Silent warning
A warning sticker on a British train. Though the aim is to comfort passengers, without an understanding of the system in place it has little meaning except to those who know.
Subject: Communication
Poster relic
During a poster change at Moorgate station, an old poster is revealed, probably from the early 1980′s, showing that celebrity endorsement is no new thing, with celebrity of the day, Jimmy Saville footing the campaign for British Rail.
Anonymous branding
Two old logos on utility meters door. The playful use of the brackets in the logo produce a simple and engaging piece of communication.
Birth
In Italy pink rosettes are placed on the front door of a house to mark a birth. Similarly a black one is used to mark a death. People have always wanted to communicate news to other, in effect giving a ‘status update’. What other ways can we show our status to others in a physical manner?
Signage
A public warning poster in Vietnam. Along with the many dangerous artifacts that are banned, Durians, a fruit with a putrefied odor us also on the list. Thanks to Mark Chau for this photo.
Timeless design
A war memorial in Edinburgh. Designed to mark the fall of soldiers in the first world war, the design of the stone still looks remarkably modern.
Hidden face
A traffic barrier in New York. Though the indentation on this plastic molding form a functional role, it is hard to believe that the designer did not want to reference a face in some way.
If it ain’t broke…don’t fix it
An optician’s shop sign in Delancy Street New York. In a world where slick branding is ubiquitous, there is something comforting about the design of this old sign.
Cashing in on the downturn
An advert for Virgin Media on The Metro Newspaper. It was interesting to see how long it took before a common term was coined to describe the financial crisis, how companies took use of the term to their advantage. There are two interesting points here:
1. Advertising and marketing will always look for an opportunity to turn a negative into a positive, even one as grave as the financial crisis.
2. Where to terms start, while many people now the term ‘credit crunch’ to describe the financial crisis, what are the mechanisms that lead to an adoption of a term?
Customer confusion
Ecological claims and advertising in a Marks & Spencer’s. Customers are increasingly bombarded with ecological claims from everything from shops to airlines to petrol companies. How can people make informed decisions? Has anything improved or are corporations just much better at selling there green credentials?
