ON A LIGHTER NOTE...SARAH PALIN BABY NAME GENERATOR

Pure genius.

jennifer, if you were born to Sarah Palin, your name would be: Rust Mustang Palin

BAILOUT FOR US ECONOMY

This isn't a design post, but it does affect the industry of design that I support-it affects the health and stability of an economy that I depend on to compensate me for my design services.

We are living in some scary times right now. If you feel as strongly as I do about economy and what the half trillion bailout will mean to the average Americans contact your state reps. My stomach hurts for the feeling of even darker/harder times that are coming our way.

Details of the bill will mean with the exception of government officials and mega-billionaires like Warren Buffet...you,me and the other American tax payers of the world will never see a cent repaid to us. This is different than a tax cut, this is bankrolling a system that will most likely take the money and run, their is no assurance to the tax payers that we will ever see a boost in our incomes, decrease in taxes or be able to fix the escalating list of problems (gas, foreclosure, health care and retirement funding) that we are facing right now.. Pay attention closely to how this bill is worded, there may not be golden parachutes spelled out, but the list does not accurately show what compensation will be given the ceos and executives that screwed things up in the first place. It just lists tax penalties for those who make over $500,000.

If you feel the way I do, contact your local state rep and senators and ask them to vote against this bill, if this bill gets passed we are just pouring money into a black hole that will give safety nets to already financially secure executives and their government supporters/shareholders.

SOCIAL MEDIA INTERFACE DESIGN AND ONLINE SHOPPING

This Sunday I decided I would spend most of the day catching up on my online feeds and read a New York Times. In between blog posts and the NYT style magazine (I'm not a fashionista, I'm more of a voyeour).I checked in on some of my favorite online clothing sites-like Urban Outfitter. I found a bow strap top that is similiar to the style I recently saw in this month's Vogue. As I was about to add it to my cart, I noticed that there is now an option to add what I purchase from UO as a feed on the profiles off all the major social media networks and delicious. I don't find this surprising, and it's probably been around for a while with interface design nowadays. The idea of a feed posting all of one's shopping endeavors is a two-fold marketing gift to online shopping.

One-everyone feels like a trend setter/celebrity when all of their myspace/facebook/social media friends see what they are buying online.

Two-brands/online services get an awareness boost in consumer referrals when all of those sm friends see what you have been buying online and it tweaks their consumer desires and needs.

Amazon has already been doing this with product recommendations showing what people are buying in addition to the same music, books. kitchen utensils, etc you just bought. The use of social media network feeds is the evolutionary next step.

I don't know if this is a completely positive move by allowing retailers to harvest consumer data about their products and their competitors products. In addition several marketing firms will be planning the next big campaign for new product launches based on this data. My hope is that it gets people further away from the celebrity endorsements of commercials and allows people to purchase products that have improved someone's quality of life or just made it easier for someone like myself to find the right article of clothing to complete an outfit.

There are several blogs out there right now that are feasting on the free products that are coming their way from retail brands just so these bloggers can give the product a thumbs up or thumbs down (the idea is that the hand picked bloggers will give it a thumbs up). Then all of their subscribers can view their product reviews before deciding to make a purchase.

If the freebies are taken away, I predict the next level of these blogger tastemakers are going to have the field leveled by everyday purchases feeding into the profiles of sm users. The market for consumer goods/services referral is going to get even more saturated than it already is.

So much is in the air right now with consumer goods and marketing. I'm going to grab the proverbial bowl of popcorn and see how this all plots out.

THANK YOU ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY MAGAZINE

A nation that can laugh at it's self can solve any problem. Ahhh, visual communication at it's best.

THEY'RE HERE

Well looks like good ole stonehenge, I mean CS4 is about to be released on Sept. 23.

I'll need to upgrade my laptop to one of the intel chip laptops soon-cause 64 bit Photoshop is so 2006.

CUTS LIKE A KNIFE

Here is the second draft of the Sybris poster. It's not what I originally intended the design to look like, but the booker keeps adding more sponsorship logos. This should be the final design, otherwise I'm putting my foot down before the this poster starts to look like a NASCAR promotion.

AND HERE'S SOMETHING MORE FOR THE POSTER ENTHUSIAST

Hurricane Gustav was more of an inconvenience than a catastrophe-lets just hope the levees keep holding up and the return home for the Louisiana evacuees is a safe and easy one.

In the mean time how about those poster contests?
If you are interested in another one here's the working family poster contest. It's an interesting strategy-I'm starting to feel as though the Obama campaign is getting a little too poster happy.

Alas, visibility can't hurt anyone's chances at the presidency.

RELIEF FOR GULF COAST DESIGNERS

AIGA is reactivating the web site they created back in 05 for Katrina Relief. Displaceddesigner.com will be the hosting site for Gulf designers that may need assistance in finding support, equipment, work and relocation in the design community. Once they get the help section up and running, check the site periodically to find out how you can help.

Nobody knows how much coastal damage will occur and how much will affect the communities evacuated on the wake of Hurricane Gustav, but it looks like there's going to be some damage/flooding as some of the levees around New Orleans are close to breeching. Let's hope Ike (the next storm on the radar) takes a drastically different course and simmers down to a light (very light) depression.

If you would like to help in another way there are several web sites that are being activated. If you are looking to locate evacuated family and friends, check the Red Cross list.