What does it take to launch a fashion line these days? During New York’s Fashion Week, Nolcha’s Beyond the Runway competition has emerged as a solid platform and a reputable outlet for launching top-tier designers from around the globe

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.”

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…

Websites have become the most essential marketing tool for businesses. One click from a customer is a valuable opportunity that can make all the difference. If created properly, a Website should instinctively lead visitors where you want them to follow.

In spite of the known value a good website can bring, take a moment and think about just how many poor websites you encounter every day. While not every business needs its site to be a high-budget multimedia extravaganza, every site should be effective and properly targeted to a company’s audience.

It’s interesting to see how brands either are leading or following visual trends, especially as technology impacts the media that brands are showcased. The old rules about logos (i.e. must exist as a black & white version for faxing, fewer colors for ease of printing) are being completely re-written in the digital age.

MSLK’s logo — the embodiment of our brand featuring overlapping initial of its founders “MSL” and “SLK” — was borne from the concept of wanting to showcase that the company is the overlapping of two initials, and  talents. We experimented with a number of different ways to showcase this (different fonts, different sizes, etc.), and has existed intact for almost 14 years. The result still garners compliments from those who are being introduced to our brand.

New Rule: If you’re going to redesign your highest denomination, then hire a designer! This is an abomination which appears to have been driven by no aesthetic principles. Just a bunch of engineers who tried to cram everything into our nation’s most valued denomination.

We love it when people think outside of the box, literally! The Sportlifestyle company Puma has been working together with the branding firm Fuseproject to create a whole new take on the shoebox. Their final product turned out not to be a new box at all, but a “clever little bag”. This redesign uses 65% less cardboard than a regular shoebox and the recyclable bag will replace standard retail bags. We hope that other companies get inspired by this eco-friendly attitude. Great initiative and great design, Puma!

I’ll be giving a talk next week about the key things companies should watch out for before embarking on a website redesign (hint: it’s never as easy as you think it’ll be).

Last year I wrote a widely published article “Nine Steps to a Successful Site Redesign” which I will be basing the majority of my talk on.

MSLK has a lot of experience here, having helped a variety of companies develop their own sites over the years for clients as varied as the established Wall Street Journal and Wigwam Mills to the more out-there M Studio and James Porto. We recently had the opportunity turn the tables on ourselves last year by launching our own redesigned site.

Two direct mail promotions ended up in our mailbox. One a poster whose message revealed itself when opened, the other a had its concept on the outside. Both appeared similar at first glance, yet a closer look revealed two different techniques.

However, one seemed to be more effective.