We have some really big news to announce Monday morning.  It's killing me to wait.  Stay tuned…

Oh, and Happy Valentines Day.  We love all of you.

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A few months ago I got an "I'm Not a Paper Cup" as a gift. It's a ceramic imitation of the ubiquitous disposable paper cup from coffee shops. At first glance, this entertaining take on the reusable travel mug seems to be a stylish gimmick destined to collect dust on the shelf but upon closer examination, it is actually a very thoughtfully-designed piece. The body is porcelain and double-walled for good insulation, hot or cold. It comes with a silicone lid (also mimicking the disposable plastic lids). It's dishwasher and microwave safe. And, unlike many contemporary travel mugs, it's slim enough to fit into the outdated, non-expanding cup holders in my car. The only perceivable con is that you have to grip it tight — this ceramic piece of art isn't drop-able.

While it is fun little article, I probably would not have bought one myself simply because my stainless tumbler is still going strong and is more durable and practical. But I also tend to be hard to sell to. The most surprising thing, though, has been the response it gets from other people. Every time I get it filled at a coffee shop, customers and baristas alike are in awe — asking where to buy it, passing it around to show their fellow workers. Just a few months ago it took a bit of effort to find it for sale online. Now a quick Googling will bring up a bunch of retailers ready to sell you the not-a-paper-cup along with other stylish "eco-friendly" items. I'm surprised I haven't seen it for sale in a Starbucks.

It's funny how the "green" movement has only recently started to take off due to its huge commercialization. You can hit people over the head with blunt facts all day (an average coffee-drinker can throw away over 300 cups, lids, sleeves, sugar packets and stirring sticks a year) to no effect, but present them with an option that will increase their "lifestyle" cool-factor and suddenly everyone wants to be a tree-hugger. Need some money for charity? Same thing, sell ‘em something awesome (or (RED)) they can proudly display on their sleeves. It's like selling indulgences, 2.0-style.

Although it's all a bit sad, in my humble opinion, it goes to show just how powerful design is. It has the ability to speak to people on an emotional level, influence decisions, sell ideas and, in some cases, make or break a product. Sometimes, putting lipstick on a pig is all it takes.

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Props to HBR for this cartoon in this months edition…

Piano tops don't make good life saving devices. If you are on a boat with a bunch of pianos that goes down, and you find one though, it might convince you otherwise. In business people do this from time to time as well. Someone "innovates" and creates a new way of doing things, that feels right just because it is new, different, and you are making a bunch of waves while doing it! (no pun intended)

In today's market you don't see as much of this as you did in previous years. With most people strapped for cash, few ideas are being un-thoughtfully released. I still think however that this happens. Innovation and "out of the box" thinking is so valued in today's business world that it is easy to see how it can happen. Make sure that your innovation is NOT just a top of a piano. 

Don't sell an idea, just because it works. Don't sell an idea just because you can sell it. Sell it because it is remarkable.

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John and I just got back this past week from going on Sixthman‘s Ships & Dip V cruise. It was actually the third cruise, but hey – when the Barenaked Ladies are hosting, you just go with the odd numbers and call it the fifth.

It was not only a blast, but we also learned a ton about the Ships & Dips fans, and how one passionate tribe can inspire an entire sub-culture of events. I hadn't heard of most of the bands…they were mostly Canadian, but all memorable. I'll be downloading some new music on iTunes from the Brothers Creeggan and The Weakerthans as a result.

Things like on-deck hockey, a yearly naked photo (that's right – everyone disrobes and poses for a picture), jokes about Quebec, and other things I was previously unfamiliar with were all the norm.

All the fans were happy to include us and introduce me (patiently) to bands and events they had known for years. I felt like I had just been initiated to some kind of exclusive secret society – one that just happened to be at sea and on vacation.

Thanks to all the fans and to Sixthman for including us. Hopefully our honorary initiation will stay true for another year on Ships & Dip VII.

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Yesterday I started to compile my list of entries for the 2008 PRINT Regional Design Annual and it dawned on me that some of our recent identity work has never seen the light of day (or at least hasn't been posted on our website or blog). So I wanted to share six of my favorites:

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I've had a hard time reading and writing blogs ever since I joined the Twitter community, and I can think of three main reasons.

1 – Twitter is so much more authentic and real.  Personalities shine through so much more on Twitter.

2 – It requires less time and mind space to share thoughts and ideas.

3 – It forces people to practice one of the core elements of good branding: Focus.

I wonder how many companies can say who they really are in 140 characters?  If you can't, you aren't focused enough.  It took me a few minutes to embody Matchstic in so few words, but I managed.

Matchstic is a Brand Identity House, creating standout brand identities that embody and communicate organizations' core distinctions.

Does your organization pass the Twitter branding test?

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By now, most people have caught glimpse of Pepsi's "rebrand". I won't go too much into how much I dislike the design, as most criticisms have already been said. I could never really put my finger on why I didn't like it, but after seeing the "Refresh Anthem" commercial I think I figured it out.

The ad features a "remix" of Bob Dylan's song, "Forever Young", featuring a rap from Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas. Vintage footage of Gumby and John Belushi is played alongside their modern-day counterparts of Shrek and Jack Black. Apparently Will.i.am is the Dylan of today, which, along with cell-phones replacing lighters at live concerts and the head Pea's mind-blowing verse at the end, speaks wonders for our generation's disposable art and media-obsessed mentality. Don't believe it? I was at a show just yesterday and had trouble paying attention with all the blinding lights from cell phone and digital camera screens. (I found it funny that Coke ran an ad at the same time telling us to put our cell phones down and reconnect in person).

And these Pepsi cans serve as the perfect visual complement to this mentality, with its trendy, "me too", trying-too-hard-to-be-stylish design. Don't get me wrong, being a designer, I have an inherent soft spot for simplicity (Coke's redesign a couple years back was executed beautifully). What Pepsi did wrong is disregard a certain sense of honesty that, to their credit, they did posess once upon a time (see here and here).

There is a simple rule of thumb that separates the brilliant from the mediocre. To quote Thomas Friedman, as a designer, your job isn't to give people what they want (what Pepsi did by following trends). It is to make something that people don't know they want but will buy like crazy when they see it.

The tagline? "Every generation refreshes the world." I'm patiently hoping for a better next-generation to wash all the shiny graphics away.

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* Click Image to Zoom

Those are all the Super Bowl logos since the "First World Championship Game AFL vs. NFL". I find it fascinating how the Super Bowl brand has pretty much been the same since that first game in 1967, but the logos for each game has evolved. The most fascinating ones to me are the ones where you can see the inspiration for the logo / where the idea came from. Super Bowl XXVIII was in Atlanta therefore the peach, XXVII and XXI were in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl, hence the roses. But the 2 that I find most fascinating in origin are this years and Super Bowl XXXVI. This years appears to be a play off of the Obama logo, with the curved rows at the bottom and rounded feel. The logo for Super Bowl XXXVI seems to be originated from the great sense of pride in America after 9.11. What are your favorites and why?

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I just wanted to shine a little light on a few of my favorites things in the design, arts and music worlds right now.

Favorite Display Typeface : Black Slabbath

Favorite Body Typeface : Twentieth Century

Favorite Design Blog : NotCot

Favorite Arts Blog : FecalFace

Favorite Design Book : How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul

Favorite Illustrator : Michael Sieben

Favorite Fine Artist : Jonathan Viner 

Favorite Tattoo Artist : Malia Reynolds at Memorial Tattoo

Favorite Band : Norma Jean

Favorite Music suitable for the Office : Efterklang

Favorite Music Video : WIlliam Howard Taft by Two Man Gentleman Band

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From time to time I get to experience the fascinating phenomenon known as "cold calls". I've never quite seen their value (within the last ten years at least), but someone somewhere must be buying it!  Below is one I received recently and I just had to share.

Click here to listen

PS- Regardless of such an abused medium, I still hold fast to the principal of "It's not the medium, it's the message". This particular message just happens to miss the mark, especially in the clarity department.

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