News Item: First-Person-Shooters improve eyesight?

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Research Indicates



you cant argue with research

Toy Project: Adventures at Home Depot

since the deadline for the Toy Project has turned this into a major priority and i still dont have a concrete idea, i have resolved to pursue a plan A and keep plans B thru ZZZ in mind

today is March 14
the deadline is March 26


so the problem is clear

factoring my personal lean into it: i will not produce a toy that is just eye-candy

it needs to have some sort of functionality


producing something without functionality is a violation of some sort of code i subscribe to

so i wouldnt be able to do that and sleep comfortably (or enjoy it)


so:
i am letting the project take its own form:

- something simple
- something functional
- something interactive
- something that allows people to be creative themselves


i am sticking with the alien theme

i am still aiming at making a series of small alien figures but the idea is now refined:
- so it will be less time consuming - i am going to make a cookie cutter so i can have a consistent size for the figures, and will let them have differences based on their colors and poses

also - i have decided to have them double as a platform so that when they come together - they can hold something (like those scenes in the cartoons where ants carry away a person's picnic lunch)

Toy Project

if you click on that image you will be taken to a series of images which show the supplies i picked up:

- some vinyl, cork, and felt guards so that the figures can be put on delicate surfaces with no problem
- the figures will have a wire (paperclip) structure so i had to pick up some wire cutters
- Home Depot did not have any Sheet Metal ribbon strips, so I found what I needed on a lumber shipment that they had received and asked if they could cut a piece off for me - they said no so i snapped a piece off anyway


the sheet metal strip will become the cookie cutter

i have a set of pliers at home that i will use to bend it into the shape i need


so - next step is to put the cookie cutter together - and start churning out a couple of these little dudes

and if it dont work - then move on to plan B


the objective is to have the toy basically done by the weekend so i can put the package together next week

(PS - it makes no sense that this project is due before the skate tag project)


costs so far:
Paperclips: $2
Clay: 13
Sculpting tools: 3
Duct tape: 3
Wire cutters: 5
Pliers: found at home (approx 5)
Paint: can't remember right now - will find the receipt at home
Vinyl/Cork/Felt Guards: 7.50


Time: formative and sketching - 3 hrs
Research and supplies: - 2 hrs
Trial runs with clay: - 2 hrs


should have the cookie cutter up here to-nite



also got a idea how to fit the collage in on the box shape (and the theme for the characters i create)

and the skate tag assignment is similar to this in that there will be transparency layer used on the packaging


more later

The State of In-Line Skating in North America

so its true - nobody in-line skates anymore

or at least the number of people who in-line skate is steadily decreasing


i was talking to one of the managers of a sporting store and he was telling me that in-line skate sales have been diminishing consistently over the last 8 years or so

in fact - he said that annual sales of in-line skates is a quarter of what it was compared to 8 years ago

i believe the figures he mentioned were a mill in sales, and last year they only sold 250K


also of interest - the Salomon line of in-line skates is being discontinued

apparently they used to be owned by adidas, but they got bought out by the sports company Wilson, and Wilson does not have the facilities to continue making in-line skates anymore


anyway - in-line skates have 2 main parts - the boot and the wheels

the boots used to be made out of a thick plastic material (and weigh a ton), but now they are made out of fabric

they are not as durable, but they are hella lighter and more comfortable

other important features of in-line skates that i was informed of:
- some skates have a extra braking feature at the back, but this technology has never been mastered and apparently is quite fragile - it was meant to appeal to beginners, but is nothing more than a nuisance and it generally breaks with the slightest use
- the framing that holds the wheels can be made out of plastic or aluminum - the plastic is heavier and not as solid, so the aluminum is a no-brainer
- there is a variety of wheel styles (thickness and circumference) currently available - also the composition of wheels varies from company to company
- right now - the hottest type of wheel is the largest type of wheel - generally 100mm - allows a skater to go the fastest
- the dude at the store expressed some lament that Salomon was leaving the in-line skate industry because he held that they had the best wheels


the K2 style seems to have the most cross-over appeal

some of their blades actually had designs on them rather than the generic black skate with highlights

that kind of snowboard style seems kind of played out at this point

its all about the paisley and the curves


i see this project coming together nicely


earth tones
bold icons
paisley curves
focus on comfort and durability
environmental themes (environmental awareness is trendy right now)

maybe i can get Al Gore to endorse my in-line skates

top seller for sure


more updates to come

Target Market: Settled

Although there does not seem to be as much cross-over appeal for in-line skates as there is for skateboarding, the target market for this project is going to be the non-hardcore skaters - so i am going to be highlighting such aspects as:
- ease
- comfort
- durability
- functionality
- utility
of the in-line skates for my campaign

i am tempted to use the innovative 2-wheel company, but since style is going to be as significant of a selling-point as functionality, i am going to stick with one of the more conventional companies.

so i am going to go with K2

their logo is straight ill and i am looking forward to working with it (although i am still not in far enough to turn back if i change my mind in the next couple days)

on my mind right now is Lupe Fiasco - a lot of sources have been hailing his album and approach to Hip Hop as a landmark in crossing Hip Hop and skater culture

reasons for this are especially evident in his video 'Kick Push':




his other video 'I Gotcha' is also dripping wiff style:




i took a trip to the mall again to check out some other labels in general - but ima save the results of that trip for the next blog post


tomorrow

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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.

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