The latest television advert for Orangina is causing quite a stir. As to be expected the ASA have received a lot of complaints about this rather provocative London Zoo meets Spearmint Rhino creative. I guess they’re going for that old adage of sex sells. But is it doing it for you?
Soft drink or soft porn?
August 28th, 2008No, honestly, your readers really are nuts!
August 28th, 2008Subsequent to yesterday’s post about reader research, the black art of interpretation and the invention of the “hygiene factor”, I thought you might like to know that research companies have developed further species to explain the frankly inexplicable. Read the rest of this entry »
Font of the day… Johnny script
August 27th, 2008
Ever had the problem of finding that perfect ‘hand written font’? Trying to find one that is both legible and elegant ain’t easy - we have this problem everytime we develop a mag here at NPD. However, recently whilst developing Woman’s Weekly we discovered this little gem - Johnny Script - it’s got that wonderful handwritten look AND it’s legible. We stuck a slight stroke on it to fatten it up and skewed it a few degrees to hurry it up a bit. Check it out now on the pages of WW.
All readers are nuts!
August 27th, 2008One of the great things about working in NPD is that I am privileged to attend a great many research groups.
Now, granted, there is very little more rewarding or enjoyable than sitting down in a room listening to your readers/users discussing your brand, but there are odd occasions when the process can be… well, shall we say frustrating? Read the rest of this entry »
Behind the scenes at Rolling Stone
August 22nd, 2008
Here’s Rolling Stone’s LEGENDARY Photo Director Jodi Peckman, pictured with Obama, at their recent Rolling Stone cover shoot. The cover is amazing, and can be seen in the post just prior to this. I met with Jodi in New York recently, and she explained to me how the shoot came about Read the rest of this entry »
Rolling Stone to change size
August 21st, 2008
So, after 40 odd years The Rolling Stone is reducing to a ‘rack-friendly’ size. Read the full story here
Font of the day… Antenna
August 21st, 2008
…okay, so it’ll probably end up being font of the month due to lack of time, but I’ll do my best. Anyhow check out this baby - Antenna - from Fontbureau. It has that very trendy look about it, a bit like Gotham and Proxima. I don’t know which mag it could be used on here at IPC, but it’s ready and waiting. Do you like it? Comments please.
It’s ugly, but it gets you there.
August 21st, 2008
Its a web designer’s conundrum. That despite our best efforts some of the sites that are the most popular don’t appear to have a strong visual design. Some people might say they are ugly. It is a balancing act that is one of the great skills of visual design on the web. Usability, Information architecture and visual design all need to work together. Read the rest of this entry »
What are the visual signifiers for the online women’s mass market?
August 20th, 2008Looking at an array of mass market women’s magazine florescent pink is one of the dominant colours. A bold sans serif typeface is used for the title. The layering of text and photo’s to produce a vibrant collage. Solid blocks of colour to highlight the text.
These are some of the ‘visual signifiers’ on a mass market women’s magazine covers that together capture, engage, and appeal to the reader. The readers of the magazine recognise and identify with these ‘visual signifiers’. Are there equivalent ‘visual signifiers’ online? Read the rest of this entry »
Only in America
August 20th, 2008
This is the latest issue of US Glamour, and the first from new Art Director Geraldine Hessler (ex of Entertainment Weekly). The inside pages are good, but the cover is an absolute belter, with many things to admire and, quite possibly, steal. Here’s seven reasons why it’s so good. Read the rest of this entry »