"No War", Nerd Style

Though designers might get this, I dont think government officials will. Points for creativity though!

Hotel Chat

I was chatting with a friend of mine who happens to be in hotel development and he was telling me some of his favorite hotels in the world. And...I agree, they are quite amazing.

Villa D'Este, Lake Como, Itlay
Only opened March through September.





Four Seasons Hotel, Gresham Palace, Budapest
The renaissance of an Art Nouveau landmark, exquisitely transformed with ultra-modern comforts, Four Seasons combines luxury and intuitive service with panoramic vistas of the Danube and the hills of Buda.

Online Dressing Room

Though I'm not in the market for this product (OBVIOUSLY), I did find this site to be VERY innovative in their approach to sell, or at least HELP sell, their product. Check them out...

www.knickerpicker.com

Grand Theft Auto Promotion

These posters have been placed randomly around town to promote the vido game Grand Theft Auto. One was posted on my ATM teller window in Soho. To me, they are inappropriate. I didnt even know they were solely promotional until I read about them online.

Ads that I love!

"Innovate Or Die" Winner

Specialized and Google's "Innovate Or Die" contest is over. They've announced the winner.

The challenge was to harness a bike's humble pedaling mechanism to achieve great things for humanity. If this sounds tough, witness the incredible simplicity, usefulness and thoughtfulness of the winning design: the Aqueduct bike.

Microsoft Surface

I'm not sure how far off we are from this new technology, but just the possibility is quite amazing.

Expanding Tables-So Cool!

DB Fletcher Capstan Ilona expanding table

Best New Hotel 2007

And the nominees are...

Fasano Rio de Janeiro, Ipanema Beach, by Philippe Starck

Haymarket, London, by Kit Kemp

Le Bellechasse, Paris, by Christian Lacroix

The Bowery, New York, by Sean MacPherson and Eric Goode

Riva Lofts, Florence, by Claudio Nardi

Ad Goodness

Obama '08 Gets Campaign Logo Design Right

Speak Up's terrific analysis of the Barack Obama campaign's skillful use of their campaign '08 logo.

"For each segment of people, the logo changes accordingly, tip-toeing a fine line between cliché and clever, and never crossing to the former's dark side. The iterations are quickly identifiable and feel genuinely concerned with connecting to the people they are talking to, without pandering. The executions are rather flawless and work perfectly on screen with the detailed gradients and subtle background illustrations. Even the typography is lovingly handled, with each segment changing ever so slightly and unified by the use of Gotham in most of the applications, and using other typefaces as fitting — even the "kids" typography looks finessed, despite the looming pitfalls of faux child-drawn typography. This kind of playful flexibility is typically reserved for the likes of MTV, VH1 or Nickelodeon and the breadth of this kind of brand architecture for global corporations with endless divisions."

Luxury With A Conscience

Barry Sternlicht's newest creation: 1 Hotel and Residence

1 redefines a new archetype of luxury in hotel and residential living: a one of a kind, sophisticated, modern environment that dares to be the best of everything without sacrificing the greater environment. Committed to protecting and preserving our resources, the creators of 1 believe that one can find sublime experiences in hospitality and in personal lifestyle experiences without diminishing the natural world.

Barricade and Initial Advertising from 1's opening location, Seattle.

Bblessing Home Absinthe Set

One of my favorite men's stores, Bblessing, just launched their brand-spanking new home line. These graphic absinthe spoons—the first pieces in the line—were designed by Surface to Air's Daniel Jackson in keeping with the store's interior, which was "very much inspired by my own abstraction of a fin de siècle Absinthe bar."

For those unfamiliar with the absinthiana, the ritual of drinking the famed, mind-bending spirit, the spoons are used to dissolve a sugar cube in the drink to lessen its bitterness.

If you're in the market

Jorg&Olif Scout Bike
If you'd rather get some exercise and pedal your way through town, it's best done on the Jorg&Olif Scout Bike. A perfect complement (and pretty much the opposite of) a fixie, this old-world, dutch-styled cycle is now a bit more affordable at $495.

PANTONE's 2008 Color of the Year: 18-3943 BLUE IRIS

"Pantone, Inc selected PANTONE® 18-3943 BLUE IRIS, a beautifully balanced blue-purple, as the color of the year for 2008. Combining the stable and calming aspects of blue with the mystical and spiritual qualities of purple, Blue Iris satisfies the need for reassurance in a complex world, while adding a hint of mystery and excitement. " "From a color forecasting perspective, we have chosen PANTONE 18-3943 Blue Iris as the color of the year, as it best represents color direction in 2008 for fashion, cosmetics and home products," explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. "As a reflection of the times, Blue Iris brings together the dependable aspect of blue, underscored by a strong, soul-searching purple cast. Emotionally, it is anchoring and meditative with a touch of magic. Look for it artfully combined with deeper plums, red-browns, yellow-greens, grapes and grays."

Cool Lego Ads

World Wildlife Foundation Guerilla Marketing

The World Wildlife Foundation uses an interesting ambient marketing campaign to warn of the issues of deforestation. A cutout in the shape of South America gets less and less green as more paper gets used, symbolizing the loss of forests. "Save the paper, save the planet."

Agency: Saatchi&Saatchi, Denmark

Bronx Zoo Ad Posters

Such a great idea.

Moleskin Featured Artist

Fashion Designer, Antonio Marras

New Nalgene Kits

Nalgene - its not just a container... now they are using it as packaging! Brilliant and noteworthy move by nalgene which has already spread into so many markets - for being basically a container manufacturer... so its for scientific purposes, then outdoors, then travel/airport security checks, then kids, then various caps and kits and flasks... and now you can get Auto, First Aid, Preparedness, Heat Stress, Dog, and Kid kits! All in your usual 32oz classic nalgenes... each with a signature color for branding naturally.