This morning I came across a really fascinating article covering the debate over inexpensive online logo & "branding" companies by Doug Bartow (id29) via the Under Consideration design discussion blog Speak Up.

It highlights the ongoing debate of accessibility of design for all (income brackets) versus "...the devaluation of the design process altogether, particularly in brand development and identity design, which many consider the pinnacle of our field." – by cheapening the proverbial playing field.

In his field study of this issue, Doug commissions 4 different online companies to come up with logo options for a fictitious project and then analyzes and critiques the results. It is a good exploration of what you really get from these types of logo chop shops.

The Challenge: Hire four online logo design companies, give them the same visual identity problem to solve, then critique the results.

Take a look here.

Filip Noterdaeme, founder of the subversive Homeless Museum recently distributed hundreds of fliers for a discounted "sale" at the Louis Vuitton Store, a fully-functional handbag store inside the Murakami exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum of Art. Noterdaeme's mission statement explains "Juggling irreverence and sincerity, HoMu seeks to subvert the increasingly impersonal, market-driven art world and expose the sellout of cultural institutions to commerce, cronyism, real estate, and star architects."

"I am only suggesting visitors ask for a special discount... My goal with this action is to confer to museum visitors the absurdity of a bluntly commercial enterprise infiltrating an art museum." – Filip Noterdaeme

Too bad he didn't do this sooner, when the exhibit first opened (it closes on July 13th) – amidst throngs of museum goers, as the project probably would have had a bit more significance.

However, in some ways I think Noterdaeme is rather missing the entire point of Murakami's art which is addressing some of the same issues as he is, by playing upon the notion that distinct lines between art and consumerism cannot be drawn in the sand anymore. In today's society, popular culture and the commercial world already have their hands deep into the pockets of the modern art world. By partnering with Louis Vuitton and actually placing a store within his exhibition, he is already actively commenting on that inseparable consumerism by placing it directly in front of everyone's face.

What remains to be argued however, is that they are really two sides of the same coin – Noterdaeme is actively trying to fight consumerism in the art world (at face value), while Murakami instead tries a more subtle approach by embracing the consumer juggernaut and manipulating it for his own means.

Just in case you were wondering whether the Hadron Collider being tested right now at CERN has destroyed the world yet, you now have a handy website to go to check it out: http://hasthelargehadroncolliderdestroyedtheworldyet.com/

I love stumbling across creative applications of Google Maps, and TripWolf incorporates one of the coolest. It combines the GMap with Q&As (think Yahoo Answers), social networking (integrated with Facebook), and a wide breadth of information to create one of the coolest travel advisor sites out there. Just a quick look around gets great suggestions from users on sites all over the world, including tips from a destination's primary user (or "guru"). Check it out here.

From former Google employees comes Cuil, the newest super engine to hit the net. I took a quick look around, and so far I really like what I see. It has a great clean design (including the option to view your search results in 2 or 3 columns), and great smart options for sorting your data (a search of the term "Olympics" presented me with tabs for Winter Olympics, Special Olympics, Summer Olympics, and categories such as "2012 Summer Olympics" and "IOC Members"). Cuil also presents a much cleaner summary of each page (in a small paragraph) than its competitors. I wonder if this will prompt enough people to make the switch over from Google...I think I'm convinced.

Last Saturday ,  there was an opening of a group exhibition featuring commissioned works by 130 something artists at Jonathan LeVine Gallery in Chelsea.

I didn't want to go because it was storming like crazy!!  However, the gallery was packed with so many people.

All the artists got a 7” x 5” wooden panel, and those artworks created a single continuous work. I liked some paintings a lot. But some were just crappy things and the price were like $600....?!  I don't know what Art is!

At least, I got free beer-.

http://jonathanlevinegallery.com/?method=Exhibit.ExhibitDescription&ExhibitID=FB86C9CC-19DB-5802-E0C4211518300C5B

The designs for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing have been revealed, called "Fuwa" (below). It's being reported in the WSJ that even the mascots' designer doesn't want to take responsibility if these don't go down in history as iconic Olympic mascots.

Not that the Fuwa have been the only controversial mascots; since its inception at the Munich games in 1972, the Olympic mascot has always been a source of debate (more mascots below after the jump). The article goes on to state how the Fuwa may be the result of "Too Many Chefs" syndrome and a bureaucratic backlog, a challenge in trying to create an iconic image representing 1.3 billion people and their history - the five Fuwa were pared down from over 1,000 sketches submitted by the artist.

Not sure what I think about them...any thoughts?

Continue reading to see some other mascots from past Olympics...

The first Olympic mascot - Waldi (Munich 1972)

Cobi (Barcelona 1992)

Izzy (Atlanta 1996)

Syd, Ollie, and Millie (Sydney 2000)

Athena and Phevos (Athens 2004)

French techno duo Justice has just about the coolest music videos on the planet. This one, for DVNO, incorporates some of the most iconic logo typefaces and designs from our childhoods. Check it out and prepare to be rocked.

Also check out D.A.N.C.E. (one of my favorites of all time).

The Cannes International Advertising Festival has announced its Grand Prix winners, and interactive and viral campaigns have, for the first time, presented as a force to be reckoned with. Japanese retailer Uniqlo and an infectiously viral (and sort of weird) video of a Gorilla playing drums for Cadbury both won Grand Prix awards, among others. Check out the run down on Wired.

A little while back, AOL site Spinner.com, posted the top 25 band logos "of all time" (personally, which I think is still up for debate).

Which reminded me of another site, http://pictograms.blogspot.com/ which has been archiving a huge collection of band logos, fonts, and iconography as well.

I am a member of AIGA!! (The Professional Association for Design)
I got an invitation for the exhibition, " 50 books/50 covers of 2007". Since I am designing the 4corners new book i felt these book covers might help me to get inspiration.

This exhibition showcases selections from the “AIGA 50 Books/50 Covers” competition, which aims to identify the 50 best-designed books and book covers of the year. Selections were made by a distinguished jury and become part of the AIGA Design Archives, where images, full credits, project statements and jurors' comments for all selections are available.

Gallery hours:

Monday through Thursday: 11:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
Friday: 11:00 a.m–5:00 p.m.

Hilarious truth. Luckily we have already gotten our seats at the window.