It dosen't make sence to me...

Branding isn't just a "logo", its the overall ambiance of the company... That being said, let's talk about this random salon I found (pictured above).

I saw this salon on the way to the gym. The next day, I went in and asked the receptionist, in a really cool, nice way, what this salon offers over others. She told me that it's best quality is it's uniqueness and respect for individual style...
Here's what doesn't make seance.... The salon looks like something out of "photo hunt". Every station looks the same, except for little, itty bitty differences...

She said the salon is all about Individuality and Uniqueness. There is NOTHING unique or individual about this. Weird huh?

Payless Vs. Porn

It's Porn Monday here on Raisin Brand, where we explore advertising and branding as it relates to the porn world. Our topic today is Payless (yes the shoe store) vs. Porn.

While contemplating various ads. today, I realized that Payless and Porn work on similar principles. Both 'put their good points right out there'. People who are looking for porn know exacticaly what they are getting. This is also true with payless. If you go to payless, you will get cheap shoes. That is evidant with the name and branding.

I love when branding tells a compelling story, but there is something to be said about brands that just put it all out there. It's almost poetic.

Another Basic, Simple Ad

I was wondering downtown the other day and saw this little Gem. The arrow is pointing to some clothing on sale at the local "H and M" store.



It is another very basic form of advertising. This is using a basic, almost universal symbol to communicate a message. "look here for a great deal"

This is SOOOO much more effective than a big ass sign saying "Look here for a great deal" or "Sale". This simple arrow is a catalyst for curiosity and intern provides motivation for the customer to take a look and explore whats there.

I wish more ads were like this... Just offering a little piece of the story, and letting the consumer complete it in their own way. BRILLIANT!

To Helvetia and Beyond!

My lovely friend sent me this one. Being a big fan of Helvetica, I don't know if I agree with it, but I must say that it seems to hold some truth.

When I was at a book release party this past weekend, I began randomly talking to a woman who happend to be a local designer. I asked her what she thought of Helvetica, and she gave a very insightful answer.

She told me that it doesn't matter what font you use, as long as it communicates the message properly. She went on to say that she uses Helvetica, but only when it is appropriate. I think we can all learn something from this insight. It's so easy to get wraped up in your personal opinion of whats good and whats not. If we all focused on telling the right story and conveying the proper message, image how much less shit would be out there.

Compost Modern = Awesome

This past weekend I volunteered at an AIGA sponsored event entitled Compost Modern. Believe me when I say that it was so beyond amazing. The event explored ways to make design, branding and adverting more environmentally friendly.

From a planning perspective, it was amazing to see all of the strategic work involved in advertising green. There is SOOOO much to discuss involving this event, so I will be making a bunch of posts pertaining to it in the following week.

One of my favorite things that I had the pleasure of hearing was a revamped definition for Sustainability, and I almost directly quote... "What you do now, that won't fu*k up stuff later." This is something that EVERYONE in the advertising field should apply to their work. Imagine how much better campaigns and branding would be if a bit more of a futuristic approach was taken.

If you are curious on exploring the lectures and workshops from this event yourself, take a gander at the event website, www.compostmodern.com. It's full of goodies from this past weekend.

Refresh this, Bisnatch!

From the new logo created by the Arnell Group, to the generation-refreshing ambiance created by TBWA-LA, its hard not to notice Pepsi's rebirth into culture. Even though I have mixed feeling about the campaign, its awesome to see a brand brave enough to make all these changes.

While in the subway I noticed some graffiti sticker art posted on the Ads.(above) It occurred to me that TBWA could turn this negative defacement into positive reinforcement. The campaign exudes individuality and expression self. This defacement does the same thing. It's an awesome way for this ad, which works to express individuality, to directly show and enforce it.

Think about it :).

What were they thinking?

Hello Everyone!

Today is Identity gone bad Tuesday, where I will point out and rant about awful Corporate ID in all its glory.


This is the "Red Mango" In NYC... What I hate about this logo is that is makes absolutely no scene. Logos should visually express the ambiance and feeling of what they are representing.

The restaurant itself attempts to be healthy, relaxing, yet still fast-foodish. I ask you, what is fast, healthy or easy looking about this logo? It looks fat ass, not fast, fat and lazy, not healthy, and fails to create a lasting impression.
This logo honestly pisses me off! WTF. The best way to advertise a business, is though its branding. If a business can't sucessfully express who they, how can advertising? This branding is advertising shit.

Overall, its the best example of creating a logo that "looks good", and I use that term loosly, but fails to be conceptual, expressive or functional.