The Chevy Rock & Roll 400

Last week was The Chevy Rock and Roll 400. It's a NASCAR Nextel Cup stock car race held at the Richmond International Raceway in Richmond, Virginia and the last race of the regular season. This was a fun logo project for us at Deutsch/LA and everyone in the studio kicked in a few. The end result was a mark that everyone worked on and it was a hit with the organizers. Below are a few others the I created, but ultimately did not make the cut.

Up! With People!

Monday Volkswagon introduced it's latest concept car Up! at the Frankfurt Motor Show. They have reconfigured the drivetrain and it measures just 3.45 metres in length. It will be powered by a rear mounted (just like the original Beetle) compact two or three cylinder engine depending on the specific market. The interior of the car will be state-of-the-art with a computer monitoring and assisting drivers with climate, entertainment and vehicle function controls. A second screen, mounted ahead of the driver, relays critical information on the vehicle’s systems along with an instantaneous read-out of the amounts of CO2 being emitted.

This is a company that fully integrates design into the brand experience and enjoys the ride. The Up! is innovative and forward thinking in design and fuctionality. VW has been bringing great product to market for some time and the real light speed jump came with the successful introduction of the redesigned Beetle in 1994. The New Beetle's design was a visual surprise that sparked a "creative ripple" felt all across the design world. As evidence of this one only has to look at the first Apple iMac, a Graves Toaster from Target or the Herman Miller Aeron Chair. The New Beetle launch raised the bar and suddenly gave everyone permission to do something differentn and memorable. Up! represents VW's continued commitment to design as an important brand pillar that excites, turns heads and ultimately gets the consumer into the dealership.

The good Life

Recently, I was tipped off about a great website that is all about luxury. Clean, black and beautiful, 20ltd is a simple site devoted to 20 items (hence the name) - all exclusives and in limited edition. The offerings are the stuff of legend and probably only within reach for the very few that possess an American Express Black Card. The company was formed by two british ex-admen who wanted to capitalize on their vast knowledge of bright and shiny things. What I really like about the site is it's georgous layout, use of black and tasty typography choices - it just feels sexy and elite. You really do get a sense that you've made it to the VIP room just looking at it. Items offered can range from an exclusive Phillipe Cramer vase, cashmere T-shirts by Hvana, to an $80,000 2 wheeler from Confederate. For those of us who can only dream, there is an additional component to the site - the founders have jukebox section that you can listen to various types of music from around the world you can stream to your computer and if the mood strikes, purchase as well.

TwinSix

Located in Minnesota, Twinsix is a company started by two designers, Brent Gale and Ryan Carlson who infused the passion of cycling with great design. Cruising through the company's website, I discovered The Maifesto" stating their commitment to creating great product in an area starved for a visual revolution. They support this with the claim "It is our goal to be the alternative to everything else."

Starting with a successful resurrection of an argyle retro wool jersey (see above) the company now offers additional jerseys with clean graphics and sophisticated colors, clever t-shirts, socks and more. Like other great brands, they stick to what they do best - keeping it simple, growing it as the demand increases and keeping the graphics visually engaging and most of all–fun. Companies like this have a great opportunity to leverage their cult–like following with other companies that are synergistic in appeal and style. Case in point is a recent collaboration with Crumpler creating the T6 Sack. It's cool, well designed and a brilliant extension of the brand. I am interested to see where these guys go next - a Twin Six fixed gear?