Keeps the local feel and quirkiness of the original but adds a sense of quality sorely lacking in the original. Also has a contemporary feel that can easily extend into other categories. I should get the number of this brand manager...
Monday, September 01, 2008
A Very Good Redesign
(new on left, old on right)
Keeps the local feel and quirkiness of the original but adds a sense of quality sorely lacking in the original. Also has a contemporary feel that can easily extend into other categories. I should get the number of this brand manager...
Keeps the local feel and quirkiness of the original but adds a sense of quality sorely lacking in the original. Also has a contemporary feel that can easily extend into other categories. I should get the number of this brand manager...
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I Officially Hate Politics
I haven't watched any of the conventions. I can't stand the excitement, or the corn cob hats. I don't can't who wore what or said about so-and-so. Turn off MSNBC, CNN, Fox News, everyone. Just go away. Politics is not a rock concert. It is serious and shouldn't be given to bouts of uncontrollable dancing.
I refuse to watch the conventions. I tape the Daily Show and let them tell me what really happened. Sarcasm breeds the best pundits.
Mad Magazine has mysteriously been delivered to my door for 2 months now. No idea how it got there, but I think it was so I could see these 2 political spoofs. As the young priest in Mad Men said, "this is how God works."
I refuse to watch the conventions. I tape the Daily Show and let them tell me what really happened. Sarcasm breeds the best pundits.
Mad Magazine has mysteriously been delivered to my door for 2 months now. No idea how it got there, but I think it was so I could see these 2 political spoofs. As the young priest in Mad Men said, "this is how God works."
Packaging Changes Only I Would Notice
Aveeno Foaming Face Cleanser
My trusted brand. Looks like the design mavens at J&J in Chelsea (I'm talking to you, Chris Hacker & Elan Cole), have gotten their hands on Aveeno. I've worked with them quite a bit. My guess is the brief was to take this brand from sensitive-skin with a earthy feel to skin-care that gives an overall sense of well-being.
The fonts are cleaner, much more simple and straightforward. The bottle is now a white opaque, rather than semi-translucent, and the leaf icon now a subtle watermark. The logo is also tweaked.
I didn't like it at first. The watermark may be outdated, but it was the navigation tool I used to find the dam thing on shelf. Now, I'm OK with it. I see what J&J is trying to do. But the biggest problem is that they are doing on ALL their brands! Look at the change Rembrandt went through. Other items in their portfolio were redesigned, though I can't tell you which ones they were.
Beware: the definition of "clean and contemporary" changes every year and can move to generic real fast.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturizer
(OK, now you almost have a sense of my full facial routine.) Yet another J&J brand on the move. Here, the change is all about color. They moved the overall brand color from a light blue to black.
My guess is that they have a more successful sub-line that owns that blue and want to create a block of blue on shelf for that product. But to do this, you need to establish black as the overarching color for the brand so you don't have competing blues in the portfolio.
It's smart. I get it. Not sure everyone will, but in 12 months they won't have a choice. My problem is black. When I see black in the skin care section, I immediately think of acne. Blackheads. Black spots. Black circles under my eyes. It gives the brand a harder edge, one that doesn't jive with the natural, "dermatogist-approved" softness I expect.
I'm sure there was a good reason for this. These brand architecture problems (that's the real name) are never easy to solve. But black seems like a misstep.
Sorry for the poor pix. Blame my Blackberry. And yes, I do this for a living.
My trusted brand. Looks like the design mavens at J&J in Chelsea (I'm talking to you, Chris Hacker & Elan Cole), have gotten their hands on Aveeno. I've worked with them quite a bit. My guess is the brief was to take this brand from sensitive-skin with a earthy feel to skin-care that gives an overall sense of well-being.The fonts are cleaner, much more simple and straightforward. The bottle is now a white opaque, rather than semi-translucent, and the leaf icon now a subtle watermark. The logo is also tweaked.
I didn't like it at first. The watermark may be outdated, but it was the navigation tool I used to find the dam thing on shelf. Now, I'm OK with it. I see what J&J is trying to do. But the biggest problem is that they are doing on ALL their brands! Look at the change Rembrandt went through. Other items in their portfolio were redesigned, though I can't tell you which ones they were.
Beware: the definition of "clean and contemporary" changes every year and can move to generic real fast.
Neutrogena Oil-Free Moisturizer
(OK, now you almost have a sense of my full facial routine.) Yet another J&J brand on the move. Here, the change is all about color. They moved the overall brand color from a light blue to black.My guess is that they have a more successful sub-line that owns that blue and want to create a block of blue on shelf for that product. But to do this, you need to establish black as the overarching color for the brand so you don't have competing blues in the portfolio.
It's smart. I get it. Not sure everyone will, but in 12 months they won't have a choice. My problem is black. When I see black in the skin care section, I immediately think of acne. Blackheads. Black spots. Black circles under my eyes. It gives the brand a harder edge, one that doesn't jive with the natural, "dermatogist-approved" softness I expect.
I'm sure there was a good reason for this. These brand architecture problems (that's the real name) are never easy to solve. But black seems like a misstep.
Sorry for the poor pix. Blame my Blackberry. And yes, I do this for a living.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Totally Not Legal
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed to The Epoch Times thursday morning that it has asked the International Gymnastics Federation to investigate the Chinese gymnastics underage fiasco, following new evidence that at least two gymnasts competed under the legal age in the Olympics.
If the allegations are true, the Chinese team will be stripped of their golds, meaning the US will move from Silver to Gold. Somehow, the gold doesnt feel as good so much time after the event. But the principle of the issue deserves further investigation.
Other uncool Olympic moments
Cuban taekwondo athlete kicks an official in the face after getting disqualified from taking too long to recover from an injury.
Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian throws down his medal after getting a bronze by a judge's decision, when he felt he deserved better.
If the allegations are true, the Chinese team will be stripped of their golds, meaning the US will move from Silver to Gold. Somehow, the gold doesnt feel as good so much time after the event. But the principle of the issue deserves further investigation.
Other uncool Olympic moments
Cuban taekwondo athlete kicks an official in the face after getting disqualified from taking too long to recover from an injury.
Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian throws down his medal after getting a bronze by a judge's decision, when he felt he deserved better.
More on the Tiananmen Tank Man
The suppression of the protest was immortalized in Western media by the famous video footage and photographs of a lone man in a white shirt standing in front of a column of tanks which were attempting to drive out of Tiananmen Square. Taken on June 5 as the column approached an intersection on the Avenue of Eternal Peace, the footage depicted the unarmed man standing in the center of the street, halting the tanks' progress.
As the tank driver attempted to go around him, the "Tank Man" moved into the tank's path. He continued to stand defiantly in front of the tanks for some time, then climbed up onto the turret of the lead tank to speak to the soldiers inside. He reportedly said, "Why are you here? You have caused nothing but misery." After returning to his position blocking the tanks, the man was pulled aside by secret police.
Eyewitness reporter Charlie Cole believes that "Tank Man" was probably executed after being taken from the tank by secret police, since the Chinese government could not ever produce him to hush the outcry from the civilized world. Time Magazine dubbed him The Unknown Rebel and later named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. British tabloid the Sunday Express reported that the man was 19-year-old student Wang Weilin; however, the veracity of this claim is dubious.
What happened to the 'Tank Man' following the demonstration is not known for certain. In a speech to the President's Club in 1999, Bruce Herschensohn — former deputy special assistant to President Richard Nixon — reported that he was executed 14 days later. In Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now, Jan Wong writes that the man is still alive and hiding in mainland China. In Forbidden City, Canadian children's author William Bell, claims the man was named Wang Ai-min and was killed on June 9 after being taken into custody.
The last official statement from the PRC government about the "Tank Man" came from Jiang Zemin in a 1990 interview with Barbara Walters. When asked about the whereabouts of the "Tank Man", Jiang responded that the young man was "I think never killed".[14]
from Wikipedia...
As the tank driver attempted to go around him, the "Tank Man" moved into the tank's path. He continued to stand defiantly in front of the tanks for some time, then climbed up onto the turret of the lead tank to speak to the soldiers inside. He reportedly said, "Why are you here? You have caused nothing but misery." After returning to his position blocking the tanks, the man was pulled aside by secret police.
Eyewitness reporter Charlie Cole believes that "Tank Man" was probably executed after being taken from the tank by secret police, since the Chinese government could not ever produce him to hush the outcry from the civilized world. Time Magazine dubbed him The Unknown Rebel and later named him one of the 100 most influential people of the 20th century. British tabloid the Sunday Express reported that the man was 19-year-old student Wang Weilin; however, the veracity of this claim is dubious.
What happened to the 'Tank Man' following the demonstration is not known for certain. In a speech to the President's Club in 1999, Bruce Herschensohn — former deputy special assistant to President Richard Nixon — reported that he was executed 14 days later. In Red China Blues: My Long March from Mao to Now, Jan Wong writes that the man is still alive and hiding in mainland China. In Forbidden City, Canadian children's author William Bell, claims the man was named Wang Ai-min and was killed on June 9 after being taken into custody.
The last official statement from the PRC government about the "Tank Man" came from Jiang Zemin in a 1990 interview with Barbara Walters. When asked about the whereabouts of the "Tank Man", Jiang responded that the young man was "I think never killed".[14]
from Wikipedia...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Speaking of China...
Tiananmen Square Massacre of June 4, 1989, part of the Tiananmen Square protests, a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square led by labor activists, students, and intellectuals.
While the protests lacked a unified cause or leadership, participants were generally against the authoritarianism and economic policies of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and voiced calls for democratic reform within the structure of the government.
A BBC report live from the event back in '89. Worth watching.
The government said hundreds were killed. Others say thousands of innocent protesters were killed as the army fired indiscrimintantly into the crowd. One report says up to 7,000 people were killed. Kind of puts a different perspective on the host nation.
(content borrowed from Wikipedia)
While the protests lacked a unified cause or leadership, participants were generally against the authoritarianism and economic policies of the ruling Chinese Communist Party and voiced calls for democratic reform within the structure of the government.
A BBC report live from the event back in '89. Worth watching.
The government said hundreds were killed. Others say thousands of innocent protesters were killed as the army fired indiscrimintantly into the crowd. One report says up to 7,000 people were killed. Kind of puts a different perspective on the host nation.
(content borrowed from Wikipedia)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
My Homecoming
I was away Monday night and got back late Tuesday night. Harley's mom stayed over Monday night, and Lilah was in heaven. If you don't know, Lilah calls Harley's mom "Mimi." She got to sleep in the bed with Mommy and Mimi and played all day long.
I come home hoping/expecting a loving welcome from my daughter, whom I missed dearly. I walk in the door - our eyes meet - I smile at Lilah - Lilah looks at Harley.
"No, DaDa. Mimi. Bye, Dada! Mimi! Mimi! Bye, Dada!!" When she realizes I'm not going anywhere, her tears start falling. Exhausted, cranky, and rejected, I go and unpack in the bedroom.
She follows me in a few minutes later. A few verses of "Wheels on the Bus" on the guitar (my specialty) and we're friends again. But I now know where I firmly stand - 3rd place. Throw PopPop in the mix (my Dad), and I don't even get the bronze.
I come home hoping/expecting a loving welcome from my daughter, whom I missed dearly. I walk in the door - our eyes meet - I smile at Lilah - Lilah looks at Harley.
"No, DaDa. Mimi. Bye, Dada! Mimi! Mimi! Bye, Dada!!" When she realizes I'm not going anywhere, her tears start falling. Exhausted, cranky, and rejected, I go and unpack in the bedroom.
She follows me in a few minutes later. A few verses of "Wheels on the Bus" on the guitar (my specialty) and we're friends again. But I now know where I firmly stand - 3rd place. Throw PopPop in the mix (my Dad), and I don't even get the bronze.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)