Open Happiness

Coca Cola is launching a new social media push by sending 3 bloggers worldwide to uncover what makes people happy. The bloggers are chosen by the highest amount of votes the team receives from Coke’s “Open Happiness” campaign website. Starting January 1st, the lucky bloggers will hop from country to country hunting bliss, while Coke pays their salary and expenses. The travelers will meet with locals, attend internationally-renowned events like the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, and ultimately blog about it. Wish I could take a year off and do this myself - sounds like a blast.

In an era marked by a tough economy and a spirit lacking in the optimism department, this is a great way for Coca Cola to "walk it and blog it" and hopefully shed some light as to what it is that truly puts a smile on our face.

Go Fatoe Go!

Fatoe is the portfolio site of the ridiculously talented Mike Orduna. He has been on my radar for some time now and I typically have something of his pinned up on my style board when I need to convey a cool, hip street vibe. His illustration work is fantastic and has a loose gestural energy to it that looks as though it's an animated piece that's ready to lift off of the page and magically render right before your eyes. Additionally, it looks like he has been quite busy as an interactive art director. A double threat and no doubt a very busy creative. Check it out!

Ex Nihilo

Just completed this label for Jeff Harder of Ex Nihilo Vineyards out of the BC. The term Ex Nihilo is Latin for "Out of Nothing". A typographical solve that communicates exactly that. Hope it's a big hit.

Union Bank's new identity

Recently received a message from the president of Union Bank announcing the launch of their new logomark. In a letter issued to customers last month, Union Bank President and CEO Masa Tanaka explained:

“With the change in our name, it was necessary to update our logo, and this gave us a wonderful opportunity to develop a look that underscored the values that we hold close.”

“The most important among these values is a singular dedication to serving your financial needs, which we have very boldly illustrated by adopting a dominant U in our new look. We hope you will always consider it your personal invitation to let us provide your financial solutions.”
— Press Release

My personal take on this new logo is that it's a departure from a bold and solid communication to a kinder and softer look that is trying to communicate that they are truly focused on you the individual. I am sure that Union Bank paid Landor and Associates, more than the GNP for Brazil to create the mark and the standards manual that went along with it, but I am not impressed with the mark.

This softer, rounder approach is a trend that seems to be catching fire and it's more and more common to see large companies adopt a warm, fuzzy approach to their identity hoping to catch some the "green" breeze that seems to be blowing through corporate america.

We just went through one of the most horrific financial periods of this generation and the last thing I want to see is my bank's logo softening up and looking like the local flower shop that specializes in tulips . Personally, I want to see my financial institution evoke a strong confidence that let's me know everything related to the financial meltdown is a thing of the past and we can look to a solid and bright future together without having to "hug it out" visually.

Just my two cents...

A Sketch from the Sketchbook

One thing that helps me as a creative is always having a sketchbook on my person. It's a habit I've had since grade school and it's interesting to see the entries evolve as a connective visual timeline. It seems that even though I am creating on the computer more than ever - the basic need to put pencil to paper and work out the concept remains the same. The scans from this particular sketchbook are really interesting in that I was caught in a rain storm and the entire book was soaking wet. When it dried, the pages had an uneven roll and curl that made the whole thing seem almost better because of the water damage.