This is an update to an entry that got erased during a server problem. We added images and a link to a full write up to the post:A while back, I shared a project I was about to undertake for Art Center College Of Design’s designmatters department with you. Time has passed, and about a month ago we travelled to Mexico City to launch this student effort during the 62nd Annual United Nations DPI/NGO Conference.The Vato Verde campaign is a design intervention for civic disarmament that includes environmental, print and multimedia components, which provoke us to take a close look at the complex problem of gun violence in mega cities such as Los Angeles and Mexico City.Vato Verde aims to reach a generation of children and tweens who are at risk for gun violence and often over-exposed to the glamorization of guns in mainstream media. My students decided to work with Claymation for the first time and the campaign has received great interest from educational leaders to be included into curriculums in Puebla, and maybe other states within Mexico.You can now read an updated essay about this campaign as well as view the videos on Art Center’s designmatters site.

Ahhh, the beauty of visual language. Not quite politically correct, yet quite hilarious. I know nothing about this campaign, not even if it is a real campaign (or a real beer therefor), so if you know more about this good communicator of a campaign, please comment. Enjoy:

Thanks to Geyrhalter Design Alumni Cum Laude, now Full-Time Googler, Evelyn for sharing.

Too bad that Pantone’s idea of spreading their color-love from shoes to t-shirts, again, in a lengthy co-branding spree is not one of the bright ideas we are getting excited about, even if The New York Times declares it as such. We have seen colored T-Shirts before, actually a whole lot of them at ailing American Apparel recently, and we have even seen colored sneekers, yes we have. Now why exactly would even I as a designer get excited about merchandise in a ‘Pantone’ color, especially via quality unconscious retailer Gap, I really do not know. There must be some smart strategy peeps over at Pantone capable of coming up with other ideas on how such a great brand can be leveraged in more thoughtful ways then just applying it to apparel.

Photo from The New York Times.

could it be that no one at The New York Times realized that the type behind his featured image in today’s paper actually reads ‘ouch’? An example of what happens when the time spend paying attention to details gets cut…Ouch!

Less is more. Now even for McDonald’s. At least at the ‘Quarter Pounder’, a concept restaurant in Japan, where the menu’s simplicity, seen below, is reminiscent of In’n'Out, and the graphic design a near-direct copy of Mini, but a fantastic store design and great marketing idea.

Thanks to past GD-Intern Marco for the heads-up. More images and thoughts can be found here.

When I drove into Sedona, Arizona, one of my very favourite places to recharge, I was surprised to see the main road being completely redone to make it into a more congestion-preventive, cycling friendly and nicely integrated two way street. While driving to my hotel, I passed one of the larger – and more unique – souvenir places (Son Silver West Gallery) along the road – it happened to be on the side of the road that is hard to access since it is still under construction. I thought that, eventough better for business in years to come, they must see that inconvenience reflected in sales over Thanksgiving.

When I drove by again today, during business hours, it made me smile to see that there is always a reason why great businesses survive despite tough times: They understand the situation, analyze it, and come up with a solution that might, like in this case, be a bit out of the box.

It seems like it is the largest playground where creatives get to design posters (For non-designers reading this blog: us creatives love designing posters), yet the Hollywood movie industry is also famously the most uninspiring and boring place to be a poster ‘designer’ or ‘Hollywood Photoshop Expert’, as I lovingly refer to the chosen ones. I did it myself a couple of times and it’s worth the experience, yet 100% unfulfilling as a creative (I can’t wait for your comments on this post – ouch!). These two new posters for soon-to-be blockbusters are such a rare sighting of actually creative (= no headshots, or, in Angelina Jolie’s case, no lips) hollywood posters that the horizontal Valkyrie poster (not shown) was enough to catch my attention when driving down the roads of Hollywood boredom…

(I took inspiration for the title from one of the first vinyl singles I ever bought back in the 80′s. If you are not familiar with the song ‘being boiled’ by Human League from 1978, take a listen and remember that this was recorded in 1978!)

Our President-Elect continues to cater to a new generation by launching an official web site to have the country participate in the change to come. Where should we start in saluting the fact that the campaign is over, yet Obama’s team understands that the 2.0 campaign will be best leveraged right this moment to not lose any viral capabilities of the 3+ Million ‘subscribers’. The fact that the site gets Geyrhalter Design’s approval and praise for the UI as well as design aesthetics, is, of course, just an added benefit.

While the new administration starts doing, we start watching (in awe) how this historical campaign continues to do the right thing at the right moment.

We will also try to not make this an Obamarama blog, because that is one thing the world does not fall short of at this point in time… 

Last night was powerful. It was the most magnificent moment of positive change I have felt since I moved to the U.S. 12 years ago. I do not know when the last time was in history, or if ever there was a time in modern history, where so many Americans cried out of joy at the same very moment. Imagining that the reason for this sensation is watching a president, who most Americans have not even heard of a little while ago, being elected, is mind blowing to me. A moment that clearly went beyond two people running for president. A moment that shaped history in so many ways, too many to mention, and not the right outlet to do so.

Quite appropriately though is to state how last night affected agencies around the world, as strategic ad campaigns of all sorts, shapes and forms will have to be compared to this all encompassing and fully integrated brand building spectacle. A campaign that was cleverly crafted and superbly executed. The day the first book going in-depth on this stunning lesson in marketing (and there will be many) will be released, will be the day I will head to the stores. If nothing else to you, this has been the best example of Brand Atmospheres I will be able to give you in a long time, unless our clients amp up the budget a bit more into the Obama campaign direction…then, maybe, Geyrhalter Design too can say ‘Yes, we can.’

…and it does not look like it will be any time soon. Not with such a sad smiley face.