google banner space campaign

infographics v fuzzy logic

No wonder news programs don't invite designers on to debate. What a terribly naive position. Information Graphics are not new they are just short hand for the reader to understand multiple points of a story in one image. Like the Guardian's where does our tax money go chart or the IED map in Afghanistan. It shows the reader the scale and perspective of the situation. Surely Edward R Tufte has said most things on this in his 3 books. http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/books_vdqi

Newsnight debate on infographics. See CR for full article and debate.
I think the crowd sourced map for buses in India was a great idea. Showing how information graphics can be useful. John Maeda said Programmers are the new designers and I think he's right. The question is not if it looks pretty its a question of does it work and is it useful. We are learning to disseminate and question information in many more ways and a whole lot faster tahn ever before. Surely this short hand is the out come of this cultural shift.

another titanium award chalked up

I've seen the idea for latest Titanium award before.
BikesAgainstBush
There was another artist group in NY that did this 4 years back. People texted or emailed their message and a bicycle sprayed it on the side walk or road in real time. The artists at the time got into trouble and arrested by the NYPD.


Now with a corporate sponsor and a big event behind this technology it's award winning and celebrated in the Tour de France. Funny how the backing of a large brand can make technology legitimate. The technology is not new, you didn't invent it you just used it, just be honest about that in your award entry.

world web stats

Media/Marketing Chaos in action

The New York Times. TV Guide. Clear Channel. NBC, Boxee, Yahoo.

They tell the story. There is no longer a need to warn of a gathering Chaos Scenario, in which the yin of media and yang of marketing fly apart, symbiotic no more. There is no need to seed doubt about the internet's prospects as an advertising medium, nor otherwise be a prophet of doom. By Bob Garfield | Published: March 23, 2009

In free fall, it amazes me that so many people are prepared to accept mediocrity news. Free papers and news groups that publish visual shit and people just eat it. Is this the end of objective in-depth reporting.

Generation AD (Attention Deficit)

Facebook and Bebo risk
infantilising' the human mind

Greenfield warns social networking sites are changing children's brains, resulting in selfish and attention deficient young people

Patrick Wintour, political editor
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 24 February 2009 10.52 GMT

This rings true, interestingly so for social networks. Most people's aim is to boast about the quantity of friends like its a race to the end. I feel there was a difference on IM back a few years where you were honored to be on the buddy list and those IM chats could last for hours.

Facebook feels like your at one big long boring dinner party that never ends and everyone's bragging about going Skiing, City breaking or eating shit. They can't even be bothered to talk directly to you so you just get a status update, but it's pretty much rattling the stick in the swill bucket as Wells called it.

I'm sure we will see the rise of social network detox counsillors coming to save the day. Maybe they can just add it as an app.

unchained stores

A great way to find those indy shop keepers
Dave Birss started this with Lea and Pedro.
Very good idea which will be great to see it grow over time.

Make me something good please

Good article by Freddie (TMTYL) here in Ad Age
I worry about the 'it's really hot right now' marketing discussion. The word marketeers need to remember is relevance. Is this message relevant to my audience. Brands would do well to spend more time building tools and services online that are useful to customers and stop making lengthy campaign creative that is irrelevant. Read more

your timetable

national rail have always been good at train times, this personalised timetable takes it one stage further; enabling you  to select dates from and to, stopping stations and days of the week. Not flash, not award winning but what the web was made for this. Southern have a good pdf download service here as well

orange balloon race

catch that pigeon/dolphin/racoon/camel now.

DfT driving test

How good are you at Driving and doing something else?

Take the test online and see. 

Skype Silence

Skype usage and Facebook traffic down by 5% in one week. People have had enough of constantly being poked and IMd to death.

Having to talk to lots of people in the US, Europe and Oz I couldn't live without skype.