Quarter Pounder!

I haven’t had a beef hamburger in oh, about eight years or so, and pretty much avoid McDonald’s at all costs when it comes to fast food joints. But I can’t help but appreciate their latest marketing stunt in Japan to promote one of their signature sandwiches, the Quarter Pounder.

According to Business Week, until recently, you could only get the burger in one location, Kumamoto prefecture, because all other restaurants weren’t properly equipped with grills to produce them for the masses. From November 19th to the 27th though, two Quarter Pounder pop up shops located in Omotesando and Shibuya East will be selling the hambrger, fries, and drinks…only. The sleek environment of the shops is a far cry from the typical McDonald’s restaurant, with its ”dark walls and dim lighting [making] the place seem more like a disco than a burger joint.”

The promo is almost over, but you can check out the branding campaign at www.quarter-pounder.net.

The Online/Offline Publication

In case you haven’t noticed, media is changing. web 2.0 has sparked a revolution in the editorial process of any publication interested in staying relevant and/or afloat.

So while many publications go from their traditional offline existence to online versions, I was excited to see one mag doing it the other way around. JPGmag.com is a pro-sumer photography community where members submit their photos and people can vote for their faves. But it doesn’t stop there… then JPG editors go through and select their finalists, which go in a full-color, 100+ page glossy magazine! So while everyone wants to save the Brazilian rainforest, you gotta admit, there’s nothing like flipping through a magazine and looking at pretty pictures.

I believe there is creative talent everywhere, but as you may know, sometimes on flickr it’s hard to find… but JPG has some really talented members, and they set up themes which help in the navigation of the site as well as the visual storytelling of the print pub.

I’m off now to take some pics… did I mention that you can earn $100 if your photo get selected and runs in the glossy? …these are tough times… hope JPG can stick around for a while — in both its online and offine versions.

Do Your Part

Ever seen a design that is just so disturbing to the eye but have no one to share your disgust with??

Say no more! Design Police is answer for you! At last there is a fun-filled way to relieve the urge to criticize that nasty excuse for design! Visit www.design-police.org and download stickers to help bring bad design to justice.

I Think a Trip to NY is in Order.

Artist José Parlá will be having his first solo show in New York at the Christina Grajales Gallery. His work combines fluid calligraphy with weathered materials, which come together to look not unlike art we pass in the street everyday — the annonymity of which is often so intriguing. The aged quality and subtle references to culture that Parlá so beautifully and naturally acheives in his own work contributes to a sense that these ”segmented realities” really are a piece of some mysterious history.

You can view his work at www.joseparla.com.

In the Tradition of “Spork”

In the same tradition that created words like fantabulous, chillax, spork, and the official viscom term “badvertising” I now introduce to you the word “broasted.” Allow me to break down this word mathematically:

( bake + roasted ) – better things to do = broasted

I’m all for creating words but this one seems to be lacking creativity. It seems like someone got a little lazy  that faithful day in 1954. Allow me to paint a mental picture. Imagine a dimly lit board room. Cigarette smoke permeates the air as ice jingles in a glass of scotch.

“Gentleman, we have this delicious chicken. What should we call it?”
“Well, it’s baked…”
“But it’s also roasted…”
“My God! That’s brilliant!”

That being said, I must admit that broasted chicken is quite tasty. If I didn’t know any better, I would assume that it was fried. So look it up and give it try and use a spork!

Borderline Creepy, Yet Still Amusing.

Oh, those clever Swedes. Ikea’s wallet-friendly, put-it-together-yourself furniture is adored by the masses for their great design and funny names (EKTORP sofa, anyone?). Equally silly and unusual is their latest campaign for their many furniture and storage offerings. You can view different products in different rooms, while at the same time be entertained by dancers who’s moves are controlled by sounds you can control. Confused? Check it out. Now, if only they had the luchadors in their in-store display rooms…

Wish List

Our friends at social design network, Design 21, offer a stylish way to support the non-profit of your choice and help fund UNESCO DREAM Centers, which provide children in post-conflict regions of the world with the opportunity to express themselves through art, reading, dance and music. Designed by Richard Hutten, this ring has fans in artists like Forest Whitaker, Bebe Neuwirth and…Johnny Drama!

Fine Design, Fine Wine and Fine Paper

Last week Tiffany and I went to the AIGA event, “Fine Design, Fine Wine and Fine Paper: the Mohawk 9 Show”. The show displayed finalists and winners of the Mohawk Show 9 along with a presentation from designer Michael Osborne.

So after sitting in agonizing traffic for about an hour from West Hollywood to Pasadena, all was made well by all the cheese, crackers and wine sampling.. oh yea and the paper of course!  And after mingling with a few other AIGA members that included past professors, CSUN students and alumni, I quickly made my way to  the showroom where the Mohawk finalists and winners were being displayed. The designs were beautiful and obviously even prettier printed on Mohawk Paper… And finally to the most exciting part of the evening, Michael Osborne. He was just an extremely inspirational person as he presented not only his best work, but a much deeper insight into himself as a person. I had never heard of him, or researched him before this event but it was just a great feeling to hear him speak on the incidents of his life and how that has shaped him as a designer. From multiple designs of Wine bottles to the complete re-branding of Gymboree child’s clothing brand, to the death of his son and his memories as a Vietnam Veteran, Michael’s presentation just seemed to inspire beyond words.  Among his passion for fine design and fine wine, he is also passionate about non-profit work and has a non-profit section in his studio called Joey’s Corner, named after his late son. His design studio, MOD, is located in San Francisco. Feel free to read more  at http://aigalosangeles.org/ or http://www.modsf.com/

I would say I definitely got my AIGA membership dollar’s worth at this event.. and oh yea free wine and paper samples were totally worth it too.

House is in the… House

You can’t be a graphic designer and not know House Industries (at least according to a former professor of mine). Join the east coast type foundry this Saturday at Subliminal Projects (in their shiny new Echo Park space) for the opening reception of Letters and Ligatures. The show will feature “a collection of prints, patterns, installations, and sculpture based on their recent typographical explorations.”

With Great Power…

Comes great marketability. That’s what my Uncle Ben used to tell me.

As a graphic designer, I like to surround myself with creative things. These toys and trinkets serve dual purposes: inspiration and motivation. Talismans of creative force and conjurers of visual voo-doo. And for that purpose I introduce to you: Mighty Muggs.

As the resident nerd of the Viscom group, (and I use the word nerd as a term of endearment) I love these little guys. If the reference to Spiderman at the beginning of this post flew right by you, then I’ll understand if you stop reading now. And in a moment of dorky-weakness I exclaim, “How cool is that?!”

These chubby little desk ornaments run around 10-15 dollars depending on where you find them. With the particularly rare ones reaching upwards of 50 dollars on the internet.

If you’re feeling extra creative, Hasbro toys offers blank ones in white and black. There is a thriving community of people who make custom Mighty Muggs. Imagine the possibilities! ViscomLA Mighty Muggs coming to a desk near you!