allyouneedischeese.ca

The whole Canadian Cheese thing.

First of all I LOVE THE CHEESE LOGO, I think it is brilliant and I am completely jealous that I didn't think of it first.

I know some of the commercials are kind of cheesy.
Especially where the whole family brakes out in song because they want cheese on their food.

Anyways, I do love all the print ads and banners I see and some of the commercials.
I honestly believe that they have done a really good job.

allyouneedischeese.ca

is the web page, and it is fantastic.
It's kind of corny, but it makes you laugh at its ridiculousness, and that is a good thing.

The web site features a Broadway light display for each day of the week, and allows you to choose which star (vegetable) you want to accompany the Great Canadian cheese on stage. After you have chosen, you move forward and they sing for a moment and then show you recipes that include both of those foods.

I think all the time that went into to giving each food a specific voice and making the food dance was well worth it.

The web page is fantastic, in its own cheesy way.

The whole campaign is fantastic.

mini

mini.ca
is a fantastic website.

What mini has done is included little funny videos/'games' where you can interact with the mini.

Given the persona behind a mini, I think they did an amazing job capturing it in their website.

mini incubation
Where they transform your car, into a mini, and send you updates on how it's going. They take you throug a bunch of secret doors and all that, it's really neat, and at some points funny.

Also things like: Convertible-izer-ometer, 3D TURBOVISION, Dominate Winter, and Trackstar

HP Planet Partners

HP Planet Partners is a printing supplies return and recycling program.

Attached to HP ink cartridges is a little green envelope, where when you replace your cartridges you can place your empty one in it.

FACT: In Canada less then 5% of the millions of ink cartridges that are bought yearly are ever recycled, so you can imagine what landfills have abundances of.

Smart simple idea

Here's how:

1. Place 1 or 2 empty HP ink jet cartridge(s) in this envelope without additional packaging materials or notes.
2. Carefully seal envelope.
3. Mail postage-paid envelope back to HP.

These are written right on the envelope...

Bruce Mau

Inspiring designers to consider everything when designing, Bruce Mau, is quite possibly one of the most important people in design.

He inspires a change in what people believe design is in all of us.

Helping me and others to think differently, stray from the straight line, and create a line of our own.

design power

If I were given the option to promote anything, it would most definitely be environmental.

A lot of people think that it is too difficult for them to recycle, cut down on garbage, energy and what ever else there is out there.

But it is really easy.

There are really simple things you can do:

-buy a water saving toilet
-do your laundry with cold water instead of hot
-buy warmer blankets for your bed, and turn down the heat in the winter
-buy environmental friendly cleaning products, like soap.

Stores have made it so simple for us, and yet people find it so difficult to make the changes.
I really want to show people that doing these things, can save you money and they can do some good for the environment.

Another commercial I despise

One of Honda's new commercials REALLY gets to me, and every time I see I have to turn away, because It bothers me so much.

It's the one where a guy, places the award on the glass shelve in the showcase thing, and the shelve begins to bend in the middle, and it makes a crazy creaking noise, that glass would never make.

Glass doesn't bend without braking! AND the only noise it makes when it begins to bend is CRASHING because if you try to bend glass without it being at the temp of melting, it breaks...

So then I though about it, well maybe it's plastic, but why would a company like Honda be so cheap as to put plastic shelves in their trophy showcase....




Soo I am pretty sure it's ment to be glass, and that it is just a ridiculous commercial.

Current gas situation

Well if you have a car, and you drive it, you know that a good chunk of your money goes towards gas, especially now with that 1.20 per ltr hanging over our heads and talks of it reaching 1.50 in the approching summer, there is no escaping it.

Not to long ago, gas was .60 per ltr and people complained when it went up to .70.
Oh how I wish gas was .70 again... I would most certainly not complain.

Fortunately my car is fairly good on gas. On a normal school week, driving back and forth I will fill up my tank once, right now at the current price of gas, it is about $65.00 to fill.

compared to...

My step dad, who has a Chevy Avalanche, his truck is about $125.00 to fill right now.... and he would have to fill up twice a week if he drove back and forth to my school for a week

Talk about a heart attack every time you go to fill up

I would honestly dread it.


Anyways, theres a few websites that actually tells you where the cheapest gas is in Toronto/Surrounding areas.

http://www.torontogasprices.com/

my compliments

The person I would like to commend is my mother, Susan.

She was a single mom for about 12 years, raising my brother and me.

At the time, I had no idea the struggles she went through. But now, when she tells me stories about what it was like back then for her, I understand. She had been in and out of courts, trying to get my father to pay child support, which put her into a lot of debt. She had to keep the tags on nice clothes so she could return them afterwards. She told me how difficult it was to find a babysitter for me and my brother, either because we where two crazy children, or when she did find one, they ended up stealing things from our house.

My mom worked so hard to get us out of where we where to where we are now.

Even now, while in school, and running short on money, she insures I have what I need.

I love her so much, and I am so grateful for everything she has done for me, and given me.

I only hope to one day pay her back for everything.

My Manifesto...

Don't Forget to Laugh: Some people (I won't say names) forget that you need to laugh at least once a day, because a person can only take so much serious behavior before they snap.

Don't be afraid to be similar: People try so hard these days to be different that it has lost it's meaning, and it's kind of annoying. We all know you look ridiculous, and you can't get a job with 20 facial piercings and purple/green/pink hair. People shouldn't be afraid to like the same style of clothes as someone else, or have a "ordinary" hairstyle.

Save your money: Don't constantly spend your paycheck as soon as you get it, save it. Only buy what you need, not what you want. Trust me, it's relaxing to know you have money in your bank account. (from what I remember)

Ask questions: Ask as many questions as you can, whenever you can. There will come a time in your life when there isn't someone around to answer them. (I still struggle with this, but I have gotten much better.)

Sing: In your car, in the shower, or in your room. Whether your good or bad, everyone should sing. It's a great way to relieve stress, and you can always share a laugh with yourself.

Be nice: Hold the door open for someone. let someone in your lane. Tell someone you like their glasses, hair, shirt, anything. It really makes other people feel good, and it'll make you feel good.

Get your work done ahead of time: Don't leave it to last minute. If you finish something a few days ahead, it really takes a huge weight off your shoulders. (I do all my homework on the weekend)

Stop Complaining: I, personally, find it very annoying when a person complains about the situation they may be in, especially when the cause is their own. Shut up and deal with it, it's your own fault your there. Or rather then sit around and sob, fix it.

Grow up: You aren't the greatest thing that ever walked the earth, and your shit does stink. People who think they can do what ever they want and talk to whom ever they want in any tone they want, are seriously confused about where their place is.

Toronto FC

A new season has arrived.
Although TFC lost heir first game in Columbus, Ohio, there are still many games to be won in the future.

Last year when the BMO field was first opened, seats where up for grabs, and my mom managed to get two. Last year when they sent the package, it was beautiful.
This year they have outdone themselves again. The package has once again taken me by surprise, and seeing as how I didn't manage to get a single picture of the last one, I took plenty of this one for everyone to see.

This years box set includes the season tickets, special passes for discounts, a red/yellow card(for home supporting ans), and a scarf, which is also the ticket for the first game. All of this is arranges extraordinarily in a beautifully designed box.

I am very impressed with not only the the teams plays, but the design of the team logo, and colour choices. I think they work REALLY well, and is one of my favorite logos.

Earth Hour

Look what google did in light of earth hour, no pun intended.


My house is definitely participating in Earth hour, I think it is a great opportunity to help a lot of people realize that the planet needs help. My mother, in fact, thought it was such a great idea that she decided we are going to hold this event twice a week. the net energy savings add up to about 12kW/h per month(we turn off computers as well). It may not sound like much, but it will build in time.

The TTC

Alright, since I actually encounter this problem very often, despite never having been on a street car, train, or any other form of TTC, I have experienced it.

My current problem is with the Street car;
There is law that requires you stop and wait if a street cars doors are open. Although these laws are "strongly enforced",in the past 2 years I have been driving, I've not seen many people actually stop. I do, and when I do, ignorant drivers get annoyed with me, because apparently they are in such a huge rush they can't wait for the people getting off the street car.

TODAY
I stop, as everyone should, when I saw the doors of a street car open. An already very enraged (from what I could tell by the way he was driving) man in a beamer has to stop behind me. My guess was that he didn't want to stop, or he had no clue of the law in place that says you must stop. Anyways, he waits for a moment, but decides to be a complete ass hole and try and go around me by using the parking on the side of Lakeshore Rd as a lane. Me being the driver that i am, i like to let someone know when i think they are driving ignorantly. I noticed that the doors of the street car were closing and said street car was starting to pulling forward, so with my hand pressed firmly on my horn, i began to tailgate the offending driver. Of course he only made it about 30 meters ahead of the street car and turns left, as he is doing so he's obviously yelling at me and giving me the finger. Being the big, tough man he was to give the finger and swear at a teenager, he was wearing full out winter ensemble, including really thick gloves and a toque with a plump, fuzzy ball atop it.

So that whole event really got me angry and got me thinking. TTC really needs to either increase the size of the signs that say it's a law to stop, because honestly they aren't noticeable unless you happen to be looking directly at it. Or, they just need to have law enforcement come down heavier on the people that do it.


But I honestly think the biggest problem is people don't know, I didn't know, until someone in front of me stopped and I had now clue why they were stopping until i looked directly at the street car.

AIGA Student Competition and Future Trends

I believe that current trends are bringing design to a much simpler, and possibly even more towards a humorous attitude. People over time have developed a lot less patience for advertising that takes longer then two seconds to fully understand. Time is money, and time and money are some of things a lot of people don’t have to spare, so ad’s need to be quick, understandable, but also descriptive in a glance. Humor has also taken a different course over the years it has gone from completely unacceptable to somewhat acceptable, to acceptable. Society has learned to lighten up a bit, and they don’t mind being called stupid to their face without actually recognizing that that’s what is happening in most cases. I think as far as the student’s work went, most of them hit almost dead on with what I said. I honestly believe that because of the luxuries those students these days have grown up with, that when we hit the industries, there could very well be a HUGE change.

What Design work would I refuse?

Honestly, if it pays I’ll do it. I don’t think that it is my responsibility to keep the public from anything, like cigarettes, it is their responsibility. If they don’t have enough will power, or smarts to do research or to make that decision on their own, then they deserve to be influenced.

Are Designers Obliged to do pro bono work?

I think at certain point in a designer’s career, it should at least be considered. I don’t think that we should be requested to do it any time soon, especially so early in our career. I understand that it does give the designer who did the pro bono work will receive considerable credit for the work they did, but I don’t think it is really necessary until a fair time later in a designers career. If I was offered pro bono work, my answer to whether or not I would do it or not would definitely depend on what point of my career I am in, what company it was for, and how financially stable I am at the time.

Things I have learned so far

+Bragging does not make you feel as good as you think it would.
+Despite any precautions you take to avoid it, your going to get hurt some how, but it will almost always teach you something.
+Nothing ever goes the way you want it to, and the way it does go almost always ends up working out better then the way you wanted it to.
+High school was a joke, and still is.
+One of the hardest things to do is to try and convince our parents to admit that they were wrong. (not all but certainly most of the ones I have come across)
+We want 20% more then what we have.
+Kids are expensive.
+Teenagers are ignorant.
+Adults are... (I can't even explain it)
+Never depend on people, just pretend you do to avoid hurting their feelings.
+Lieing can ruin you.

‘Writing is Design’

(image: telus.com)

I agree to the fullest that writing is a major part of design, Especially now with simpler advertising which seems to be advancing in popularity quickly. Straight forward and eye catchy words on a simple background with 1-3 images, that’s what hits big now. It gets the most attention from the public. I do believe that as designers we should know a bit about somewhat ‘clever’ writing in order to provide not only a well thought out design, but also copy that goes along well with the image, coming from the original designer.

Are Advertising and Graphic Design Moving toward delivering ‘experience’ as the end product?

I believe that they have already started selling the experience in the process of selling any product. I believe the reason for this is that companies believe that in order to make the customer understand the product fully, they have to show them how it would make them ‘feel’. Companies like Apple sell the feeling of music and how it can make you feel, Using colours and simple shapes that could easily be replaced with things the consumer can relate to. Like being able to put themselves in place of the cutout like dancing people. Beer companies such as Guinness, Labatt Blue, and Canadian also commonly use selling the experience. Using the beautiful women crowding around the men that are drinking the beer, or a group of friends all enjoying the game at the bar while drinking beer, they make the consumer feel like that could be them.

Reflection on AIGA part one

AIGA Command X was an excellent experience for not only the students that participated in it, but also for our own class. It was an excellent experience for the students that participated in it; because of the opportunity they had for people that are high in the graphic design industry to give their full opinion on what they thought about their work. It was also a good opportunity for our class because it almost reassures us that what we are actually doing in class could easily match what the students had done up there.

The only thin I had a problem with was, the judges and the host. They where either to busy talking about what they had done in the past, or cracking corny jokes, rather then giving full detail feedback. And the host...he was so cheesy, it became annoying.

Other then that, I would love to have participated in something like that with the short time limits, because most of my best work is done when I am under pressure for a time limit. It is also very reassuring to me when I get feedback from people I have either never met, or are somehow correlated in the industry.

This Commercial makes me so mad.

There is this Whiskas ad out where a man shakes a little bag of Whiskas cat treats, the camera switches to a shot of a wall with several patched and unpatched holes in it. Then suddenly a cat flies threw the wall, putting a giant hole in it and makes a mess as it slides across the hardwood floors.

Who on earth would willingly ask for an animal to plow through their drywall?


No one wants holes in there walls!

Every time I see this I just want to kick the cat out of the house and yell at the man that tempts this cat to perform this "amazing" feat, multiple times, or ever at all, because he's an idiot.