No reason … Just love this!

Recently summoned to my civic duty, I was in lower Manhattan in the heart of the NYC Judicial system. Sat for hours and hours in a large room … Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

While out for a lunch break, I stumbled upon this octagonal urban oasis in the middle of a small park. Beautiful and refreshing.

Gotta love public art installations!

Could this be an attempt at preemptive leniency from a police office if this driver were pulled over for a traffic violation? This sign definitely does not look official by any means. However, if the desired objective is attained, then the design would be a success. Potential proof that design isn’t always pretty!

Yes! Love it! This is how I see typography.

via ffffound via i love typography by Jihad Lahham

Nestea has a new campaign … Liquid Awesomeness. The website is pretty sweet, but definitely weird. Doubtful it will have a long shelf-life.

Regardless … We’re walking down Broadway last night, look up and see the above poster. Without any context whatsoever, this ad just seems ridiculous. Stupid really! Maybe I’m getting old.

Maybe I’m not. As a designer and brand strategist myself, I always work to consider the environment in which the work exists. Context is so important. And without it, the point can be completely lost. We live in a world where individuals are exposed to a great deal of information … And not everyone is exposed to all the same stuff.

Or maybe I just need to start watching TV! Nahhh, don’t think so.

It seems that television is the “context” some automatically base expectations. But you’d think these days with DVR and the internet, that designers and agencies would realize that the collective public is beginning to gain personal control of their own context. This is changing the way brands must communicate to individuals.

While the base approach for this Nestea campaign is interesting, this approach is not for the general public at large. It should be used only for smaller niche audiences that make up the long tail … Where it resonates the strongest.

Two things I wouldn’t expect to find in a flower shop in the flower district of NYC … A baseball and a very dirty iMac. Just thought I’d share!

Apparently Ice T wants you to Obey Giant as well! Found this down in the Flower District over the weekend while Jenny was working on a friend’s upcoming wedding.

Truth in advertising … Does anyone actually consider Swedish Fish a food ?!!? I realize it may be fat free, but seriously … Food !!

I saw this packaging / POP display for Swedish Fish at the cafe downstairs, and I just couldn’t resist.

As I was walking home the other afternoon from the 1 train, I passed a corner bodega with tons of magazine hung in the window. These three stood out! A bit overboard, wouldn’t you say?

With so much of the publishing industry faltering, I wonder how long these pubs will hang on. Honestly, is there a large enough audience to keep all three of these magazines in business? How much value is there for the advertisers? It just seems that this would be such a small, niche audience that these magazines would have closed their doors long ago!

And on a side note … I wonder if its hard for these guys to tie their shoes!