Pepsi vs. Coke

Due to slumping sales and lost marketshare, Pepsi recently introduced it’s first rebranding effort in over 14 years. The new work was created by New York design office Arnell Group and was a complete departure from it’s earlier look.

An Ad Age quote states: “PepsiCo today said it will pour some $1.2 billion over three years into a push that will include sweeping changes to its brands, including what Chairman-CEO Indra Nooyi characterized as a revamp of "every aspect of the brand proposition for our key [carbonated soft drink] brands. How they look, how they're packaged, how they will be merchandised on the shelves, and how they connect with consumers.”

The new Pepsi logo is suppose to depict a smile rather than a fluid swoosh and try to connect with a broader and hipper audience. Why Pepsi felt the need to abandon whatever equity it had established with it’s original look is a real mystery. The logo and new packaging seems a bit too “cool” and minimal and has been stripped of any sense of fun or excitement. It’s a soft drink – not motor oil or some bourgeois Canadian mineral water. Where’s the enticement and promise of a refreshing and tasty experience?

Interestingly enough, Coca Cola updated their packaging and came out with an entirely new look that embraced it’s heritage and strength in the category. The brilliant, bold and confident new package design (by TurnerDuckworth of San Francisco) emphasizes the well-established Coca Cola logo and makes a bold and striking avatar for the brand. Clean? Yes. Minimal and spare? Yes. But, we as a collective are well connected to the brand and all the flavor that needs to be translated visually is right there in the logo. One glance and you know the whole story; Coke is still number 1.

Rock the Vote

So, today is Election Day and the entire country is waiting to see where we land as a nation and who our next President might be. Every year, I am asked by my brother Chris to create a memorable and iconic graphic for his Big Shoulders swim meet. This is what I came up with this year and man, did I catch some heat...

Photog of the week _ Dirk Karsten

Each week I am going to feature a photographer that has created a an evocative style that is a cut above the rest. I've been a big fan of Netherland shooter, "Dirk Karsten" for a while and look forward to the day when I can find a project to utilize his genius talent. His website shows off his skills but does not come close to the beauty contained in his full-sized portfolio. Each image seems to be a still captured from some dark movie that speaks of mystery and magic. Take a look if you have a moment.

Y Water

A new concept in children’s beverages.

Organic, Nutrient Rich, Low Calorie. Y Water , a new nutrient water that combines high design with a great of concept. The bottle was designed by Yeves Behar of FuseProject and is 100% recyclable. The entire offering is a simple example of what happens when you create an alignment with today’s modern parent. A drink I can give my kids in a smartly designed package that does not harm the planet. Brilliant.

Ruby Rocks

This one comes from my brother-in-law in NorCal.
The company? Ateliers Ruby. The product? Super cool helmets and scarves created for the cool two-wheeled hipsters in Europe. From the website it states, "Inspired by Steve McQueen, Science Fiction and the great tradition of French luxury". After spending some time in the United States (mostly California) Frenchman, Jerome Coste returned to his homeland to create Ruby, a brand which guarantees good looks and safety for everyday heros and heroines." Each helmet ships in a cool ruby red box and is accompanied with a 12" vinyl disc that contains instrumentals inspired by whatever helmet was ordered. With a well executed site that combines art + commerce and communicates sexy-cool, it's easy to see how Ruby could quickly develop a feverish, cult-like following and produce additional Ruby product spin-offs to keep the everyone wanting more for years to come. Checkit out.

Obey Kobey

Well, the Lakers may not have come come with the title, but are very own Aaron Onsurez created this fantastic graphic for all of the fans here in LA. It's a nice little combo of a clever play on the name and a pretty good nod to local legend/rock star Sheppard Fairey - the world famous street artist (now a brand) Obey Giant .

Dave Plafchan of Detroit Sprinkles did a limited run of shirts for everyone here in the office and they were a huge, huge hit.

"'The time has come,' the Walrus said,
'To talk of many things:
Of shoes and ships and sealing wax,
Of cabbages and kings,
And why the sea is boiling hot,
And whether pigs have wings."
-Lewis Carroll

As a person who has devoted his professional life to design and the pursuit of making brands more relevant to consumers - I was given pause the other day when I viewed a video series created by VBS.TV called TOXIC - Garbage Island. The Problem? The Pacific Gyre, a large section of ocean flanked by circular rotating currents and twice the size of Texas that draws in flotsam and jetsam and holds it there for years and years. If it was organic or made out of a substance that easily broke down, it would be of no concern - but, it is a big problem and only getting bigger. We're talking plastic. Lots and lots of plastic that's not breaking down. These pieces, still polymers, are eventually the size of individual molecules, which are still not easily digested by the oceans and worse yet,some plastics photodegrade into other pollutants. PCB's, pesticides and waterborne diseases are all there together swirling together in a natural hot tub.

What happens next is that the entire earth conspires worldwide to eliminate harmful materials that destroy our planet, President Bush brings this matter to the attention of the world and makes the cleanup his legacy that rights all wrongs and a 16 year old boy in 4H from Iowa enters a pig that actually glides from the roof of the barn to the yard. etc. etc. etc...Right??