Have You Heard?

Is This On?

Just in time for the weekend...

That's Right,

HMK

Apple's Secrets of Success

It's no secret that Apple continues to create amazingly successful products. ComputerWorld shares the top 8 most important reasons as to why:

• Engineering supports design - no exceptions.
• Fewer is better.
• The experience is the product.
• The product is the product.
• You can't please everyone, so please people with good taste.
• Leave the past behind.
• Product names are important. Really important.
• Group affiliation is the driver.

Check out Kraftwerk's Computerwelt as you read the whole thing: Apple's Secrets of Success.


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HMK

Think Big!

Check out the cool gallery of more Muffler Men over at: Neato Coolville.

I'm hoping to use one of these guys in conjunction with a project I'm working on...

Stay tuned.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Mayor Todd Franklin

The Little Library of Factory Sleeves

Check out the groovy Little Library of Factory Record Sleeves

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HMK

Destroy Them Before They Evolve

Nice concept and imagery for Exterminex from Saatchi & Saatchi, London. Art Director: Steve Carlin, Copywriter: Joel Bradley, Illustrator: Steve Carlin.

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HMK

Thanks to 2wenty 4our.

Cadbury Chocolate

Ok, I've watched this at least 5 or 6 times and I'm still not sure A) why I totally love it or B) what the hell it has to do with chocolate... but man, this is pretty cool...

That's Right,

HMK

A True Texas Legend Passes Away

My buddy Kevin Paetzel, a wicked funny and creative guy, sadly lost his dad, Ed "Chill Lee" Paetzel, last month.



The following obituary, written by his son Kevin (who happens to be a senior writer at The Richards Group in Dallas), gives us a clear and insightful understanding of what it really means to be a True Texas legend and character.

EDWARD GUSTAV PAETZEL passed away on Wednesday, August 22. Known by many as Ed "Chill Lee" Paetzel, the Texas Chili King, he was born on October 2, 1932, in Savannah, Georgia.

After attending Carlisle Military School in Bamberg, South Carolina, and serving in the U.S. Army at the end of the Korean War, the promise of a better life beckoned Ed to Texas. He loaded up his woody wagon and drove west to Austin, eventually earning a business degree at the University of Texas (where he gained the distinction of being the first student ever to wear short pants in class). (Go Ed! HMK)

His business career was in human resources in the hotel industry. But his passion was crafting the perfect "bowl of red." Ed backed up his self-proclaimed title of "world's greatest chili cook" by winning the Texas State Chili Cook-Off twice as well as countless other chili cook-offs.

The envy of other chili cooks and hero of hungry fans, Ed traveled the world demonstrating his chili prowess for royalty, celebrities, and television audiences (his favorite TV host was Tom Snyder who could match Ed beer for beer).

This Lone Star legend also developed a chili product for General Mills and opened a restaurant named Crazy Ed's. His service as a great ambassador to the State of Texas was recognized by the governor with the appointment of Admiral of the Texas Navy. And in recent years he was commander of the Admirals of the Brotherhood of Admirals of the Admirals of the Texas Navy.

Ed lived life to the fullest. And in his last days, he said his only regret was not retrieving a time capsule he claimed that he and Colonel Tom Parker buried one night in 1964 - the contents including a bottle of Scotch, a silver belt buckle, and an autographed photo of Ann-Margret (its exact location he had forgotten, just that it was roughly five miles off the Vegas Strip).

Ed is survived by long-time wife Scotty Owen; children, Kim, Kris and husband Gabriel, Kevin and wife Angela, Karl and wife Kristin; grandchildren, Audrey, Hailey, Maximilian, Parker Rose, and Savannah; and Labradors, Hank and Gracie.

In lieu of flowers, Ed would have preferred you buy Pearl beer to enjoy while visiting his Web site: The Texas Admiral.

Happy Trails Ed!

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HMK

Coney Island Bin Laden

Reflecting on the 9/11 attacks, six years later, can seem masochistic or manipulative.

It's perhaps more interesting, or more useful, to look back at our initial reactions.

Great read from Rob Kimmel and the smart folks over at Design Observer.

And just so you know, here's a gallery of Terrorist Organization Logos.

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HMK

The Day That Changed Everything

That's Wrong.

peace,

HMK

Nice Blow Out

Bazooka Joe Still Rules!

Agency: Duval Guillaume, Brussels.
Creative Director: Katrien Bottez, Peter Ampe
Art Director: Christian Loos
Copywriter: Raoul Maris
Photographer: Marcel Veelo


Now that's good comedy!

That's Right,

HMK

Hip Options for the Armchair Traveler

I'm always a sucker for a hip chair like the Bibliochaise I featured back in August.

The above shot is another variation, the Bookinist, designed by Nils Holger Moormann complete with a wheel to move around and take advantage of the right light. Go to the site and you can check out the smart hidden compartments under the armrest.

There's something exciting and mysterious about the Time Machine/Library look of these creations that, for me any way, seem to reinforce and enhance the notion of escapism that comes with reading a good book.


This chair is an in-progress shot from industrious That's Right reader and teacher Shaun who just completed his very own Bibliochaise for his classroom. You can view the finished project and then some over here.

Thanks for sharing Shaun.

That's Right,

HMK

Human Locator

This crappy still image grab does absolutely no justice to Human Locator's awesome interactive visual system developed by Freeset and designed expressly for advertising.

Drawing on cutting edge computer visualization techniques to track full body movement in real time, it allows consumers to actively participate in and interact with the images.

This would be an amazing way to display a menu in a restaurant or as a map for an information kiosk- check out the demos over HERE!

Have a great weekend.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Swiss Miss.

Uplifting Soundtracks

I'm really digging one of flickr's newest co-op partners, Zazzle.

Whether you're looking for custom short run items from your photos or shopping for some fresh, hip & unique gifts, do yourself a favor and check out Zazzle next time you want to suprise someone with a totally cool and virtually one of a kind gift.

The above is one of my illustrations, "Uplifting Soundtracks" on a smart looking coffee mug.

That's Right,

HMK

Hello Applebucks!

Lots of iPod news today - upgrades and improvements abound!

And I got my wish - an iPhone without the phone! So as of today, I can surf the internet with my iPod!

I'm also digging the fact that the new touch screen wi-fi iPod, dubbed The iPod Touch, enables shopping for songs using Apple's iTunes service wirelessly in Starbucks stores.

And according to the Keynote today, the wi-fi at Starbucks is now free with the iPod Touch and iPhones.

Sweet!

The service starts in New York and Seattle on Oct. 2 (my birthday!), and will be rolled out in other cities later.

That's Right,

HMK

These Times They Are A-Changin'

In anticipation of tomorrow's Apple event, The Beat Goes On, here's a little dweebie designer Apple news.

Going sans 3-D and replacing the old school Garamond with the new iPod era and easier-on-the-eyes font Myriad, check out this flickr pool of signs fresh from the Apple campus in Cupertino.

Come writers and critics
Who prophesize with your pen
And keep your eyes wide
It's September again

And don't speak too soon
For the wheel's still in spin
And there's no tellin' now
What it's name is.
For the video now
Will be even more thin

For the times they are a-changin'.

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HMK

Big thanks to Bob Dylan for the song and Morgan for the nice shots.

Zune Spelled Backwards

Wow - it's amazing how the graphic reinforces the type - Brilliant!

Reminds me alot of the cool merch concept over at the brand spanking new National Lampoon Hoax site.

Enjoy and have a great weekend!

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Leander Kahney over at Cult Of Mac.

Book Trade Labels

Anyone who handles old books will have come across these small and sometimes beautiful labels pasted more or less discreetly into the endpapers.


Publishers, printers, binders, importers, distributors and sellers of books -- new, second-hand and antiquarian -- used to advertise in this way their contribution to bringing the book to market.


Grab some fresh coffee and check out the gallery over at Seven Roads.

Have a great weekend!

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the smart folks over at Design Observer.

NFL Logo Revamp

The National Football League is launching a makeover of its red, white and blue "NFL Shield" logo that adorns everything from player jerseys to fan T-shirts and hats.

The league is creating a leaner, meaner version of the iconic logo that will debut at the NFL draft in April, 2008. The revamped shield will be slightly taller and thinner, with a new football, fewer stars and darker colors, says Lisa Baird, the NFL's senior vice president of marketing. The redesign marks the first changes to the shield since 1980.

At the NFL's annual meeting this spring, commissioner Roger Goodell talked about the NFL Shield as the "envy of the sports world." The league has been careful to make an "evolutionary, not a radical change," says Baird.

Whhew. That's actually pretty sweet, Thank God! And exactly what it needed, an evolutionary update.

More over at USAToday.

That's Right,

HMK

Hip To Be Square

As much as I dig my moleskin notebooks for on-the-fly quick sketches and note taking, I'm always on the look out and kind of a freak when it comes to nice, small squared graph paper. Which, it turns out, can be hard to find.

Thanks to the cool folks over at Incompetec, my search is over.

These guys graciously offer a multitude of custom graph paper options ranging from Semi-bisected Trapezoids, Chinese Character Guides to Guitar/Bass Fretboard Diagrams and even advertising Storyboards - whatever your sketch book needs, these guys have got you covered - and dig this, it's totally free.

Downloadable and very printable. Now, go create your own custom Graph Paper!

That's Right,

HMK

Perfect 10!

Click here and listen to Miss Teenage South Carolina waxing on maps...

Huh?

This girl's IQ is a perfect 10!

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Amelia for this one!

One More Reason To Love France

According to this chart from the New York Times, these are the legally required paid annual leave days from countries around the world.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to the New York Times and Charles m. Blow for the graphic.
Source: Center for Economic and Policy Research, May 2007.

Virgin Atlantic

Nice full page ad for Virgin Atlanitic's in-flight movie offerings.

Agency: NetWork BBDO
Creative Director: Julian Watt
Art Directors: Brent Singer, Mariana O’Kelly
Executive Creative Director: Julian Watt
Copywriter: Gary du Toit

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HMK

Thanks to the good folks atAd Goodness.

TypeTester

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Typetester lacus felis, euismod at, pulvinar sit amet, dapibus eu, eros. Etiam tellus. Nam vestibulum porttitor urna. Phasellus aliquet pretium quam. Proin pharetra, wisi nec tristique accumsan, magna sapien pulvinar purus, vel hendrerit ipsum tellus at ante.

Typetester is an online application for comparison of the fonts for the screen, specifically designed to make the life of any web designer easier.

So, if you have anything to do with designing for the web you'll appreciate Typetester.

That's Right,

HMK

Copywriting At It's Finest

The Bum.

I found this in the September issue of an old Sunset magazine from 1964, page 206 to be exact.

I just totally dig the copy for this BBQ ad from the Columbus Iron Works Company.

Now that's copywriting at it's finest.

That's Right,

HMK

Get It Going!

Here's to getting things done.

I've always believed that the best way to get something done, regardless of the task at hand, is to simply begin. This goes for just about everything from mowing the lawn or exercising to billing clients or just getting out of bed. (With that said, I also believe that if it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done!)

When it comes to exercise, the hardest part about running, for me anyway, is putting on my shoes. It's always that first step that always the seems the hardest. Then, once I get past the shoes and some light stretching, I'm out there and feeling better just to be moving. This same first step concept also works nicely for work as well. After a couple of cups of coffee and checking the news feeds and email, I get away from the computer, pull out the pen and paper, and the true work finally begins.

If you can relate to any of the above, and even if you're not a designer, you might want to check out the Tutorial Blog, and get some motivation in the form of productivity tips over at their excellent post: 30 Productivity Tips For Designers.

That's Right,

HMK