Goodvertising: Hovis "Forever England"

I think this is a record that twice in the same week I'm highlighting examples of good advertising, the kind that doesn't make me sick and throw things.

A few days ago, I learned from Very Short List about the tradition of Hovis bread ads in Britain. In honour of the …

Apple Store in Williamsburg?

Rumours are being floated about Apple preparing to set up shop in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They are, of course, just rumours as the building in question is currently occupied by the Salvation Army.

Being a Williamsburg resident, it would be massively convenient to have …

Experience Wii: Warioland Ad Video

I don't think I've ever praised an online ad of any form, but I have to post this incredibly clever promotional video for Warioland on Wii. The video demonstrates how you shake the controller while playing. That's all I'm saying.

oo Video Here

WTF Wednesday: New Jets' Stadium to be Named for Nazi-friendly Company?

In case I've never said it officially, I think stadium naming is one of the most infectious scourges of our modern capitalist society. It's become commonplace and we've all but accepted that the only way for sports teams to raise capital is to go with private corporate …

Online Oddities

I filled out a form today online. I was struck by the oddness of two of the pull-down menus.

When asking my country of residence:

When asking for ethno-demographic information:

Make My Logo Bigger Cream

Oh, Internet, you're so cheeky...

Yes, it's long but I'm sure you'll get the idea after a minute or two...

Brilliant Logo Designs

From a recent post on VectorTuts, I was enlightened to some very clever and elegant logo design examples. Several of these fall into that "wish I'd thought of it" category.

Check 'em out

Microsoft Abandons Gates-Seinfeld Ads?

In the smartest advertising move in quite some time, Microsoft has put on hold its controversial Gates-Seinfeld campaign in favour of a safer, more familiar, less fucking random approach, initiated with this "I'm a PC" spot:

The line "I'm a PC" and the visual use of …

Amazon Leaks Adobe CS4 Packaging, Features

Adobe has been taunting us for some time now with a Sept. 23 announcement of Adobe CS4 (at least Photoshop), but now the secret's out! Oops, Amazon leaked images and details of InDesign CS4 well before Adobe announced it. This isn't the first time Amazon has slipped up …

Logobama: Make Your Own Obama Logo

The Obama campaign knows how to use its identity. Considering all the sub-sects and regionalities required for a national (some would say global) campaign, they've done a great job.

Enter Logobama. Now you can make your own logo and post it on Flickr. What better way …

Bank of America to buy Merrill Lynch

In a rushed bid to ride out the storm sweeping American finance, 94-year-old Merrill Lynch & Co. agreed late Sunday to sell itself to Bank of America Corp. for $50 billion.

That's according to an article in the Wall Street Journal.

In terms of finance, I don't really …

Cacique 500 - Rum from Venezuela

A while back, while doing some research on spirits, I spotted this bottle design for Cacique 500. The clean, graceful design caught my eye immediately. The straight-shouldered bottle is a dark shade of brown, frosted for a dull finish. This, with the dark labels and …

Gates-Seinfeld Sequel Ad

As much as I hate to say it, I am participating in the only possible purpose for these ads. Buzz is powerful, even if it's powered on the supreme strength of it's WTFness.

Here's the second Gates-Seinfeld ads for Microsoft. This one is a 4:30 mini-movie ... about …

HP Laptop in a Bag

Although it's still [WTF] Wednesday, I have to big-up a great idea from the folks at HP. Like most brilliant ideas, it seems painfully obvious now: Sell a laptop in it's own bag.

Not only does this save customers the hassle of shopping for an aftermarket bag that fits …

Pantone Mugs, Drink Your Brand

Design geeks have plenty to choose from in terms of around-the-house brickerbrack. Just take a quick browse at Swissmiss's blog and you'll see plenty. But this caught my eye -- Pantone Mugs.

Practicing designers, and keen students, will know that the Pantone matching …

WTF Wednesday: Chinese Food Box Ads

In the same perverse vein as advertising on taxis, escalator handrails, and pizza boxes, comes the latest in blatant and gratuitous advertising on everyday objects. My seemingly ordinary Chinese food boxes are now 3-dimensional ads for ... Spanish-language news on a …

Microsoft Gates-Seinfield Ad

Everyone has been talking about these since they hit the airwaves about a week ago, but in case you weren't paying attention, Jerry Seinfeld was hired for $10 million to be the new spokesman for Microsoft. Crispin Porter Bogusky, the ad agency that brought Burger King …

Design Awards: Flattery and Extortion

Today I got a bit of welcome news in the mailbox --

The iPod Goes to War

In this modern era, it's no wonder that soldiers and other servicemen are carrying iPods. While they have been banned from some bases for their ability to transport data, many serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are packing iPods right along with guns and MREs. Remember …

WTF Wednesday: Tap'd NY

The bottled water industry has its skeptics. While there are some folks who, for some reason, refuse to drink tap water under any conditions, most people acknowledge that it's pretty much the same thing. But now it's literally the same thing.

Tap'd NY is a new brand of …