idsgn (a design blog)

Designed by an architect, and known today as the face of The New York Times, Cheltenham is the seventh installment in our ‘Know your type’ series.

American architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue was known for his involvement in the gothic revival at the turn of the 20th century, designing countless churches and buildings, including the Nebraska State Capitol and the Los Angeles Public Library.

But before that, he designed a typeface.

It’s hard to escape the buzz around this week’s Apple iPad announcement. While everyone is making jokes about the name, it’s really the user interface that has me baffled.

Sure, the physical device is sleek—I don’t know about “magical and revolutionary”—but it really feels like Apple missed an opportunity with the design of its new UI.

When the iPhone was first introduced in 2007, it revolutionized the mobile phone. With a screen at 3.5 inches, a smartly designed interface provided access to thousands of applications at your fingertips. So after years of speculation, when Apple finally announced the iPad, it was shocking to see an awkwardly familiar, scaled-up iPhone home screen.

Mach3. Quattro. Fusion Power. Two centuries (and five blades) later, are razors any better today?

Industrial design is an industry that commands a lot of respect. The magic of transforming a new idea into a tangible, useful object is rarely lost on creative minds.

Gary Hustwit’s film Objectified, looked behind the scenes and revealed the hidden thought poured into everyday objects. In the film, designer Karim Rashid asked the audience to consider: “Why on earth could we have an uncomfortable chair?”

Justine Nagan’s feature-length documentary Typeface tells the story of the Hamilton Wood Type Museum in rural Wisconsin.

Director Justine Nagan first stumbled upon the Hamilton Wood Type Museum while on a drive through the Midwest, stopping for an ice-cream sundae in Two Rivers, Wisconsin (arguably the birthplace of the treat). Amazed by the historic block-long warehouse which houses over 1.5 million wood letterforms, Nagan soon began work on her first film for Chicago-based Kartemquin Films—a not-for-profit film studio where Nagan now serves as executive director.

Vending machines were like the pre-digital internet, where busy shoppers made purchases immediately, day or night. Why do we still love these mechanical outposts selling everything from pretzels to iPods? Perhaps it’s the joy of not having to deal with another human.

The internet is today’s default mode for millions of shoppers who buy everything from cars to groceries with a few quick clicks of the mouse, but the very first anonymous transaction originated with the vending machine. Invented by first-century Greek mathematician Hero to dispense holy water, vending machines didn’t see widespread use until the late 19th century, when they sold postcards and paperback books.

As we enter a new decade, we have taken the opportunity to look back over our most memorable features of 2009.

Scientists say no two snowflakes are alike. Apparently, designers have their own opinion.

From holiday storefronts to ski chalet logos, it seems this six-sided shape can be seen everywhere this time of year. Even spotted on the back of my cancelled airline ticket (thanks the weekend snowstorm in New York), this flake sure gets around. But why? If Wilson Alwyn Bentley was able to capture over 5,000 unique “tiny miracles of beauty” at the turn of the 20th century—is there any reason designers favor this particular snowflake?

Forget lords a-leaping. From axes to Lego, this is what we really want this holiday season.

From Brazilian graphic designer Andre Felipe, Typo/graphic Posters is an online art gallery for the typography-obsessed.

Bursting with typographic goodness, the Typo/graphic Posters project has just been relaunched. The site features posters from over 300 designers and agencies around the world, curated for their strong “typographical and graphical content.”

We’ve waited—and we’ve even seen some early concepts—but today the official Sochi 2014 logo was unveiled in Russia.

Developed by Interbrand in conjunction with Sochi’s own brand council, the new logo is simpler than anything we’ve seen in recent history. Stepping away from the traditional practice of incorporating an abstract cultural image (London 2012 excluded), Russia opted for an all typrographic treatment for the Winter Olympic Games in 2014.

Past ADC Young Guns honoree Chris Rubino continues his discussion with some of the talented young designers who recently joined the ranks in 2009.

Will Staehle, Venice, USA

CHRIS RUBINO: Your book covers are fantastic, have you seen any in recent memories that gave you that “damn, why didn’t I think of that?” moment.

WILL STAEHLE: Yes. I've always had those moments. Back when I was living in New York and doing book covers full-time, I actually had a difficult time walking into a Borders or a Barnes & Noble. Partially, it was for the fact that I could “see” the back stories of various covers and often knew of the painful, ulcer-inducing tales behind their making…

The newest class of ADC Young Guns has just been announced, and as a previous honoree I’m, of course, inclined to scope out the competition.

About every other year since the mid-’90s, the New York-based Art Director’s Club has been selecting a group of designers, photographers, illustrators, etc., all under 30 who are excelling beyond their years in the world of image making. Looking through the latest winners (YG7) I am truly impressed with what I’ve found, a group of incredibly talented, fresh, innovative and unusually modest designers. I’ve contacted a few of my personal favorites from the group to ask some questions in the hopes to get a sense of where they are coming from, where they are going and possibly find out how to make a lamp out of soba noodles.

The company that bombarded us with billions of unsolicited America Online disks moves on, sans-triangle.

Suffering from significant drops in subscriptions (seriously, does anyone still use AOL?), the company announced yesterday in a press release it will adopt a new brand identity. Created by Wolff Olins, the full makeover will be unveiled on December 10th when AOL is spun off from parent company Time Warner.

Could this be the new identity for the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia?

After reports of a closed press conference Friday in Moscow, images have begun to surface of what might be the new Olympic Games logo. Saying goodbye to the snowflake design from the bid, the unconfirmed logo features five torch flames (or leaves? feathers?) formed into a ring formation and set in the Olympic colors.

To hawk a centuries-old spirit, vodka manufacturers concoct innovative flavors and get creative with the bottle. Bacon-flavored shot, anyone?

Vodka. It’s the most basic of spirits—colorless, odorless, and nearly tasteless. The drink of the czars, produced in Russia and Poland since the end of the 9th century, presents modern distillers with a thorny dilemma: how best to sell an essentially neutral product to a restless generation that demands a wide range of choice in everything they buy, from triple soy half-caff lattes to sneakers? Two front running approaches are to offer as many different flavors as Vitamin Water, and to package the product in a memorable bottle.

For web designers, it has always been a struggle to make websites look the same in every browser. With new technologies like web fonts and forthcoming versions of HTML and CSS, it’s even harder to keep up with the numerous browsers and devices out there. And that’s okay.

At the Future of Web Design conference yesterday in New York, web designer Dan Cederholm showed off some ‘fancy’ new tricks made possible in the latest versions of Safari and (to a slightly lesser extent) Firefox. Transitions, rotation, opacity, shadows, and rounded corners are just some of what’s possible now, but as Cederholm’s presentation boldly stated, “None of this stuff matters.”

Typography on the web

The future of web typography is coming… but not quick enough.

Nearly fifteen years ago Netscape 1.0 was introduced. With it came the (now retired) <font> tag, giving web designers the ability to adjust text sizes in HTML for the first time.

Since then, the Internet has progressed enormously in many ways—you can watch your favorite TV show in high-definition or chat in real-time with friends across the world—but little has changed in the world of typography since the introduction of CSS a few years later.

Looking back, many designers fondly remember a particular class project that helped build their first portfolio. Design School Confidential is a new book that attempts to showcase these ‘extraordinary’ class projects, compiled from design schools around the world.

Curated by Steven Heller and Lita Talarico, over fifty international art and design teachers were asked to present their most interesting or challenging class projects. The result is 200 pages of fresh ideas—some inspiring, some forgettable, but all lending to an accurate overview of the work coming out of top design schools from Chicago to Seoul.

Following a Chapter 11 bankruptcy, all-time low sales, and a new partnership with Italian automaker Fiat, it comes as no surprise that Chrysler wants to reinvent itself.

Yesterday the new Fiat-directed Chrysler Group unveiled its long-awaited 5-year business plan, announcing a plan to sell smaller Fiat-designed vehicles and pay back billions in U.S. bailout loans by 2014. The 7-hour marathon press conference also featured a presentation (PDF) on the Chrysler brand by marketing chief Oliver Francois, which introduced a new logo for the struggling car manufacturer.

Thirty Conversations on Design is a collection of thoughts from 30 inspired designers, authors, and creative professionals.

Releasing the conversations in groups of 10, the project’s initial offering features insight from Erik Spiekermann, Ellen Lupton, Massimo Vignelli, Paula Scher, among others. The project, created by Minneapolis-based design firm Little & Company, asks participants two simple questions: “What single example of design inspires you most?” and “What problem should design solve next?”

It’s almost Halloween and no trick-or-treat bag is complete without a twisty, colorful roll of (depending where you call home) Smarties, Fizzers, or Rockets.

Admittedly not one of my most favorites, the chalky pastel-colored candy could usually be found near the bottom of my treat bag. Weeks after Halloween they would remain next to the yellow lollipops, little boxes of raisins, and—the worst offender—the rock-hard, black-and-orange wrapped molasses candies (an oddity of growing up in Canada).

After Yahoo pulled the plug on GeoCities this week, millions of horribly designed websites are gone. It’s the end of an era, but it’s an eyesore we could stand to lose.

I remember creating one of my first websites on GeoCities in the mid-90’s. Making myself a home on the “SunsetStrip,” the website likely remained untouched for more than a decade—like an embarrassing time capsule filled with animated GIFs, tiled backgrounds, and (of course) Comic Sans.

Over the weekend a group of artists took to the streets of Manhattan, in a battle of art and advertising.

According to the Public Ad Campaign group, there are over 500 ‘illegal’ street-level billboards around New York City, covered with unauthorized wheat-pasted advertising. Participating in an a second round of ‘New York Street Advertising Take Over’ (NYSAT2), the group attempted to reclaim the public space on Sunday, white-washing and creating art over more than 100 of the billboards.

Cats, deer, monkeys, bats, birds… a variety of species can be found on many of the world’s most recognizable logos. Save Your Logo is a global initiative aimed at these brands as a way to give back to their beloved creatures.

Backed by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), the World Bank, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the French-based Save Your Logo was founded to support the biodiversity of the plants and animals represented on logos across the world. The initiative also focuses on education and community engagement in efforts to help preserve a healthy planet.

After what looks like the end of a possible friendship, Verizon Wireless picks a fight with the immensely popular Apple iPhone.

Premiering over the weekend, a hostile new television spot from Verizon hinted at the upcoming launch of the Motorola Droid, a new smartphone running Google’s Android. From the minimalist typography to the folksy music, the 30-second ad mocks Apple’s familiar commercials—focusing on the shortcomings of a device that’s been dubbed the ‘Jesus Phone’…

How can you encourage people to recycle more? A new campaign from Volkswagen says: make it fun.

With the notion “fun is the easiest way to change people’s behavior for the better,” The Fun Theory is a campaign by ad agency DDB Stockholm for Volkswagen Sweden that has people opting to do good in a series of public experiments. Its most recent turns an ordinary recycling bin into a “Bottle Bank Arcade,” giving people points and making a typically mundane task seem more like a video game.

When Kraft launched a spin-off of their uniquely Australian Vegemite spread, they turned to consumers for a name… and it was dropped four days later. Last week another name was announced, can Kraft make it right this time?

The year was 1923 when chemist Cyril Callister took out a newspaper ad announcing his new food invention, a salty yeast extract spread made from the by-products of beer manufacturing, and a £50 award for the best name. Similar to the British Marmite, the sticky brown paste has become a staple in the country, selling more than 22 million jars per year. Over 85 years later, Kraft Foods followed Callister’s plan to name a new milder variation—a Vegemite and cream cheese blend—with much less fanfare.

A new book entitled Designing Obama will showcase works from artists who contributed to the historic 2008 presidential campaign (…but only if you are interested).

The Obama ’08 campaign was groundbreaking in many ways, but particularly in its use of art and design. Focusing on this aspect, Scott Thomas, Design Director of the campaign, has collaborated with dozens of artists and designers for Designing Obama. The 360-page book is full of artwork created (both officially and unofficially) during the campaign, along with forewords written by Steven Heller and Michael Bierut.

Book cover designer Charles Brock ‘breaks’ it down for us during the first day of AIGA’s Make/Think conference in Memphis.

Uppercase Magazine is a new quarterly publication for the ‘creative and curious.’

In an industry where popular magazines are dying or fighting to stay alive, it's exciting to see a fresh new independent magazine aimed at fellow designers and the crafty-alike (with every issue selling out so far). I'm currently enjoying a copy of issue 2, which is 100 colorful pages full of articles ranging from the world of Pantone color to scissor collecting, along with a creative postcard project that encourages you to get involved in the process.

Called the “Helvetica of England,” the sixth installment in our ‘Know your type’ series is the humanist sans-serif Gill Sans.

Influenced by the ‘Underground’

The history of Gill Sans stems from Edward Johnston’s iconic typeface, Johnston Sans, designed for the London Underground in 1913. Eric Gill, who had studied under Johnston at London’s Central School of Arts and Crafts, later became a friend and apprentice—and even had a small role assisting in creation of the proprietary typeface.

As part of the House of Cards campaign, 53 leading artists and designers have come together to create a limited-edition deck of cards for UK’s housing charity Shelter.

Shelter provides advice and practical assistance for families in the UK faced with homelessness and bad housing. Not to be confused with the classic House of Cards designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1952, the playing cards feature designs from Alexander McQueen, Damien Hirst, Marc Quinn, Kyle Cooper, M/M Paris, among others. The cards come in a slipcase designed by Pentagram London, who’s own Domenic Lippa is also featured in the deck.

As Advertising Week 2009 wraps up in New York, we’re presenting the last of our coverage: A lecture presented by the legendary designer, Bruce Mau. 

Bruce Mau is a Canadian designer who is known as a ‘re-thinker’ and ‘design futurist.’ He’s an author, designer and thinker who remains committed to moving our industry forward.

Most designers are familiar with S,M,L,XL, Mau’s hefty design volume created with Rem Koolhaas. As author of the design manifesto, Massive Change, Mau sought to push the definition of design forward.

Is your work useful, relevant and/or entertaining?

Jessica Greenwood, the Deputy Editor of Contagious Magazine gave a great presentation this week at Advertising Week 2009. Greenwood's presentation, entitled ‘The Future in 4D: Brands, Communities, Content & Technology’, focused on trend spotting in new media and technology. The overarching theme was to take advantage of every existing technology and keep in mind the mantra: ‘useful, relevant and/or entertaining.’

Non-profit Conservation International convinces two of the world’s biggest brands to ‘go green.’

Continuing with our Advertising Week coverage, we caught a surprisingly engaging discussion with Howard Schultz (CEO of Starbucks), Rob Walton (Chairman of Wal-Mart), and Peter Seligman (Co-Founder and CEO of Conservation International).

No longer just for programmers, Google’s APIs are increasingly becoming commonplace for creative mashups—allowing people to “take something cool and make it insanely cool.”

As a part of Advertising Week, Andy Berndt (Managing Director of Google Creative Lab) spoke about the limits being broken in digital media, not by research teams like his, but by users who go beyond the boundaries of the tools being created by companies like Google.

Today was the kickoff of the 6th annual Advertising Week conference in New York City.

We are happy to be here meeting so many other creatives in the industry. Conferences like this one are host to so many talented people and influential speakers, that one can't help but be inspired.

Cambozola or Baldessare? Molbo or Arsis? How well can you tell your fonts from cheese?

Fun for a slow Friday, Cheese or Font is an online quiz created by Tony Gambone that tests your knowledge of font/cheese names (it's harder than it sounds!). The site also puts together some interesting stats: with almost 2 million questions asked, Helvetica was easiest item (obvious, yet 11% think Helvetica is a cheese?). Give it a try and let us know how you do.

When IKEA switched to Verdana for their 2010 catalogs, the move was highly criticized. But it looks like IKEA may have the last laugh as Verdana, along with web-safe pal Georgia, are getting a makeover fit for print in 2010.

An early sample of the new Verdana & Georgia

Designed by Matthew Carter and hand-hinted by Tom Rickner, the Georgia and Verdana typefaces were originally commissioned by Microsoft in the early days of the web to address the challenges of on-screen display. The fonts were initially released in 1996 with Microsoft’s ‘Core fonts for the Web’ and later shipped with Windows and Max OS, becoming two of the most widely used typefaces on the Internet.

Not long after their strange Internet Explorer 8 ads, Microsoft is at it again with an equally puzzling campaign for Windows 7.

Created by advertising agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the TV commercials advertise the October release of Windows 7 in the best way Microsoft knows how: a PowerPoint presentation filled with unicorns and kittens. In case that wasn't enough, precious little 4-year-old Kylie (brought back from the previous ‘I'm a PC’ campaign) is added to the mix.

This article completes a two-part discussion with the prolific trans-media artist, April Greiman.

In part one April discussed how she acquired the newly released Macintosh computer in 1984 and introduced it to a reluctant design community. She shed light on the limitations of this early technology and the continuing transition within our industry.

idsgn is proud to present an in-depth, exclusive interview with the prolific trans-media artist, April Greiman.

April Greiman is regarded as one of the most influential designers of the digital age. She has been called a pioneer in this regard, making it acceptable for a graphic designer to explore their craft using a computer. In 1984, computers were seen by much of the public as science fiction props, specialized industry tools, or subverted novelties. The design community regarded them as an embarrassment to the long history and craft of an art form.

Inspired by the numerous dollar stores in its area, Design 99 is a retail design storefront—offering architectural design services for 99 cents per minute.

Created by husband and wife duo Gina Reichert and Mitch Cope, the Michigan-based concept store was created with the purpose of showcasing goods from local artists and designers. Part retail store, exhibition space, and architectural design firm, the company seeks to make contemporary design available to a wider public through the over-the-counter approach.

The popular travel site has launched a new logo and promises more to come.

Launched in 2004, Kayak.com is a travel search-engine that compares other travel sites in an attempt to find the best possible deal. Making money from advertising and click-throughs, rather than making deals with airlines or travel providers, Kayak aims to become the ‘Google’ of travel.

It's no secret that we love fonts. So, of course, every month we look forward to reading the latest Creative Characters.

Creative Characters, which debuted July 2007 from font distributor MyFonts, is a monthly newsletter interview series with some of today’s most respected type designers. The series provides a rare opportunity to learn more about the people who create the typefaces we love. Here are a few gems from the collection:

Alejandro ‘Ale’ Paul

Alejandro Paul is a co-founder of the first Argentinean type collective, Sudtipos. Known for his many script fonts, he recently received his second Type Directors Club award for his typeface Adios Script. Starting out as a graphic designer, he explains how he transitioned naturally into a type designer

Long before modern icon libraries like Helveticons, designers and sign-makers were forced to use a mishmash of symbols. Until the Helvetica man came along…

By 1974, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) realized the problem of using inconsistent symbols and commissioned the AIGA to produce a standard set for the Interstate Highway System, resulting in Symbol Signs. Sometimes referred to as the ‘Helvetica’ of pictograms (or specifically the Helvetica Man as coined by Ellen Lupton, and interviewed by Designer Observer), the project gave us the most common pictograms we see today.

Before the cinematic title sequences of today’s films, pioneered by the likes of Saul Bass and (more recently) Kyle Cooper, film titles were once a motionless work of art. In this ‘Now and then,’ we are pressing pause and exploring the art behind the film title.

Since the early days of cinema, artists have carefully designed film titles to captivate audiences and set the film’s mood. To bring attention to this often overlooked art form, Dutch graphic designer (and movie lover) Christian Annyas has put together The Movie Title Stills Collection. The website collects and neatly organizes film titles by decade, from the 1920’s to present. To illustrate how film titles have evolved over the years, we've chosen some of our favorites from the collection.

Launched in 1995, Craigslist remains one of the world’s most popular websites… but why does it still feel like the ’90s?

Craigslist has built a cult-like following, changing the way people find jobs, apartments, and romance. But unlike most websites, its design has gone mostly unchanged over the years. In a recent article called “Why Craigslist Is Such a Mess”, Wired magazine exposes why (and tries to help).

After 50 years of the iconic Futura typeface, IKEA has made a switch to… Verdana?

The 2010 IKEA catalog, now arriving at doorsteps around the world, reveals the company’s choice to change all typography to the Microsoft font that every web designer has grown to hate (you can already hear the cries). Verdana, specifically designed for on-screen readability, first shipped with Internet Explorer 3 in 1996. Being one of the better looking ‘Core fonts for the web’—a limited selection which also includes Arial, Comic Sans, and Times New Roman—Verdana has become one of the most widely used fonts on the web (but rarely ever used in print).

What do type lovers do with a box full of old mix tapes?

Following HandMadeFont, who make custom “typefaces” out of everything from grass to sticky notes, Turkish designer Ersinhan Ersin has found a good use for old cassette tapes. In a new project appropriately dubbed Tapeography, Ersin recycles the innards of old tapes to create his typographic works of art.

For the fifth installment in our ‘Know your type’ series we look to Clarendon—an influential typeface that helped tame the Wild West, and the first to ever be patented.

A significant change

Named after Oxford’s Clarendon Press, the popular slab-serif was created in 1845 by Robert Besley for the Fann Street Foundry. Notable as one of the last new developments in nineteenth century typography, the letterforms represented a significant change from the slab-serif Antiques and Egyptians that were so popular in that time.

When Polaroid abandoned its namesake instant cameras in 2008, The Impossible Project was formed to save the dying technology. Now The Impossible Project has teamed up with Urban Outfitters to offer the last Polaroid cameras ever produced.

After Polaroid’s production of analog instant film stopped in June 2008, the company’s factories in Mexico and the Netherlands were shut down. In response, a team of some of the world’s most experienced integral film experts came together to create The Impossible Project with a goal of bringing back film for vintage Polaroid cameras by 2010. The team purchased all the machinery and equipment at Polaroid's Dutch factory and signed a 10-year lease on the building (pictured above), but it won’t be as simple as flicking a switch…

…make a documentary film about it. After being laid off three times in less than ten years, that’s what former advertising copywriter Erik Proulx has done.

Lemonade is a documentary that exposes some of the 70,000 advertising professionals who have lost their jobs in this recession. Following a selection of the (un)fortunate ones, the film sets out to find out what happens when former advertising creatives are forced to be creative with their own lives. Some have rekindled with their family, started new businesses, or even left the ad world altogether for new opportunities. “I got laid off and I'm finally doing something that I think matters,” says former creative director Kurtis Glade in the film’s trailer (click above to watch).

Last week we asked readers to vote on their favorite candidate logo for the 2016 Summer Olympics. We have the results—and we also take a look at how the winning logo might evolve.

Our readers have spoken, with Madrid coming out on top (receiving 48% of the votes) and Chicago coming in second (with 27%). We'll have to wait until October to find out what the Olympic Committee decides, and (as a couple commenters pointed out) the final logo may change drastically.

Today we take a look at the identities of the Games over the past decade to see how they have evolved from the bid process into the official mark seen around the world.

Spotted around New York City, Aakash Nihalani uses brightly colored tape to create a new perspective on the streets around us. 

The street art, which Nihalani admits is typically done with little to no planning, is created primarily using isometric rectangles and squares. Connecting the dots found in the unexpected contours and geometry of the city, the work playfully highlights the ordinary sites we pass by (and ignore) everyday.

On a recent visit to Brooklyn’s popular Buttermilk Channel, I was struck not just by the eatery’s food or prices but by the design.

Gabriele Wilson, who designed the restaurant’s identity and print material, took inspiration from early 19th century typography, color and nautical maps. “The main thing was to stay true to the original story of the Buttermilk Channel which has the legend here as to where the name came from,” says Wilson.

US health care reform is a complicated issue which seems nobody can agree on (or even fully understand). In an attempt to make sense of it, California-based designer Robert Palmer eases the pain with a new infographic.

Political chart wars—it began in mid-July when Republication John Boehner released an organizational chart of the House Democrats’ health plan. It was intentionally obfuscating (“Scaring America with badly designed health care infographics,” as GOOD puts it), turning a complicated issue into a visual nightmare. With an emotional response entitled “Do not f**k with graphic designers,” Robert Palmer redesigns the controversial chart.

Two months from now the International Olympic Committee will name the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics. If the decision were based solely on design, which candidate would win?

Nickelodeon wipes away the slime as the popular kids’ network celebrates its 30th anniversary. 

The MTV-owned cable channel has announced a new identity which will debut this fall. Representing its biggest change in 25 years, the new logo marks a departure from the familiar ‘splat’ in favor of a more standardized look. While the new logo has not officially aired, it can already be seen on material for the upcoming Nickelodeon Animation Festival and new merchandise like DVD box sets.

Eating a bowl of Kellogg’s Rice Krispies—and listening to it “snap, crackle, and pop”—is pretty much a requirement, growing up in North America. So when we first discovered Rice Bubbles (as they are known in Australia and New Zealand), we were intrigued enough to start a new blog series: Parallels.

Little more than puffed rice and sugar, the breakfast cereal was first launched in the United States in the late twenties. Perhaps most loved for its use in ‘Rice Krispie Squares,’ the brand's long advertising history has made Rice Krispies a household name for generations.

With the growing popularity of ‘viral’ videos on the web, leading brands are racing to create the next big thing. When it works, it can be a rewarding (and often budget-friendly) way to create buzz—but can success be bought?

Using social media, advertisers are able to captivate and communicate with audiences like never before. Advertisements featuring roller skating babies, nude flight attendants, dancing eyebrows, and rouge fonts are being watched by the millions right now, voluntarily and without the cost of TV airtime. These spots are so compelling that people actually want to watch them, and even share them with their friends—taking off and spreading like, well, a virus.