Magnificent Baby

Heading to the National Gift Show on Sunday. It's been forever since I've gone & I'm excited to see all the booths and wonderful new products. Will definitley blog about it here next week.

Especially looking forward to seeing Lauren & Larry of Magnificent Baby! I branded their company awhile back & they are the hottest new item among baby clothing. Magnetic! You can also read about them at Daily Candy Kids. They are at booth 5612 if you want to check them out! I took some images at the Magnificent Baby offices last week.

I am LOVING the new patterns and how the little details I suggested during the branding/production add to the product!

Times are tough: Charmin is hiring. Enjoy the go.

Took this photo in Times Square yesterday. Inquire here.

Tropicana Reverts back to Classic Logo

I don't know about you, but my fellow designers and I have had much debate lately over the new Tropicana packaging/logo designed by Peter Arnell. This week I heard they are reverting back to the old classic packaging. Wow, I haven't lived through any re-verts instead of re-designs and I am happy to see the old logo reinstated. Why mess with what works? (We do however like the rounded cap!)

"The new design confused our core consumers and that's why we went back," said Massimo d'Amore, CEO of PepsiCo Americas Beverages, but "people do not buy design. They buy products. We have not changed the product." See whole article from the NYPost.

From trendcentral
"And by the way: Think your opinion matters? Well, Tropicana sure does. Overwhelmingly negative consumer feedback in regards to their new juice packaging drove the orange juice giant to return to the former design. Talk about power to the people!"

ps. trendcentral's daily newsletter is GREAT!

Typography at Tiffany

Loving the typography on Tiffany & Co.'s website & advertising for Valentine's Day.

JCrew for the First Lady & First Daughters

JCrew designed items specifically for the first lady, Michelle & her daughters, Malia and Sasha Obama. Read more about it here. JCrew also got paid for their services, as the Obama camp asked for invoices for every step along the way. Good design is worth good money! Sometimes we designers forget that! I am also a huge fan of Isabel Toledo, who I first wrote about here and Caitlin's illustration of Isabel is amazing.
FYI: Just saw that Simon Doonan of Barneys is LOVING that Michelle Obama loves Isabel Toledo.

Build your own Oval Office

Did you catch that you can build your own Oval Office with Ikea furniture. I would have loved to be at that brainstorming meeting over at Ikea! You can play with the furniture and create a virtual layout. They recreated this scene in Washington D.C's Union Station. A unique way for a Swedish company to gather press during an American election, don't you think?

Michael Smith has been chosen to be the White House decorator. Check out what the WSJ said about it.

Orla Kiely for Target

Squealing with design anticipation for the New Orla Kiely line to hit Target! Planning a trip to the 'burbs in February. {Via Apartment Therapy}

Tesco takes on the U.S Retail Market

I really enjoyed this article as I am a fan of all things British. I can understand how a British market feels different than a US one, since I have perused the stores both in the city and in the suburbs of London. It's captivating to read the author's comparison about Tesco's Fresh & Easy to Wal-Mart. Great photos and store layout in the article.

As Tesco takes on the U.S. market, American companies like Wal-Mart are taking notice -- and adopting some of the British megaretailer's strategies.

Packaging & design discussion from Brand New

Pepsi New Branding

Did you see the new Pepsi commercial on New Year's Eve? I spotted the can a couple of times and had some interesting discussions with my design-y friends about the new branding. On New Year's Eve the logo took center stage all over Time's Square. So if you haven't seen a new can yet, you were probably able to see the new logo up close on your television set.


Underconsideration talked about it here.

Pepsi's Refresh Everything site.

More about Pepsi's Caffine Buzz and (I want to say Target-y look).

Brandweek article here on Pepsi's WORDPLAY ads and branding.

Logo design Love shares some of my thinking and links to some other design opinions!

You will swoon over this video posted over at AdGabber of the history of Pepsi & the logos... You can see the smiley logo well, smile.. :-)

{extra thoughts--where are all the old branded Pepsi drinks that were on the shelves a couple weeks ago---, at the dollar store?}

Starbucks Illustrated Giftcard

I had to buy this giftcard just for the illustrations. I wonder who designed it? The card holder is also to cute not to reuse.

Man behind the MLB logo: Jerry Dior

I just came across this topic and I had to share and comment. See the post below and my thoughts.

Taken from Brand New.
"More than two weeks ago The Wall Street Journal reported on Jerry Dior, the uncredited designer of the Major League Baseball logo that has been the league's identifier since the late 1960s and has spawned endless iterations for other professional sports. Dior isn't looking for fame or fortune, just acknowledgment from the league who, despite having enough supporting stories from Dior's peers, is still looking for some sort of magical evidence that Dior did the logo. Paul Lukas of Uniwatch, recently interviewed Dior about the logo and there is some great stuff in there: "I just did it, y'know? It was fast. I think I spent just an afternoon on it."

----I first met Jerry Dior back in 2001 when I was an summer intern at Interbrand, (the New York City office). I sat two cubicles away from Jerry and he'd be in our office about two days a week. The packaging and identity designers used his illustrative skills for a lot of our spec work and in some cases final designs! He was an amazing illustrator and I think even more importantly was how nice, easy to work with, and respected he was in the office. I remember the day someone told me he designed the MLB logo, I was blown away and I've never looked at the MLB logo the same way. I also learned a lesson that day that behind every great logo is a 'graphic designer or illustrator' with a story, style, and a smile.

Do any of you have similar experiences meeting designers or illustrators? This story reminds me of the Nike Swoosh designer.

Bumble & Bumble Illustrated Packaging

Passed this Bumble & Bumble packaging in a salon window and I loved the paisley illustrated quality. Once I visited the site I found they had random facts about 'paisley design' which adds so much character to the bottles.

Sheryl Crow for Whole Foods

Did you notice the environmentally friendly 'Illustrated' bag over at Whole Foods? I was pleasantly surprised to see Sheryl's design skills. PR release here. On the whole foods website was also a link to chalkboard art!

One Vote = One Coffee

Starbucks is offering a free cup of coffee if you vote tomorrow (Nov 4th). I was captivated by the typography in their commercial.

Bullseye Bodegas: Target in NYC!

Target is coming tomorrow to NYC. September 12-15, the Bullseye Bodegas will hit New York. I can't wait to see the designed retail spaces. Market Watch press release states:

"Each Bullseye Bodega will also offer customers the opportunity to shop upcoming limited-time collections before they hit Target stores, including the Anya Hindmarch handbag collection, the Sigerson Morrison footwear collection and the Jonathan Saunders GO International fashion collection. The bodegas will feature products with an average price of $25. Each Bullseye Bodega will be open from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily."

See more at the Target site.

Olympic Packaging

My friend {Thanks, Audra} came back from the Olympics and brought back the VIP Opening ceremony program for me to devour! She knew I'd love to see the craftsmanship and design that went into this collectable. Hello french folds! Each page tells the story in English & Chinese about each 'performance'. It was wonderful to be able to admire the details close up after only watching the spectacle on television.

I enjoyed also going through the other 'bits' she brought back. Everyone watching the opening ceremony also got the hand drum, flag and flashlight. Talk about branding. How about the Beijing Swirly Swirl? the tickets are also mini pieces of art and the card stock is a heavy weight---The five ring bracelets in the red box with the foil debossed logo are also quite lux. I'm sure all the printing was done in China.

Coca-Cola Olympic Bird's Nest Commercial

Anyone catch this commercial during the closing ceremonies last night? I loved it.

Olympic Fever: Designs of the 2008 Beijing Olympics

Anybody else been diagnosed this week? Beyond watching the sports-the graphics have (obviously) caught my eye.

Check out:
The Ralph Lauren outfits

Graphic designers out there are not going to like this article. The logo designer for the olympic logo was only paid $.20.

Definition and explanation of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Logo

The 2008 Beijing Olympic Green by Sasaki Design.
"The Olympic Green is an ambitious, unprecedented effort at city building in a setting of immense history and cultural richness. No other modern Olympiad has been hosted within such a profound and globally significant milieu. Sasaki’s proposal is deeply connected to an environmental ideal that has its beginnings in the myth and legends of ancient China, linked to the present day in recognizing the imperative of sustainable development."

Designer-daily has a great round up of the logo, signage, torches, and uniforms.

black*eiffel has a great round-up of ads, and images.

Did you know the Olympics have an official Illustrator? Yup it's Mark T. Smith. AIGA has an interview with him.

Olympic Poster designs through the years by abduzeedo.

How to read and define an Olympic poster from The Olympic Museum. Very much like style guide!

{image by Mark T. Smith}

Ikea Brooklyn Advertising

Deutsch Advertising did a great job with the IKEA advertising for the new Brooklyn store. Watch a video spot here! I hope I come across some of the branded messages soon.{photos from http://www.advertolog.com/}

Starbucks Chalkboard Animation Commercial

I really enjoyed this Starbucks commercial I caught on TV yesterday. I was attracted to the hand drawn type & simple animations. Click here for a link to the Art Director's page, including links to the other people involved with the spot including the ILLUSTRATOR!