RockBlog

I noticed over the past few months that Old Navy (I work there) has been redesigning its marketing campaign style. The credit card, tags, signage, TV spots and credit applications have all been redesigned with a more professional, modern, expensive feel. This is because they are trying to break away from just being a value player and try to compete with brands like Aero, Hollister, and Wet Seal. It's interesting to note that the fashions they carry have also become more edgy and fashion-forward. It seems like design trends often go along with fashion trends...For example punky/paint splattered clothes and deconstructed-looking design.
Link to article
Another one
A picture of some of the new style

Lately I've noticed the large number of pages on MySpace that have so many "customize your MySpace" bells and whistles that they become almost useless at conveying the kind of information for which the site was originally intended.

These pages are so dense with animations, videos, transparencies, background patterns...And most of these things seem to be chosen without little thought to how they will relate to anything else. It's impulse shopping.

MySpace customizers have become a cottage industry and offer countless ways to "personalize" your layout. And it's not just MySpace that offers the consumers a way to "express" themselves. Cell phone cases and iPod cases are examples that I can think of from the top of my head.

Is this good? I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. I could never fault anyone for making their space their own space. The one problem I do have with it is I think all these efforts to "express" one's identity get in the way of an accurate portrait. What we get to see is a collection of impulses. And I'm not sure they add up to a cohesive message.

But maybe that's what the message is. Maybe we can't get a good handle on what these people are about because they themselves aren't sure either. Perhaps all these impulsive choices are experiments.

So, yeah, these pages make it very hard to find the kind of information MySpace is set up to give, but I think we wind up with a deeper portrait of something we ca all relate to. We ave all, at one time or another, been confused about who we are and where we fit. These pages can serve as a reminder of that time, or as a signal to those still going through it that they are not alone.

I don't watch TV very often, but when I do I have been noticing Apple's new Ipod ads.
One reason these stood out more than the next ad is their simplicity. Simplistic in details, they are active and put together very well. Whited out people dance around with their Ipods, while different colors and designs play in the background. Even Apple's print advertising displays this energy. Overall, a very effective method of capturing my attention.