reactions

I can’t say exactly when, but there came a time when the old MSLK website no longer suited our needs as a company. After nearly ten years of gradual evolution, the site seemed fine to most casual visitors. However, as our range of services expanded, we were finding the need to tell increasingly complex stories about our work. On top of that, we were fielding calls from new prospects asking us about our capabilities… things we thought we had been clearly stated online, yet clearly were not.

Looking back, there were clear signs that we were adding patches to the site to try and show more than just the end-result of the work. And these signs all pointed to us being the proverbial shoemaker’s children: branding experts who excelled in creating innovative online experiences for others (just don’t look at our site). In December 09 we started to think about what was needed for us to lead by example. We knew it would be an immense endeavor, and require a sustained commitment of nearly everyone in our studio.

And it did.

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Last night SVA honored Advertising and Graphic Design Department Chair, Richard Wilde for 40 years of excellence in design education. MSLK was invited to cover the event on Reactions in order to bring the inspiration of his philosophies to you.

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Be sure to visit the last day of BoHo bodega tomorrow! This temporary pop-up store is reinventing the quintessential NYC bodega by introducing consumers to green food, drinks and household products – all at wholesale price with proceeds donated to charity!

But don’t delay, the bodega will be over, tomorrow October 25th! Kuddos to our new friend Mia Sakai, for making this wonderful project happen. Be sure to check out the bodega furnishings including a recycled cardboard ceiling and tin can lighting. Mia is a real DYIer!

220 Lafayette St. just south of Spring.

A German design magazine reports on how New Yorkers are making trash into art.

“Asthetischer Abfall”
Page Magazine, magazine
October 2009

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our webinar on Social Media, with marketing expert, Sheri Koetting and social media consultant, Shannon Nelson.We hope you gained some new insights into the power and potential that platforms like Blogs, Facebook, and Twitter hold. As we discussed they not allow you to reach millions of users, but give unprecedented access to data about your fans and their daily lives.

We’ve had several requests for the presentation from those of you who couldn’t join us and those of you who were riveted and need to watch it again. A recording of the presentation is posted here for your convenience.

  This past Friday, some of us at MSLK went to Cut & Paste, a digital design tournament sponsored by Adobe among other software manufacturers. Rather than post about the tournament itself, which I found to be kind of sub-par, I thought I’d comment on this promotion by Pantone, which was given out at one of the tables. These “birthday-booklets” contain a special set of pantone colors called Colorstrology. Each month has its own set of hues, and each day has a specific hue with a description. There is also an accompanying flash site for Colorstrology. What I find kind of curious is that this set of colors is for entertainment purposes only. This would have been extremely innovative if this was a promotion for a new color system to encourage people to buy new color-books. Instead, it seems to be something much less purposeful, yet is fun nevertheless.

-Ryan

What’s better than eating a cupcake? Touring around inside one of course! Turns out my favorite cupcake mobiles which I love to see touring around the playa at Burning Man, are now offered for sale at retailer Neiman Marcus for a mere $25,000 each.  Someday I really hope to join their “bakers dozen” and build on of my own.

See a short video on how they are made below.
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Gone are the days of cheesy photo collages and lackluster footage. Many of today’s television programs are using engaging title sequences to start the show off. Such is the case in the opening sequence to Showtime’s, United States of Tara. I was actually humming the tune to this song on my way to work this morning; I guess I really miss this show, and I hope it comes back for another season!

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MSLK’s initiative to raise environmental awareness through Watershed, an eco-art installation, is acknowledged by the green community.

“The US Consumes 1500 Plastic Water Bottles Every Second, a fact by Watershed”

Tree Hugger, blog
October 15, 2009

Scrap the idea of getting a celebrity to endorse your next campaign. Instead, consider puppies, kittens, baby pigs and butterflies. Oh, and throw in a few rainbows and roses for extra points. The newest trend to work it’s way up from the blogosphere is the use of cute animals to market and sell everything from lotto tickets to high end fashion.

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