I'm excited for this new documentary DESIGN DISRUPTORS - HOW DESIGN BECAME THE NEW LANGUAGE OF BUSINESS - A DOCUMENTARY BY INVISION
A design call to arms
UPDATE: Based on the response I've received today, I've launched DesignCallToArms.com to organize like-minded designers in creating highly shareable content about gun violence in America.
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Last night, I listened to the president talk after yet another mass shooting in a school in America. He issued a call to arms to the American people to DO SOMETHING about the continued gun violence and mass shootings because he can't do it alone. We can't sit idly by while one group of Americans defends their rights to carry guns, while NO ONE defends the rights of the countless victims. As I listened to the reports and watched the reactions of my friends on social media, my friend Kari said something that really hit home:
You know, I appreciate that you have a right to have a gun. But what about MY right to not get gunned down in a movie theater? What about my nephew's right to go to school without fear of being shot? Why are the rights of those who don't want to live in fear of some trigger happy maniac somehow discounted against the almighty gun lobby?
The president called on the media to showcase to the American public the scale of this continuing national tragedy. And for a few hours I was hopeful until I saw reports like this from Vox trickle in. Their heart was in the right place, the statistics were correct, but the designer in me looked at that "chart" and gasped. This is NOT the right format to showcase the scale of these numbers. And it hit me... I can help.
I'd like to issue a design call to arms to all my fellow designers... please help me showcase the scale of the problem. Bring the numbers to life in anyway possible to showcase to all Americans how much they need to get involved and ensure that their voice is being expressed through their elected officials. President Obama was right last night, we won't ever stop this violence unless all Americans; liberals, conservatives, independents, responsible gun owners, et al. speak up.
DesignCallToArms.com
So please, help me take the statistics available to us and make them VISIBLE. I'm gathering all the statistics and news articles I can find that showcase the supposed "scale" of the ongoing cycle of violence. I'll continue to amend this post and add every trustworthy source I can to help us report the numbers in a visually engaging way.
Sources & Statistics:
U.S. Dept of Justice - Firearm Violence Report 1993-2011
When is it time to update your packaging?
“Deciding to change your packaging should never be taken lightly,” says Phil Duncan, P&G’s Global Design Officer.
“There are typically numerous consumer and market dynamics that combine to signal the need to change your package. Consumer understanding and trends, a change in brand strategy, or significant shifts in the category or retail channels can all create an environment to consider a packaging change.”
There’s a good read on Forbes today for any brand leader wondering when it’s the right time for a change. There are a million reasons you could decide to evolve or refresh your brand, but what are the right considerations?
MARKETPLACE CHANGES
Do you have a new competitor that’s making waves in your category? It could be time to reinforce your brand story to re-engage your consumers. Significant shifts in your category or retail channels should always have you evaluating your packaging against the evolving competitive set.
CONSUMER TRENDS
Are consumers moving away from your shelf stable products and heading towards products with more perceived “freshness”? Perhaps you’re noticing demographic shifts in your consumer and it’s time to reposition to regain younger consumers. Take stock of the larger trends happening in your sector and category to understand when it might be time to evolve.
BRAND STRATEGY
Your packaging should NEVER change as much as your advertising efforts, but if your packaging no longer reflects your brand strategy, it’s time for a change.
Would you just like another point-of-view? Contact us to have our experienced brand leaders walk you through the considerations for a packaging change.
(Originally posted on Pivot-Forward.com)
Apple, the new packaging bully.
As a packaging designer, this article from 9to5 Mac leaves me speechless. Apple is apparently working with several of their accessory suppliers to re-design their packaging to Apple's standards. Huh? I'm all for Apple trying to elevate the packaging of 3rd party products but this puts anyone selling on a wall peg at a huge disadvantage.
Why? Apple's product packaging doesn't have to communicate anything.
Consumers don't see it until the sales person pulls it out of the secret back room and puts it in your hand. No consumer walks into a store thinking... "I need a computer" and evaluates an HP laptop box next to a MacBook Pro box, but that's the very real scenario facing third party products within an Apple Store.
According to 9to5 Mac the photo above is an example of updated packaging for Mophie and Logitech as designed by Apple. I presume there will be some serious hurdles for consumers to understand benefits and brands when everything on the wall is white and black. Are brand supposed to just discard their own brand equity for the pleasure of appearing on a peg in an Apple Store? I guess so.
I'm all for good design. I love white space and cleanliness as much as the next designer but it's going to be a serious challenge now for accessory suppliers to have any kind of shelf breakthrough.
"You know, for kids."
Mike Monteiro does it again... with a great keynote speech for the Interaction Design Association.
One of the hardest things a young designer has to do is not to do good work (in theory they've been trained to do that), it's to be able to sell the work. To explain to the client the WHYs. WHY they did it this way. WHY it will work. WHY consumers/users will understand their message/be able to navigate their site/donate to their case/buy their products/etc.
In the way that only Mike Monteiro can (and utilizing points from one of the best movie's of all time, The Hudsucker Proxy), he boils the message down to two simple points:
- Do good work.
- Persuade them it's good.
The Reinvention of Normal
"... and just doing things, even if they are completely ridiculous sometimes. So what, let's do the ridiculous. And by doing the ridiculous something else might come of it."