The logo for the 2012 London Olympic games has been unveiled today, and I hate to say it, but I am a bit underwhelmed. The mark is a graphic representation of the number 2012, and lacks any tie to the host city because the 2012 games are intended to be “Everyone’s Games.” An interesting direction, but I think I would have preferred to see a little more of one of the world’s greatest city’s unique personality sneak into the final mark.
Despite my slight disappointment, I definitely have the highest respect for the challenges inherit in creating a mark for the games. Last year, the logo for Chicago’s bid for the 2016 games was released to great fanfare. It was a beautiful mark — elegant while capturing the distinct flavor of the city. Sadly, the mark had to be trashed because the International Olympic Committee said that Olympic imagery could not be used in bid logos. It will be interesting to see what mark they will end up with.
Posted by Trev on June 4th, 2007
Filed under Branding, Design | 1 Comment »
Here’s a nice segue-way from my previous post about the joys of Flickr. Check out this video of a demo of Photosynth, an amazing new technology for displaying visual data (thanks to Simplebits for the heads-up). The most stunning demonstration of this technology’s’s capabilities is it’s ability to create a multidimensional space from images culled from photo resources like Flickr. If you don’t know what a multidimensional space is, don’t sweat it, just check the video. It’s pretty amazing.
Yet while that feature may have the most “wow” factor, I am also intrigued by the possible implications this technology may have on advertising. Early in the video, the demonstration shows how you can zoom into images to a ridiculous degree. The power of this is that you can allow users to zoom in for more detailed product information. If this technology takes hold (and delivers on its potential), advertising design may never be the same.
Posted by Trev on June 4th, 2007
Filed under Advertising, Miscellaneous, Photography | No Comments »
In design, there is no such thing as having too much visual stimulation. That’s what makes a website like Flickr such a godsend. For the uninitiated, Flickr is a photo-sharing site, but it’s true appeal extends far past the ability to easily share photos of the family barbecue with Aunt Betty in Des Moines. What makes Flickr so useful, particularly to designers hungry for visual input, is the online community it created. Since the site gives users the ability to tag their photos, visitors can easily browse for photo reference on any matter of topics. Whether you’re looking for photos of polka musicians or an R2-D2 made entirely of Legos, odds are you will find it on Flickr.
My favorite Flickr feature, are the groups. Flickr groups allow members to post images based around a central theme. And the key word is images. Flickr is not limited to just photographs, users have uploaded all kinds of images, including illustrations and screenshots. This openness to all kinds of imagery has lead to some really interesting groups. Some standouts include groups about web-design inspiration, vintage children’s book illustrations, typography and lettering, and early advertising.
So, take a look around. Just be careful. It’s very easy for to spend hours browsing through all of the visual goodness.
Posted by Trev on June 1st, 2007
Filed under Design, Fun, Photography, Web | 1 Comment »
Cooper Black is a typeface that carries a lot of history. Released in 1922, it has been used for album covers, candy wrappers and presidential campaigns. Lately, I’ve been noticing a pleasant resurgence in it’s use, and have been trying to find an excuse to use it myself.
The downside is that a typeface with this kind of baggage can carry a lot of weight in a design. I want to know, can we put the past behind us and enjoy this beautiful typeface? Apparently I’m not alone.
Posted by James on June 1st, 2007
Filed under Advertising, Design | No Comments »
There is no surprise in the recent report from The Center for Media Research that Google & Yahoo! are dominating the U.S. search traffic again in April 2007. Collectively, these two search engines make up approximately 86% of the U.S. search market. As Google steadily increases their market share in the U.S. each month, while Yahoo! and MSN are slowly losing their share, it isn’t surprising that search engine marketing budgets are moving towards Google. And, even with the rumors that ask.com would become a strong search engine option for SEM strategy, the evidence proves that their market share in the U.S. is declining. It looks like there is really not much stopping the Google search engine giant.
Posted by Christina on June 1st, 2007
Filed under Marketing, Web | No Comments »