Friday 29 October 2010

dandad got me writing...!

So, then: it's been a long week in communications, a week which saw the coming (and rapid departure) of a new logo for one of our most respected high street stalwarts, and one of our literary fathers questioning the purpose of the social media space... As I said – a long week.

In the last few days I’m sure we’ve all watched on as GAP became entrenched in a rather messy engagement with bloggers and tweeters, ending in the sheepish retraction of their box fresh – and rather mystifying – new logo. As far as I (and Michael Johnson) know, this was a battle fought purely online. Yes, they replaced the logo at GAP.com, but I don't know of any storefront or swing tag that rolled out the new identity. Nevertheless, it seems the proposed change was a real suggestion, which raises a few questions.

Surely Laird & Partners now hold the record for a U-turn on a rebrand activation. But, as Scott Hansen points out in his open call for designers to 'have a go' at redesigning the logo, it isn’t as easy as you think. He goes on to say that 'these mega-rebrands are always hit with a wave of inevitable criticism', a feeling that Michael Johnson echoed when I spoke to him earlier about 'Gapgate', in that people seem inherently pre-programmed to complain, especially where logos are concerned. [Insert personal experience here]. He emphatically agreed that yes, the GAP do really need an update from the 'lexicon of love' aesthetic they seem to be stuck in, but we both agreed that this storm of publicity has proved that there's a time and a place for crowdsourcing and a global rebrand just isn’t one of them. The move is over GAP, which I think we all know will choose to stay where they are. Genius.

GAP insisted it wasn’t a stunt, but feeling online leant towards 'crafty publicity gimmick'. Yes, the whole episode has been mismanaged, but it highlights yet again the pivotal role in identity work of strategic thinking coupled with beautiful craft skill – things seemingly missing here. If indeed the idea was to create 'buzz' around the identity and stir up some debate around GAP, they’ve certainly succeeded (I mean, I’m writing this, for one) but at what cost? Consumers are very wise to brands and how coherent they are (or aren’t). This may well be a big glitch in the public’s perception of the GAP brand. It does, however, illustrate that people with similar viewpoints can swiftly find common ground, form a collective voice, and change things.

This mobilisation of the angry masses brings us neatly to the other frisson of the last few days – our literary godfather Malcolm Gladwell denouncing social media and its real effectiveness in mobilising like-minded individuals into effective communities. He stated that online communities lacked "emotional connection or engagement", let alone the ability to change issues of a more humanitarian or political focus (dare I say it, something ‘worthwhile’). In his New Yorker piece, he wrote off the notion of social media bringing about social change as "strong, and puzzling, claims", going on to ask, "Are people who log on to their Facebook page really the best hope for us all?”

Unsurprisingly, the media space in the firing line responded in their droves, with the Guardian’s Josh Halliday calling him “laughable” and Biz Stone himself saying the piece was "entertaining but kind of pointless”. So why did we get so het up about this...?

Well, my theory runs something like this...we live in an age where we have new, very shiny tools to communicate with each other – it’s an 80s term but we are living in the information age. Neville Brody (for one) has repeatedly reminded us that we are experiencing an era of real change – his Anti Design Festival is a great example of a mixture of grassroots and digital mobilisation unique to its time. This change could be likened to the second industrial revolution, where electrification, the combustion engine and mass production were the game changers. These days, it’s computing, telecommunications and information that are the young upstarts affecting not just business, but all aspects of our lives.

Technology has permeated our culture and specifically, in relation to Gladwell's article, how we communicate. Compared to the legacy of failed tech platforms that attempted to connect us (Geocities, UpMyStreet. boo.com, Wal-Mart’s ‘The Hub’…!?), today we have things that work. For the most part, they not only work very well, but – hey! - work wherever you are, on whatever platform you’re on, and are stable (unlike 10 years ago). They have actually become part of our daily routine, like tea and toast or getting stuck in traffic.

The fact that they are so embedded in our culture, our routine, our businesses and our social life means that we become defensive when someone attacks it. It’s like learning a new language and then being told that you can't use it. Gladwell has said that he doesn't really engage with digital media, saying that he finds it intrusive and is trying to make more space for what's important to him – a sentiment I completely agree with, but damning an entire mode of communication seems a bit drastic.
Wherever people do mobilise online, it may be their first personal foray into activism, surely something to support?

One thing in this whole fandango seems clear – people power is alive and well online. The only question is what we’ll do with it. My year at D&AD will hopefully bring some of these more philanthropic issues to the fore. We have some great ideas for how to do this, but we'll be asking for your help soon – and if this week’s taught us anything, it’s how many opinions there are on the internet, so stay tuned to give us yours.

http://blog.iso50.com/logos/gap-redesign-contest/#more-20224

it's been a long time...(thanks rakim)

how to look at the world
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8aufuwMiKmE&feature=related

kase 2 the master
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnRojKDmcRQ

my childhood point of reference, the chrome angelz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oLGFdYcdSMU&feature=related

maths + relationships + minimalism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmSbdvzbOzY

the beauty of a simple narrative
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JhlwaeFEVc

process
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEHWaGuurUk

Thursday 15 April 2010

my little pony...


celebrity dog wank.

Monday 22 March 2010

ice ice baby



beautiful stuff from katie paterson...

3 litres glacial meltwater, 3 litres silicon, 3 turntables [2007}

Sound recordings from three glaciers in Iceland, pressed into three records, cast, and frozen with the meltwater from each of these glaciers, and played on three turntables until they completely melt.

The records were played once and now exist as three dvds. The turntables begin playing together, and for the first ten minutes as the needles trace their way around, the sounds from each glacier merge in and out with the sounds the ice itself creates. The needle catches on the last loop, and the records play for nearly two hours, until completely melted.

http://www.katiepaterson.org/icerecords/view.html

sentiment for the week

after slipping into my old routine of buying things i don't need at all...ie these...(sometimes having lady sized feet is a benefit)...




its nice to be reminded of the directives that one should concentrate on...



via preik

Thursday 18 February 2010

new york....the best place on earth...



forget pastis, the coffee shop and jane, after 5 days of eating eggs benedict my fat stomach and my wallet can certify this is the best eggs in ny...(definitely in east village)

http://www.cafeorlin.com



and for real time 'hidden spot' fun, go inside the street cafe and ask the person on the door if you can go down to the bar...it's a real good fellas moment...fill up on mohito's if you dare...

http://www.esquinanyc.com



the 'best' in ny is allways a heated topic...the best burger ive eaten...maybe fanellis or maybe the meridian....pizza..?...definitely here...even tho' it's a but touristy...saddle up and go for a pizza and a calzone...mmmmm

lombardi's

the loft nyc...

so i'm back at my desk listening to holy ghost drifting off to sunday night when i managed to finally get to the musical event of the year...david mancuso's 40th anniversary of the loft. There's too much to say about the evening...i got there at 6 which felt late...the pure love of music and dance was actually quite exhausting as you were really at the mercy of the party...like the excitement you got as a kid at christmas, but to be in a room of people who were all there for a single purpose, to know you were sharing something never to be repeated that formed part of music as we know it today was priceless...and thanks to my dancing partners hen,vicki and lara and clare we made the night an exhausting celebration...here's some highlights but i can only urge to to get there if you are ever lucky enough to get invited...thankyou simon and david...

getting the coals lit...

I Will Come Back (Classixx Acapulco Nights Version)

turning it up...



fanning the fire...



keeping the flames lapping...



the end of night...

Thursday 4 February 2010

LSD for lunch...



from crooky...

fight...!



from gladwell's 'what the dog saw' on the subject of genius and early blooming, put forward in regards to conceptual (picasso) v's experimental (cezanne) creativity...which basically refers the the fact that some people take a while to find their place and that it's no less a genius to have worked hard to find it...anyway read more about Galenson and his research into creativity here...

this is from picasso...

"I can hardly understand the the importance given to the word research,"

"In my opinion, to search means nothing in painting. To find is the thing."


"The several manners i have used in my art must not be considered as an evolution or as steps toward an unknown ideal of painting...i have never made trials or experiments."


cezanne (allthough seemingly was far too angry by the sound of things to comment most of the time, being busy throwing his paintings out the window or slashing them to pieces...said...

"I seek in painting."

read this today 01

Like getting a letter in the mail that tells you finally what to do. Written in a language you can never understand.

from stg

Monday 1 February 2010

now i never...



so i'm sure we've heard and got a wee bit sick of this tune and to those hoarders out there it always still kicks remembering you had to shell out about £150+ for it...it's a lesser known fact those pesky sisters covered it from capanni's orig version...i rather enjoy it's laid back rawness...and you could even go and see what he thinks passes for a decent bit of grub....

Friday 29 January 2010

was andy warhol right...?

so a long time ago a friend was asked by the mighty frederick bond to street cast some 20 sommiks that looked like they would have a few pints under their belt and then go for a curry...needless to say that brought him to my door and after some mild persuasion i agreed into being filmed dancing and telling jokes into camera...end of i thought...so i was somewhat shocked when i got a call back a few days later when i was happily lying in the sun in denmark making the most of the danes liberated attitude to tobacco's best friend...(it was a while ago)...so summonsed to a dance studio in mayfair we spent the day 'auditioning' and learing dance steps. I was also very amused when i got 2 models sat on my knee who were non too plus when they found out i wasn't a real 'actor'...anyway...at the end of the day after people had been ejected by getting tapped on the shoulder strictly style i ended up with a part!!!...playing lager....such a proud moment...i remember talking to the art director from mother on set and him asking what i did for a day job, when he found out i was an art director at digit he seemed rather uncomfortable as if i was lowering myself...?...after close inspection he may have been right...but hey if you can't laugh at yourself...

PS...LOOK AT THE LEFT SIDE WHEN WE GO INTO THE PUB...

Thursday 28 January 2010

fonder...

its been a few weeks and all i've seen is this of my lovely other half...thankyou skype...48 hours away from not needing your fuzzyness...


"It was because the place was just the same
that made your absence seem a savage force"

thanks...elizabeth jennings

Wednesday 27 January 2010

penis/elephant/penis

nuff said...apart from i need to stay away from too much cock action.end.



from somewhere in the midst of the behance network...my girlfriend loves elephants...but does she love _ _ _ _..?...

Tuesday 26 January 2010

that's not a knife...

it's ozzie day so 5 of downunders best comin' atcha'...ahh the great outdoors...

Tuesday 19 January 2010

when things go wrong...part 1

well thanks to the designers here i got to see the catastrophe that ikea have launched to the public...nowadays it's hard to get close to owning a font such as futura in any business let alone the furniture world, what with competing with aram, and vitra but they had seemed to manage, so why has this happened.. seems like any savvy client they decided that once they actually had it kind of right they had to go and change it...

now in the article there is some mention of this decision saving money, which if passed down to the customer or to improving the environment of the manufacterers maybe i'm not so ruffled...but this just seems like another instance of change for change's sake...

i recently had a client quibble about paying £12 for a font!!...this all leads me neatly onto this and this..god help us all...xxxxx

Thursday 14 January 2010

hair of the dog anyone...(sorry)

same/same number 5

lars larson scares both me and himself with his stern good looks...we must mention his deftly skills at product design also...kibisi...