can’t shake ’em.)
I guess next time I’ll use the “Name My Design Company Machine” from Breadline. It does a pretty good job except there are too many animals and not enough body parts. (One time it came up Green Banana Designs. Not bad, actually…)
(Via Draplin)
Saturday Morning Animation – Big Buck Bunny
Big Buck Bunny is a great little animation made with Blender, an open source (read: free) software that anyone can download and use to create their own animations. I highly recommend watching this in HD here.
Art-O-Mat
What do you do with those old cigarette vending machines? Decorate them all ‘Fantastico’, cram ’em full of cheap art, spread them out across the country and create an army of Art-o-Mats!
These things have been around for ten years already. There are 82 active machines featuring the works of over 400 artists. Put in your money, pull the lever and you are rewarded with a one-of-a-kind original art piece. How cool is that? Very cool, I say. It looks like there is one up in Eugene so I may have to drop in and check it out next time I am there.
The Impossible Project
Remember my post last week about Polaroid failing to understanding their market value and stopped making their self-developing film? Well it sure created a flurry of comments on this site the likes of which I have never seen before. Thank you to all of the commenters. (I would thank you all individually but I am a very busy man. Sorry.)
Anyway, there is hope yet…sort of. A group calling themselves Impossible b.v. has signed a 10 year lease agreement with Polaroid for the factory and all the equipment used in the Netherlands plant which made the now defunct film and film cartridges. Impossible b.v. plans to use the facility to make:
“… a new product with new characteristics, consisting of new optimised components, produced with a streamlined modern setup. An innovative and fresh analog material, sold under a new brand name that perfectly will match the global re-positioning of Integral Films.”
Whatever that means. Just give us back our wonderful grainy odd-colored auto-developing film, will ya? Does it have to be that complicated? Sheesh.
We’re All Gonna Die – 100 Meters of Existence
Simon Høgsberg has created a photograph that is 100 meters long and 78 centimeters tall by stitching together a whole bunch of photos. All the photos were taken from approximately the same spot on a bridge in Berlin over a course of 20 days. I didn’t think I would like this as much as I do. This could have easily failed but I think the results are quite effective. (via Kottke)
I also really like the photos from his “Tower of Babel” series that he gave up on because he, “…no longer believed in the idea behind it”. And, actually, all of his work is very good. Highly recommended.
fig. 5~ NEWISH COMMENTS: