reactions

I love cake and I have to confess, I especially love cakes from a box mix, which I think is a virtue because my mother never had to bake me one from scratch. With this in mind I’m sure you can imagine why I was freaking out to discover these instructions for how to use a box mix, to bake a rainbow cake. I can’t tell if I love, or if I am frightened by, the fact that the recipe calls for all diet products to make it ‘fat-free’, but I can assure you I’m going to have to try this masterpiece soon. Maybe I’ll bake it for Allison, who sent me this hot tip!

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When it comes to the news, graphic design is usually a behind-the-scenes player. While a lot of design goes into the news, the industry of graphic design rarely makes the front page (…or any page, really). We’ve been upstaged by architecture, product design, interior design, fashion design… you name it. In fact, many people (my family included) are a bit confused about what graphic design is exactly. However, if the last few months are any indication, the tides are about to turn. For the second time in the last few weeks, graphic design has made the front page of the New York Times (okay, the online edition… but still)!

First there was the buzz over the Obama logo design. Now the New York Times is examining the history of the Superbowl logo – a graphic that has a 43-year history and is seen by millions every year.

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While it has been brutally frigid in NYC this winter, my walks outside have been made warmer by seeing this amazing ad campaign featuring day-glo images by artist Steven Wilson. These summery-fresh-tastic images are so over-the-top, so surreal, so dripping with color, it makes me want to wear shorts and skip barefoot in spite of the icy sidewalks all around.

I hardly noticed what this poster was even promoting; it just made me smile the instant I first saw the dripping hot dog at our local bus shelter. Stylistically, it looks like Peter Max  dreaming about the Yellow Submarine in an art gallery filled with artwork by Claus Oldenburg.

Check out Steven’s website for even more amazing images from this campaign here. And, of course, don’t forget the nycgo.com site.

Stay warm!

Japan, was amazing….
LEDs everywhere
rabbits everywhere
no sushi anywhere
low level electricity in my bath water
both of my friends are a foot taller than their mothers
I ate a fish head
our friend, Aaron Meshon, is big in Japan
love hotels are amazing
cat cafes are for crazy people
we are never allowed back at the karaoke bar

Sit back, relax, and take a trip to Japan, without the 17-hour plane ride and 2 weeks of jet lag. View our photo journal here.

MSLK was just featured in the January 15th issue of Investor’s Business Daily in article titled,  “Never Stop Learning: Retool to Lift Your Firm,” by Adelia Cellini Linecker.

During an hour-long conversation with the reporter last month, she picked our brains on everything from cost-effective marketing tips and strategies to time management practices. This resulted in a nice piece on the front page of the Leaders & Success section.

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I was recently thinking about the “stuff” we surround ourselves with, and the degree to which good design plays into our lives, making it better or worse. Some designs are brilliant, rewarding the user — while others become dated, or were simply ill-conceived, resulting in disappointments.

In an effort to bring clarity to the “Form vs Function” debate, I asked the designers at MSLK to make a list of the items they encounter every day, grouping them into four categories:

1) Beautiful  &  Useful
2) Beautiful  &  Not Useful
3) Ugly  &  Useful
4) Ugly  & Not Useful

Click below to read what we came up with…

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There’s probably a very good reason why the Japanese are light-years ahead of the rest of us when it comes to cutting-edge graphics, although it’s not my job to speculate. Instead, I simply marveled at it all as I had the opportunity to wander the streets.

MSLK’s recent trip to Japan found us taking picture after picture of cool trends, colors, shapes, and patterns. These are things you needn’t go to a gallery or museum to see, either — they’re all around you — in subways, on buses, on sale in convenience stores, and all over the street.

Click below for some of our favorites…

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Though I consider myself an art appreciator, I have a difficult time investing money in art. I’ve been known to plunk down a chunk of change for a great chair or sideboard, but I always find myself stopping just short of sealing the deal when it comes to a piece of art (not so encouraging coming from a graphic designer, I know). As a result, the walls of my apartment have largely been left undecorated. A few months ago, though, I found out about 20 x 200, a site dedicated to bringing limited edition pieces of art to the masses at a variety of price levels. After some hemming and hawing, I bought my first print from the site this weekend.

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Marc and Sheri, Co-Founders of MSLK, share their expertise on strategic rebranding.

“Retool to Lift Your Firm”
Investor’s Business Daily, newspaper
January 15, 2009

I would like to declare a personal New Year’s resolution. I need to drink more water in 2009 and in order to do that I need to bring my water bottle with me everywhere I go. I find that the minute I’m away from work/home I’m thirsty, and if I don’t have that bottle handy finding water while on the go can be tough.

The other thing I’ve found recently is that clubs, arenas, and other venues no longer like to provide ice water from the tap in a glass or with drinking fountains. These days Americans see water as a way to make money, especially if they can sell it for $3-$5 a bottle. I certainly don’t believe that water is free; I actually believe it will become the liquid gold of our generation, but I don’t believe it needs to come in a disposable bottle. The actual cost to the environment of the plastic water bottle is MUCH higher than even the value of that precious natural resource inside.

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