Test #3

Where will this post turn up?

It should appear at blogspot, multiply and live journal

Another Test

This is not another test.

(there is no way to add labels when you make blog posts via e-mail

unless there is a way and i dont know it yet


there prolly is a way)

Test

This is not a test.

Multiply

Wow.

I'm pretty impressed by this site.

www.multiply.com




seems to be light years beyond MySpace right now

the functionality between Multiply and Blogger is great

Ideas - Resources - Examples

Rummaging thru some old shit I found, here are a couple of joints that stood out:

A old school lighter with some sort of brushed metal finish and a strange snowflake-style design etched into the surface:






The Patrick Ewing basketball I referred to in my notebook.
We went wild for these back when they were out.

People love gimmicks and free shit:






Some transparent yellow Batman logo:






A Tangram puzzle in a wooden case.

This one has me thinking of all sorts of ideas right now.

Big chunky basic bold shapes are looking good right now:

Killing Birds with Stones

In New Media class, I have 4 more versions of the Golden State Warriors logo to add effects to in Photoshop.

I am gonna combine my approach to finishing off that project with this Tag project and aim my logo designs to be something of a trial run for some of the techniques I may be using on the Tag.

I have a few more photos and scans to upload for the Tag hopefully sometime in the next couple of hours.

We are supposed to be getting word of a next assignment in Multimedia Design class, so hopefully I am going to be able to combine that into the mix.

I like the idea of keeping all these classes linked together. It helps develop some sort of consistency, and should lead to the development of a particular style.

I can already see what my tendencies and trends are right now. Hopefully I'll be able to make that manifest.

In Interactivity class, we have been developing a matrix which seems to be along the same lines as some discussions I have been having on forums over the past year or so:

the development of a Digital Multimedia Machine able to churn out quality (or at least mediocre) material and a tremendous rate.

Stay tuned.




(killing birds with stones is a pretty brutal metaphor)

Undercover Video Online

Here is the trial run from my In-Line Tag Recon Mission.



The camera was tucked into the right-side pocket of my vest.

It opens in the washroom because that's where I set the camera up and started recording. It was originally 23 minutes of footage, but i chopped it down to 7 boring minutes.

A interesting side note - when i came out of the washroom stall, there was a security guard in the washroom. I almost decided to call the whole thing off.

The voices you hear is generally me talking to salespeople looking for in-line skates.

They don't seem to be very popular at this time of year.

Enjoy.




Im gonna have to give this another shot.

Undercover Mission pt 1 - MuthaF****n Cables

i went on a trial run to get some video footage on my mission to find some in-line skate details

i took the digital camera and managed to disguise it in my apparel and went to a local mall

i managed to get 22 - 23 minutes of footage, but when i made it to school i noticed that I FORGOT THE CABLES needed to upload the dam footage

curses


the video seems like it came out alright

half of the screen is blurred by my jacket pocket, but im gonna see if i can edit some of it together


the irony of the whole affair was that a found a store that sold inline skates and none of them had any tags on them

how great is that?


anyway - stay tuned for undercover mission v1

i just have to find some free video editing software so i dont have to upload 22 minutes of walking thru a mall


(the first scene is me setting up the camera in the public washroom ZOMFGLOL)

Notebook Session

Had a good brainstorming session this evening.

Here are the pages from my notebook.

My tendency is always to orientate myself, and I find benefit in dragging all pertinent knowledge into the situation.

There is a reason why psychology class is part of this course, so I make a attempt to incorporate some of that shit into my methodology.

Discounting knowledge seems stupid at this point.


There is no reason to feel obliged to create something that has already been created.
BUT
There has been successful techniques used in the past.



The intended demographic side of things is a bit of a pain in the ass to me.

I hate targeting only a certain group of people - then again, I'm not much of a salesman.

It is looking like my intended market for this thing will be for people who do not generally use in-line skates or perhaps have never really even considered in-line skates.

I wouldn't mind developing a tag that is cool enough that kids would steal it off the product on the store shelves.

That's not a bad marketing technique, as far as I can see.

Logo exposure is logo exposure.



This was some research on the various brands of in-line skates that are currently on the market. Also some quick sketches of their logos.

Here are the brands and their websites:

K2
Salomon
LandRoller
Fila
Rollerblade

There was this other company called 'Roces' which had one of the most horrifying websites I have ever seen in my life. I am sure there was some good intent behind it, but that joint suffers from some serious communication issues and may want to invest some more time and resources into their net development.

Here is a example of their verbal mastery:

These are the goals for wich we work hard 365 days a year.

Improving our product, our quality, our services to customers and consumers, our image. Improving in order to deliver you the best product yu may need to perform perfectly in the sport we all love: skating.

To do this we develop all of our products with the different types of skater in mind, and we are almost sure we didn't forget any!
Our aim is to give to every style of skater it own product. This may make the line a little broad, but it's a necessity to reach our most important goals: skater satisfaction.

To make this happen we are always out there getting input, we are always living, eating and breathing skating. To do this we have The Spirit and Soul of skating

yikes

Anyway - I'm leaning toward taking on this LandRoller company because their product seems to be the most innovative and their advertising seems to be the most hokey among the other companies. A bit of a challenge. Could make sense to try to advertise this to my target demographic.

K2 might also be a good candidate because their logo could fit what I currently have in mind.

Fila looks cool too.

Also: I couldn't find any info on the Salomon site about in-line skates so I'm wondering if they even produce them anymore.



Things are looking good.

Although I don't think a product tag can tilt the world on its axis, this seems like this will be some good creative exercise.

It's all about creative problem solving.

That's today's lesson boys and girls.

1

Project Name Change

and oh yeah - one more thing

it isnt a Rollerblade Project

its a In-Line Skate Project


apparently Rollerblade is a name brand




another side note

it was funny in class today when the instructor asked how many people in the class actually own in-line skates or go rollerblading and pretty much nobody responded


i had a pair of in-line skates when i was about 11


so it looks like there is gonna have to be some research into the target demographic



as you were

Project Development

I've already received numerous e-mails asking me for project updates.

To all my loyal readers out there: these things take time.


Seriously though.

I was messing around with the digital camera last night and today, and it looks like it will be a bit more involved than point-and-shoot throughout this project development.

I tried to compose some on-the-road commentary this morning, but to be honest, it sucks holding a camera and walking and dictating into the mic all at the same time.

So I'm gonna put that on hold for now. Maybe I can find a way to attach the camera to my head. But I can't figure out how.


On to the project itself - i have some ideas.

I am about to go have a session with the notebook right now so I should have some scans up here later.

In New Media class today, the other instructor who is also overlooking this project gave some lowdowns of the technical side of things.

This class is the one that involves manipulating materials in photoshop and getting the material ready for printing.

His blog - as well as the other instructor - can be located on the side bar.

We got to see some examples of students from last semester and there was some fresh work there.

Now I just have to refine my universe-is-on-my-shoulders approach to things and see how I can come up with something tangible.


I will be posting scans from the notebook later.

1

The Production Process

okay

we got the lowdown in sketching for communications class today that we need to be thorough in documenting our process for developing the rollerblade tag process

so
i got to thinking about how im gonna approach this

the suggestion is that we document the process from all angles - audio, video, written, photographed, bloggified



consider this to be part 1 of the production process - it will be a little on-going series until this project is completed


here is what i will be working with:

- blogger.com
- photobucket.com / flickr.com
- multiply.com
- youtube.com
- the computers at school
- a HP Photosmart R717 digital camera
- a piece-of-shit headset mic at home
- my piece-of-shit Cicero laptop at home

- other equipment and programs will be detailed as used
- depending on how things go, maybe i will even get the DVX-100 video camera involved in this
- maybe use Audacity for sound editing if it gets to that stage


the digital camera should do the trick for producing photo images as well as low-quality video


so basically, this should chronicle a complete process from presentation of a problem (the need to design a product), to the identification of a desired result, to the development of a strategy, to the execution of the strategy


and the internet will bare witness to my beat-up brain at work

hopefully this will provide some tips and/or strategies for other people who work on such projects

and please drop me some feedback if you have any ideas and/or suggestions


stay tuned

Peace

Look Ma! - No Bra!

in the mail there was a promotional 2007 calendar which tried to convey some healthy lifestyle encouragement while advertising low-fat 'healthy' foods

(such as Lays potato chips and Diet Pepsi)

what struck me off the cover of the calendar though, was the bra-less-ness of the woman on the foreground of the ad, and the obvious nipple suggestion:


flipping thru the calendar, what was even more interesting was how the same woman popped up again for March:


when i was a kid (in the pre-internet days), i remember rummaging thru magazines for the slightest suggestion of a nipple

it really seems to be a great tactic for creating a engaging visual image

in some situations, there is a definite interaction going on between the viewer and the image as the viewer tries to determine whether he really sees what he thinks he sees

"maybe if i just look hard enough"


these days - pornography is pervasive and it takes little effort to come across a image of bare breasts (it gets no easier than this)
but
if you visit any online environment where images of women are discussed, there is still a interesting reaction to the not-fully-revealed breast

concealing it retains desire
revealing it creates familiarity

we hate desire
we hate familiarity

but dammit we love that moment of surprise between the two
and those early moments of novelty


multimedia design lends itself to advertising, so advertising has been on my mind a lot these days
so - when i came across this calendar, and the nipple caused me to take a double take, it left a imprint with me that this may be one of the greatest advertising tactics ever - as far as encouraging interaction


though i do not see myself going out to buy any Baked Lays any time soon, i think i will investigate this situation further