Crazy post card – images need context

mom-look-at-my-machine-gun

Ok, so this is a old vintage crazy graphic.  Not sure what to make of it. Even though a picture is worth a thousand words, sometimes its just a few WORDS that really shed light to the context.

Here are some captions that change the thought:

“i wish this babysitter would go home”

“don’t move, let me shoot that fly off your shoulder”

“there’s a really bad man behind you wanting to steal your rasta hat, i gotchya back”

any more???

minus ten June 1999

id-magazine-cover-june-1999-1

ID’s first cut at judging media in 1999.

“minus ten”. A look back 10 years to see what was going on. I’ll pick out what I feel got Stuck in Time, good or bad design that was clearly of the moment. Ahead of Time will be a look at something that had brought some insight to the future and finally, the Test of Time will soon be design classics, at least imho.

Issue of ID before the Annual is always light, not very many ads from the consultants as they we all saving their pennies for the Annual.  Regardless, I was able to find a couple of nuggets.

John Maeda was making jaws drop in 1994 with Reactive Square, Flying letters and in then in 1998 with Tap, Type, Write.  This stuff is still great and WAY Ahead of Time. Its a shame that it only runs on a PowerPC.

tap-type-write-june-1999

Oh, and look at young John back then!

john-maeda-june-19992

Heres something that i think i used to like.  The Motorola iden phone was clearly a memorable design.  But does it stand the test of time?  I believe it’s Stuck. Those damned ellipses again!

iden-phone-june-19993

From ID Magazine, June 1999.

tropicana packaging

tropicana-packaging

Arnell Group did the design of the new Tropicana package.  Seems like a lot of people hate it, so much that they are going back to the old design. Designers like it, most of my non designer friends don’t.  Arnell in ID Magazine seems to think that the client made the wrong call saying “you (consumer) like Grovestand, and they (Tropicana) didnt want to do it anymore. So you went to the store to get Grovestand and it wasn’t there. What does that have to do with design?”  He claims this is a “shopability” issue, not design.  I wonder if he had the insight to make a point to the client that us consumers liked Grovestand BEFORE he got paid?  I’m sure he got paid quite a bit for that work, IF Arnell said, ‘hey we think the consumers want Grovestand, so we’ll save you a lot of money, not do the work, but charge you 50% of the proposed fees for the advice!”

In the end, the clients ARE responsible for making decisions, regardless of what famous consultant is providing the advice.  That’s a big part of why I’m getting a taste of being the client…I know that I have the ultimate responsibility and accountability for decisions that get made, regardless of who might be whispering in my ear.

Google this, lots of passionate dialog on this.

Which Tropicana design do you like better?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

The Graphics Experience

With Experience design being the popular next thing in design, here’s some fun stuff from the world of graphics. Can graphics alone change and enhance the consumer “experience”? It certainly has a big play on our emotions, it can make you smile, feel sick, get angry…so I would say yes it does. Graphic designers, get on the experience design bandwagon. (maybe you already are!)

This bag looks like it could hurt. Great concept for this nail biter product, whatever it is.

YKM is a department store equivalent based in Turkey. They sell home furnishings/appliances and clothing. I imagine they have a line of athletic wear.

With all the homeland securtiy going on, dont go to the bank or any government agency with this one!

see more of my thoughts on “experience design” here.