Coke vs. Pepsi (Aesthetically Speaking)

Less is definitely more. The Coca-Cola Company proved that with the recent enema it performed on the famous Coke can. This simple redesign turned out to be one of the best product packaging overhauls of the last several years, and it is one that will go largely unnoticed by the general public. Instead, consumers will experience a barely detectable sense of nostalgia and perhaps an enhanced connection to the bubbly beverage, and nothing more. Why such a slight consumer reaction? Rather than slapping swooshes, splashes and halftone patterns onto the design, they removed extraneous design elements and, in so doing, returned the Coke can to its long-ago simple glory.


In a marketing milieu where corporations flood the public with visual noise, a move like this from such a large player should be applauded. Now Coca-Cola actually deserves the name "classic".

On the other end of the boxing ring stands Pepsi. Now I should probably mention that I have little conviction about which is a superior soft drink. My girlfriend Julie feels very strongly that Coca-Cola is the apex of all beverages. Because of this, no Pepsi can has ever seen the inside of our refrigerator. That notwithstanding, Pepsi's latest marketing effort takes the exact opposite approach as Coca-Cola, and quite frankly their new cans turn my stomach.

Adorned with flashy, urban patterns this suite of 15 unique designs attempts to speak directly to young consumers in what Pepsi calls "a salute to the spirit of youth and discovery". Unfortunately, these cans only succeed in widening the gap between mega-corporation Pepsico and it's consumers by trivializing youth culture with graphics of car rims, snowboarders and DJs. For Pepsi's full spectrum of youth culture clichés, click here.

The news never looked so purdy

Before I dive into this post, I'd be remiss not to make a quick address. I'm a bad blogger. It's true. The only excuse I can present for being such a sporadic author it that, at the detriment of my blog, I've been highly productive in other areas of my life. So to any of you out there who actually look forward to my posts—if there are any of you out there—I apologize for keeping you hanging.

Back to the news. I have an online fetish. It doesn't involve web cams, internet porn, or Myspace. No, this is much more highbrow than any of that. It's the news. CNN.com to be exact. Why the sudden interest in world affairs? Well, its never looked so darn good before. CNN.com went live with their newly designed website early this month and has set a new standard for news coverage on the web.



I won't even begin to mention the myriad technical ways that the site has been improved. For more on that check out Andy Rutledge's article "Quiet Structure". I will however say that CNN definitely knows how to clean shop. The ease of understanding has been vastly improved. Before the viewer would have to tediously sift through the stacks of often strangely worded headlines. Now, with so much less visual noise, the content finds you. This transformation perfectly illustrates the value of thoughtful design.

Make it Shiny-er

This past week Apple Inc. announced its partnership with YouTube. From the looks of it, the Apple design team broke out the chamois and polished the YouTube logo to a high-gloss sheen. While I understand this was necessary to inject YouTube into the Apple TV environment, it concerns me that they would hand their identity over to Apple with such ease.


Nowhere on the YouTube do the glossy, reflective surfaces of the new mark exist. This leaves me wondering, is it important for major web companies to follow the same rules of branding vital to the rest of the business world? Or does the kaleidoscopic internet universe require enterprises to be fluid right down to their corporate identity?

Web 2.0, I love you

Just a quick memo to proclaim my love for the era of immediate information. I'm smitten with the Internet. I love it in the same way I love my bicycle or Dunkin Donuts coffee. It's always there, ready to take me new places, show me new things and answer my questions. It's my professor, my doctor, my tour guide, my mailman, my megaphone, and my community.

Whether this is good or bad for the other relationships in my life is a question for the true, living-breathing apple of my eye, Julie. But I must admit that my infatuation with the Internet is long-standing and still going strong.

On a side note, you can now check out my fickr photostream by clicking on the flickr badge in the sidebar. Meet our menagerie of pets and catch a glimpse into the daily goings-on at the Weinstein/Vazquez household.

Labor of love

I'd like to take a moment to announce the website redesign of my girlfriend Julie's pet care business, Park Place Bark. While I still have a lot to learn about web design and development, I progressed leaps and bounds while working on this site. The original site was thrown up in a matter of days. Built with tables, cumbersome images, and shoddy code, it was in need of a revamp.


With the help of css, Park Place Bark now has one of the most sophisticated websites in the Chicagoland pet care industry—an industry that is riddled with mediocre websites. Big snaps to Julie for her excellent art direction. I don't just say this out of obligation to my girlfriend. She really did provide an abundance of strategic and creative direction and the end product wouldn't have been nearly as successful without her expertise.

The new site features rotating pet quotes and tips, a service area map, a client gallery, an "anatomy" component, and a highly informative blog.

Egg'd!

A funny thing happened on my way home from work that has nothing to do with design, but is noteworthy nonetheless. My preferred method of transportation involves two wheels, a crank shaft, and a hard leather saddle. I'm an urban bicycle commuter, and I love it. But this Monday my daily commute was disrupted by a band of 10 year old punks.

As I approached Cabrini Green, I took momentary notice of the abundance of people enjoying the beautiful Spring day. It seemed only natural that a group of kids should be strolling the courtyard, smiles ablaze in the sunlight. As they rapidly approached the bicycle path I noticed the smile in one boy's eyes quickly change into wicked determination. In that moment before his dastardly act was executed, I was swept back to a distant childhood memory.

In this memory I was riding my bike to the end of the cul de sac and through a neighbors lawn to a place we called Dirt Valley; a network of twisting, hilly paths tucked away in the woods. As I approached the bottom of the street I glimpsed Sean Perkins, a chubby boy 3 or 4 years younger than I with a broomstick clinched high above his head, and the same look of wicked determination in his eyes. Without hesitation, he released the broomstick, lodging it squarely in my spokes and sending me sprawling across the pavement.

Flash forward—I noticed something white and round in the evil-eyed boy's hand and began to realize that this was no innocent interaction, it was an ambush. Blocked by a solid row of cars to my left, I had no choice but to stay the course. I curled my shoulder down and turned my head away as the boy took aim and pelted the egg with surprising accuracy. The projectile hit me squarely in the leg and sent a gelatinous mélange of yolk and white across my frame, handlebars and shoes. I was egg'd! His band of hellions instantly burst into laughter as I did all I could think of—yelled obscenities and rode on.

Humiliated and slightly amused, I began to think that I was not so different when I was a kid. I wrought havoc with rolls of toilet paper and cartons of eggs. I stole beer from open garages and turned people's televisions off with a remote from outside their living room windows. What right had I to loathe this boy for egg'ing me? It was merely karma coming full circle. Rather than brooding over the event, I've decided to focus my energy on developing creative ways to get revenge if the band of kids ever makes a follow-up appearance. So far my favorite scenario was suggested by my girlfriend: pudding filled water balloons in an easy-access pouch. I'll simply grab as many balloons as I can hold in one hand and with the momentum of my cycle, lob the balloons at the group of kids and laugh malevolently as I ride into the distance.

If you can think of other creative methods for me to foil the band of 10 year old punks, please let me know. If it seems feasible and won't call the attention of their older brothers, perhaps I will put your plan into action.

Word it

Word it is your opportunity to express in any manner you wish and with as many (or as little) other graphic elements as you need, what best describes each monthly word.

I originally started participating in this monthly project to drive traffic to my site. Now it's become a quick and fun exercise that I look forward to every month. Here are my word it designs submitted to to Speak Up over the last three months.

March: "I"
For March I arrived at my design by thinking of "I" as it pertains to the concept of self. "I" and "Identity" can nearly be used to define one another. The fingerprint was just the natural next step.


February: "Yell"
I'll be the first to admit that on the rare occasion I loose my patience and yell, my dog Gweck is probably on the receiving end (that or perhaps a designer tantrum is in progress). However infrequent reactions like this are, they are something that I strive to eliminate entirely. February's "Yell" was a comment on this verbal sort of abuse that happens toward animals all the time and often goes unnoticed.


January: "Wonder"
No matter what the word of the month may be, someone always seems to put a political spin on it. Here is my little bit of anti-establishment conspiracy theorist petition signing Adbusters reading personality coming through.