workpath

the Design Museum Shop identity

workpath — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 16:02:32 +0000

Creative Review – Opinion: the Design Museum Shop identity.

Wow, I love the new ID system for the Design Museum shop. I haven’t even read this article yet, I’m that excited about it. While I enjoy the predecessor, the new graphic identity is much more a natural extension of the parent brand. Enjoyable as the old identity may be, I didn’t understand the need to create a new or “sub” brand; it sort of clashed with the tone and manner with the overall brand language. The new system employs a very minimal, vertical rule which I like quite a bit but then again I’m a fan of minimalist art. The rule serves as way to create visual continuity across objects and printed materials with very modest means. I also like how it echos the vertical bar of the “+” that appears in front of “shop”. When greeted by this device as signage, one can think of “inside” and “out”, “with” and “without” which speaks to me on many levels given the context: art + commodity, one in the same? Now time to reading this article on Creative Review…

Happy 30th, Commodore 64! | HLNtv.com

workpath — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 22:16:26 +0000

Happy 30th, Commodore 64! | HLNtv.com.

I will never forget the hours of playing my family’s Commodore 64. Well, my older brother would hog the machine and force me to watch for hours, but when I got my hands on it, it was pure magic. We had a couple of storage bins of floppy disks full of games. I remember the feel of popping one in the drive and closing the latch … and … waiting … but it was so worth it!

NounProject

workpath — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 16:01:33 +0000

Great visual resource for graphic designers. Can every noun be expressed visually as an icon or pictogram? We’ll found out.

NounProject.

Super Bowl Graphic Design

workpath — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 18:09:53 +0000

Is this an evolution (or de-evolution) of Super Bowl graphic design? You be the judge. What would Experimental Jetset design? I wonder.

Super Bowl History.

Starbucks unveils a new logo

workpath — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 03:34:53 +0000

This is such a shame! The Nike logo works better without the word “Nike”. This, however, does not. This looks like it could be a cruise line logo. Sure, the funky mermaid is iconic and the overall identity when combined with green is recognizable, but where’s the soul? The self assured, bold STARBUCKS COFFEE possessed a certain charm and local, home grown feeling. Yes “clean and modern” is all the rage (again), but let’s not forget about graphic communication. Let’s not forget how to evoke emotion. What’s reduction for the sake of reduction, anyway? This reminds me of Gap’s earlier effort to do the same last year and it totally failed.

Starbucks unveils a new logo – Jan. 5, 2011.

What the hell is going on with TV? – Fortune Tech

workpath — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 19:02:20 +0000

I first heard the term “3 screens” back in 2005 while employed as a senior designer at Method, Inc. in San Francisco. It was during a kick off for one of my first big projects. Our client was Time Warner Cable. It was an amazing project: envision and design a world were everything is on demand. Everything? Yes, everything. Not just your personal media collection, but all that great web content, on demand content, and the holy grail: broadcast TV. It was a world where time was no longer linear, progressing in a predictable forward motion. You created your own time, as well as your own place for consuming content. We’ve gotten closer in the past 5 years, especially on the latter aspect of the dream. Tablets and smart phones have been on the rise, fulfilling our vision to make content portable. This has enabled us to not only time but to place shift. But when it comes to TV, everything is still up for grabs.

Since Time Warner, I’ve worked for a number of clients trying to own the living room including Sony, Samsung, Microsoft and startups around the bay area. The problem then is the problem we still face today: too much fragmentation. Corporations that own everything—from the content, to the content providers, to the infrastructure—really must learn how to play well together to create a truly seamless, end to end solution for IPTV. Unless the core incentive changes from ad revenue to the common good, we’re going to be stuck where we’re at today: lots of little boxes with less and less to consume.

Since I’ve joined Microsoft’s Mobile Studio in the spring of 2010, I’ve reignited my passion for connecting services, software experiences and devices. Imagining a world where I have access to all of my content, anywhere on any device of my choosing is becoming less far fetched everyday. I’m hoping TV can get it’s act together.

This is a great article that sums it all up, (but they forgot to mention Boxee).

What the hell is going on with TV? – Fortune Tech.

Samsung Continuum’s Second Screen? (On Engadget)

workpath — Tue, 09 Nov 2010 15:26:03 +0000

I love the idea of having multiple screens for different uses on mobile devices. When used for notifications, the second screen can clear up the main screen for the core content experience. This eliminates the need for notification systems that are often distracting. Prolonging battery life is still a top concern for mobile designers and engineers. The second screen can help by reducing the amount of times the full screen lights up to display notification information. The Samsung Continuum uses one large screen that selectively lights up the lower portion, which is close, and still pretty cool. Too bad this is running Android (and an old version at that).

Samsung Continuum first hands-on update: video! — Engadget.

BBC News – What’s so wrong with Comic Sans?

workpath — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:05:34 +0000

Ah, Comic Sans. You funny little typeface, you! I never took you seriously. I should give you a little more credit for being the talk of the town these days.

BBC News – Whats so wrong with Comic Sans?.

Gap Scraps New Logo After Backlash, Revives Blue Box – Bloomberg

workpath — Wed, 13 Oct 2010 01:25:38 +0000

Incredible. The public voice changes how a company brands itself. Where was everyone when UPS changed their logo?

Gap Scraps New Logo After Backlash, Revives Blue Box – Bloomberg.

Dowling | Duncan redesign concept for US bank notes

workpath — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:53:16 +0000

Participating in the “Dollar ReDe$isn Project”, Dowling | Duncan (UK and San Fran) have submitted a very interesting design concept that explores the vertical format. I also like the choice of content—from Native American imagery to the Bill of Rights. Beautiful typography but I’m missing a certain degree of intricacy I’ve come to love about currency design. Dowling | Duncan – Dowling Duncan redesign the US bank notes.

Check out the results of the Swiss National Bank currency design competition held back in 2005. Feels a bit “photoshopped” for my tastes but there is a richness and complexity that is working well.