This is awesome. From Thailand. That is all.

via Parse »

Olympic news you may have missed: the 2018 Winter Games will be held in the South Korea, in the border town of PyeongChang. (Not to be confused with Pyongyang*, the capital of shady-ass North Korea). Seoul, the South Korean capital, hosted the summer games back in 1988, but since then Korean athletes have very much blossomed on the world stage, in a great number of events.

The PyeongChang 2018 website features some lofty language as to why Korea should host.

… PyeongChang presents … a new, youthful and contemporary nation marked by technological proficiency, human progress and natural splendour. A new attitude, characterized by the unique spirit of the Korean people who value friendship, fun and hospitality. And a new, compact and efficient Games plan, featuring the most accessible, world-class venues ever for an Olympic Winter Games.

Ok, they’ve got some time to polish that up, make it more concise, and add Oxford Commas, but you get the point.

However, I’m more interested in the graphics and branding. As you can see above, they’ve got a logo for the bid campaign, which may or may not be certified as the real thing. There’s also a simple visual style already emerging. We will watch this space with interest.

No word yet as to whether or not Starcraft will be an Olympic event.

via Nesvine »

* I’m not sure of how Korean cities get capitalised (in English) but I’m going off the official 2018 site for PyeongChang, and off Naenara, the official state news agency of North Korea, for Pyongyang

It was nearly a year ago that I wrote in few words about the call to design London’s Olympic torch. Well, after so much waiting, we’re ready for the torch to appear in public view.

My first reaction is how austere the torch is. Following the famously bizarre identity for the games, and the abstract mascots that followed, I half-expected a re-think of the whole torch concept in general. I wouldn’t be surprised if they opted for some kind of spherical fire-orb, which one must hold in two hands like a rugby ball. But rest assured, in the end it’s just a torch.

Here’s a video from the AP which shows the London 2012 organisers debuting the torch for press:

download .mp4 / watch on YouTube

And as usual, the official London 2012 blog has way more information than I’d expect or require for this blog.

via Unbeige »

What’s old is new again. Washington DC’s Metro has hired the creator of the transit system’s original map to design the latest edition. This means that designer Lance Wyman — whose work you have definitely seen — gets the chance to revisit his work from 40 years ago.

“He’s really an expert at this,” said Lynn Bowersox, Metro’s managing director of public relations. “This is art-slash-science. That’s why we brought him back for this. He’s really iconic.”

This is a fun story. Check out the article, which includes a video.

While we’re on the subject of subway logos, check out this massive collection of transit system identities from around the world. Somehow, I suspect this is a short list, and more are lurking.

via The Washington Post »

The new label looks similar, but features some lightened verbiage. The previous and admittedly wordy description went like this:

Jack Daniel’s Old Time, Old No. 7 Brand, Quality Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey, Distilled and Bottled by Jack Daniel Distillery, Lem Motlow, Proprietor, Lynchburg (Pop. 361), Tenn. U.S.A., Est. & Reg. in 1866.

The noted population of Lynchburg, which wasn’t 361 anyway, has been removed along with a few other bits and bobs. For more, check out the article.

While I have been known, from time to time, to get defensive of a heritage brand trying to modernise, I don’t mind this at all. I think adapting the wording of the packaging a perfectly suitable adaption for today’s modern consumer (who doesn’t read or give a fuck about history). The overall design is the same, the trademark typography remains, and the newly added icons are very much in the old-fashion style. Plus, it’s all so subtle that very few will notice — especially after a few shots.

Also, how often does the Journal use the word “rejigger” in an article title? Gotta love that.

I suppose it is perfectly natural for the US Army, a large, highly visible, global organisation, to have a brand standards manual. Uncovered today from the folks at Core 77, we can see the Army’s Strategic Outreach Directorate, where logos, sounds loops, videos, ads, and other resources are available. Everything in sync. Lock-step, if you will.

This site is intended to provide current information to the United States Army Accessions Command community. It contains logo files, print ad samples, television ads, other advertising information and is intended to keep our community abreast of current advertising and outreach issues.

See for yourself »

Don’t have much to say here. I’m always curious to see brand manuals and how severely they police their standards. Working in the biz, we’re often charged with creating such a manual, and so knowledge is power.

via Core 77 »

It was late Summer 2009 when a minor scandal hit the Internet. The Mayor of London put out the call that London needs a new logo. Not just a new logo, but one logo to rule them all. A single graphic identity to unify all the official branches of London life, concerning tourism, transport, the arts, sport, government, etc. etc. Following the success of Wolff Olins’s NYC efforts — creating a single identity for all things New York — London sought to take a similar approach and bring order to the chaos. It was a noble plan, because once illustrated, the need was indeed apparent.

The many logos of London. Can we have some unity please? Image via Brand New

The scandal, if we can call it that, was in how the design firms were selected for a chance at the £400,000 fee associated with the project. In short, a huge list of criteria were included in the brief/tender, thus eliminating all those three-person firms that are doing really great work. Requirements concerning fire insurance, community outreach and charity donations, carbon footprints, and even something to do with LGBT policies tainted the whole project with a stink of public-sector red tape and corporate pandering. A deadly combination. A few notable firms were shortlisted, but the project was shelved, and no creative work ever emerged from said agencies.

Examples of NYC’s logo, used throughout the City’s agencies

However, we of the Internet took the project upon ourselves. Accepting that our ideas — no matter their merit — would never be considered, many concepts quickly appeared as to how London might create an identity for itself. Using the traditions of graphic design in Britain, designers showcased their work on the website A Brand for London. This writer even got in on the action creating his own approach to London, the brand.

Concepts for London. Not chosen, of course.

But recently there was some stirring and a logo was unveiled for the newly-created agency called London & Partners to handle all promotional activities, merging the existing Think London and Visit London. From a post on Creative Review:

At a press conference [1 April 2011], London Mayor Boris Johnson announced the launch of London & Partners, a new agency “to showcase London as the best city to visit, invest and study in”.

This was no April Fool’s joke, though. And further details emerged, along with visuals. Apparently the logo was an evolution of a concept submitted by Saffron, one of the shortlisted agencies. Their work was essentially the same, but without the river-in-an-O identifier which now appears.

The ‘River’ symbol of the new London & Partners logo. It’s the Thames, of course.

The identity for London & Partners already seems to be shaping up. They’ve got a modern website, and an intro video.

Johnson Banks blog has an excellent post on the subject, featuring some of the images of previous London design efforts. Follow the blogs, dear friends, there’s plenty to read about.

So what does this all mean? Well, first it illustrates how difficult it can be to create a brand for something as big as a city. Not only must there be the involvement of government(s) local, state, and national, but all the agencies involved are opening themselves up to public scrutiny. Any fees are likely to be public funds, so the work that emerges will be subject to taxpayer approval via opinions or something nearer to a riot. (Ahem, London 2012).

From a creative point of view, it’s no easy task. The team must tie in centuries of history, a multitude of cultural touchpoints, a directed tone and personality, and coordinate this all with stated business objectives. The branding of a city is a challenge indeed. And I would say that with a city as vast and diverse as London, there is no single image to encapsulate everything accurately and appropriately — someone is going to feel left out or misrepresented.

So if you are thinking “we need a brand identity for our city”, maybe you should think twice. Go for the small victory and make sure the trains are running on time.

This post also appears of The Next Big Design, the blog of the FUSE Conference.

Seemingly overnight, a flurry of posters popped up encouraging people to donate money to the Red Cross and other aid organizations. Many of these capitalize on Japan’s flag — itself a design icon — using different visual cues to associate earthquakes, flooding, breaking, and general stress to the otherwise ordered flag.

Weeping Sun, by Mr. Conde

Epicenter, by Daniel Freytag

Amplitude, by Zac Neulieb

It’s not just posters, though. Veer joined in by offering a font download for a donation, and t-shirts such as that on Merchline all go towards the cause. Scout Books has a similar promotion, with a very Japanese design to entice a donation/purchase.

Scout Books Japanese design

T-Shirt by Hydro74

In recent weeks, editions of Bloomberg Business Week and The New Yorker both featured Japan-focused covers, making use of the sun and cherry blossoms, respectively.

Bloomberg Business Week cover

The New Yorker cover by Christoph Niemann

Once the smoke cleared, Japanese designers got in on the act taking part in a campaign to encourage the population to save energy — a move that will lessen the demands on the damaged power grid and help aid overall recovery and rebuilding. This collection is oh so Japanese.

This design reaction to the events in Japan reminds us of two things. First, it serves to reignite the conversation about cultural iconography. Japan, in this case, is rich in its own icons, from the rising sun flag, to the calligraphy of its language, to the block prints and etches of their pre-industrial age, to the playful and bold look of anime and video games. Designers the world over can use these tools to create new designs, referencing, but not mocking, the country of origin. Second, it helps refocus on the fact that design is, at the very heart of all things, a communication tool. Posters carry a message, and to drive that message home we need strong visuals, we need to connect to the audience and create an emotional impact. It’s an exercise in simple design, and basic graphic communication.

This post also appears on The Next Big Design, the blog of the FUSE Conference »

I had joked a while back that the upcoming Royal Wedding, where heir to the thrown Prince William will wed long-time girlfriend Kate Middleton, will revive the commemorative plate industry. I’m sure it has. I also posted a series of designer-designed plates done in cheeky rebellious tone.

The Royal Mint has recently unveiled their commemorative coins featuring at Kate and Will. Or at least, weird slivers of their faces. I’m sincerely try not to snipe on other folks’ work, but this is just bad. Bizarre faces, not recognisable, not regal, poor typography. Just a mess. WTF is going on here?

I’m genuinely surprised at the poor image chosen for these coins considering how much the design of British coins has been covered in the media. A few years back, Matt Dent won a D&AD Black Pencil (in the words of Joe Biden, a big fucking deal) for his design of the Britain’s coin suite. More recently, the design community rolled our collective eyes at the student-submitted artwork which ended up being produced in honour of the upcoming 2012 Olympics in London. So what gives?

Dent’s coin designs, which were interesting, and not creepy.

I don’t have too many details on this, aside from the official write-up on the Royal Mint site, but I’m interested to see some alternate concepts as they emerge. Funny thing is, if you dig around the site, you’ll find another design to mark the engagement, which is of better composition, methinks.

The Engagement Coin, with a better design, right?

By the way, if anyone is interesting in making Royal Wedding souvenirs, check out these guidelines on how to use the symbols and marks of the Monarchy. I imagine these are the last people you want calling you at 6 in the morning about your improper use of a logo.

And let’s not forget about those endless supplies of Obama-related crap, including gold-plated quarters with image stickers, and whole coin sets.

via Ellie Rountree »

I’m not a fan of the Super Bowl. Not only because I play and love Rugby, but because the Super Bowl has come to symbolise all the gloss and absurdity of consumerism, mass media, and ritualised sports in America. A friend of mine once labelled it “a de facto holiday to celebrate American sloth,” to which I quickly added, “… and wrath, and greed, and gluttony.” Pretty much all of our sins wrapped up in one shiny package.

Super Bowl advertising had a good run. Yes, I use the past tense. Super Bowl advertising peaked, and is now on the decline. As the influence of the 30-second spot continues to deplete, the continued dedication that large brands have for Super Bowl advertising proves more and more sad. Today, consumers just don’t care what’s on tv, no matter have shocking or cheeky. It shows a trend that big brands are out of touch, using the same old tactics to reach a brand new audience.

This year, for the first time in a while, I watched the game live, with attention on the ads. After filtering out all the FOX promotional junk and over-the-top movie trailers, I realised that every brand applies the same approach to their advertising: clowning. They’re attempting to hold on to our attention — and their influence — with a most pureil technique. They’re acting like clowns.

Theoretically, I don’t mind if a brand assumes the clown as a brand archetype. Brands like Bud Light have risen to prominence latching on to youth, careless, clown-sensitive beer drinkers (ie, bachelors). But now we’re seeing the same mindless clowning used ubiquitously by brands like Doritos, Pepsi, Cheverolet, CareerBuilder, Snickers, eTrade, and Best Buy to name a few. Check out the ads for yourself, and tell me they don’t all go for the same bottom-feeding humour — some kind of normal situation with an out-of-place character or dialogue. Maybe a device that backfires and causes bodily harm. Craig Ferguson, host of the Late Late Show on CBS, summarised the ads on the following Monday night asking his audience, “did you see the one where the guy gets hit in the balls … all of them?” The slapstick has to end.

My choice for ad of the night goes to one brand that actually treats the audience like adults. Royal Caribbean’s 30-second spot “February” promotes their cruises as winter getaways, not as the wacky neighbor. The ad features a soundtrack from yesteryear with wintery lyrics and on-screen copy set against the obvious summery imagery of folks in bathing suits and other relaxing outdoor scenes only available in latitudes afar. The subtle approach worked on me, as I not only remembered this ad, but thought enough of its execution to write this article. I haven’t quite taken the step of booking a cruise, but if I had the money (or a girlfriend) I’d be floating the idea.

Royal Caribbean “February” / download .mp4 / watch on YouTube

The reason this ad stands out for me is that it’s one of the night’s few that didn’t try to clown me. Royal Caribbean positions itself as a grown-up brand, easing my pain during tough winters, setting up a memorable experience, and generally being my buddy. In other words, they’re not the type to kick me in the balls.

Someone will point out how much money Bud Light actually makes on their Super Bowl impressions, but I’m not bothered solely by numbers. The long-term growth of a brand is about creating relationships, taking consumers on a journey, not just telling them a joke. Clowns are in-and-out in 5 seconds, friends stay with you a lifetime.

This article also appears on The Next Big Design, the blog of the FUSE Conference