What's in Store

Go to any large city and chances are you'll run into an "Irish" pub. While some are no doubt owned by genuine Irish expats, looks like most of these establishments are professionally designed by companies such as   The Irish Pub Company . Touting itself as "Taking the Best of Old Pub Culture & Integrating with the Trends of Today." they certainly have a process that works. They've built "Irish pubs" all over the world, filling a demand yet also creating more as the popularity of these establishments increases. This post is a fascinating glimpse into the world of professional pub design.

A junior at Michigan State sure has made internet waves with his dating " resume ." It's clever, hilarious, and very well-designed. We're pretty sure we'd say yes if he asked us out. Bravo!

Ever since live GPS tracking allowed people to see the paths they've walked/run/biked, people have gotten the bright idea to make pictures. There was a woman a few years back who famously drew all kinds of penises while running with her Nike+ app , and now there is a guy who biked 125 miles just so he could draw a picture of a goat . I gotta say, I'm not immune to immortalizing myself through GPS drawings--the two pictured in this post are my attempts. It required some planning in Google Maps and running with a sheet of detailed instructions on when to turn on which streets.

How has the commoditization of the consumer technology market influenced the design of the packaging. This blog explores two difference scenarios: Packaging as a silent salesman and packaging as an extention of the brand. But first. here are the reasons we know that commoditization has taken place in the consumer technology market: The length of the product cycles has gotten much shorter. Price erosion has effected margins in many categories (ie: TVs, mobile phones, Ink jet printers) House brands now complete with well known brands such as Sony and LG Customers can gather product knowledge at the tap of a finger Some categories of products are impulse buys (ie: ear buds, phone cases, chargers) For brands such as Apple, this doesn't present an issue. They have a branded store which allows them to charge a premium and control the competition in the retail environment. They sell their brand at other retail outlets as well; but they will often have a branded section within a...