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The humble Rubik’s Cube has come a long way since it’s inception in 1974. The original version of the cube still remains cool in its simplicity but in the last 37 years we have seen its reincarnation and influence in everything from awesome merchandise and fashion influences through to variations on the actual toy itself that read like a hall of fame list of ill-received Christmas gifts.
Check out the top ten evolutions of the Rubik’s Cube here.
The USB ports in our computers have facilitated a wide range of different product and marketing opportunities. From guitars that can be plugged straight into our computers to nifty branded storage freebies that get handed out like sweets at IT conventions.
The true purpose and potential for our USB ports, though, has of course been found in the range of largely useless, yet somehow alluring, toys and gadgets. These USB toys are the perfect desk accompaniment for the professional procrastinator. Full of distracting potential, these toys may stop your train of thought but they make up for it in their undoubted awesomeness.
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As many of you will know Topman has recently got itself in a bit of trouble with some new T-shirt designs featuring some rather questionable slogans. But given that the emotional responses these novelty slogan T-shirts usually conjure up range from boredom and disdain to offense and resentment, the topman T-shirt debacle isn’t really a fall from grace for the world of ‘edgy’ slogan shirts. Rather, it is just another example to add to the collection of why provocative slogan shirt design is one of the less needed contributors to the area of T-shirt design as a whole. Join me here in my list of the most overrated, unfunny and all-round unwelcome designs.
You probably see it hundreds of time each and every day. Whether it’s on the side of a bus or on the underground, the poster for ‘Final Destination 5′ seems to be absolutely everywhere at the moment.
Maybe part of the reason they felt comfortable promoting this particular poster design so heavily is because it’s actually a really cool design. So cool, in fact, that it inspired me to create this… my top twenty-five horror movie poster designs ever. Kicking off with Final Destination’s most recent design, see what else made my list. Also, be sure to add any suggestions for any posters you think should be included in this list in the comments box at the bottom of the blog.
If you’re like me then the caffeine hit of a humble cup of tea or coffee just doesn’t quite cut the mustard any more. Millions of us now seem to have left behind these disappointingly weak and antiquated beverages in favour of the ultra high caffeine punch provided by energy drinks. But as the demand for this product seems to have completely exploded, the different drinks on the market seem to be frantically scurrying to find increasingly diverse marketing and branding styles to stand out from the ever-growing crowd.
With the recent release of Limp Bizkit’s new album, ‘Gold Cobra’, we have seen the return of their guitarist’s bizarre stage persona complete with body paint, masks, wigs and all forms of customised props.
It seems the world of rock music has always acted as a nurturing ground for oddball six-stringers to adorn themselves with the most bizarre and outrageous clothes, costumes and makeup. Who has set the benchmark for visual expression in the world of rock guitar and who paved the way for these head-turners to take centre stage?
It’s still on TV. That Head and Shoulders Jenson Button ad. Sports men and women in adverts are generally not a good thing. Just when one of these particularly annoying ads has finally removed itself from our airwaves a new ad comes along; a different sportsperson but with an equally vacuous and robotic-like demeanor. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Sportspeople and advertising can be a harmonious match, as some companies have worked out.
The hype is already starting to form around Google+. Or to give it it’s full name, ‘The Google+ Project’, which somewhat makes it sound as if Google have started a seventies prog rock band. The new features of ‘Circles’, ‘Sparks’ and “Hangouts’ all sound very cool and trendy and these features do have some very useful pragmatic value.
It is all to easy, however, to get carried away with a social media site prior to its launch or just after it has been released. There is a long list of sites that have promised to be the new Facebook only to somehow fall far short of their expectations.
Advertisers like to believe that if there is ever a sure-fire way of getting the most out of an ad campaign it’s to make the characters in the ad relatable. So overcome, they hope you will be, with cathartic feelings of self-reinforcement that you simply will not be able to stop yourself from rushing down the shops to buy soap, or food, or a sofa, or whatever it may be. But who are these supposedly relatable characters? Who exactly are they based on and what characteristics, if any, do they themselves possess?
What would you get if an IPhone and a calculator got drunk and slept together? None other than the hideously deformed offspring known as the Amazon Kindle. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this creation, it’s a hybrid of a phone-ish, tablet-ish type thing that essentially acts as a book. You pay about one maybe two pence for a book and your kindle becomes that book. Awesome right?
