Clean is the new green – for coal at least

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Clean is a better brand word for people than green. Green is a little too granola. Who can argue with clean? The Obama people think clean coal is good for America. But is coal green? What do you think? No way according to Robert F Kennedy Jr. who represents Riverkeeper who says, “Clean coal is a dirty lie.” Al Gore says, “Clean coal is like healthy cigarettes…There ARE no clean coal plants. Zero” But the coal industry has gotten way out in front with the clean message. It’s no wonder the industry has positioned coal as clean not green. Green is owned already. Clean is a new brand.

The illustration included here is a clever parody of the now iconic Shepherd Fairy poster of Obama that just help elect the man.

The amazing Coen Brothers have produced a series of satirical ads. Check them out at http://www.ThisIsReality.org/#/?p=canary

Obama and the EPA have allowed the blasting of coal on 42 of 48 mountaintops in Virgina and Ohio. Is that green? Is it clean? These are moutaintops that are not going to grow back. They call it surface mining. It’s not sustainable!

This is the thing about branding. It has to be authentic. Otherwise it gets ripped to shreds as we are seeing here.

And this is the thing about euphonisms. They are meant to distract us from the truth. This is a whole 25 years AFTER Orwell’s 1984.

2009: time to pay attention!

Re-naming the flu

flying-pig-on-white-copy

Interesting how pigs got such a bad rap so quickly with this new flu. And Mexico (now they wonder if it indeed started there and whether it has anything to do with pigs). Now, its down to meaningless numbers and letters H1N1 – to keep the pork industry from taking the heat. The Wall Street Journal says all flus have and H and N, “As it turns out, human strains of H1N1 flu are also pretty common.” Let’s just hope we don’t have a lot of flus flying around because we will never remember their names. ‘Did you hear there’s now an H2N3 flu coming up from Peru? And a H1N5 flu from Yemen?’

You get my point. This is nothing to joke about and the fear is that H1N1 will spread and mutate over the course of the summer and come back in the fall as a respiratory illness. Whether it will require a new H and N numbering is unclear. Is there a doctor in the house who can explain?

What were they thinking?

Beauty within

Beauty within

She has a beautiful voice. from the mainstream perspective, she is a visual mess. She is proud of herself and she has a dream as she expressed to a vast audience of mostly women and Britian’s Got Talent’s three judges, with great dignity. But she is a visual mess. And the Brits have their prejudice. “Everyone was against you. We were all quite cynical.” Blonde bombshell judge Amanda Holden said – and then with surprising deference added, “It was a complete privilege to listen to you.” Why? Because Susan Boyle’s her own woman. Susan Boyle

But now that Susan Boyle has blown the minds and won the hearts of all these people, making them cry and smile at the same time (0ver 30 million viewed on the internet in 24 hours), what is next for her? Does she clean up her brand? Get a ‘brow job’ – or does she just remain herself? If you listen to her music (close your eyes) does something change? Is she as unique? If she transforms her like Celine Dion did so many years ago (nose job, etc), would she have the same impact?

Now she’s got a publicist – appearing on Larry King a heartbeat after her sudden fame saying “I won’t be lonely anymore.” Let’s hope she remains as original as she is. Susan Boyle says, “Why should I change?”

This is just one more indication how the world is changing right in front of our eyes.

The curiously unaristocratic Obamas

DNA REX?
Would it be totally shocking to find that the Obamas and the Queen are actually related? DNA has shown recently that looks are totally deceiving. In fact, Barack’s grandma didn’t look too different from the Queen. Why not send in a few swabs which they’re across the pond.

Emperors, Queens, aristocracy and religious icons (Jesus Christ) have been kept on pedestals, in isolation, in order to enforce their Godlike statuses (i.e., immortality) as a way to convince the common folk that they were protected by magic way beyond their understanding. And to avoid mistakes becoming too public.

But in this time, royalty has become increasingly irrelevant. And America, which never had any anyhow (closest: The Kennedys with whom there are huge parallels with the Obamas which are rapidly being exploited).

I think its safe to say both Obamas would probably chose to be thought of as simply human. This is a good and timely thing. Michelle or Barack makes a mistake and an acknowledgment and appropriate apology are immediately forthcoming. To err is human. Let’s watch as Europe gets to know them. This may be just one more way the world may shift under this administration. Send me your comments.

a unique occasion

a unique occasion

Fairey use?

Obama by Shepard Fairey

Obama by Shepard Fairey


The maverick illustrator Shepard Fairey (whom I know, have written about several times* and have great respect for) is being sued for his use of the AP photograph of Obama which was the basis of his now iconic O Man image.

The irony is the degree to which Fairey’s image has been appropriated by others – without permission and for profit. Fairy takes action against those who want to profit from this primarily altruistic ‘gift’ to the people.

In addition, many others have appropriated Fairey’s posterized style of illustration. Fairey was commissioned, to illustrate the Time magazine 2008 Man of the Year cover of Obama in his inimitable style (and not using the AP image).

Is it fair to take others’ copyrighted work if they are changed significantly in the process? Should artists be able to appropriate the artistic works of others to create a new work? Leave me a comment below. Let’s discuss!

From the lower east side of Manhattan. The police are gonna get you Shepard Fairey!

From the lower east side of Manhattan. The police are gonna get you Shepard Fairey!

Fairey, for those who don’t know the man and his mission is a maverick illustrator who has been arrested many times for wild posting his images on private property in the dead of night. His work gets wrecked by others – splashed – by those who don’t appreciate the politics of street art. I would be proud to display one of his posters on MY Brooklyn building (just so you know, SF). Many street artists (like Banksy, Judith Supine, Momo) risk hefty fines and jail time to get their work into the public realm (some are careful to avoid private property).

*notably, see DIsobey the Giant and Deceit of Packaging which may be downloaded from my library – DK’s Books and Articles

Looks can be deceiving

Yes, Because We Can

Arriving at Union Station for the Inauguration I noted the first of what was to be a big Pepsi presence: a beautiful but blatant co-option of the Obama campaign.

I mean what has Pepsi (a mediocre tasting brown drink with no nutritional content and is probably bad for you) got to do with hope? Pepsi even uses the Obama line ‘Yes We Can’ on promos, string back packs and bus shelters.

OK, in that case I get it. Pepsi comes in cans.

Hope Hope Hope

Hope Hope Hope

The design of the Pepsi campaign is flawless, rich in color (created by TBWA Chiat Day which also uses Obama family look-alikes in their Tropicana ads) and incorporates the new more fluid red/white/blue ’smiley’ Pepsi logo, evolved by Peter Arnell (He denies he was inspired by the optimism of Obama. He designs in a vacuum).

Did anyone from either agency happen to mention to Pepsico that their campaign is built on ‘borrowed interest’ and more than just a little ‘inspired’ by Obama’s campaign and therefore might just a tad deceiving or confusing to the consumer? Do you even see the name Pepsi in the photo above?

Did I say, it is really beautiful. OK. Does anyone care about the co-option anyhow? Probably not President Obama: Whatever works.

Hard but safe landing

Captain Chesley Sullenberger, National Hero

National Hero

What a thrill to watch something actually go well!

Who knew that US Airways’ smaller planes had such great pilots? Who ever knows anything about the pilot – in whose hands we place our lives?

Yet because Captain Sullenberger saved the lives of 150 passengers and crew on a US Airways flight that went bad by quick thinking, good training and instincts I will think about the US Airways brand very differently in the future. This was a regional flight. If I had gotten off this flight with no incident, would I have thought this white haired guy was just a little over the hill? Yet how many years, how much time does it take to become Captain Chesley Sullenberger (57 years of age), prepared to take this plane down in this complex situation with no human loss? 57 years perhaps? And consider the alternative.

Branding blind

New York Politicos Sheldon Silver, Charlie Rangel, Hillary Clinton, David Paterson and Chuck Schumer at the DNC in Denver.

New York Politicos (left to right) Sheldon Silver, Charlie Rangel, Hillary Clinton, David Paterson and Chuck Schumer at the DNC in Denver.

On Saturday night SNL made a hugely tasteless error: they portrayed Governor David Paterson (NY) who is legally blind (and African American) as a befuddled immoral fool.

Not only can this be further from the truth, it was in very bad taste. Can you ’speed hear’? Paterson can. What sounds like Minnie Mouse to us is slowed down by Paterson’s practiced ear to normal speed. That’s how he pours through the volumes of material he must digest each day. And he memorizes all his speeches since he can not use a prompter. What politician does that?

To suggest as SNL did that blindness equals incompetency is mind boggling in this day and age.

From Marketwatch: “Governor Paterson, who has had an impressive academic and political career, is known as a witty politician who brings people together. He has accomplished many firsts in his life, becoming the first non-white New York State Senate legislative leader in 2003, the first visually impaired person to address the Democratic National Convention, and the first African American Governor of New York. As a legally blind public figure, Governor Paterson has challenged public perceptions about what it means to have a disability and shown the world that people with vision loss can be great political leaders.
“Governor Paterson, who was unexpectedly called on to fill the role of Governor last spring, has proven to be an accomplished political leader who is respected and liked by New Yorkers,” said Carl R. Augusto, President & CEO of AFB.”

Augusto is himself a very accomplished man who happens to be blind. He is much revered in the areas concerned with vision loss.

Marketwatch goes on: “The American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) is a national nonprofit that expands possibilities for people with vision loss. AFB’s priorities include broadening access to technology; elevating the quality of information and tools for the professionals who serve people with vision loss; and promoting independent and healthy living for people with vision loss by providing them and their families with relevant and timely resources. AFB is also proud to house the Helen Keller Archives and honor the over forty years that Helen Keller worked tirelessly with AFB. For more information visit us online at www.afb.org.”

People often equate blindness with Helen Keller. She is part of the brand. As are Stevie Wonder and Ray Charles. However, relatively few people are 100% blind; for most it is a matter of degrees of loss. And seriously debilitating vision loss is becoming more and more prevalent as we have a larger aging population.

Most people with vision loss are as competent as the general population; it may only be their vision loss that makes them different from you and me.

In fact, there is every reason to believe we’ll all know people – from all walks of life – in the future who can’t get around due to vision loss. That’s something to bear in mind.

Co-operative branding

Why does our fledgling food co-op in Brooklyn need a brand? We don’t even have a space yet. And there are a few other problems: we have zero dollars in our coffers and we need 100% participation of members in all our decisions, especially the approval of the brand ID. And since we don’t have money, we don’t really have members. Which comes first: the chicken or the co-op logo?

Let me back track. I was one of the people starting this new working co-op in Brooklyn in January 08 and, of course, coming from the branding profession I was very concerned that we have a very inspired identity. And I said to my fellow organizers, ‘Once we get our brand, we will seem more real.’ And then I literally prayed for really good branding designers to materialize. Two months later, into a co-op meeting walks Geoff Cook, a new neighbor and partner in Base Design. Like an angel hearing my pleas, he offers everything we need to brand our coop. And I know Base Design – have writtten about the hiatus MoMA took to Queens and how Base was involved in that very successful branding project.

Imaginary storefront for Greene Hill Food Coop

Imaginary storefront for Greene Hill Food Coop

grocery signs for Greene Hill Food Coop

grocery signs for Greene Hill Food Coop


A reminder that members run Greene Hill Food Coop

A reminder that members run Greene Hill Food Coop

This solution looks so easy, so natural, so right. But the process was mighty methodical to get there. To start we needed a name. And one member pointed out it should not suggest members must be from our area, Fort Greene / Clinton Hill: that was limiting. We agreed. So the members suggested options and we voted. We almost unanimously voted for The Greene Hill Food Co-op with the caveat that ‘The’ needn’t be used in the branding.

Then I suggested we ask ‘members’ (eg anyone interested in the co-op is a member) a lot of questions and feed back to them their responses. This we did over the summer with Base’s totally involvement. Then I suggested we show preliminary ideas that represented a range of thinking knowing that none of them might be just right. Base (led by designers Anna Simutis and Yoon Yoo) applied their analytical intelligence, ingenuity and high level design skills and came up with three distinctly different approaches to act as a springboard for comments. And they created a feed back sheet which was passed out at the meeting and collected at the end. Meaning, the members were 1) reminded they had already guided us in a certain direction and that 2) we were now asking them to guide us further and 3) that we would be back with a refinement based on their ideas. The tree directions were presented and the members verbalized their very insightful and intelligent response to all three ideas, bringing up ideas that none of us had thought of.

The last meeting showed the above. We called for a vote and it was unanimous. Members said, ‘It’s like you heard what we had to say and came up with the perfect solution’. And here’s the answer to the first question: why does the co-op need a brand now. As one member said at the end of the meeting. “We don’t even need a space. We look like we are real now that we have a brand!”

The new brand is getting a fair amount of press. Identity Works posted the following recently:

http://www.identityworks.com/probono/Greene%20Hill.htm

Branding the holidays

beadniks1

Shopping on Main Street in Brattleboro, Vermont today a store called Dragonfly is selling large rhinestone pins each one spells out a word in all capitol letters – ‘Dream’, ‘Hope’, ‘Imagine’.

Down the street, the window of Beadniks (a store that feels right in this Berkeley of the East) commands us to do something we have been very reluctant – I would say scared – to do for the last 8 years: to believe. I’m predicting that, at this moment, Brattleboro is on the crest of a new wave – one of optimism: A message that will be decorate the windows and stores of shopping streets of small town and big city America this holiday season.

We can now look forward to the possibility of a positive future, because we have a leader we believe can take us there; a man whose lead we can follow with confidence.

I say to the woman selling the rhinestone pins, “If they make a pin that says ‘Obama’, they will fly right off the shelves.” She agrees and we smile broadly. I say “I hope you do well this season.” She wishes me a very happy holiday. As I do you.

Note: check out Macy’s Believe Meter (Imagine, Wish, Dream, Believe) online. Its all about whether you believe in the spirit of Christmas (e.g. consumerism?). Well, do you?