Coldplay's 10 Rules

1. ALBUMS MUST BE NO LONGER THAN 42 MINUTES, OR 9 TRACKS.

2. PRODUCTION MUST BE AMAZING, RICH, BUT WITH SPACE, NOT OVERLAYERED. LESS TRACKS, MORE QUALITY. GROOVE AND SWING Drum/rhythm are the most crucial thing to concentrate on; diff. between bittersweet and science of silence

3. COMPUTERS ARE INSTRUMENTS, NOT RECORDING AIDS.

4. IMAGERY MUST BE CLASSIC. COLOURFUL AND DIFFERENT. COME BACK IN GLORIOUS TECHNICOLOUR

5. MAKE SURE VIDEOS AND PICTURE ARE GREAT BEFORE SETTING RELEASE DATE. And highly original

6. ALWAYS KEEP MYSTERY. Not many interviews

7. GROOVE AND SWING. RHYTHMS AND SOUNDS MUST ALWAYS BE AS ORIGINAL AS POSSIBLE. Once jon has melody, twist it and weird it sonically

8. Promo/review copies to be on VINYL. Stops copying problem, sounds and looks better.

9. Jaqueline Sabrido, ns p c c, face forward

10. Think about what to do with charity account. Set up something small but really enabling and constructive. Ref; j oliver fifteen

from here.
via here.

Eco Graffiti

Moss typography! by El & Abe. Part of their manifesto reads: "We hope that not only the words will be noticed, but also the moss itself, put to the forefront through it's sculpting, fashioned into a form we can understand."

via Trendland, who are forecasting eco graffiti to be the next big thing. Tutorials are available, like this one at Instructables. Now I'm thinking of ways in which nature can be drawn ~ the possibilities intrigue me...

Kleenex & JWT

I know this campaign has been out forEVER, but I think it warrants a mention, as it continues to make me smile, even after seeing it a million times (and even though it may be totally choreographed). Yes I still love it. Why? They stepped away from those generic, safe guarantees that most commercials throw at us. This campaign says that viewers are emotional, and we want to experience and feel and share and connect. I think it hits a little deeper. But, at the same time, it makes sense for the brand. Tissue is naturally connected to crying. But it's not sad, it's a release.

The campaign was created by JWT. In reading about this campaign, the idea of advertisers as anthropologists kept coming up. I think this is a good example of that, although I am kind of tired of people in the design/marketing fields trying to rename themselves, creating bizarre titles.

Design Police

Made me laugh. Learn color theory. Ha. via Josh Spear

While we're at it, ruthlessly making fun of the less design-inclined, check out clientopia.

John Maeda

Quoted from John Maeda: Simplicity

"While watching my daughter's viola lesson, and as she stood in front of the class, I realized that the moment when the bow touched the strings was not something to be taken for granted. It was the moment when she was to begin the process of expressing herself by creating music. To create is to potentially embarrass oneself in front of others. It is about the courage to be oneself and to be seen as oneself. Putting ink to a page, or pressing one's fingers against clay, or typing a line of computer code, or blowing glass and realizing mistake. Or success. With everyone watching. But most importantly, you.

So it dawned upon me how important it is to be a creative. Because it means you have within you infinite capacity to experiment. You are unafraid to go somewhere new because you are creating a new thought process about your own creativity. You know that if you stop and no longer challenge yourself, you cease to be creative. You become still, silent, and the bow no longer connect with the strings and music is not made. And you do not exist. You show you do not have the courage to exist.

Creativity is courage. The world needs more fearless people that can influence all disciplines to challenge their very existence. Creativity is reflection aimed not at yourself, but at the world around you."

Revolt

I do not mesh well with history and politics, and cannot dive into a discussion about France 1968. I do, however, know impact and revolution when I see it. And it inspires me, even if not in the same way it was originally intended. The above posters are bold, fearless, raw, simple, created with true confidence. None of this subtle designy foo foo.

See more posters from the student revolt in Paris 1968 here.

By the way, loose translations of the above: be young and shut up/be quiet/be concealed (left) and he's the shit (right). Funny how these sayings have carried on and changed and become part of everyday language.

Lululemon

Fact. It is not possible to live in Vancouver without eventually purchasing something from Lululemon. I just bought my first pair of sweats there, and was frankly surprised I hadn't caved earlier.

Besides awesome yoga wear, they are also consistent with their philosophy. Everything (stores, graphics, people, etc) speaks about a healthy lifestyle, positive energy, friendly, fun, passion. This can be summed up in their manifesto (shown above). This image is also on their packaging, a reusable fabric bag, laminated on front and back. Ah, so much to love.

BYOB

Stylish. Sustainable. Organic. Customizable. Vancouver-based. So many good reasons to BYOB! I can't resist all these recent anti-plastic-waste campaigns. The statistics make my jaw drop.

How big is your ecological footprint? I scored 6.1, not bad.
Some things you can do to have a smaller footprint.
Also, be sure to join The Nature Challenge

Paper Cranes & Polaroids

The image on the left is the first of several polaroids to be auctioned off by flickr member rebecca missing. Bidding has just begun here, and will close on April 6th.

This auction is in support of The Paper Crane Project, a huge undertaking (of which I am a part!) begun by Liz Shuman, known as Eshu through blogging, flickr and Etsy. In a few words, she is ambitiously, generously, mailing out 1000 paper cranes to 1000 different people. Photos of the paper cranes in their new homes will be posted in a flickr set.

I Believe

Every once in a while a little gem of a video comes along. This is one of them. Inspiring. Thought provoking. I like that other languages are used, silence, without translation, kids. Sweet.

It is an extension of Mondonation, where you can have your beliefs printed on tees and pillowcases. This is the beginning of a series of experiments that is meant to give back to the community. For each product bought, you get to choose the charity as well as how much money is donated. Their theory revolves around the ripple effect, that ideas have the ability to grow and inspire when they are shared with others. What a mission. As of today, over $23,000 has been donated, and countless have been inspired.

I believe in the kindness of strangers.
I believe in wishing and rainbows and giving flowers for no particular reason.

Everyone believes in something. What do you believe in?

On Beauty... And Photoshop

It's a bar o' soap. It's inexpensive, traditional, innocent. But it's speaking loud, challenging many basic marketing principles and expectations. Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty is on a mission. Dove's image has always been one of purity: white space, simple, gentle, like it's baby blue logo. It was a natural progression to take this purity to the next level, so that it is not only pure in product and aesthetic, but also in its medium and message.

I first stumbled upon the Dove campaign in a shopping mall, where there stood an exhibit of photographs of women, untouched, wrinkled, freckled, and flabby... yet unfathomably beautiful. It was refreshing, all beautifully lit, white, blocked off from the denim, neon, tacos, and poly that swarm most mall aisles. (it said: psst. it's okay when jeans don't fit).

Then, the above video clip. The process of transformation from woman to billboard is unreal, untouchable, and a standard in advertising. When did this become the standard? Why?

I'm not usually one prone to ads, but this campaign actually drew me in. I was reminded of my Grandmother, who also used Dove, and when I was a kid in the bathtub, trying to make the block of Dove sink. It touches something a little deeper. It evokes memory. It is an ode to innocence.

Also check out Dove's 2007 Calendar, exhibiting photographs of girls taken by girls! It's really sweet : )

Knitta Please

I've been aware of this phenomenon for awhile now, always wondering who these anonymous crafters are, where it all began, and why. Finally I fell upon Knitta Please, "warming the world, one car antenna at a time." This guerrilla state of mind has made its way into the worlds of both art and marketing. It is seen in graffiti, Banksy's Stencils, and quotes slipped into library books. Because the techniques are cheap, if not free, there is little risk. You don't have to try to sell the idea, get sponsors, or loans, or grants... This is a fairly new wave that is attracting the best lateral thinkers. Hopefully, others will follow the steps of the knittas and keep it thought-provoking and vibrant and orange coloured.