reactions

The quickest way to change the public perception of your brand is to give it a facelift. MSLK was recently presented with the challenge of re-inventing the image of a photographer whose identity was making his work feel dated and out-of-touch. Our objective was to develop an identity to help Jim attract his ideal clientele and speak to a younger crop of art directors. It needed to be engaging and flexible, but not overpower his detailed photography. See some examples of his new look in comparison to his old identity after the jump.

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Recently, it seems as though everywhere you look there is a new quirky product giving people the possibility of having a momentary mustache. I feel for the facially follicly-challenged and their desire to accessorize (especially after wearing the Real McCoy for over a year) but this trend has gotten out of control.

MSLK probably inspired this whole thing years ago when Sheri and I created handkerchiefs to give out to folks at Burning Man. The place is so dusty that a handkerchief around your face is practically a fashion statement. We figured why not give everyone a mustache?

Well, it must’ve caught like wildfire. Move over Tamagochi, bread-machine, and Wii — this year’s gotta-have-it gift is better than cash… it’s “the ‘stache.”

We’ve assembled a stubbly gift guide for you after the jump.

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As I stated in a my previous post, MSLK has been working with the law firm of Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP to learn more about how copyright and trademarks protect brands and designs. In fact, we have invited Andrew Berger of THS&H to speak on this subject to  Spark in April. In the interim, however Andrew has shared some light reading about  copyright basics with us.

How many times have you been asked by a client or colleague to match an  existing image or sample for a project? When MSLK was first starting out it happened to us a few times. As Andrew outlines in his document “How to Protect Your Copyrighted Works in an Internet Age” when you copy another’s work you may be headed for unwanted legal trouble.

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The debut of Urban Tumbleweeds, MSLK’s eco-art installation, at Burning Man 2008 catches the attention of the creative community.

“Creative Recycling”
Step Inside Design, magazine
November/December 2008

Regardless of where you sit politically, one cannot help but marvel at the amazing strength and cohesiveness of the recent political campaign of Barack Obama. At least from a visual standpoint.

Not even counting the grassroots efforts of Shepard Fairey, the campaign had a disciplined approach in its choice of colors, and consistent typeface. Mostly, it was the logo that did it for me.

The amazingly prolific graphic design author and historian (and MSLK fave)  Steven Heller recently interviewed Sol Sender, the logo’s creator. For an interesting read on how all the rules of traditional political campaigns were broken, have a read here.

As practically everyone is predicting, this holiday season is shaping up to be a doozie for retailers. Now more then ever, companies need to set themselves apart from the competition. One retailer who has always been at the forefront for unique shopping experiences seems to be translating some of their in-store techniques to their online marketplace. The Fa-La-La Filter from Anthropologie breaks the monotony of online shopping with a simple, game-like interface that allows users to sort and  a selection of ornaments in a playful way. It somehow resembles the spirit of decorating a tree. It’s imaginative, whimsical, and fun. Even better, it actually is a useful sorting tool.

Here at MSLK, we have a special place in our heart for design that is both beautiful and informative. In fact, we’re soon to unveil a unique online sort system that we hope both engages users and helps them find the perfect product. Style and substance at its best!

As the end of our season and that time of the year draws near, I just wanted to say thanks to all of my fellow Pigeon softball players for helping make my summer complete. Every week we all make time within our busy work schedules and family commitments to get together and play as a team. And like any good team our success or loss really depends on us all being there. Some friends, like our greatest sub ever, Ayako, often rally to fill in a spot in a pinch, with little or no notice, which is really above any beyond.

That kind of commitment is truly what friends are for and my summers simply wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t get out and smack a few balls just to prove I still can.

It seems that MSLK’s awareness campaign to reduce plastic bag consumption is working…okay maybe we had nothing to with it, but Mayor Bloomberg recently announced a plan to charge NYC shoppers 6 cents per bag. Sounds great to us. Just a few weeks after Ireland adopted a similar tax of 33 cents per bag — plastic bag use dropped 94 percent.

You guys won’t mind, right? I assume you are all already armed with your resuable totes…

Every month MSLK has a meeting with the marketing managers of Redken Haircare. We meet to review the upcoming promotions to be featured in New On 5th, the Dealsheet we’ve been designing for just over four years now.

The subway lets me out on Broadway, right in the heart of Times Square, amid the theatergoers, tourists, souvenir salesmen, and never-ending construction sites. Hardly anything worth noting, as  jaded New Yorkers make their way from point A to point B. I’ve made this trip so many times that I can practically do it blindfolded.

Yet, this past Friday while on my way to another meeting, something stopped me in my tracks. No longer was there a generic construction barricade in my way. In its place was something incredibly large, red and white: the newly renovated “tkts” booth  — even more modern than the classic booth I had remembered as a kid.

It seemed to have popped up in the month since my last meeting.

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As designers we should to be aware of trademarks and the rules to follow surrounding them. However, I bet if you asked 100 designers what they knew about trademarks and copyrights they would be hard pressed to tell you anything about them including the fundamental differences between the two.

Recently MSLK has been working with the intellectual property law firm of Tannenbaum Helpern Syracuse & Hirschtritt LLP in order to sharpen our business acumen over this subject and others. As the world get smaller and the competition gets tougher in every market, we feel it is important that our clients consider the types of protections they might want to have in place in order to maintain their unique brand positioning/personality.

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