I was walking down Mission Street in San Francisco earlier today and I came across an ad for the Microsoft Surface on the side of a building. It featured a series of three wireframe-y illustrations of Surface tablets with different, brightly-colored keyboards underneath each.

Seeing these ads made me realize Microsoft isn’t so much promoting their touch keyboard feature as they are diverting attention away from the actual product, the tablet.

It’s like running an ad for a new convertible car, but drawing everyone’s attention to the optional hard top.

A Science Lesson For Whoever Wrote the New iPhone 5 Ad

From the BBC:

Late Beastie Boys member Adam Yauch has used his will to stop people from using his music or image in advertising.

Surprised by this move? If you’re a real Beasties fan you shouldn’t be. I’d like to point you to some lyrics from ‘Putting Shame In Your Game’ off of 1998’s album, Hello Nasty:
Don’t grease my palm with your filthy cash
Multinationals spreading like a rash
I might stick around or I might be a fad
But I won’t sell my songs for no TV ad
One of reasons the Beasties have been one of my favorite bands since I was a kid. Well played, Adam. Rest in peace.

NYTimes: On Release Date, Crucial Nokia Phone Is Hard to Buy in New York

AT&T said last month that when Nokia’s new Lumia 900 phone went on sale April 8, it would benefit from the company’s biggest product introduction ever, exceeding even the iPhone’s.

The big day is here. But nearly all 39 AT&T stores within proximity of Times Square in Manhattan were either closed for Easter Sunday or did not answer phone calls. The few that were open did not have the handset in stock.

This is probably the last chance Microsoft has to prove itself relevant in mobile space as the traditional desktop PC is pulled from it’s position as the computer for everyday use.
So what do they do? (I say they because former Microsoft executive Stephen Elop is running Nokia and made the decision to move all their smartphones to Windows Phone)
They launch their flagship phone on Easter Sunday. When everything is closed.
So smart.
When I see Microsoft/Nokia continue to make fumbles like this I wonder if it’s something deeper than the fact Microsoft was run by an engineer who doesn’t understand Human Experience and design until it was run by a man who knows neither engineers and developers nor design and Human Experience.
People half-jokingly have said Bill Gates has Asperger’s Syndrome due to his social deficiencies. He understands how computers and software work inside and out, but it’s the people who use his software he never seems to have a clue about.
So my theory is when Bill Gates stepped down as CEO of Microsoft in 2000 he transferred his inabilities to communicate with and make software for humans to the rest of the company –via some hybrid human/computer virus — and subsequently, Stephen Elop and Nokia.
What else could explain such a fucked up product launch?
Actually, it could also be the people at Microsoft and Nokia aren’t humans at all. Remember how the alien at the beginning of Men In Black wore the skin of that farmer to disguise himself?
Yeah, something like that could be happening too.

via The Daily Beast

Such bullshit. I never react like that.

via DesignTAXI

My mother recently sent me a link to TJS Labs Gallery of Graphic Design. It is a treasure trove of vintage ads from the 30’s through to the 60’s. Thanks mom!

Originally posted November 28, 2009 on Analogue

There is more to this than meets to eye. The design of Chanel N°5 is stunning and the delivery of the film is flawless. But there is more to it. As many people have probably noticed, Audrey Tautou is playing a very integral role in the campaigns for Chanel lately. She is the perfect choice to grace the pages of Vogue and help in promoting the most recognizable fragrance in the world. Her image exudes grace, class, and beauty.

Audrey also plays a very important role in the recently released film titled Coco Before Chanel. She plays the role of Coco Chanel herself and she does not disappoint. She seems naturally suited to the role of Coco and one only needs to look at early photos of Coco to see that the resemblance is uncanny.
The fact that she has been cast as Coco in a feature film, while at the same time being the image of the fragrance is sheer brilliance. It is an intelligent approach to something that could have been much less effective. Chanel could have easily decided to cast her in ads and a film that just mirrored the feature film that she is starring in—but they did not. Instead they showcased her in a completely different light and created an entirely different story around the fragrance.

It is in my opinion that the American-style approach to this would have been to tie the movie into the marketing of the fragrance in a much more obvious manner. Instead, the approach that was taken is much more intelligent, subtle, and thoughtful.
So what am I getting at here? I am trying to demonstrate that although there are many examples of great website designs that are visually and aesthetically stunning—it seems that the ideas and thought process behind them get left behind. This could have been an obvious cross-promotion campaign just like the countless others we all encounter, instead it tells another story. It demonstrates the undercurrents that are behind the success of many online experiences.

The iPad has nothing on this: