Daily Brad, the blog

I was cleaning out my bookshelf today, and found a Business 2.0 from April 2000 squeezed between some Print Magazines. The year 2000 was the at the height of the dot-com bubble, the same year where Super Bowl XXXIV featured seventeen dot-com companies that each paid over $2 million for a 30-second spot and CBS-backed iWon.com gave away $10 million to a lucky contestant in a 30-minute primetime special that aired on CBS. The magazine is nearly 5/8 inch thick and the majority of it advertisements, so I started flipping through it.

After trying a few of the URL’s for the advertisers, I discovered that nearly a third of the companies had been acquired, a third were either rebranded or no longer there, and a third were still doing business under the same premise as they had advertised (most of these non-tech companies). All this in the last 6 years.

Here were the first 10 ad spreads (2 page ads) to give you an example of what I mean:

• Banana Republic (Inside Front Cover Pull-out) “Work”
  Still around
• Lexus (Page 2-3) “The Relentless Pursuit of Perfection”
  Still around
• File Maker Pro (Page 3-4) “What’s your problem?”
  Still around (3.5 versions later)
• Wit SoundView (Page 46-47) “Vision for the Digital Economy”
  Dead page - 404
• Digitial DNA from Motorola (Page 48-49) “The Heart of Smart”
  Referred to Freescale Semiconductor, Inc.
• Louis Boston (Page 50-51) “Clothing. Accessories. Ideas.”
  Still around - and sporting some crazy music.
• Broadwing (Page 52-53) “If there’s a weak link in a voice, data and video network, we’ll hunt it down and kill it. Now doesn’t that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?”
  Aquired by Level 3 Communications, Inc.
• Akamai (Page 74-75) “This This it is Rocket Science - Get Akamaized Today!”
  Still around, and gobbling up other companies.
• Microsoft Windows2000 Professional (Page 76-77) “Now you have the technology to work during your vacation. Does that mean you’ll be doing more work, or taking more vacation?”
  Still around. The URL they used in the ad is dead, but it would take a behemoth to kill Microsoft.
• Centra (Special 4 page insert between page 80-81) “Live, Voice-Enabled Internet Collaboration”
  Acquired by Saba.

I still subscribe to Business 2.0, and the most recent edition came in the mail the other day, a noticably smaller version than this 2000 one. Which of these companies of today are bound to be absorbed by other companies? Which of these advertisers don’t seem to have a clear business plan? Sometimes it seems obvious, but other’s we’ll just have to wait and see.

If you haven’t run across this link as yet, you might find it to be of assistance in the future. It’s a site that hosts nearly 5,000 corporate logos and brand marks in vector format. While I don’t know the legality of this site (thus, it could be taken down any day), it is a great resource for those who need to have a corporate logo and don’t have time to illustrate the logo or go through the corporate mombo-jombo to get one. I recently found it handy to get the “Recordable Compact Disc” logo which I had been looking for.

Check it out at http://www.logotypes.ru/

I was also referred to another site from a graphic design forum, which essentially does the same thing, but I haven’t had time to poke around there as much. The site is covered in ads, so it seems a little more difficult to navigate. Look near the bottom for the “search” and the “A-B-C” directory. The one search I did for “Harley” came up with many more versions of the Harley Davidson logo than the previous logo directory. (I needed this logo to do a mock-up for a local Harley Davidson shop that’s opening up.)

Check it out at http://www.brandsoftheworld.com/

In a trip to Wal-Mart this evening I noticed something was different as I scanned the shelves for groceries. The product packaging on many long-familiar products was different. I even noticed some shelves with old and new product side-by-side where they had just switched to this new type of packaging. Could this obvious shift in product packaging be a graphic design or product packaging trend? I came home to do some research online, and discovered what is called “shrink sleeves” or “full-body shrink sleeves” and decided to blog about it.

There were more than 20,000 new food and beverage introductions last year and almost as many health and beauty, household, miscellaneous and pet products. With so many new products competing for a spot in the consumer’s shopping cart, marketers are turning to innovative container shapes and high impact graphics to make the sale. As I walked up and down the isles of Wal-Mart, I saw a noticeable difference because of these brightly printed plastic shrink sleeves that wrapped bottles, boxes and containers in a full 360 degrees of marketing real estate.

This reminds me of when everything started to get the tamper-proof plastic around the top of bottles of canned goods or medicines. Those seals are a type of shrink sleeve. “Full body shrink sleeves” wrap the entire bottle in brightly colored graphics with the tamper-proof top built-in for a seamless look-n-feel. Shrink sleeves can also be used to bind two products together either in bulk or attach a sample for a new product to an existing product. Shrink-sleeve labels have long been used in food packaging to lend eye-popping consumer appeal to products (I’ve noticed it before on my chocolate milk chugs I sometimes grab at lunch) but I’ve never noticed as many as I did tonight.

Here’s a sample taken from Packaging Digest:

And here’s a before an after shot taken from another article in Packaging Digest:

Hooray for the product packaging designers! Now a literal billboard of design can cover the entire bottle or box, rather than just a skinny label that wraps around it or a sticker on front and back. And it seems like the color palette is limitless as well.

This got me thinking - how do you design for something that shrinks? I found this interesting graphic on the page for a software that predicts image distortion and pre-distortion based on sleeve shrinkage for a shrink sleeve: (Notice the logo in particular)

I also found a good article that explains what shrink sleeves are.

With an innovate packaging like this, what other applications outside the food realm are there for it? I found one that packaged golf balls using a shrink sleeve. I’ll definitely add this product treatment to my library.

So next time you make a trip to Wal-Mart (”Wally world”) look around for this type of packaging, and see if it attracts you to a particular product more than the one next to it.

It’s true, I’ve got a foot in the Apple world and the PC world. Because I’ve worked as an in-house graphic designer for tech companies over the past 6+ years, I’ve spent most of time using a PC to do graphic design work. I’ve found that companies who have a small design staff require their designers to adapt to PC’s so they can interface with the rest of the organization (Microsoft Outlook for meetings is a big one), and so the network guys don’t have to go out of their way to give anyone special treatment.

But now that I’m working from home I have a PC running a AMD Athlon 64 Processor 3800+ 2.4Ghz, 2GB of RAM and Microsoft Windows XP Professional version 2002, and a Apple G4 Dual 1 GHz PowerPC with 1.5 GB RAM running Mac OS 10.4.7. And you know what? I think I prefer the PC. (Big gasp here)

Perhaps it’s my history with Apple which all started with the upgrade I made to my G3 (the pretty blue one). I needed all sorts of attachments to hook my former printers and scanners because their abandonment of Apple Talk. Then when I upgraded to my current G4, Apple switched rebuilt their system completely and I had to replace all my software with OSX compliant software to avoid that nasty “Classic” loader thing that took forever. And now, I’m ready to upgrade design software again, and found the whole “Intel Processor” issue with my Adobe Suite. While I appreciate Apple trying to stay ahead of the game, it seems that it might be worth my money to switch to PC.

Or perhaps it’s just a feeling… the way the clicks work, the keyboard, the mouse… the interface… perhaps it’s only a matter of personal preference? Now Apple allows you to run Windows, which is old news, but it even confuses the issue further in the ongoing MAC vs. PC debate.

So what I’m curious about, is how many graphic designers chose PC as their computer by choice? I know there is this passionate debate about MAC vs. PC, but when you put all the feelings aside, is one better than the other for specific tasks? And what about graphic design tasks, which computer to you prefer? In my opinion, it seems that the PC has caught up in the graphic design world, and now it’s a matter of preference. What are your thoughts?

Since I recently discovered that I’m an egosurfer, I thought I’d share something I found while egosurfing. When googling my name on Google Images, the 4th image showed another guy named Brad McCall who lives in Montana, and runs McCall Development. Since my Dad was a General Contractor most his life, I wanted to see what they “developed” and clicked on over to the article about this Brad McCall.

I noticed a small colorful logo on Brad McCall’s shirt (the other Brad) and wanted to get a closer look at it. So I found the website for McCall Development. I was impressed with their logo, I liked how they incorporated the open door into the letter “M”. Very clean, classy initial-style logo with a strong meaning to what they do and what they stand for.

I’ve always thought that a logo should be more than just a mark or brand, but to tell the story. That’s often the hardest part - is making something so simple tell a story so big. McCall development has done a great job of this - Kudos guys!

My thought today: Can you tell what’s on someone’s mind by what they’ve been bookmarking? See if you can figure out what I’ve been thinking about by looking at a dozen of my most recent bookmarks:

1. Flipper Nation
   I’m a huge fan of anything HGTV, and recently I’ve also been watching a lot of shows about Filpping Houses. I ran across this link, a parody of couple of guys who flip houses. Not only did I get a good laugh, but I also thought they did an excellent job of integrating Web 2.0 concepts into the promotion of their website. I thought if I had a chance, I might blog about some of their comical “rules to real estate” in my some-what always-neglected Utah Real Estate Blog
2. Graphic Design USA Logo Trends 2005
   Since I’ve been getting quite a few clicks on my graphic design trends category, I thought I’d do some more research and found this link. I thought it halarious what they called some types of logos such as “wicker balls”, “weaves”, and “puffies”. I’ve been noticing a lot of “transparencies” in recent design annuals and wanted to blog about it being a trend.
3. Does chocolate really give you pimples?
   No, I’m not really worried about pimples, but ran across this article in looking for interesting items for my Tweet Sweet blog about misconceptions of chocolate. I ended up blogging about Does Chocolate Spoil instead.
4. Icon Advertising Museum
   I’ve had several posts bouncing around in my head about Advertising icons or “company mascots” as I call them. I also wanted to refer Jeff Fisher to this link when I posted a response to his Michelin Man post (since he mentioned he was a fan of advertising characters), but I forgot.
5. Logo Lounge
   For $100 annually you can have access to over 41,740 logos that have been uploaded and cataloged by Logo Lounge members. Members can also upload their own logo designs and they’ll be entered in their logo competition where winners are published. It’s always nice to have logo books around when brainstorming for a new brand, but it’s even more nice to have a logo book with my logo inside. (Jeff Fisher is my hero when it comes to getting published)
6. doba.com - Education Page
   After running across their co-founder’s blog, AND seeing a couple billboards saying “need products to sell”, AND finding a product that was on their website that would work great for Therty Brand, I decided I should probably learn more. Doba provides product sourcing services for small businesses and entrepreneurs, in case you were wondering.
7. The Gardo House: A History of the Mansion and Its Occupants
   In a random search for historical houses of Salt Lake City, I found one who’s appearance intreaged me, and I wanted to know more about it. Starting with my search of “Amelia’s Palace”, I ended up finding this link. I was sad to find out that this amazing piece of architecture originally built for Brigham Young was torn down in 1921. But what an amazing history - well worth the read.
8. The Portland Business Journal - The Oscar goes to…
   After visiting a Moonstruck Cafe in Portland Oregon and blogging about their amazing chocolates, I tried to figure out if their familiar logo had won awards. I learned that it was purchased by Sally and Dave Bany, former executives for Columbia Sportsware company, in 2001. They took their experience and applied it to chocolate with the intentions of positioning it to grow into a national, premium chocolate brand.
9. Feedburner
   What in the world is Feedburner and why have I been running across it so much lately? It looks like something I should learn more about, so I bookmarked it. Do you use it? Perhaps you could fill me in.
10. is this your name?
    A bit of a goofy site that allows you to enter your name and see various stats about it. Since I recently discovered that I’m an egosurfer, this site really appealed to me.
11. seomoz.org - Long List of Link Searches
    I scanned this article about SEO inside information, and bookmarked it to come back for later. As a website designer, I’m always interested in expanding my arsenal of information about SEO.
12. Ironic Sans - Idea: Pre-pixelated clothes for Reality TV shows
    Have you ever watched reality television and saw someone that was wearing a t-shirt with a pixelated logo? Here’s the idea for David’s pre-pixelated line of clothing. I found some of the comments prett comical.

Since this is my last post before the Christmas Holidays, I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Christmas!

I was sitting in a doctor’s office the other day and the only magazine that wasn’t too “girly” for me to look at was In Style Magazine. But as a designer, anywhere you can find a chance to scope out good design, it’s worth the time. On page 178 of their January 2007 issue they had a page that highlighted several card companies under the heading “Thank-You Notes: After the presents and parties, here’s how to show your appreciation.” This page reminded me of a post that I’ve wanted to put together, and with Christmas in a couple days, I think it appropriate.

Every identity with a side of thanks
As an independent graphic design consultant (I’m getting better at dropping that whole “freelance designer” thing, aren’t I?) you should always look for opportunities to say “thanks”. When I first came up with my brand for Brad McCall, designer, I printed thank-you cards along with my business cards. I think every stationery (or “identity system”) should have a thank-you card included with the letterhead, envelope, and business card that comes standard. I’ve recommended this to most of my clients, and even a couple of the companies I’ve worked for. The surprising thing was that it took a little while to get people to use them. Have we been trained not to say thank-you? Or has email replaced the art of the thank-you card all-together?

I remember as a child my mother sitting me down after Christmas and having me write my thank-you notes. “Be sure to thank grandma for the $5 and tell her what you plan to spend it on” she would say. She understood the power of “thank-you”. But we shouldn’t just say thanks after we recieve a gift, but at anytime someone goes out of their way to enhance your life OR your business.

Make your thank-you special
Some of the thank-you note stationers that In Style recommended had some beautiful handmade and letterpress cards. Cards that not only are beautiful but also have a tactile quality that enhances the experience of anyone receiving them. Here’s who they recommended:

Keep it business, but keep it fun
Whether your print your own custom cards, or choose one off the shelf, don’t forget a couple key ingredients to add:

1. Throw a couple business cards and don’t miss this opportunity to remind your contact that you’re still in the business of doing good business.
2. Never send a thank-you card without a handwritten note. Short and sweet is fine, but the “handwritten” part is critical.
3. Show them you have a sense of humor by using a funny stamp or card. My most recent thank-yous went out with the “SuperHeros” stamps the Post Office recently put out. In the past I used “Scooby-doo” thank-you cards, since I’ve always been a fan of the mystery-solving dog.

And thank-you to all who read this blog. I’d be happy to send you a card, if I only had your address. Snail mail rocks!

My friend Jonathan has been working on getting me to put together a new design for a custom snowboard for myself. He found a local manufacturer named Revolution that offers a design your own snowboard option. In fact, I think the snowboard that I currently ride was manufactured by them. I don’t recall exactly, because the agency I worked for at the time (Studeo, Inc) gave it to me as a Christmas present back in 1997 or 1998. (All I had to do was pitch in $50 as I recall for bindings). Studeo had done some work for them, and in trade they got custom Studeo boards. I still ride that board, and will continue to ride it until I feel that I’m good enough to deserve a new one. (And perhaps the time has come, as I’m becoming a much better ‘boarder) In fact, it’s that ‘board that I’m clutching in one of my portfolio website pictures.

So what about snowboard design and snowboard art? I looked around to see what I could find…

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I read this in a recent press release:

MyFamily.com, Inc., the leading online network for connecting families across distance and time, today announced that it is changing its name to The Generations Network, Inc., effective immediately. The company will continue to serve families online through its portfolio of leading brands and websites.

Hu? The Generations Network? Hmmm. I don’t get it. I wasn’t a big fan of the name “MyFamily.com”, though I’ve gotten use to it over time. The company has proved itself as a long-standing member of the Internet community despite their name; the company’s combined properties form the No. 1 network of family history websites in both the United States and United Kingdom.

But “The Generations Network”? It doesn’t quite rub me right. It doesn’t even sound like the name of a company. I’m sure that the acronym TGN will be thrown around, to avoid having to say the whole thing (they already registered the URL), I mean can you imaging saying “I work for The (capitalize “The”) Generations Network”?

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Here’s something I’ve been noticing a lot lately, haven’t you? I call it Pixel Wallpaper, while I think most of the web calls it “Pixel Patterns” (or even “Atari Style Wallpaper”). Forget that wallpaper of the past, you know those nasty repeated gifs cut out from a photo or grabbed from a 3D texture makers. These babies are cool. Use a pixel pattern for your blog background or website - here’s where to find some.

Here’s what they look like:

(These are from K10k Pixel Patterns Exhibition, created by Roland Peschetz).

Here’s how to make one:

Don’t have Photoshop? Use this handy dandy program:

Here’s where you can get some free Pixel Patterns (most require “credit”):

And here’s a couple sites I found that “wear it well”:

I recently altered some of the Squidfingers patterns for Therty Brand’s Temp page. A new one loads everytime you refesh the page. I find that the patterns work best when they are monotone as not to attract too much attention to them.

Why not give your “boring” temporary page some extra umph with a pixel pattern?