I’m Gonna Let Y’All Get Dissed An’ Ev’rything, But KAOS Had One of the Best Productions of All Time

Originally uploaded by Thomas Hawk

Brilliant art work…possibly illegal…yet still brilliant

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The video just says it all

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Photo from Lovely Package

“Seriously Pink is the first rosé coloured liqueur to be made in Australia. For the wine maker, achieving the right colour was just as important as the end result. Its first release completely sold out in just one month.”

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I saw this pristine example of packaging at one of my favorite packaging blogs, Lovely Package. Not sure if this is actual, or a student design - but I’ll take a gamble say it is for real. Lovely isn’t it?

images courtesy of Lovely Package

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We all have those moments in life and business where we just feel so down and out, that we just feel like giving up. Lately, there have been a few obstacles in my life that have pushed me in this direction. However, I just happened to take a look at Michel Fortin’s blog in my RSS reader and found this video. You will be challenged to NOT well up.

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I have always enjoyed Andy Warhol’s artwork - I can’t explain it other than the bold blocks of color, rich tapestries of American pop culture. I also love Keith Harring, who had a more political edge than Warhol. My generation now has it’s own artist, a rarity in my opinion. Shepard Fairey started his work just like Harring - creating images to say something about the world, pasting his work on the sides of buildings, on the sides of walk-signals, anywhere really. Most of Fairey’s work, if not all was based on negativity in the world. He’s been arrested for it many times, because, well…it’s against the law.

Now, his story has been flipped on it’s head, because his artwork was based on the hope, and change he saw in Barrack Obama.

Great video “pod-cumentry” on Current TV I saw today, is below. Pass it along. His work can be seen here.

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Many in the identity and graphic design, branding and marketing community have “voted” on the new Pepsi logo. Voted with their critique, that is. Many hate it, some even say it looks like a plumber’s rear. Why did Pepsi do it? It is one of the most recognized symbols in America, so why mess with a classic? Most importantly, what’s the goal and will it work?
Top Pepsi executives Indra Nooyi and Massimo d’Amore evidently demanded a “quantum leap” forward, to transform the brand into a cultural leader. In short, Frank Cooper, Pepsi’s VP-portfolio brands says this:

“We felt like, as we move out of this traditional mass marketing and mass distribution era into today’s culture, there’s an opportunity to bring humanity back, both in terms of the design but also in the way we engage consumers, - By making the logo more dynamic and more alive … [it is] absolutely a huge step in the right direction.”

Trouble is, you can change the logo all you want, but the product is what is purchased. No matter what you do, if that isn’t changed, the logo does nothing, nor does any marketing. See Microsoft and Vista. For Pepsi and Coke, what’s inside the can or bottle is what people choose. I dislike the Mountain Dew logo, always have - but the logo has not made me decide another soda should take its place.

That is Coke and Pepsi’s big issue in these modern times: the ingredients; namely High-Fructose Corn Syrup. (This issue itself is worthy of many pages of words, but today, I’m sticking to the topic at hand.) They say they are trying to be more competitive with the bottled water market. If this is the true meaning behind their new campaign, should they not address the health hazards and defects that it’s main sweetener has in store for it’s consumer?

Coke and Pepsi make soda in other countries with pure cane sugar. Why not in the USA? Because it is cheaper and easier to ship. Good for mass-production. If they really wanted to compete against the water industry, taking this chemical off the table would truely be… “absolutely a huge step in the right direction” no matter what you do with the logo.

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Some of us over at Biznik.com have been discussing the idea that print is dying. Jeff Fisher, a fellow designer, was among the respondents - and I noticed he posted the video below on Facebook.com It is a printing company’s version of Steve Delahoyde’s film “Regrets: Boxes” which can be seen here. And yes, I agree, print is not dying - it’s just changing with the times, morphing as we do with the speed of technology. Enjoy - and look for my lengthier post on this topic, coming soon.

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