InkredibleArt Blog

Detective Comics Vinculum!

Tue, 22 May 2012 20:55:00 GMT

DC comics also known as "Detective Comics" from the aged Batman stories has once again gone through another rebrand as it does every decade or so. Its good to see how the DC brand has progress changing the look and feel of the company and even its name from the early DC publications to DC Superman, DC Super Stars then finally back to DC Comics which doesn't really make sense if you take out the Acronym.

The new profession in the DC comics logo time line has been designed by the world famous Landor, they have revealed that the new logo uses a peel effect on the D to reveal the C. "The design of the new DC Entertainment identity uses a “peel” effect — the D is strategically placed over the C with the upper right-hand portion of the D peeling back to unveil the hidden C — symbolizing the duality of the iconic characters that are present within DC Entertainment’s portfolio.

Looking at the first version released in monotone colours one might consider the logo to be very boring and bland especially since they have a wide source of fantasy material to draw from. On the other hand others have said they love the logo saying it represents "the hero's mask being revealed" or "turning the pages of a comic". Some believe that the new logo was needed to put them ahead of their competitor Marvel in the growing market place. But personally I'm going to miss the DC spin.

There is also the major controversy of the logo's concept and execution as it looks very similar to the "discovery History" logo. One might argue its a strange coincidence the the D being the same but as many have pointed out they almost match identically point for point. People have also argued that the logo is not just single colour but is in fact interchangeable according to the situation and hero. But that point is also destroyed when one looks at the following picture.

But after saying all that it really does come down to personal opinion on whether or not you like it or even if you think the logo's uncanny look alike is just a coincidence, just look at the City of Melbourne logo and the Woolworths vs Apple Inc logo. Personally I think it had a lot more potential to be designed with a lot more thought behind it (yes all puns intended).

Sourced from and thanks to:

http://www.underconsideration.com
. JAMES I. BOWIE
. STEPHEN HEARNE

http://www.canny-creative.com

http://www.comicsalliance.com

Play is the new Market

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 08:15:00 GMT

Google Play formally known as Android Market has had its shop front redesigned resulting in many more customers coming to shop or just to view.

What google have done is nothing new compared to other online shops (Itunes) selling books, apps for android, movies and books, music and other audio products. However not so new the google play markets has trumpeted the old design. One should also note that no functionality has changed with even the layout from android market almost being copy and pasted.

Having said that it is also understandable that google have gone through with a major rebranding as they have to compete with giants such as Apple Inc.

It didn't make sense why google's listing of digital market would fall under the name of Android Market since the content can be access by both PC and Mac.

Many people still believe that the new google play design is not needed and very messy in terms of layout.

The main thing to note about Google Play is that all of its products are using the new cloud system "Microsoft "skydive" meaning that all products will be ready as soon as you pay. This also means that in the result of deletion or lost can be easily recovered. It has also been said that all other google services such as gmail and google docs will soon be included into the same cloud service.

Google Play can now be easily seen with its new unique logo and tab on the google page with the big "new" next to it. Sourced: Jeff Bertolucci and Jared Newman, www.pcworld.com

Point & Buy

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 00:29:00 GMT

Imagine being able to find out about (if not buy) almost anything you see in the street. The future for Smartphone-toting consumers will be that they can point their phone at virtually anything...a pair of sunglasses someone in the street is wearing, or perhaps a dress or T and be told where they can get it and for how much.

Discovery will no longer be limited to text search

And just as ‘going online’ is no longer limited to sitting in front of a computer (at a desk!), discovery will no longer be tied to text search. People will be able to immediately find out about (and potentially buy) anything they see or hear, even if they don’t know what it is or can’t describe it in words.

Source: trendwatching.com

Tips from the original 'Ad Man'

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 00:05:00 GMT

David Ogilvy, is without doubt, one of the most notable and famous "ad men' the world has seen to date. He certainly influenced my early days as a budding creative director and to this day still inspires great work. The Sydney Morning herald recently published a great article where Ogilvy gives a list of 12 tips for copywriting a great ad. His tips were originally intended for a Mr Calt who expresses an interest in David Ogilvys methods.

Ogilvy's letter is rife with colourful tips. "They are appalling, as you are about to see," Ogilvy wrote. They get increasingly ridiculous as they go.

April 19, 1955 Dear Mr Calt: On March 22nd you wrote to me asking for some notes on my work habits as a copywriter. They are appalling, as you are about to see:

1. I have never written an advertisement in the office. Too many interruptions. I do all my writing at home.

2. I spend a long time studying the precedents. I look at every advertisement which has appeared for competing products during the past 20 years.

3. I am helpless without research material—and the more "motivational" the better.

4. I write out a definition of the problem and a statement of the purpose which I wish the campaign to achieve. Then I go no further until the statement and its principles have been accepted by the client.

5. Before actually writing the copy, I write down every conceivable fact and selling idea. Then I get them organised and relate them to research and the copy platform.

6. Then I write the headline. As a matter of fact I try to write 20 alternative headlines for every advertisement. And I never select the final headline without asking the opinion of other people in the agency. In some cases I seek the help of the research department and get them to do a split-run on a battery of headlines.

7. At this point I can no longer postpone the actual copy. So I go home and sit down at my desk. I find myself entirely without ideas. I get bad-tempered. If my wife comes into the room I growl at her. (This has gotten worse since I gave up smoking.)

8. I am terrified of producing a lousy advertisement. This causes me to throw away the first 20 attempts.

9. If all else fails, I drink half a bottle of rum and play a Handel oratorio on the gramophone. This generally produces an uncontrollable gush of copy.

10. The next morning I get up early and edit the gush.

11. Then I take the train to New York and my secretary types a draft. (I cannot type, which is very inconvenient.)

12. I am a lousy copywriter, but I am a good editor. So I go to work editing my own draft. After four or five editings, it looks good enough to show to the client. If the client changes the copy, I get angry - because I took a lot of trouble writing it, and what I wrote I wrote on purpose. Altogether it is a slow and laborious business. I understand that some copywriters have much greater facility.

Credit: From an original article in the Sydney Morning Herald Feb 2012 - www.smh.com.au

As Advertised?

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:45:00 GMT

Anti-fast food advocates now have more reason to campaign against the most popular food on this planet.

Fast food consumer Dario D has sought to show us the differences between fast food advertised and the actual product.

While the results are not surprising, the huge visual differences never fail to induce feelings of being betrayed. The advertisements are now clearly misleading but food chains may hold to their argument that if you want your food fast, you can’t be choosy.

Organised Disloyalty

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:29:00 GMT

A "new" Singaporean loyalty card concept has picked up on an original concept from Gwilym Davies, the 2009 World Barista Champion. (pictured below).

Gwilym originally designed the concept to promote East London's emerging coffee shop scene. " If you go and drink coffee at 8 interesting, quality focused cafes, then Gwilym Davies himself will make you a free cup of coffee."

While not a new concept, it is new to the asian market and promises to add weight to this great David Vs Goliath marketing battle.

The Disloyalty Card is a coffee community effort to create awareness of the specialty coffee scene in Singapore. It is akin to a David vs Goliath fight, whereby the small cafes team up together in a collective effort to create a friendly business environment for themselves in a world dominated by chains such as Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, etc. Consider this a Hit List for the best indie cafes in Singapore.

“Competing with large chain brands can be difficult for small businesses, but teaming up with similar smaller companies can create stronger competition,” commented Springwise.com. “There’s inspiration here for independent businesses in any industry!”

The Disloyalty Card concept is anomalous to marketing conventions whereby consumers are encouraged to keep their spending with one establishment eg. chain stores with loyalty cards. Instead customers are rewarded for patronising a number of independent establishments.

In a marketplace increasingly dominated by chain stores, owners of independent coffee houses who are passionate about their craft, have jumped on board of Gwilym Davies' brainchild as a way of creating a friendly business environment for themselves and compete better with the chain stores

The movement was started in England by 2009 World Barista Champion, Gwilym Davies. It has since been implemented in Seattle and Toronto.

Let there be light.

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 06:14:00 GMT

Minimal expression with endless interior spaces and light filled rooms. The converged work of Ricardo Agraz, Paolino de Vece and Santiago Ibarrarán on 'Casa I' developed a strong and clean architectural concept that created the right environment to accommodate the needs of a sole inhabitant.

Therefore, endless interior spaces are the basis for the architectural solution, where a central patio vanishes any possible frontier in between the different atmospheres of the house. The inside extends to the outside, creating a place that gives a beginning for a light and shade dialogue, a continuous flow between transition and contemplation, and a balance between user and observer of it all.

Scale plays an important role in the spatial sequence in order to link the main scheme in intimate relation with the patio. Therefore, walls have been reduced to the minimum and have been converted into a sort of casing element that also enhances the relation between what occupies space in its most basic form, and that which divides it, allowing a natural follow-up of the house’s program. The double stories hall is the main bond of spatial elements as well. This is the place where the endless dialogue between volume and gap, light and shade, inside and outside begins, the place where the presence of a single space with diverse forms and atmospheres gains sense.

Credit: A special thanks to Ricardo Agraz www.agrazarquitectos.com

What's your point?

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 05:43:00 GMT

There can be many pitfalls on the way to getting traffic to that beautiful site you created. All the design and creativity in the world won’t bring visitors to your site. You have to know a few basic laws of optimizing a webpage for search before the traffic will begin to flow in your direction.

Below one of the most common reasons why your site may not be converting visitors to customers.

Have A Clear Call To Action
A focused call to action page will have your potential customers performing what you want them to do on your site. Make the page clear, uncluttered with simple enough terminology that gets the benefit of completing the action across as well as where to go to complete said action. A good example of a straight forward call to action is Spotify.

Here you see the benefit – “free music” and what Spotify wants you to do “Download Spotify.”
Another great example of a site that uses multiple calls to action without being overwhelming is FreshBooks.

Here you have a clear benefit of this product - “Focus on your work, not your paperwork.”Multiple ways to complete a call to and none overbearing in anyway. First most important call to action is “Try it Free for 30 Days,” you can see they put it in two spots. Second they give you an option to “Call Toll Free” in a very visible location and the last call to action would be to “Take A Quick Tour” which is tucked away neatly towards the bottom. Beautiful design and getting the conversions.

Credit: Kimberly Clark via WDL

What a Corker

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:12:00 GMT

As the only tree whose bark can regenerate itself after harvest – allowing a typical cork oak tree to be harvested up to 20 times during its life cycle – cork is a vital sustainable resource.

In Portugal, which produces more than half of the world's cork, strong emphasis is placed on maintaining cork plantations and promoting the material's value.

In 2010 the world's largest cork company, the Portuguese-based Amorim, invited design cooperative Experimentadesign to devise an initiative that raised the profile of cork and explored bold new uses of the material. This led to Materia, a collection of 22 objects by 10 designers. Functionality and personality were the 2 key components of the brief. Designers were encouraged to consider the aesthetic, technical and sustainable benefits of cork, all the while creating with the end user in mind.

Unveiled at the 2011 Milan Furniture Fair, Materia brings cork into the everyday – a tactile, useful albeit quirky assortment of objects that allows cork to be seen from an entirely new perspective.

Credit: materia.amorim.com

All I Want for Christmas...

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:37:00 GMT

Is a real life cut-out tool, like the one depicted in these Ving Travel Agency ads.

Targeting parents who seldom get a break from the antics of their attention consuming youngsters (I have two of those), this campaign suggests a much needed escape to a luxury resort.

“Adults only,” is the sole listed condition of the enticing offer, but the image within each print still pictures parents with their children keeping close.

In this first ad, a couple share a romantic dinner together, accompanied by their spaghetti-throwing infant son.

The second ad depicts a woman relaxing on the pool deck next to her excited, splashing kids.

In both cases, the ankle biters and their associated activities are being playfully excised from the pictures with a dotted line and scissors.

If only a real life airbrushing tool-set existed too...

Credit: AdsOfTheWorld

More Than A Pretty Face

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:35:00 GMT

Typography refers to the arrangement of text on a page, and appears in some form or another in all instances of written communication.

Depending on the purpose, typography can be used for optimum readability, impact, or an artistic statement. Some designers work totally in text, and study typography extensively while they perfect their art. Quality typography can make a big difference in communications, because it can impact the way the reader sees and feels about the topic being discussed.

At the most basic, typography is a combination of font, size, spacing, and color. However, typography can also be elevated into an art form as seen in the creations of Jessica Hische – designer, illustrator and letterer extraordinaire. Best known for her personal project Daily Drop Cap, Jessica and her work have been featured in many publications. She's traveled the world speaking about lettering and illustration and says she's probably consumed enough coffee to power a small nation!

Enjoy some of her inspiring work...

Credit: Lettercult.com

An Apple a Day...

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:22:00 GMT

Apple accounted for 4.6 percent of the global mobile phone market in the second quarter of 2011, according to figures from analyst house Gartner.

Gartner’s figures show that worldwide sales of mobile devices to end users totalled 428.7 million units in the second quarter of 2011, a 16.5 percent increase from the second quarter of 2010. Sales of smartphones were up 74 percent year-on-year and accounted for 25 percent of overall sales in the second quarter of 2011, up from 17 percent in the second quarter of 2010.

Apple’s iPhone increased its share of this market from 14.1 percent to 18.1 percent from Q2 2010 to Q2 2011, according to Gartner’s figures. Gartner put this down to the 42 new carriers and 15 new countries that it entered in the second quarter of 2011, which brings its total coverage to 100 countries.

“This expansion caused its inventory to grow a little by the end of the second quarter of 2011, when sales to end users stood at 19.6 million units. In mainland China, Apple is the seventh-largest mobile phone vendor and the third-largest smartphone vendor,” Gartner said.

Android, meanwhile, boosted its market share from 17.2 percent in Q2 2010 to a whopping 43.4m in Q2 2011, while Symbian and BlackBerry went in the opposite direction – from 40.9 percent to 22.1 percent and from 18.7 percent to 11.7 percent over the same period, respectively. Microsoft’s share of the smartphone market also slumped from 4.9 percent to just 1.6 percent.

“Google and Apple are the obvious winners in the smartphone ecosystem. The combined share of iOS and Android in the smartphone operating system (OS) market doubled to nearly 62 percent in the second quarter of 2011, up from just over 31 percent in the corresponding period of 2010. Gartner analysts observed that these two OSs have the usability that consumers enjoy, the apps that consumers feel they need, and increasingly a portfolio of services delivered by the platform owner as well,” the report reads.

Overall, Gartner expects sales of mobile devices to grow around 12 percent in 2011.

Credits: www.gartner.com/technology

Architect Barbie Gets A Dream House

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:21:00 GMT

Earlier this year, Mattel released Architect Barbie – the newest in their careerwoman "I Can Be..." series, where Barbie takes on a number of guises, from actress to computer engineer to veterinarian.

The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently gave their members a chance to imagine what sort of dream house the creative and savvy Architect Barbie would design for herself. The winning design, created by Ting Li and Maja Paklar, shows Architect Barbie as a "creative, fashionable, busy and powerful" Malibu-dwelling professional.

Sustainability is Architect Barbie's chief concern, and the house features solar panels on the roof, operable shading devices, low flow bathroom fixtures and energy saving light fixtures to minimise her carbon footprint.
"The concept of this house reflects exactly who Barbie is in her new profession," reads the project statement. "She has pledged to build an environmentally sustainable home using the principles set forth by USGBC as well as to stay true to all the needs of a classic California girl!"

The house also includes a computer-controlled centrally located closet to house Architect Barbie's designer clothes, a meditation space for her to relax in, an exercise room for keeping fit, a greenhouse and a landscaped garden for her pets.

Architecture is Mattel's 'Career of the Year', with the company hoping to educate young girls about the profession and encourage a new generation to pursue it as a career.

Credit: www.indesignlive.com

One Thousand Cranes

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 02:27:00 GMT

Sadako Sasaki was a Japanese girl who was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945, near her home in Hiroshima, Japan. Sadako is remembered through the story of attempting to fold a thousand origami cranes before her death, a wish that has been memorialised in popular culture.

Sadako was at home when the explosion occurred, about one mile from Ground Zero. In November 1954, Sadako developed swellings on her neck and behind her ears. In January 1955, purple spots had formed on her legs and subsequently she was diagnosed with leukemia. She was hospitalised in 1955 and given, at the most, a year to live.

On August 3, 1955, Sadako's best friend Chizuko Hamamoto came to the hospital to visit and cut a golden piece of paper into a square to fold it into a paper crane, in reference to the ancient Japanese story that promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane. A popular version of the story is that Sadako fell short of her goal of folding 1,000 cranes, having folded only 644 before her death, and that her friends completed the 1,000 and buried them all with her.

Though Sadako had plenty of free time during her days in the hospital to fold the cranes, she lacked paper. She would use medicine wrappings and whatever else she could scrounge up. This included going to other patients' rooms to ask to use the paper from their get-well presents. Chizuko would bring paper from school for Sadako to use. During her time in the hospital her condition progressively worsened. Around mid-October Sadako requested tea on rice and remarked "It's good." Those were her last words. With her family around her, Sadako died on the morning of October 25, 1955 at the age of 12.

In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane was unveiled in the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, also called the Genbaku Dome. At the foot of the statue is a plaque that reads:

"This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace on Earth."

Sadako has become a leading symbol of the impact of nuclear war and is also a heroine for many girls in Japan. Dedicated to her, people all over Japan celebrate August 6 as the annual peace day.

When the devastating Tsunami hit Japan in March this year, London-based studios Anomaly and Unit9 joined forces in a design project to help raise funds for its victims.

'We were discussing how we could contribute our resources and our thinking as a creative agency to those affected by the disaster in Japan,’ explains Alfred Malmros of Anomaly. ‘We wanted do something that was more contemplative, that made people stop, reflect and send their thoughts and wishes to the people of Japan.’

Inspired by the legend of Sadako Sasaki, Anomaly approached Unit9, who quickly created a website 'One Thousand Cranes", that features designs provided by artists which can be folded into origami paper cranes. When individuals make a donation to the relief fund, they can pick a design, print it, and make their own crane. Within a few days the website had crane designs donated from illustration agencies and artists like Todd Selby, CIA, Jelly, Dutch Uncle and Blinkart.

'Our aim is to get people to spend a few minutes folding cranes and send their thoughts to Japan, offering them an opportunity in a moment of crises to take time out and contemplate', explains Malmros.

Jump over to www.onethousandcranesforjapan.com and take a look. The site is continuing to take donations.

Credits: Wikipedia, Framemag, onethousandcranesforjapan.com

All Consuming

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 04:22:00 GMT

If we have any real power as individuals, it's as consumers. Every time we shop we make choices that have an impact on the environment and send important and powerful signals to manufacturers and retailers.

Not long ago, it was only so-called latter day ‘hippies' or ‘new agers' who rode bicycles to the supermarket, shopped with a basket and whisked omelettes with free range eggs. But increasingly we are all making the connection between what we buy and discard, and the planets plethora of environmental problems and devastation.

An Australian company who is dedicated to making the world a better place is The Ethical Consumer Group, a community based, not-for-profit network set up to help facilitate more sustainable purchasing practices for the everyday consumer.

Specific to Australia, their Ethical Consumer Guide has come out of a shared concern that many people although eager to make changes in their buying habits for the better, do not have access to information to make informed choices. Their website and accompanying guides provide information on local and international companies and brands, allowing an evaluation of the social and environmental impact of companies on the earth and our society.

In their latest e-newsletter to come across our inbox, they bring to our attention the dubious practises of Asia Pacific Resources International Ltd, better known as APRIL, and producers of office paper sold by some of Australia’s largest retailers such as Fuji Xerox and Officeworks. The company has embarked on a massive land clearing project in Sumatra, Indonesia, removing natural stands of timber and replanting fast-growing acacia trees. ABCs Foreign Correspondent explored beyond what APRIL proffers as a model development, to investigate claims of corruption in a nearby area where logging companies appear to have bribed their way into operation. Environmentalists and many villagers worry about the dramatic changes reshaping the land and also about the plight of residents who’ve been there a lot longer than most - like the Sumatran tiger. Another article states that the habitat of Sumatran tigers is being sold in IGA supermarkets across Australia as toilet paper. IGA buys its toilet paper from Indonesia's most notorious rainforest destroyer, Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). To view the complete e-newsletter go to www.ethical.org.au/newsletters/aug2011.htm

The Ethical Consumer Group says its wider goal is to see the current culture of reaction consumerism change to be conscious and deliberate, based upon care for nature and people, recognising our connection and responsibility. This encapsulates a desire to see social change on an individual, corporate and cultural level.

Credits: Earth Quest, Channel 9 & Hutchinson Australia and www.ethical.org.au