Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Watchmen Poster


Warner Brothers have revealed the first teaser posted for their big 2009 release WATCHMEN, which is being brought to the screen by 300 helmer Zack Snyder.

The amazing Jackie Earle Haley will star as Walter Kovacs, aka Rorschach; Malin Akerman is Laurie Juspeczyk, aka Silk Spectre; Billy Crudup is Jon Osterman, aka Dr. Manhattan; Matthew Goode stars as Adrian Veidt, aka Ozymandias; Jeffrey Dean Morganis Edward Blake, aka the Comedian; and Patrick Wilson will appear as Dan Dreiberg, aka Nite Owl.

The film is set for a March 9th, 2009 release.

That's Right,

HMK

De Post Transformation


The UK Design Council has posted a nice case study on how Belgium's postal service, De Post, turned to design to help it make the transformation from outmoded institution to flexible service provider.

De Post embarked upon a wholesale, design-led reinvention, appointing Fitch:London to help transform it from an out-dated institution into a sharper, more customer-focused retailer.

Many of the changes were designed to improve relations between De Post and its customers - an area crying out for attention according to market research undertaken by the organisation before and during the redesign process.

Better security systems meant Fitch was able to remove the traditional glass barriers and replace them with lower counters for staff to sit behind, making the retail environment far friendlier and the staff seem more approachable.

In addition, a warm palette of colours was introduced to each branch, as well as quirky, large print photographs, designed to further enhance the customer experience.

More Info: De Post Transformation.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the smart folks at Core 77

Monday, July 30, 2007

Do it Anyway

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.
Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.
Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.

- Mother Teresa

That's Right,

HMK

Recently Sited




Can you spot the theme in these three smart ads? I love the simplicity of the set up with the ''punch line" and payoff consisting of just a line of copy and the logo. Nice stuff.

That's Right,

HMK

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Vintage Paperback Covers


Check out this mongo huge collection of vintage paperback books covering a wide range of publishers, all categorized for easy indexing. A nice reference for layouts, vintage type and some nice eye candy.

Visit The Book Scan Database.

That's Right,

HMK

Friday, July 27, 2007

Vintage Chinese Public Health Posters


Click Image To Enlarge.

While researching Chinese imagery for a poster I'm working on I stumbled upon The National Library of Medicine. They've got a nice collection of health posters from around the world focusing on the History of Medicine.

The above image, from 1933, explains how the ear is like a telephone and the eye is like a camera. More over here: Chinese Posters.

Have a healthy weekend!

That's Right,

HMK

Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Shazbot!


Are you prepared to take an amazing Nano Journey?

Nano Journey is an interactive tour into the worlds of the micro- and nano-cosmos. Three different tours let you scale down into the human arm, into a computer processor, or into the LED of a car's headlight to discover the smallest dimensions of our universe.

The latter journey is part of an information campaign by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to inform the larger audience about the research and everyday impact of nanotechnology.

Amazing stuff.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the smart folks over at Core 77.

Get A Better View


Man, with the construction I've got going on both to the left and right of our home, I could really use a couple of these right now.

This is a blackout roller curtain called the Better View.

Light seeps in through a perforated city view. Currently available are views Shinjuku, Tokyo and Kallio, Helsinki. Each piece is custom made by hand.

Nice stuff: A Better View

That's Right,
HMK


Thanks to: The Cool Hunter

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

This Day In Type


Here's a cool little collaborative project for all you type freaks out there.

Get your daily typography fix on This Day in Type, a “designer generated” calender where every day is presented with a different typographic twist.

Designers are invited to submit their own creations for a date of their choice.

Since there are often numerous submissions per day, public voting decides which work will become part of the the calendar.

Nice idea, check it out: at This Day In Type.

The above image was created by Horton using the sweet new font Cutiful.

That's Right,

HMK

Monday, July 23, 2007

Happy 3rd Birthday That's Right + Scrapblog Rules!


Ok, this is probably one of the coolest, most totally Tiki Bongo posts I've shared since I started this blog on my wife's birthday, back in July of 2004, 3 years ago this month. This is post number 657, wow.

That's Right!

Introducing Scrapblog! A perfect name because it simply does what is says and says what it does.

It took me all of just about 20 minutes to set up my first Scrapblog page, a sort of visual link portal.

You simply pick a template or create your own using your pictures, your drawings and your movies to create YOUR own cool online scrap book!

What's really cool is that when you check it out live at HMK Links, not only are the images clickable, taking you to my various other musings online, but it's soooo amazingly user friendly and wicked easy and fun to set up!

Now go set up your own!: Scrapblog!

Have a great week and thanks for reading and commenting!

Happy Birthday Chrissy!

That's Right,

HMK

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Thinking About Three


Ok, tomorrow is the 3rd Year Anniversary of That's Right, which has got me thinking about the number three...

According to Michael Eck, in our minds we break concepts into three parts to understand whatever it is we are thinking about. We use threes to define systems. We use the third or middle point with regard to the extremes to define a point of view.

Yadda yadda yadda.

If that's a little too deep for you at the moment, it is for me, here's 3 of my favorite tracks by The Sandals from one of my favorite movies, Bruce Brown's Endless Summer.

Whether you're looking for the perfect wave or the perfect parking spot, you'll dig Lonely Road by The Sandals from the official 1964 Endless Summer soundtrack.

And the intro to this one makes a perfect ringtone for all your party buds, in fact, the Pope even has this killer Sandals gem, 6-Pak! in his Vatican Togo Party Playlist...

And, because the most interesting things always seem to come in sets of threes, like waves, holiday weekend days and Canadian rock bands, here's one more from the Sandals, the tropical-spy meets beach-party ditty Jet Black.

And if you're in need of any more fresh audio, Click Hear!

Stay Tuned Y'all!

That's Right,

HMK

Friday, July 20, 2007

Bad Spock Drawing


Lots more: Bad Spock Drawings.

That's Right,

HMK

RIP Mr. Butch


Somewhere in my files I've got a business card given to me by Mr. Butch, the self proclaimed Mayor of Kenmore Square in Boston. He's the only homeless person I've ever met that had his own business cards.

‘Mr. Butch,’’ whose name was Harold Madison Jr., died July 11th of injuries from an early morning crash when the motor scooter he was driving hit a pole, friends and family said.

Back in 1989 I'd see Mr. Butch almost every other day on my way to work on Lansdowne Street and I'd get his nod of appreciation whenever I'd give him some change.

Mr. Butch wasn't the kind of homeless person you really felt sorry for. He had this cool, positive aura about him where you never felt threatened or unsafe around him and it was like he actually knew that deep down, he was always going to be ok.

Although yeah, he was a little wacky, kind of like the crazy musician types you meet in used music stores, but he was probably the last bit of any real soul left in Kenmore Square and I'm sad to hear of his passing.

Always quick with a smile, he never bothered you or begged for money. Mr. Butch was simply a cool human being and truly memorable part of my Boston experience.

A bit more here: Mr. Butch.

And thanks to my bud Mr. X, here are a few shots courtesy of Nicole Tammaro of the: Mr. Butch Memorial Service.


Happy Trails Mr. Butch!

That's Right,

HMK

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Google Fight!


Beatles VS Stones.

Chocolate VS Vanilla.

Dog VS Cat.

Research VS Buzzwords.

You decide the opponents and may the entry with the most hits win!

Google Fight!

That's Right,

HMK

Google Fight is not affiliated with or sponsored by Google, but I bet they dig this....

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

It's Always Happy Hour Somewhere!


Looking for a happy hour? Then you'll love this!

Who Needs A Drink?

And here's a sneak peek from one of my upcoming HMK Mystery Stream podcasts, an appropriate little ditty, direct from vinyl, from 1952 by Mr. Wynonie Harris: Rot Gut!

That's Right!

HMK

Thanks to the forward thinking folks at UnThirsty! and Donald Metzner for the use of his squirrel picture.

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Happy Birthday Charles Eames!


Today is the 100th birthday of one of my design heros, Charles Eames. His work and his words, along with his wife Ray's visions, continue to inspire me as both a person and as a designer.

Like a lot of artists and designers, I'm one of those that share the Eameses' belief that good design can improve people's lives.

"In architecture the idea degenerated. Design allows a more direct and pleasurable route."

I'm also a huge fan of process and the Eames philosophy was very much entrenched in process. Process to get to the final product often took years of trial and error.

"The details are details. They make the product. The connections, the connections, the connections. It will in the end be these details that give the product its life."



From the 1940s to the 1970s, the prolific husband-and-wife team of Charles and Ray Eames designed furniture, buildings, exhibitions, and interiors, and made films. They are perhaps best known for the form-fitting chairs that were mass-produced using the same techniques the Eameses developed in their first apartment.

Their furniture, toys, buildings, films, graphics, exhibitions, and books all aimed to improve society-not only functionally but also culturally and intellectually.

Here are a few of some of my favorite Charles Eames Quotes:

"Choose your corner, pick away at it carefully, intensely and to the best of your ability and that way you might change the world."

"Eventually everything connects - people, ideas, objects. The quality of the connections is the key to quality per se."

"Ideas are cheap. Always be passionate about ideas and communicating those ideas and discoveries to others in the things you make."

"Recognizing the need is the primary condition for design."

"The details are not the details. They make the design."

"The real questions are: Does it solve a problem? Is it serviceable? How is it going to look in ten years?"

"The recognition and understanding of the need was the primary condition of the creative act. When people feel they had to express themselves for originality for its own sake, that tends not to be creativity. Only when you get into the problem and the problem becomes clear, can creativity take over."

"We work because it's a chain reaction, each subject leads to the next."

And finally -

"Who ever said that pleasure wasn't functional?"

Thanks Charles and Ray!

That's Right,

HMK

Cheers To Sascha!


In case you haven't met, this is Sascha, the Hamm's Bear, one of my personal all time favorite mascots - second only to The Spurs Coyote. (During the 1993-94 season he became the first mascot in NBA history to dunk both a basketball and a doughnut in a single game!)

While most beer commercials of the 50's involved lots of over the top bragging about how good their product was, the Hamm’s spots came equipped with humor, plot and punch line.

The occasional interaction between cartoons and real actors was ground breaking—Sascha beat Roger Rabbit to the punch by 40 years.

Read more about Sascha and nine other stories behind the faces on the bottle over at Modern Drunkard Magazine's cover story: The 10 Greatest Alcohol Icons Of All Time.

Click Hear: Hamm's Piano Version of The Jingle.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the Presurfer.

Monday, July 16, 2007

HMK Mystery Stream on iTunes!


Howdy y'all - just a quick note to let you know that due to popular demand my weekly podcast, the HMK Mystery Stream, is now officially available for your streaming pleasure on iTunes!

Launch Now: HMK Mystery Streams

Become a subscriber and enjoy a weekly mix of fresh vintage vinyl, groovy audio vibes, blasts from the past and mucho mas, all courtesy of your friends from Necessito La Music, Totally Bitchin' Recording, iF: Irregular Frequency, SharkThang and the HMK Archive audio vault.

You can still visit my Necessito La Music site where you can grab the customized cover art for each episode as well as other audio gems, segues and other one offs and singles that don't make it on to the official podcast.

Make It Louder!

The above image is the cover art for Episode 025: Smooth Booty.

©Stay Tuned Y'all!

That's Right,

HMK

Sunday, July 15, 2007

This One's A Winner!



Genius!

This luggage conveyor turned roulette wheel is the brainchild of Italian agency AdmCom for the Marco Polo airport installation promoting the Casinò di Venezia (Casino of Venice).

Wicked nice.

Agency: AdmCom, Bologna, Italy
Creative Director: Maurizio Cinti
Art Directors: Andrea Ligi / Sergio Lelli
Copywriters: Rebecca Rossi / Silva Fedrigo

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the smart folks at I Believe In Advertising.

Saturday, July 14, 2007

Louis XXI Coffee Table


Francesco Cappuccio's "Louis XXI" is an ironic coffee table derived from a process of deconstruction and reconstruction of a classical Louis XVI style.

"During the reconstruction process I left some small gap between each part in order to store the newspaper that we bay day by day."

This coffee table-newspaper holder has won the international competition "A piece of furniture for reading places 2007" and will be exibit permanently at MAAM museum of Verona (Italy)

The jury record said:

"A piece of furniture with a strong ironic connection to classicism in which an image with references to modern art is inserted and an original and functional solution is added."

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to trucdesign

Friday, July 13, 2007

Matte Stephens Paintings


I just totally dig the art of Matte Stephens, a 33 year old artist from Birmingham Alabama.

Check out more of his wicked awesome paintings over at his Brainiac site.

Cool stuff Matte.

I bet my friend Liz will love it too...

That's Right,

HMK

Thursday, July 12, 2007

Organization With Style


I'm currently designing plans for the addition of a pantry and laundry room with a home office and storage space loft at our home.

I've always been attracted to the concept of "floating" storage and shelving and the way it allows more natural light into a space. This concept not only projects a sense of calm and organization, it's also a brilliant way to create the illusion of more space by keeping the floor visible in small spaces.

Muunto from Finland designs systems based on an innovative wall panelling technique that is completed with a range of shelf units and accessories. These storage systems do an awesome job of combining functionality and style and can easily be readjusted to suit your changing need or your new home décor.

And I'm totally digging the super clean look, combined with splashes of color.

Nice!

That's Right,

HMK

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash!




Breaking News: All Online Data Lost After Internet Crash!

Genius!

That's Right,

HMK

Tuesday, July 10, 2007

The Dumbest Guys in the Room



This is another awesome read from Andy Rutledge.

As he puts it, “This is a rather a cynical article, but know that I'm not suggesting that all projects are so bleak. It is, however, a common circumstance in our line of work and it's worth examining and certainly worth preparing for.”

It is unfortunate and frustrating, but it’s a fact: getting design approval and then a project completed for a large corporate client is seldom about convincing the smartest people in the room of anything. Instead it’s usually about trying to keep the dumbest people in the room (or in the company) from shooting themselves in the foot.

And that’s if the designer even gets the chance to communicate with them at all. Sadly, this makes the business of design less about appealing to people’s better ideals and more about achieving victory over stupidity.

Read: The Dumbest Guys in the Room.

And I couldn't agree more with his take on his finding the ultimate decision maker:

"And by all means - make every effort to know exactly who the ultimate decision maker is – and learn how best to connect with them and gain their confidence. Your success, and likely their fortunes, depend on this (whether they know it or not)."

Speaking of stupidity - when was the last time you visited Clientcopia?

That's Right!

HMK

Monday, July 09, 2007

Site Structure: Quiet vs Loud


A quiet zone in the middle of NYC - Strawberry Fields to be exact.

Quiet structure is achieved when you de–emphasize the structural elements; the containing boxes, structural lines, bullets, structural color elements, etc… and bring a rhythmical consistency to the layout.

Andy Rutledge takes a look at both the main page of CNN.com and then at USA Today.com.

Personally, I'm digging CNN's overall clean and clear presentation of information, it's reminds me of a simple, straight forward and easy to read blog layout.

Even though USA Today’s is not a terrible design, by comparison it is far more chaotic in presentation.

But why is this? Read on as Andy compares a few of the individual elements from these two sites in terms of Quiet Structure vs Loud Structure.

The result is that the content becomes more conspicuous and the overall clarity of presentation is greatly enhanced.

Read the whole Quiet vs Loud article.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to David for the cool shot.

Workstation Settings Cheatsheet


Now this is smart. Here's an easy, and low-tech approach to keeping the productivity flowing in almost any business. A simple Workstation Settings Cheatsheet to help capture those crucial details for each user's computer in your office.

The Workstation Settings Cheatsheets. include the most commonly needed network and email settings for each user.

Basic stuff sure, but important when you need to do some quick troubleshooting - especially if you don't have a dedicated IT guy on staff or if you happen to be the only one working late.

Thanks to the smart folks at Creative Techs.

Have a great week!

That's Right,

HMK

Sunday, July 08, 2007

It's Art Baby!


Check out this awesome oversized Scrabble art from Posh Tots.

Me likey!

That's Right,

HMK

Saturday, July 07, 2007

Interestingness


Jeffre Jackson of the OIA talks about interestingness and why it's important for a brand to be interesting.

Known as 'the Socrates of San Francisco', Gossage was an unlikely advertising man. With a military background, he didn't start working in advertising until his mid thirties. In 1957 he started his own agency Weiner and Gossage which was an immediate success.

Gossage was known for his unique and forward thinking philosophy; that advertising should be involving for the audience. In other words that they should be rewarded for seeing and/or hearing the message. Gossage would say:

"People don't read advertising per se. They read what interests them. And sometimes it's an ad."

It's only now, in the era of the Internet and sit forward media that we are really taking Gossage's ideas to heart. Disruption is being seen as a bad thing whilst engagement is becoming more and more important.

One of Gosasge's pet hates was outdoor advertising and it's here that the internal conflicts of the man become most clear.

Something worth bearing in mind in this digital era: "Is advertising worth saving?" "From an economic point of view, I don't think that most of it is. From an aesthetic point of view, I'm damn sure it's not; it is thoughtless, boring, and there is simply too much of it."

That's Right,

HMK

Big thanks to Henry Lambert over at Trends.

Friday, July 06, 2007

Meet The Walrus


Check out this sweet little short from Josh Raskin: I Met the Walrus.

I thought the walrus was Paul...

That's Right,

HMK

Thursday, July 05, 2007

Anatomy of a To-Do


This is an older post from the smart folks over at 43 Folders that I find myself re-reading every few months or so in my effort to getting things done in the most efficient way possible.

The primary idea of a to-do is that it’s a task that can and should be done – a point that might seem obvious until you start uncovering how many of the items on your to-do list may not belong there (or, conversely, how many uncaptured items do).

The best and most useful to-dos share common qualities:

It’s a physical action.
It can be accomplished at a sitting.
It supports valuable progress toward a recognized goal.
It’s something for which you are the most appropriate person for the job.

Glancing at your own to-do list, do you see any potential troublemakers?

Notice any items that make you squeamish?

Any mystery meat tasks that seem "un-doable" as is?

Relax. 43 Folders will have you shaped up in no time.

I dig using John Blyberg's awesome Card Generator to create my list and then make it my monthly, impossible to ignore, laptop screen saver.


That's Right,

HMK

Make It Louder...


Aw yeah... if you're in need for a little audio wallpaper to get you in the mood for the weekend...CLICK HEAR!

Just in time for the weekend...

That's Right,

HMK

Tuesday, July 03, 2007

Why Ivy Ross Rules


Ambidextrous Magazine recently ran a cool interview with Ivy Ross, she’s the head of design and packaging for the girls division at Mattel.

Here are a few excerpts.

On the importance of meaning:

Let's face it. Everyone has everything. We are not about price anymore. Everything exists at every price level. It's about the connection you find with the object.

On the power of unleashing your personal design thinking process:

I had to think about my own creative process. What I did for myself was feed myself. I took on a question and ate absolutely everything I could. I allowed myself freedom to explore, without restrictions, and at a really organic pace. I was like a kid.

On the drivers of innovative behavior:

I also believe that creativity and innovation are built around trust and freedom. Companies don't get that. They think it is a process. It is really about creating trust between the people creating and the freedom to go to new places.

Get the 2 page PDF.

More good stuff from Ivy Ross.


That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the smart folks at Meta Cool.