reactions

As a marketer, how can you harness Design to support your brand’s strategic goals? When we speak of Design, (notice the capital D) we are of course not only talking about graphics and stylistic treatments (you already knew that right?) but about the organization of information, the hierarchy of messages and brand assets. Starting a project with a creative brief ensures that the visual design that emerges is purposeful, allowing your brand to perform in the market as you intended. It is the objective starting point before the more subjective design process begins.
Read More

MSLK just went live with the sixth in an ongoing series of videos to showcase what we do best: create 360° branding solutions for our clients. The video demonstrates how we guided performance sock manufacturer, Wigwam Mills, towards a refined market position, redesigned their packaging and came up with a new graphic language that they are utilizing in all of their promotional efforts.

In an effort to bring more recognition to Long Island City, MSLK has been working with the LIC Partnership on a master plan to foster growth. Our design and marketing efforts are helping to bring attention to the thriving economic, industrial and cultural developments that are occurring, making LIC truly a great place to live and work. Like the revitalization of Grand Central Station and Times Square, the visual component of these plans plays a large role in shaping the experience of these places. The main streets and intersections are now branded with bold banners welcoming the public.
Read More

If your brand’s core presence is online, you may have heard about Google Panda, a code name for their new ranking algorithm, still very much a work in progress. With all of the conflicting literature out there, I’m hoping to cut through the clutter, so you can understand what you can be doing to better optimize your site. At its most basic level, the aim of this update is to lower the rank of “low quality” sites and raise the rank of “high quality” sites. Google’s spiders are more “human” than ever and can detect many things they couldn’t previously. So you might be asking yourself, how do I become a high quality site in the eyes of google? Read on to learn about the three big ideas we’ve gleaned from our own research.
Read More

Everyone is browsing the web with smart-phones and tablets, so now more than ever it’s important to consider the experiences on these devices. Many companies accommodate mobile users with a separate site. There are instances where this may be appropriate, yet the complexities of maintaining 2 url’s is usually not ideal. One of the new web buzz phrases, responsive web design, is the closest we have to an all one solution. The technique involves creating multiple layouts (usually 2 or 3) that are targeted to the resolutions of desktop, tablet and mobile.
Read More

We are honored that the AIGA approached us to create the branding program for their new one and only design competition, Justified. Justified seeks examples of great design with proven track records vis a vis case studies that demonstrate how design has created value for clients and/or society. The landscape of design competitions has changed, and the AIGA is at the forefront, awarding those projects where design has produced measurable results. Read more to get a behind the scenes of our process in crafting this identity.
Read More

Just in time for Valentine’s Day, MSLK’s app, OTO , has been updated with love-inspired themes! Hit your crush with Cupid’s arrow or send kisses their way. It’s a free update if you already have the app. If you don’t have OTO yet, be sure to download it here!

MSLK is honored and humbled to have received two of the nine AIGA Making the Case Awards for our projects, Watershed and Figment 360° Branding. Beyond the mere beauty pageant that is the average design competition, “Making the Case” selects case studies that “demonstrate the value of design in a clear, compelling and accessible way” to clients and society. Given recent economic trends, now more than ever it is important for non-designers to understand how great design leads to business growth and/or positive societal change.
Read More

As the holiday season rapidly approaches, MSLK is once again offering something useful to make the gift giving process fun and easy. Introducing our Customizable Holiday Cards, which are now on sale at our Felt and Wire shop. Use these cards to create your own message for all holiday occasions. Get a set now.

New Yorkers can purchase a set at Teich in the West Village. Mention MSLK and receive a 15% discount!

We would like to hear your opinion on an idea for our newest eco-art installation.

Did you ever consider all of the products you use as part of your daily routine? Soaps, cleaners, air fresheners, shampoos, moisturizers—all are seemingly innocuous items that have become accepted cultural norms.  Rarely do we stop to consider whether the ingredients in these products are 100% safe.

As designers, we at MSLK are committed to using our talents to make the public aware of environmental issues facing the world today. Our eco-art installations: Urban Tumbleweeds, Watershed, and Take-Less focused on the dangers of our mass consumption of single-use plastics.  These plastic products seem harmless as you use them one at a time, but over time the refuse accumulates. Similarly, we wonder about all those unnatural ingredients in our beauty and personal care products. How does the accumulation of what we put on our skin, our largest organ, affect our health as a whole?

Read More