idea blog

Marketing commentary for better. Or worse.

MassimoVignelli
28 May '14

Massimo Vignelli (1931-2014)

Massimo Vignelli, modernist designer and creator of the NYC Subway map and American Airlines logo, has died. More coverage at The New York Times, Gizmodo, Design Week.

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burger-icon
22 May '14

Tagline Review: “Be Your Way” (Burger King)

After 40 years of “Have It Your Way,” Burger King has changed its slogan.     At first glance, the move from “Have It” to “Be” seems fairly innocuous: it allows Burger King to go in a new direction, while still holding onto the brand equity from its old slogan. But it’s actually a substantial…

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Makers Mark
20 May '14

Tagline Review: “It Is What It Isn’t” (Maker’s Mark)

As far as taglines go, there’s a deserved premium on clever. The best taglines express the ethos of their company sideways — sparking that flicker of recognition that comes in the gap between perception and understanding. But what about when a tagline goes too clever? We think this campaign by Maker’s Mark may be guilty of…

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tree-ring
08 May '14

How To Make A Record Player That Plays Tree Rings

Check out this record player, from composer/inventor Bartholomäus Traubeck, which reads and musically interprets the data from tree rings. File under: random cool shit. Known tree-inspired band names include: Hall & Oaks The Beech Boys John P(r)ine Crosby, Stills, and Ash Justin TIMBER!!!lake / N’Sycamore TreeLC Spruce Bringsteen  

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airbnb_thumb
06 May '14

Getting Brands Past Startup: A Graphic

As an agency, we work with a lot of companies that are in the start-up phase. Helping these companies find their brand style — which is really about communicating whatever useful thing they do, simply and powerfully — is in our wheelhouse. And it’s a big piece of what spurs growth. So we love graphics like…

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RainbowCrosswalk-3-2-L
01 May '14

Rainbow Crosswalk.

Scene from downtown Northampton earlier this week. Happy Pride, everyone!  

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