Penalty! Unnecessary Blandness! Redesigning the Worst NFL Helmet Graphics

Link here

I love sports logos. I have designed over 100 various fantasy or real designs in my life. It's a strange interest, but one that has a lot of exciting potential, as well as disappointing results. This article talks about the eyesores some NFL teams have on their helmets. The writer, Ken Carbone explains the 3 teams that have the worst designs are the Redskins, Patriots and Buccaneers.

Here are some designs he came up with.

Yikes. This design is for the Patriots. It is so bland and uninspiring.

This design is for the Buccaneers. Also a very bad design.

The fight the designer is fighting is not misguided. Helmets that utilize the whole helmet are much more long lasting affect in the viewers mind. However, these designs are as trite and tacky as the ones he defends (Cincinnati Bengals).

http://trueslant.com/jeffbercovici/files/2009/09/300px-Cincinnati_Bengals_helmet_rightface.png

ewwwwww

Hot Topic new logo

Old, then new. Hot Topic is a popular chain store found mostly in mall establishments. I remember when Hot Topic branded purely the goth aesthetic. The first logo was an excellent design for the shopper looking to dress against the norm (yes shop at a billion dollar franchise instead, ironic, we know but thats not the point of this post). The trend became evolving and scenster clothing became the big in. Bright neon colors purposely mismatching was the new direction for hot topic. Obviously with a look like this

The old logo does not mesh well with the look. Who knows what rebranding Hot Topic will pursue. They are a very popular store for tweens, and have the potential to create new fashion trends for this demographic. My advice, no more pink jeans.

Peter Pan new jar

Old on top, new on bottom. I like the change. The new jar is a bit more whimsical and rebrands the Peter Pan jar with the yellow lid. Peter Pan had some issues on salmonella a few years back, so a rebranding is far overdue.

I am a JIF man myself, but the whimsy feel will sure be a hit with the kids

If you can't afford real celebrities, get people who look like them

Brand Freak link

This article talks about my companies using celebrity look-alike and act-alikes to appear in ads. I remember seeing a Hertz ad with a man who looked like Chris Farley and acted just like him.

Turns out it was his brother Kevin Farley trying to recapture the old Farley spirit.

Hertz ad here

I don't see this as a trend so much as just something that happens when the top actors are too expensive to get. However because the part is created in their vein, the makers of the ad want someone to fit that personality (besides just looking like them). It's fun to see who looks like who too.

Stephen Colbert defends mayo from vicious Miracle Whip attacks

Link from Brand Freak

Miracle Whip is trying very hard to rebrand themselves. Obviously making it hip with the whip is an uphill batter. The ad shown in this link appears very thin, very obvious and very dopey. Miracle Whip will never be a lifestyle brand. But the Colbert ad for Mayonnaise was very humorous. and twice as extreme

Social Networking: How young is too young

This CNN report looks deeper into the issue of younger children getting myspaces, facebooks, twitters and how this will affect them later in life.

The article is nothing spectacular. Partially because some information is almost passed as facts rather then just a speculation. Technology can be a scary thing. However, I don't see the inherit dangers of a child being able to use a computer.

The worry would be (like mentioned in the article) an addiction to the internet. However, every generation has a small number of people misusing these websites.

Technology breeds new possibilities as well as new issues. Many stem off an unfamiliarity with the what it holds.

Twitter user 'Shit My Dad Says' gets CBS deal

http://twitter.com/shitmydadsays

Twitter user gets CBS deal

This twitter is about a 29 year old man who has moved back in with his dad and the random "inspirational" wisdoms his 73 year old dad has to say.

Odds are, most of the things his dad probably has not said. However, this is just another example of the power of social websites. Like many other blogs, Shitmydadsays has signed a book deal.

In my opinion, the funniest and rawest forms of comedy is no longer on television. The twitter is hilarious btw.

Hahaha

Hilton upset about New Zealand Company using her picture for unsold billboards

I have nothing to say besides this very amusing. They do not have the rights to the picture and she has mentioned the potential of legal action, but this is amusing. Clever, and short-lived. The best ads usually are!

BK Franchisees Sue Over Dollar Double-Cheeseburger Promo

Ad Age Article

This story was also featured on Yahoo news. Basically BK Franchises are suing the corporation for the implementation of the dollar double cheeseburgers. The company looses about 10 cents on each burger. The yahoo article touched more with the Franchisee owners who were deducing that if you are losing 10 cents on each burger, it makes no sense to have that on the menu. Simply put yes, this is correct, but the objective is to increase overall business at BK. Use the burger as bait and get them to buy a large fry and a soda (which has great markup anywhere).

The Ad Age story does a great job with some figures on the effects after the Double Cheeseburger change came into effect. Well, Sales are improving compared to previous figures, however for one franchisee, the average check is down as well as the gross profit margin. If other stores are getting the same kind of feedback, I would advise BK to take away this promotion.

The winner in this case is the consumer (at least for now). In fact I think I will enjoy some BK tonight. Maybe get a double cheeseburger and a king size fry.

All the Google Logos

We all use Google. Some have other search websites we preference, but most websites use Google as their web host server. Because of that, the Google logo has been viewed so many times. Now Google allows us to look back at the themed logos from the past 10 years.

http://www.google.com/logos/

This website is tons of fun to just browse. The power of the Google brand allows it to edit the logo (some times unreadable to most) for the sake of making events relevant. This is a testament of the power of the Google brand, the Google name, and the Google logo.

Charges dropped on Man because of Facebook status

His Facebook Status Now? 'Charges Dropped'

Bradford was arrested as a suspect in a robbery case in Harlem. However, at the time of the robbery, he had updated his facebook from his fathers basement. He was then cleared of the charges and another person was arrested.

Most of the time, this new usage of technology has been used against suspects/ For example, murder cases, divorce proceedings, other robberies have all had Facebook brought in to be admitted as evidence.

This is the first reported case that clears someone as a result of knowing way too much about a person. I suppose with facebook, twitter, and other daily intensive social websites, we have reached a new age of self-transparency. It has become more of a challenge to brand ourselves different then who we are. Also, we are much more connected with one another, usually in a mundane everyday sort of way.

However, this time, Facebook saved a mans freedom. Facebook takes diminishes mine

Amazon opens up online Denim Store

From PSFK: Amazon has decided to unveil a new online store.

This includes 7+ of the most popular denim brands. Zappo's (remember that nude fast running man?) also introduced something similar earlier in the year.

Amazon continues to branch further and further out. Personally I don't shop for most clothes online, I like to try things on. Especially jeans, but I imagine for those very brand loyal (for example) Dickies patrons, this is an excellent and easy way for them to get their pants.

Avoid the Droid

With $100M Saturation Campaign, Droid Will Be Impossible to Avoid

The new phone Droid is hoping to put a large dent into the iPhones market. It is (as the article states) gambling by playing up a sci-fi machismo driven motif. I am genuinely excited to see what kind of impact this will have.

To personify the two phone devices, we have a sweet neighbor with hip and slick glasses (iPhone) and a cold but successful well built man with short hair, and a lot of those Affliction shirts (Droid)

VS.

Personifying items is a lot of fun

Such a clever logo

http://logopond.com/gallery/detail/77089

Some others I like just through glances.

http://logopond.com/gallery/detail/82777

http://logopond.com/gallery/detail/81417

http://logopond.com/gallery/detail/81172

These to me are like written puns. Very inoffensive and cute

NY Times: Axe Hires Subway Musician to Promote It's Products

NY Times Article

Basically the article explains how Axe body spray (owned by Unilever) gave a subway guitarist around $10,000 to occasionally hold up signs and offer free samples (as well as sing a really dopey song about leather) of the new leather Axe fragrance.

I am curious how this will work out for the man, as well as Axe. Obviously we not expected a tenfold increase in sales, but the product itself is rather unknown (at 21 and male I imagine myself to be a target demographic) to my friends and I. The article mentions that Axe has contracted with other bands to do similar things. Depending on the types of music they play, they may find more success then an old man wailing old Billy Joel songs. Regardless, good luck Axe!

Sally Shapiro Design

Sally Shapiro for those who are unfamiliar, Sally (actually a pseudonym) is an indie Italo disco singer. She sings mostly about her hardships in love (most of the songs just want you to find her and give her a biiiiiiiiiiiig hug). Regardless, her music has a very cold (wintery) feel, and that is a very appealing part. However, she does not have much of an aesthetic to go off of. I used to be a indie music blogger (and judging by my viewership, a poor one ha!), but the new era of downloading/streaming/myspace/filesharing in the music industry has definitely changed how bands look at their own visual aesthetic. I have seen bands dedicate equal time to music and aesthetic.

For example, the French band Justice has created their own look to match their grunge/electro/european soundtrack synth pop.

They have basically re-defined the european style of what people say is "cool".

Their style is really more of a mesh of previous blends.

Recipe: Justice (the band)

Add one parts: Leather Jacket (ala MJ)

One parts: Wayfarers

One part: Crazy idea to brand themselves with the age old Christian Cross (note: Justice is not a Christian band, but have basically stamped the cross as theirs to use)

This is their debut album cover simply entitled "†" or "cross"

A shot of their live stage setup

Justice has created a very focused effort to brand themselves in this way. I am struggling to find a few words to accurately describe of what I can say about the band, but the aesthetic demands 18-24 year olds to stop and say "cool" or "thats hip" even if they don't even care for what Justice is doing.

Back to the topic on hand however, Sally Shapiro lacks a really strong brand behind her. Her music is cold and desperate and perhaps her visual counterpart should blend well with this. I created this "album" cover in photoshop for a song I like by hers called Anorak Christmas. The song is about falling in love with someone at first sight and not knowing if they would ever feel the same.

Here is the cover I created using a picture of her at night, and reworking an old record cover.

Originally it had the song name and her name (like most single covers) but the more I looked at it and listened, the less I felt it should have the words on it. I will let the warped album cover and her sweet face tell the story of the song.

This was created for my own personal use (on itunes, because I love the album view feature). I may start creating images more in the future because this is a lot of fun to try to visually create what the song means to me.

I feel that Sally Shapiro is a very special musician, but just needs some work on her visual appeal.

I design

I am at heart a designer (but I very much enjoy being a marketing major). I went through a phase in high school where I planned on going to MU and transferring to MATC to get a graphic art degree. Anyways, plans changed, I fell out of the loop with design. It was no longer fun for me. That phase lasted up until about 6 months ago actually. Since then however, I have done advertisements for Marquette Student Government (I am the Creative Director there, cool name, I know), the band Guster, Marquette Women's Club Basketball Team, a few bands, and a few humorous blogs. Regardless this blog will delve deeper into the creative side my own work or others work within the advertising/marketing field.

Enjoy

Evan