As MSLK digs deeper into the world of social media campaigns, it seems that time and time again we are discovering our clients have the same challenges. Small companies see social media as an exciting opportunity, yet  quickly become overwhelmed by the variety of media platforms out there. It may seem like a bottomless pit of time commitment needed to enter the arena. On the other hand, larger companies who have ample resources to maintain these platforms,  struggle to let go of their carefully crafted brand image and open themselves up to the more relaxed format. Larger companies need to learn how to have a casual voice and invite in as much (if not more) conversation as they put out information.

For over 55 years, the I.D. Annual Design Review has recognized the best in graphic, environmental, product and furniture design. We are very proud that MSLK’s own Sheri L Koetting has taken her place among a jury of the field’s leading practitioners. Her voice and sensibility played a large role in the winners chosen this year in the graphics category. Viewing everything through a lens of sustainability, Sheri not only examined the purpose and aesthetics of each piece, she questioned its material usage and life expectancy.

You can see all of the winning pieces on view now until September 10^th at the AIGA National Design Center. Read more to view some of the winners and what Sheri had to say about each of the pieces.

Our website, www.mslk.com, is cited in the current issue of How Magazine in an article entitled, “The Marketing-Smart Website” written by Ilise Benun. The article gives examples of what to do — and what not to do — for designers setting out to redesign their site. Our site’s innovative and sorting features were given the following compliment:

“There are 90 examples of work in the portfolio section of MSLK.com, but it’s not overwhelming because visitors can sort by medium or industry category to find what they’re looking for. Mouse over any thumbnail and it automatically enlarges and identifies the image.”

If you’re a marketer, you’ve probably thrown around those ubiquitous terms, push and pull marketing. The marketplace has seen a major paradigm shift from pushing products onto consumers, to pulling them in, inviting them to engage with the brand in novel and unique ways. At MSLK, we think this is especially important to consider when creating sophisticated branding campaigns in the beauty industry. How can you stop consumers dead in their tracks, invite an interaction or ignite a conversation? Burt’s Bees skincare installations do just that. In a series of three installations that have traveled to public spaces across Canada, the pieces educate women about the harmful effects of most allegedly natural skincare products on the market.

Proctor and Gamble unveiled last week a renewable sugarcane based alternative to plastic that will be implemented on their Pantene Pro-V, CoverGirl, and international Max Factor product lines over the next 2 years. This is truly groundbreaking news and frankly has me more excited about the future of mass production than I have been in a long time. Here’s why:

With the debut of our new eco-art installation, Take-Less, I among the rest of my MSLK colleagues have been more mindful than ever about minimizing our plastic consumption when it comes to take-out.  However, sometimes it isn’t so easy. Consider the following scenario: You stop by to grab ice cream or fro-yo at your favorite place. You aren’t “taking-out” and cannot eat with your fingers, so you are forced to use the plastic utensils and packaging given to you. Unfortunately, this is a situation where consumer behavior cannot be changed, but the change needs to happen on the company/seller level. Enter Sweet Green, the DC frozen yogurt & salad chain that has a remedy.

In today’s multi-media extravaganza, it’s hard to get anyone exited about one of the world’s oldest mediums, paper. However we at MSLK don’t think that paper has lost it’s place just yet, in fact, we believe that the true presence and importance of paper as a tactical impression you can touch, engage with and hold onto is even more important in this new world of virtual gratification.

Some projects we’re asked to work on involve rethinking everything. Whatever was there before needs to go. Get rid of it — and fast. Yet, others are more subtle. They require a bit more time to get at the essence of what a brand is. That’s exactly the challenge that photographer William Geddes came to us with: to help him clarify brand/philosophy of all promotional materials.

A new trend in advertising has hit the streets, though it’s tough to say whether it’ll catch. QR codes — a digital barcode common in Japan — are meant to be decoded by smartphones, so an advertiser’s special offers, promotions, or (in the case of Calvin Klein) their NC-17 commercials can be seen.

It’s an interesting technology whose sole purpose is to engage audiences in new ways. Rather than simply being part of the background noise of the urban landscape, you’re required to act.

Barcodes are nothing new, and there are still very innovative uses of them. In NYC, it seems that most people have smartphones, though I’m not sure if that is the same for the rest of the country.

Passing fad, or new reality of advertising? Below I’ve taken a look at some of the recent trends…

Product manufacturers have a unique opportunity when presenting their brands and product lines online. Unless they have the privilege of running their own brick and mortar locations or a branded shop within a shop, this virtual storefront is their one opportunity to present their full product line in a controlled environment.