How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul

My "little" brother Brock just went to the NAIA National Football Championship in Rome, GA w/ Lindenwood University. So, of course my whole family traveled in the mini van through Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee - a total of eight hours from St. Louis. During that time {mostly at night with my sister's booklights} I read Adrian Shaughnessy's How to be a graphic designer without losing your soul. Amazing book! I feel that his views on the realm of graphic designer & how we approach it is very align what I have been taught & most importantly how I feel - perhaps because this book was chosen for my senior class with Noriko. I'm glad I didn't read it then, though, because the words in it are hitting me now at a time when I really need them. I'm an underliner.. but I also like to share what I have read with people so here are some relevant tid-bits:

•Cultural awareness is vital for the modern designer, and most designers are culturally aware people. It's why designers are often witty with a sophisticated sense of humor (we shouldn't be surprised at this: designers are observers, and the best humor comes from microscopic observation).

•...designers must not let technological capabilities define their thinking

• All great work comes about when viewpoints are balanced; in other words, when both client & designer feel that they are being listened to...

•...design is a social activity, with social consequences.

•••more to come soon

I love BlondeBrownies & this makes me want to bake some!! and eat some!

Oh my Guinness!

http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2009/08/the_art_of_guin.php
The Art of Guiness
London's Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising joins in to celebrate Guinness' 250th anniversary with their current exhibition, "The Art of Guinness." Paying tribute to the legendary stout, the show simultaneously examines how the company remains so successful after all these years, Prominently featuring the work of John Gilroy (pictured below), whose use of zoo animals and the tagline "My Goodness, My Guinness" brought instant recognition to the beer and its advertisements, the exhibit will also include graphic designs by other commissioned artists like H.M. Bateman (pictured above) and Edward Ardizzone. From print advertisements and TV commercials to drink trays and beer coasters, the "Art of Guinness" makes for a lesson in advertising that's as fun as drinking the beer itself.
Funny thing, the Museum's web site isn't very well designed, nor is its logo.. & it is a brand museum? hmm.

Helveticons

http://helveticons.ch/
Created by Swedish creative Maximilian Larsson, the recently launched Helveticons use the same design principles as the go-to eponymous font for a universal set of interface icons.

Helveticons come in a variety of formats—six of which are scalable vector graphics—including Photoshop, Illustrator, OmniGraffle, EPS, PDF and PNG. Royalty-free and comprehensive, the 245-icon collection serves as a valuable asset for its simplicity and range of essential symbols.

Davidoff

"Did you know Davidoff makes cigarettes?" Zach asked me and I said, yeah I saw them in Vienna & we both though it was weird the company we know from Cool Water (remember the perfume was huge when we were in middle school?) makes cigarettes. So, today I did some definitely marketing-related research on this riddle.

http://www.davidoffcigarettesusa.com/Default.aspx

Here is the homepage that came up when I searched for "Davidoff Cigarettes"

http://www.zinodavidoff.com/en/pub/homepage.htm

According to this homepage, Zino Davidoff makes watches, leather goods, fragrances and coffee.

"It (Davidoff company) encompasses men's fragrances, ties, glasses, congac, humidors, and briefcases, but it is based upon cigars. To build a multi-million dollar business in the 20th century on a tobacco product is a truly remarkable achievement. Inspired by Zino Davidoff this companies products have become a must have for affluent men around the world."

Zino Davidoff:

"Zino Davidoff was a man with a sense for essentials, who understood enjoying the moment, and who made this enjoyment a philosophy. Since the beginning of the last century Zino Davidoff's philosophy has been recognized and greatly appreciated. It's the real things in life that make it worth living.

Zino Davidoff had a great sense of humour and a well-developed feeling for the beautiful things in life. An artist; who understood people, and respected them. Who never lost sight of his purpose; to enrich life through enjoying its good things.

Who even as a successful businessman remained true to himself and to his principles. Zino Davidoff believed in simplicity, in the complete enjoyment of life. People who knew Davidoff knew this. They came from all over the world to share his philosophy, to enjoy his finest, purest cigars. They understood what Zino Davidoff meant when he said: "Smoke less, but better and longer - make a cult of it, even a philosophy!"

timeline of his life: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-History-of-Davidoff-Cigars&id=147855

Zino Davidoff (the flamboyant emigre from Kiev who made Havana cigars known around the world) passed away in 1994 at 87

http://www.nytimes.com/1994/01/17/obituaries/zino-davidoff-87-brought-prominence-to-havana-s-cigars.html

Sues indian firm for using its trademark (2004):

http://www.financialexpress.com/news/zino-davidoff-sues-indian-firm-for-using-its-trademark/122287/

Info from Wikipedia (take with a grain of salt.. but they had the most info on it):
•In August 2006, Imperial Tobacco acquired the worldwide Davidoff cigarette trademark from its owners, Tchibo Holding AG for £368 million (€540 million). Imperial Tobacco Group had been the licensee of the worldwide Davidoff cigarette trademark since its acquisition of Reemtsma in 2002. (Perhaps explains why just recently Davidoff cigarettes are being seen)
Article from Imperial Tobacco's website:
http://www.imperial-tobacco.com/index.asp?page=78&newsid=384&type=18&year=2006
"As well as significantly enhancing our brand equity this acquisition provides greater flexibility to develop the brand, enabling us to increase investment and accelerate its international growth."
•The cigarette range includes the Magnum, Supreme, Classic, Mild, Lights, Magnum Lights, Slims, Ultra lights, Menthol, Menthol Lights, One and Gold.
•Rothmans, Benson & Hedges of Canada began importing Davidoff cigarettes for sale in the Canadian market in April 2007.
•The Oettinger Davidoff Group owns the worldwide Davidoff trademark for tobacco products other than cigarettes. Davidoff cigars continue to be produced in the Dominican Republic, under the direction of cigar blender Hendrik "Henke" Kelner.
Beyond tobacco products, Davidoff has expanded to include under its brand such items as pipes, and humidors.
It's just fascinating to me how much this company's products appear as separate entities to the consumer.. I could hardly believe what I thought was a perfume/cologne company decided to make cigarettes.. when come to find out, that's how it started. hmm..

"Plus size" model in Glamour

"Plus size" model in September Glamour - Lizzie Miller

"Lizzie Miller, 20 is a size 12, and in the modeling world where an 8 is considered a plus size…she looks fantastic. "

http://www.glamour.com/sex-love-life/2009/08/what-everyone-but-you-sees-about-your-body?currentPage=1

I take the advice my Dad told me, "Basically, men love women."

There is no one perfect body or perfect look.. it's great to see this "full-figured" woman in a magazine.. but at the same time amazing that she is considering "plus-size" because she has hips.. hmm.

Meet the Woman on Page 194

"Her Plus size modeling is due to her pear shape..not because she is fat, but because she has a booty and I am sure other women in her family have that too. You can't fit a booty like that in a size 4."

Stoli design student redesign

While studying under Michael Osborne of Michael Osborne Design at the Academy of Art University, Julius Tingo, has redesigned the classic Stoli packaging (top left). He has done two versions, an evolutionary design (middle), and a revolutionary design (right).
http://www.thedieline.com/blog/redesign/page/2/

"evolutionary" gets my vote!

Speaking of movies..

I'm not huge on movies, but since I just updated by address on Netflix & was reading about Jennifer's Body- I thought of some good movies I do want to see.. Sherlock Holmes(Christmas Day), Robin Hood(2010), Alice in Wonderland(March 2010)
Russell Crow talks about Robin Hood: http://www.imdb.com/video/hulu/vi682623513/

ugh. Megan Fox.

Jennifer’s Body(New horror movie w/ Megan Fox).. Borrows.. From True Blood’s Promo Posters
http://www.civin.org/wp/?p=888

"In all honesty how could their marketing department could have missed such a disgustingly similarity between the two. If they didn’t did they think it would be a nod to the franchise? That fans of the show wouldn’t notice? Were they drunk and on a coke binge and had this great idea at 4am? I’m really not sure. I’m just kind of shocked to the point where I am almost stupidly entertained that this happened in the first place. Thank you for making such an ‘original’ choice on marketing. I really do appreciate the laughter!"
Well, their choice sums up Megan Fox & this movie, a generic, copy-cat too full of itself. the end.

Articles on the redesign

http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/mar2009/db20090316_585298.htm?chan=top+news_top+news+index+-+temp_companies

Walmart Gives its Store Brand a Makeover
Wal-Mart is changing the formula for many of its Great Value products, adding new items and rolling out updated packaging
•For the past year, Wal-Mart has worked with suppliers and consumers to test the quality of more than 5,250 of its Great Value private-label products against leading national brands.
•With thousands of products spanning 100 categories, Great Value is not only the biggest brand Wal-Mart carries, it's the biggest grocery brand in the entire country.
•The Great Value redesign comes amid a period of strong growth for private labels of every stripe. Overall, sales of private-label items rose 10% in 2008, according to data tracker Nielsen, vs. a 2.6% gain for branded goods.

http://foodbizdaily.com/articles/91824-is-the-new-walmart-great-value-hard-to-shop.aspx

I am so excited about this! "Too bad it's for Walmart" - but I'm cheap, so yes, I will buy this stuff

Last week when Zach & I went trout fishing, we hopped over to the closest Walmart (half an hour on winding roads away) to get some food for our 2day trip. (We bought apple juice, granola bars, cheap turkey lunch meat, bread, hot dogs & ketchup.. yes, Walmart was right up our alley) And I was soo happy to see the new packaging for Great Value! I didn't even recognize the if was from this before version until today when I looked it up. It is so cohesive and it stands off the shelves so well, I'm very impressed. I'm going to look up some details about it:
Blogger comment:
"Whatever you think of the new design it is SIGNIFICANTLY better than the old version, I'm not in the US so don't really know Walmart at all but I'm stunned such a major brand would have such appalling packaging to start with. Simply shocking!
In that light the new stuff looks great - and don't forget this is a budget brand, it's meant to look basic and convey a non-premium message whilst also looking good and having presence on the shelf - a tricky brief to get right. Sure it could do with some typographic finesse but with such a broad range of products I'd imagine there are all sorts of practical roll-out issues that limit the options. A nice injection of some European style swiss-school simplicity in a sea of overwrought, and frankly dated mid-90's style packaging the US is known for."
Silly Blogger comment from an apparent corporate-drone:
"White space gone wrong, I think. Taken a bit to literally perhaps. Designs like this make it harder for me to defend white space to my own employer. They see this sitting next to a bright, splashy label on the shelf and which do you think they're going to want? Sigh." Splashy? Everything is "splashy", I think this packaging is a nice break from that.
•It's definitely an improvement. To me it goes good with how Walmart looks and feel overall, we are not talking about Nordstrom, it's Walmart...
•From a brand perspective, I would agree with other comments that they have at the very least made it clear to a consumer that it is from the same brand. However, some stronger use of color and use of category segmentation would have brought things to life, mitigated any confusion at home, as well as made it a stronger competitor to national brands.


other large private label distributors (Safeway, Publix, Waitrose, and yes--TARGET).

Good packaging redesign

http://www.thedieline.com/blog/redesign/

Websites!

Packaging sites:
http://www.packagingremedies.net/
http://www.thedieline.com/
http://www.coolhunting.com
http://lovelypackage.com
http://www.antilogic.co.za/
http://www.trendsnow.net/

Creativity Top 5: August 17

http://creativity-online.com/news/creativity-top-5-august-17/138500

F/Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi for Fundacao SOS Mata Atlantica - Ask Brazilians to pee in the shower to safe water SOO great!

Wunderman/Team Detroit First Born Help Remedies - very clean, reminds me of a story-book with instructions

On Help Remedies:
•Our packaging is made of molded paper pulp and a bio plastic made primarily of corn. We use these materials because they are interesting to look at, and they are compostable
•Help is a new brand of over-the-counter healthcare products. Our mission is to make solving simple health issues simple. We find the best solution there is, and take away everything else. By stripping away some of the complexity and fear mongering of the health industry, we hope to make the category friendlier and more accessible, and in doing so empower people to make their own health decisions.

ChappsMalina did structure and form Little Fury did the graphics

Quiksilver - "the spot" turning website into skatepark
live in Joburg(short film that inspired District 9)

Packaging sites:
http://www.packagingremedies.net/
http://www.thedieline.com/
http://www.coolhunting.com
http://lovelypackage.com
http://www.antilogic.co.za/
http://www.trendsnow.net/

Month's Top 10 Most-Liked, Most-Recalled New TV Spots

http://adage.com/article?article_id=138515

Creative Directors and Gender

http://adage.com/brightcove/lineup.php?lineup=1266084202
•"Why are there more men entering the creative field?"
•Mad Men is written by women mostly
•one Twitter responder said: "It's walking the tightrope of being confident, speak up, get respect - while still being feminine enough to not be seen as overaggressive or over-affecting our manner"
•Debbie Klein - "Good ideas have no genitals"

Vick's Return to NFL Casts Light on Corporate Sponsorships

Sponsors Stick With Eagles, but Did Team Owe Them Any Advance Warning of Signing?
By Rich Thomaselli
http://adage.com/article?article_id=138535

"Our partnership includes a variety of community-related initiatives and reinforces our focus on supporting civic, cultural and educational programs in all the communities where we operate. We have no role in Eagles operations, including personnel decisions." Lincoln Financial committed $140 million over 20 years in 2002 for naming rights to the stadium.

Surprisingly, there has been little public backlash so far. Less than 10 season ticket-holders have canceled, and other than a call for a boycott of sponsors on the website sackvick.net, there has been little hostility shown toward the Eagles' corporate sponsors. (sackvick.net, what a horrible website! the design is bad, the posts are immature, Example: "Its one thing for companies to purchase suites from the Eagles for business but another to take their kids to a game to cheer for an ex-felon guilty of torturing and killing dogs. So we would also like to know if Suite Holders will continue to take their kids and families to the game.")

Everything is related... this goes along with the article I read yesterday about the value of sports brands -
Six of Forbes Top 10 Most Valuable Sports Franchises in the world are NFL teams.
1. Manchester United $1.8B
2. Dallas Cowboys $1.6
3. Washington Redskins $1.5
4. New England Patriots $1.32
5. New York Yankees $1.3
6. Real Madrid $1.29
7. Arsenal $1.2
8. New York Giants $1.18
9. New York Jets $1.17
10. Houston Texans $1.17

•MLB wouldn't allow Michael Vick on the field because MLB is "America's past time" and an "affordable family sport" that generates the majority of its revenue from licensing and ticket sales.
•Vick is a good fit for a league dedicated to beating-itself every year by rolling with the punches and pulling out all the stops.
•In an odd way, he is now in a similar position as his canine victims. He has to perform every time. If he fails early on, there won't be room for him in the NFL.

Target Says It's Poised to Raise Second-Half Marketing Spending

As a designer, I mused.. how are quarters broken up? how exactly does this fiscal year thing work?

•The fiscal year is the accounting period of the federal government. It begins on

October 1 and ends on September 30 of the next calendar year. Each fiscal year is

identified by the calendar year in which it ends and commonly is referred to as “FY.” For

example, FY2003 began October 1, 2002, and ends September 30, 2003.

•Beginning with FY1977, the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (Section 501 of P.L. 93-

344, currently codified at 31 U.S.C. 1102) changed the fiscal year to its current cycle.

•For example, the United States government fiscal year for 2009 ("FY09", sometimes written "FY08–09") is as follows:

• 1st Quarter: October 1, 2008 – December 31, 2008
• 2nd Quarter: January 1, 2009 – March 31, 2009
• 3rd Quarter: April 1, 2009 – June 30, 2009
• 4th Quarter: July 1, 2009 – September 30, 2009

http://www.rules.house.gov/Archives/98-325.pdf

Target:

The move comes as execs say the retailer is finally gaining traction in its fight to convince consumers that it's just as cheap as rival Walmart. Part of that strategy has included the introduction of a "low-price promise."

Designed for Summer Reading by Holly Willis

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/designed-for-summer-reading
Ellen and Julia Lupton’s Design Your Life: The Pleasures and Perils of Everyday Things (St. Martin’s Griffin)

Advertising without posters is like fishing without worms.

We're one of the oldest working letterpress print shops in America, and over the years our posters have featured a host of country music performers ranging from Hall of Famers Hank Williams, Bill Monroe and Johnny Cash to present-day stars Garth Brooks, Wynonna Judd and Shania Twain.
Advertising without posters is like fishing without worms.
- The Hatch Brothers

•We've done it all without losing that irresistible appeal of turn-of-the-century Hatch posters used to promote vaudeville, circus and minstrel shows across the country.
•Find out who our clients are today - Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Nike, Taylor Guitars, Jack Daniel's, Pizza Hut, Oxford University Press and the band in your home town.

Details from video:
http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/multimedia-video.aspx?cid=3966
Manager: Jim Sheraden, been around since 1879, 10 employees & interns from all over, everything done letterpress by hand, balance responsibilities as designer and printers with responsibility to the heritage of the shop - has museum, wooden & lead type to typeset posters, at least a week from beginning to end on job, 7 presses in the shop, posters as ad and as commemorative item, 50,000 people visit a year & 500 plus jobs per year


Why is shop so popular? heritage, distinct imagery - combo of old woodblocks (doesn't introduce new typefaces) & carving new blocks all the time, very organic
•collages from the archive - "monoprints"(each one is unique) "preservation through production"

Then & Now

History of HSP: http://www.countrymusichalloffame.com/site/experience-hatch-history.aspx

From their very first print job - a handbill announcing the appearance of Rev. Henry Ward Beecher (brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe), the Hatch Brothers got the look right. Here was the simplicity, the effortless balance between type size and style, vertical and horizontal layout. Here too was the distinct whiff of American history, Southern culture and entertainment.

www.randomcollective.com will launch later this year

Random Collective • Orba Squara

You use a ton of different typefaces to convey Mitch’s observations and lyrics throughout the piece. How did you select what to use where? And how much of the lettering was of your own creation (you contributed to the book Hand Job)?

Cabaco: The landscape around us was definitely a reason behind the type choices, and the emotions of the writing as well. All the hand-drawn type is of our own creation. Some type is of our own creation, but crafted on the computer; others we bought from various type companies.

All the hand-drawn type was done by us and was heavily influenced by what we were seeing everyday. Some roughs, sketches and notes for the illustrations were drafted during the trip and then drawn and detailed later.

I took almost 30,000 photos during the trip, and we have lots more illustrations and hand-drawn type we ultimately had to leave out.

Are you at all concerned that web users won’t have the attention span for a 430-ft. scroll?

I really love this piece! The hand-drawn type is fanatic with this innovative idea of a scrolling story. I can't wait for the website to launch!

Band on the Run: An Interview with José Cabaco

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/band-on-the-run-an-interview-with-jose-cabaco

Mitch Davis, aka Orba Squara, decided to do in advance of his sophomore release, The Trouble with Flying. Earlier this year, Davis—whose song “Perfect Timing” has been used ubiquitously in Apple iPhone ads—got on a bus withRandom Collective—designer José Ricardo Cabral Cabaco and his merry collaborators—to visit 10 cities across the country in 10 days, while Cabaco and crew documented the trip.

orbasquara.com

Pantheon for a Flawed Species by Ralph Caplan

http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/pantheon-for-a-flawed-species

interesting article - not what I expected it to be from the title

How Sports Brands Create Brand Fanatics

by Barry Silverstein

http://www.brandchannel.com/features_effect.asp?pf_id=490

•Incredibly, Wakefield writes, “identification with a sports team seems to shield against the potential consequences of death…evidence suggests that one’s identification and involvement with a sports team in some ways makes the highly identified fan feel immortal.” Now that’s the ultimate in brand loyalty.

•In their book, The Elusive Fan, authors Irving Rein, Philip Kotler and Ben Shields say competition among sports brands for market share is increasingly intense because of fragmentation.

They believe there are six distinct sports sectors vying for fans’ attention: older sports (such as European soccer and Major League Baseball), reemerging older sports (such as cricket, rugby and golf), school sports (high schools, youth development teams and the like), new sports (extreme sports and paintball, for example), declining older sports (such as boxing and horse racing) and sporting goods (including team merchandise and sports equipment).

•must also broaden their star power mix to include facilities, food, teams, places, events, and individuals, such as owners, who have not been a part of the storyline.

July 2009 issue of SportsPro magazine ranking:

European team property:

1.Ferrari Formula One team US$ 1.55 billion.

2. Manchester United US$ 1.495 billion

American sports brands, top four in the ranking:

1. NFL 2. MLB 3. NBA 4. NASCAR

5. FIFA World Cup, valued at US$ 1.7 billion

But the big surprise was the two-year-old Indian Premier League (cricket), the newest property in the top ten, valued at US$ 1.6 billion.

Yankees organization announced it would market its own grass: Yankees Sod.

Does the Barbie brand represent modern feminine identity?

http://www.brandchannel.com/forum.asp?bd_id=106

•Barbie is a vessel through which girls pretend, just as boys play with action figures trying to take over the earth. (Forgive the gender stereotyping.) Are these boys doomed to be villainous grown-ups? C'mon... •I think Mattel is wise to target women, rather than girls, with the Barbie's 50th campaign, because they understand better than anyone that Barbie isn't just a plastic doll but a cultural icon of fashion, girlhood and relevance through continued reinvention I hate comments like this: "Barbie is the archetypal embodiment of luxury, desire and envy. She goes to Aspen for a ski trip, drives in her convertible, camps out of a lush RV in the savannah, goes horseback riding, wining and dining, or clubbing. She dresses lavishly, is aware of her sex appeal and thus surrounded by attractive men. It’s a dream of a lifestyle. And all the while she has that soft but somewhat arrogant look on her face, challenging your ability to be what she is. Isn’t this exactly the definition of luxury – exclusive opulence provoking a toxic mix of desire and envy?" OK of course Barbie embodies luxury - what else would a doll you PLAY with do? Embody "austerity, economy, frugality, necessity" (the antonyms of luxury) - what's the fun in that? I mean who dreams about being less than they are, don't we all dream of being more and Barbie is that dream for little girls - she can go anywhere and do anything. She is an element of your imagined world as a child, so why wouldn't she have luxury - a thing soooo darn priced by our society?

on the brand of NASA, debate

http://www.brandchannel.com/forum.asp?bd_id=111

Is NASA’s brand lost in space?

• A brand is at its best when it promises to do something. There is no promise from NASA right now, at least no specific promise. In the 60s, NASA promised us we'd make it to the moon. Then they promised we'd have a space station, a shuttle system, etc. Right now, there's no promise. They are in a state of flux, awaiting the next mission. NASA's plight affects us differently because NASA is US. It is a direct extension of the will of the American people, and right now, we're not willing NASA to be our hero. As for the future, that's going to be contingent on setting an actual goal. Tim Johnson, President, Coactive Brand Lab - August 3, 2009

•Keep in mind however, that the NASA brand requires billions, if not trillons of dollars annually to maintain the hype. It is better to not promise anything at all than to promise and fail to deliver. NASA should focus their brand on a new promise only when they have the means and ability to deliver. Lauren Hughes, Brand Analyst, Brandvelope Consulting - August 3, 2009

•Today, co-operation - yes, I mean co-branding - with other nations in a common cause like environmental issues might be a better tack.If NASA were our scientific and technological problem solver for the one issue of global warming, and was the focal point of a world wide effort to find polution-free technologies, the brand would again shine. Martin Jelsema, CEO, Signature Strategies - August 3, 2009 ...I wish that I felt about NASA the way my Dad does, about outer space as an exciting possibility for our nation, however it simple isn't the case in our generation. I agree that NASA needs to become a brand that again captures the hearts and hopes of Americans. Without the motivation to care about the 'brand', no one keeps up with what NASA is doing. I don't believe they have to wait until the next big mission to get people interested, but young people need to have a clear understanding of what NASA does and a sense of the 'brand' it is to get behind it. NASA does need to update itself, so when you think of NASA you think of the future and emerging technology, not the glory days in the 1960s and 70s. I've never been very much into space, but I hope NASA can again get us Americans behind them.

Big Food Corporations, branding

http://www.brandchannel.com/start1.asp?fa_id=491 •Indeed, the most obvious lesson of the movie is one for the logo designers of the branding world: It’s time to rethink the archetypal logo of the red barn and pastoral farm scene. •The picket fence and the silo and the 1930s farmhouse and the green grass. The reality is…it’s not a farm, it’s a factory. That meat is being processed by huge multi-national corporations that have very little to do with ranches and farmers,” argues Michael Pollan, author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma. •Yet despite the fact that Perdue and Tyson sell a good bulk of their food through Walmart, the nation’s number-one grocery retailer, Walmart ends up being portrayed as relatively clean—in part because, unlike other brands (including Tyson and Perdue), Walmart talked.

shall this be my design blog / online bookmarks now?

sounds good to me! :)

half an hour til I set off for home!

I'm so excited! I went to sleep this evening at 8pm and woke up at 1am.. the only alarm I had was on my phone from home & I wasn't sure the alarm would work, but I magically woke up right before 1am & then my alarm went off! I guess I'm just that excited & ready to come home (well I love Vienna and I've loved this trip... but I am loving Zach more and can't wait to see him!)! So, for the past 3 hours or so I have been talking to Zach, finishing packing, getting ready & figuring out for sure how to get to the airport. My flight leaves at 7:25am & I should be there an hour and a half before (at 6am). The tram in front of my dorm doesn't start until 5:30am, so I am either taking a taxi or walking to Kagraner Platz to catch the Ubahn at 4:58am.. then catch the CAT train to the airport at 5:38 am, which only takes 16mins & ta-da! I will be at the airport by 6am! Right now I am just killing time until I leave my dorm to walk/find a taxi.. I might end up taking a taxi all the way to Landstrasse (where the CAT is) if it isn't too expensive. I have right at 20Euro on me and I need 9Euro for the CAT. ahhh I'm excited!!

For my last day here in Vienna I went and gave Holger (my instructor) the phone back I borrowed from him, went to the market and went and saw the show:

Das Porträt. Fotografie als Bühne ("The Portrait. Photography as a Stage.")

Von Robert Mapplethorpe bis Nan Goldin ("from Mapplethorpe to Goldin")
at Kunsthalle... it was a really great show.. I got to see a lot of the photographers I am interested in, especially Nan Goldin & Sally Mann. The show dealt with the conceptual nature of portrait photography in contemporary art since the 1980s.
At the Naschmart I bought some gifts for you all!! :) I'm very excited about my purchases! It was rainy all day today, I mean storming pretty bad & only about 60degrees, so it wasn't the best day for going around to sites, but it was a good day to end on I think.. the rain let me be a little lazy & not worry about trying to get around to stuff I hadn't seen yet.


above: the work of Sally Mann

Ok! now after writing this post, it's only 15 minutes til I set out on my journey! See you all soon! love!

Tomorrow!

I just woke up at 8:15am here & I am going to see Zach tomorrow night! I'm so excited! Here's what I'm up to today.. going to the Naschmart (outdoor market & flea market), going to see the show Sally Mann is in at the Kunsthalle, check out a few last sites I wanted to see.. ya know.. just a church, a palace, the usual. Then tonight to pack!

Back in Vienna from Venice!

hi family!

It's 1am & we just got back to Vienna from Venice... so I will call you tomorrow (Friday) mom! love you and see you in two days & one week! :) I took over 600 pictures in Venice!!! (although most of them were of art pieces...) 2 days til I'm back in St. Louis! more on Venice tomorrow! kisses!

Leaving for Venice tomorrow morning!

Hi loved ones-

I am leaving for Venice with my class tomorrow morning at 6:23am from Vienna! yikes!
We will be returning to Vienna at 11pm Thursday, July 12. In the meantime we will be exploring Venice & attending the Venice Biennale ( http://www.labiennale.org/en/Home.html if you want to check it out).

I won't have my computer with me, so you won't hear from me until Thursday. In case of Emergency, here is some contact info:

Jeff Hughes (class instructor): 447545720096
(might have to dial 011 first to get out of the states or something)

Where we are staying in Venice:
Hotel Wildner
website: http://www.veneziahotels.com/uk/w_description.htm

Praterstern w/ Venice class (the dinousaur fun house!)

The Venice class had a meeting at Jeff Hughes' apartment last night & then we went to a gallery & over to Praterstern. At Praterstern we went to a South American restaurant (where I felt more at home here than I have all month! & had awesome empanadas!) & then rode the rides. Morgan, Yu & Sarah went on some crazy rides, but I just did the laying-down one again & then we went into a Dinosaur Fun House! sooo awesome!! My camera was dying, but here are the pics I got!


South American restaurant

Rebecca & Robert each got two racks of ribs!!


Hallo Wien!! ha! (in German in actually means "Hello Vienna!")
& the Risenrad! ...a famous symbol of Vienna


The gang in a fun house

watching Sarah & Annie on a spinny-ride


The Dinosaur fun house!!! soo awesome! .. the pic on the right is little moving dinosaurs that made little dinosaur noises!

Inside the fun house.. the strangest thing I have ever been in. The Trex is attacking!!



crazy ride Sarah & Yu went on...