A Little Design Here & There

AMC’s “Mad” Process

megantower — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 22:22:43 +0000

To me, it’s always interesting to see how other designers work and what their sketches look like. Now we can see what AMC’s Marketing Exec, Linda Schupack, did with sketches for the posters promoting the new series of “Mad Men.” You also get to see the progress up to it becoming the final poster.

And they’re quite interesting.

See pictures of the whole process here.

Nike Pulls New “Homophobic” Ads

megantower — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 17:51:56 +0000

In general, Nike advertisements are praised by those who see them for being inspirational and entertaining. This is not the case with the new Hyperdunk ads, which shows a basketball player dunking over another, and gets…well…a crotch to the face. Many are calling the new ads homophobic in nature.

Nike has pulled the ads.

See the CNN article here.

$%*&@#?!

megantower — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:46:17 +0000

Did you know that there’s a term for the use of characters to represent expletives? The word grawlix can now be added to your typographic vocabulary.

Power of Parody

megantower — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:49:56 +0000

I’ve noticed it as a widespread attack across YouTube…but not all of it is a bad attack, actually. Apple, one of the most recognizable logos in the world and now becoming one of the greatest companies in the world, is also one of the most parodied companies I’ve ever seen. Although many parodies are down by AfterEffects and Flash welding amateurs, comedy veterans like “Saturday Night Live” and Will Ferrell have even jumped in the fun.

Click here to see PC World’s list of the ten greatest Apple commerical parodies.

A Contest 38 Years Ago and It’s Still Recognizable

megantower — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 06:19:36 +0000

A student in college created a logo for a contest in 1970 and the logo is still being used today. He also was not a graphic designer and has not done anything since.

Click here to read a bit about the man who created the recycling logo and how it came to be.

Bahhhh.

megantower — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 00:01:00 +0000

While stumbling through one of my favorite product design sites, I walked into a pasture of sheep…stools.

They’re playful, worthy of a good laugh or two, and yet they’re still pretty fashionable. I think these stools by Sam Brown could be thrown into many a modern home and they would still fit the decor.

And I must say that it’s adorable that they have little black stopper “hooves.”

See the Better Living Through Design page for purchasing information.

Twisting the Words of Your Label Makes for Good Videos

megantower — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:27:14 +0000

It has been said that Weezer’s newest single, “Pork and Beans,” was written after the band met with label Geffen. Their label told them that they needed to write more mainstream and airwave-friendly music. Of course, this pissed off the band and they wrote a great song about following the crowd that brings Weezer back to “The Blue Album” and “Pinkerton.” Probably one of my favorite Weezer songs (and I’m a big Weezer fan).

But then you have the music video. To follow with the lyrics in the song, Weezer got ahold of many people who got their 15 minutes of fame on Youtube and used them in the video. This includes my personal Youtube favorite, the Mentos-and-Coke scientists, as well as Mr. Leave-Britney-Alone (Chris Crocker) as well as the All-Your-Base-Are-Belong-To-Us video game character and Charlie the Unicorn.

Great video. Great song. Great concept.

One of Typography’s Great Mysteries Solved.

megantower — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:39:17 +0000

So pretty much every piece of a character has a name. There’s counters, serifs, cross bars, descenders…but what about that missing space in a stencil-like font?

Well, it now has a name. It’s called a “pylon.”

Although I wonder if this is supposed to be a joke. The endorsements aren’t very…uh…endors-y…and it could be considered a joke. However, I think that this could catch on whether they intend it to or not.

All in all, though, an interesting read and something to let your brain wrap around.

Visit thisisapylon.com

Back from the Unannounced Hiatus

megantower — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 18:25:30 +0000

I had to slow down on my posting during the end of April and beginning of May due to my finals. I also then needed a break to do things I’ve been meaning to do for a very long time, including see friends from my hometown, spend some time outside, exercising, and most importantly, cleaning out my computer. It was time for a deep cleaning.

But now it’s time to start posting again. New features and design news posted soon!

This is Stretching It or Proof that “Good” Design Sells

megantower — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 06:13:38 +0000

Apparently there’s a WATCH that sells for $300,000. Dude, Good Design sells, right?

Here’s the thing. It doesn’t tell time.

Damn straight. It’s a day-night watch. It can tell you whether it’s day or night. I guess if you’re stuck in, say, Ministry of Love or something that might be useful. Those Oceanians probably work ridiculous hours and that may be useful…

Anyway, the point is is that this watch, no matter how pretty it is and how many pieces of the Titanic it contains (true!), it still can’t tell you the time and it costs more than some people’s homes. Get a load of that.

This guy is rolling in the money. It sold out minutes after its launch.