Simplicity

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It makes me warm to see that companies out there are starting to utilize the possibilities that comes with social media. IKEA has definitely understood how to make good use of web-TV as they started their own IKEA.SE/TV where you are invited to upload your own interior decoration tips.

What’s even better is the fact that they’ve stuck to blogging standards when they have designed the whole thing and not fallen into the trap of trying to do something new and different. According to BuiltWith they’ve used Ruby on Rails to create it. However, I do recognize a lot of plugins, so it wouldn’t surprise me if Wordpress or something similar was stuck in the bottom of the whole thing.

Jacob Nielsen, famouse user interaction dude from Denmark once said: “People spend most of their time visiting other sites”

Thanks Reklamfeber for pointing this one out.

Ms Swissmiss found a pretty good answer to that question on Frank Chimero’s, designer, illustrator and tinkerer from Missouri, USA, website.

We talk a lot about how logotypes, advertising, products, packaging, tone of voice, TV commercials, websites etc etc etc communicates the brand. But usually, the more business-oriented the purpose, the stiffer the creative executions. That’s why I just love to see infographics like these.

How would the infographics look in your annual report next time if you were true to your brand?

As usually when you find something nice and it’s an image, you find it at FFFFound.

Today I am: happy about iPhone 3G, working on signing people up, had Japanese Gyoza for lunch and talked to Björn.

Björn, is a good friend of mine who tipped me about a YouTube video that outlines what Social Media is all about in a very pedagogic way. I liked it, so I blogged it.

If you’re Swedish another Björn made me happy yesterday. Björn Falkevik published a Video in Swedish the other day on a similar subject. Once you are done with the one above, go ahead and look at this one.

I spent yesterday looking through tons of ads, some good and some bad when I was doing my job in the jury for Guldeken, a local advertising competition in the south of sweden.

However, the best print ad wasn’t to be found among the contenders. That one was sitting on the desktop of fellow jury member Patrik Spång, CD at Jerlov in Gothenburg.

Of course it was easy to find on AdsOfTheWorld.

Great communication is made by people who go their own way. And what’s cool with this latest ad-campaign by Apple for the new iTouch is that they do exactly that.

When everyone around the world go crazy for drop-shadows and reflections (much inspired by Apple) these guys led by Steve Jobs turn 180° and introduce a set of Helmut Crone/60’s style, simplistic, old fashioned, typed copy ads. I love it.

Differentiate or die!

After reading a great presentation about improving interface design I ended up on Garrett Dimon’s site - The author. Once there his latest post got me to install a widget for the first time in ages.

The widget is called “The Big Questions” and is a great mind opener for everyone who is involved in any kind of creative process. Get it and be inspired to solve new problems.

I’m working on a presentation about digital marketing and as I’m gathering information on Barack Obama’s great digital campaign activities I stumbled upon the Wikipedia page about Mr Obama. And DAMN, these PR guys of his has done a great job of filling this page with information.

I used Paparazzi (note, a little software tip here) to take a screenshot of the full page and WOW, it’s a freakin 15,4 meters tall. That must be some kind of record?

Hmm, I didn’t read much of it but I bet Obama turns of here and there in the search engines.

(I’m not taking a political stand here)

I just love it when people grab old ideas and turn them into new.

At first glance I thought it was an ad for Fritz Hansen and though WOW. But it’s just (I love it) a great poster by Blue Art Studio for you to hang on your wall.

Got it through Notcot.

In a world of war, violence, rape, isolation and loneliness we need to act. This is my modest contribution on a wednesday evening.

This is nice.

I visited Google, Apple and other sites that usually do this, but was disappointed to see that YouTube was the only one that kept the loving spirit going.

If you have other Valentine logos let me know.