“Thanks for everyone’s input on the new logo! We’ve had the same logo for 20+ years, and this is just one of the things we’re changing. We know this logo created a lot of buzz and we’re thrilled to see passionate debates unfolding! So much so we’re asking you to share your designs. We love our version, but we’d like to… see other ideas. Stay tuned for details in the next few days on this crowd sourcing project.”

Crowd sourcing, ugh. But seriously, how come they’ve got this crowd sourcing plan ready so soon? The whole thing is kind of mind-numbing, The Gap, the crown jewel of Baby Boomer corporate casual is suddenly going to throw it’s corporate identity to the “crowd”? This will be fun to watch unfold.

My vote is a return to the the logo before the blue box thing. Although I just noticed it looks like a hipper version of bloomingdales.

Detroit was the Silicon Valley of the early 20th century with hundreds of companies literally starting in the barns of tinkerers. The most famous and perhaps most enduring of these was Henry Ford. On display (and running) was a recreation of Henry Ford’s first horseless carriage, built in 1896. Indeed, this was the highlight of a half dozen assorted pre-war American cars. (That would be pre-World War One.) The kinship with the crazy home-built contraptions roaming the Faire grounds was pleasing and startling. The Maker Faire looks to bring it all home this year with its first Detroit Maker Faire. Can the spirit of the Maker Faire help spark a renaissance in the home of some America’s original tinkerers? Has Detroit truly embraced the spirit of the Maker Faire and found its roots?

The news on Monday, May 24 reported that Ford would invest $135 million in Michigan to design, engineer and produce components for its next generation of hybrids and fully electric vehicles. Indeed, the future development of electric and hybrid vehicles will be centered in the Detroit area. I’m going to come out against the cynics and naysayers: good old American ingenuity has found a renaissance in the DIY counter culture, and Ford looks to be reclaiming its heritage.

photo by M Skaffari

Photo by M Skaffari

The Original Tropic Ana

Tropicana has taken a lot of heat for the dull redesign it attempted last year. It was generic and reminded me of Metamucil packaging. This isn’t the first time Tropicana has alienated consumers. I’ve always been a champion of Tropic Ana. The juice giant slowly euthanized her in the eighties. She kept getting smaller and then was relegated to a side panel before she vanished. Bring back cheerful Tropic Ana!

I took my son in for one last visit for the clearance sale. It was a mistake. I would rather have remembered the well stocked shelves with over 25 years worth of films. This was no ordinary video store. Mill Valley is home to a film festival and people take their movies seriously. Watching all of one’s favorite video and music stores closing is like watching your favorite old aunts die off, one by one.

First it was records stores and now video stores; I’m curious to see how bookstores stay relevant and solvent. I was at Barnes & Knoble recently getting a sales pitch for the Nook. I was told how great it was that I could read newspapers without the ads. I told her I liked ads and besides, they pay for the paper. Ok, I have a vested interest in them since I create them, but how are papers going to make any money on this? “You have to pay a subscription fee,” said the sales person, irritation rising in her voice. I see. She didn’t like me. I wasn’t gushing about this fabulous new technology. You may ask, why wasn’t I at my local independent bookseller? Because, they don’t carry computer software manuals. I think the bitter moral of this story is in there somewhere.

So, am I finally going to get Netflix? You know, there’s one more video store in town. I think I’ll take my family there next Friday night and see what they’ve got.

The rampant abuse of Photoshop is undermining the credibility of advertising. Stop and think about that: eroding the credibility of advertising. This may sound funny (and it is), but what if the public where to truly stop believing? What if they stopped suspending belief and no longer could be enticed into buying that face-cream-serum-rejuvenator-elixir at $50 a half ounce? Now we have an attack on the very bedrock of capitalism.

The public has an increasing visual sophistication. At the same time, the ability to make fantasy so visually realistic and compelling raises the level of responsibility for marketers and digital artists. Companies that don’t adhere to a high standard will be rooted out and flailed in the digital realm.

Lately, Apple has been doing battle with the letters “PC”, but the real threat has been coming from the letter “G” which is hoping to dethrone the ubiquitous “i” as the indicator of all things new and better. We know what “G” means, Google. Right? Or does it stand for green? There is of course the Gphone and Gmail. Is a green Google phone too much of a good thing? While we’re on the topic of green, we have G-Diapers, the green alternative. Gatorade will soon have its G-Series, is that about gravity? Not sure. Of course, it doesn’t stop there. Specially trained guinea pigs from G-Force have been assigned by the G-20 to stop Ali-G.

G of course has potential liabilities. For New Yorkers the G-train is the train to nowhere. And then there is the whole sex thing. G-spot anyone? (It’s over here.) The G-phone has the potential to give new meaning to phone sex. Is that a good thing? Google will also have to be careful to distance itself from Kenny G. The late, great, GM division Pontiac swapped storied names like Grand Am and Bonneville for alphanumerics starting with (you guessed it) G; G6, G8. Guess it didn’t help the sales slide.

Just like Google, the letter G means everything and nothing. A letter in search of it’s own identity.