A Green Christmas and Eco-friendly Type

Well, I think we are all really questioning everything this year.

If not the economy, then the environment. And if not that then its politics. 

And terrorism.

I was shocked to hear that one of my clients took her grandchild to see Santa at FAO Schwartz in NYC - only to find that "santa" was in a green suit and when the child sat on his lap - he asked "What have you done for the environment this year". Forget the 4 year old - I was horrified. I can deal with the e-cards - but this is going a bit too far don't you think?

Don't get me wrong - I believe in "green". I have had my cloth grocery bags for over 5 years - long before they became a fashion statement. My office building doesn't recycle so I lug the recycleables from the office home every 2 weeks so the truck can pick them up. We even use both sides of the many reams of paper we print on.

Then this morning I found this piece of news: 

http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20081222/ap_on_hi_te/tec_techbit_ink_saving_font

I think this is really going too far, don't you think? To reduce emissions is fine. The e-cards make complete sense to me. We are doing it ourselves this year here at Two by Two Design.  But to mess with a type face is just plain shocking. Almost as bad as the Green Santa. Some things should just be left alone. Or should they? Hmmmm... I guess if it does save ink - its good. But what if it looks aweful? 

Bad design - That is another form of pollution in my world. So, lets stick with some traditions this holiday, ok? 

Obama win - a Miracle in Marketing!

By now you must have seen or heard the news and have come to realize that our next President will be Barack Obama.

No matter what your political views may be - you have to agree - this was a huge marketing challenge for Obama. 

Lets pretend for a moment that "Obama" was a business (ok - stretch your imagination for a few minutes people - ah! I heard something pop!)... 

Whether you think of him as a product or a service, consider all the obstacles in the path to success:

1. Unusual name 

2. Different "packaging"

3. New to the market (compared to his competition)

Yet, he was able to win the trust of the American people. 

Effective marketing has so many elements and he really nailed every one of them:

1. A consistent message

2. Strong branding (logo, website, collateral materials)

3. Attractive - likeable personality

4. A formidable support team

5. Talked about the benefits - not features

All these elements play a role in marketing. So, whether you are running a business - or running for president... think about marketing more effectively!

No wonder he won :) 

I received a call from a client today asking whether we could rearrange a logo so that it would fit into a small space. 

My immediate thought was "No!". Nike would never do that, right? Infact, you don't suppose anyone would even dare to ask Mr. Nike's designer to do such a horrible thing. But, the client said - we have a small space on the facade of the building. The logo will work as it is - but will get very small. So lets rearrange it so that the icon goes behind the words. 

Oh dear. Every thing I have ever seen or learnt in the last 12 - or 13 years - says "no". So I figured I would reach out to my friends and see what the masses think. Feel free to take the poll, send your comments or let me be tormented by this by myself. Either way - the client will do what he pleases, I am sure. :)