Larsen Idealog

Praise

Steve Carlson — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:44:30 +0000

No, no—it's not what you think. This isn't another blog about how wonderful the iPhone is (note, however, that the iPhone is wonderful). This is about something Apple has done that, in my eyes at least, seems not to have been given too much recognition: the redesign of Apple's website. The site is about as intuitive as most of Apple's products and utilizes a lot of fluid motion and none of it uses Flash, which is pretty amazing. I would encourage you to take a look around yourself. –>

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Gwyneth Dwyer — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:34:04 +0000

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I found on Wikkepedia this information about peppers.

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The

Joshua Smith — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:32:38 +0000

Where would we be without Steven Heller? We’d be at least 100 books short on sometimes humorous, always accurate information about design and visual culture. Steve will be in St. Paul at the Minnesota History Center (thanks to the CVA Leaders of Design Series) signing his books and regaling us with design history, witticisms, and predictions for our technological future—7 PM on Thursday, November 1. You can register now. And while you’re waiting for his visit, check out these appealing titles—New Vintage Type: Classic Fonts for the Digital Age and Stylepedia: A Guide to Graphic Design Mannerisms, Quirks, and Conceits—all found at hellerbooks.com.

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The

Heather Olson — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:32:28 +0000

Where would we be without Steven Heller? We’d be at least 100 books short on sometimes humorous, always accurate information about design and visual culture. Steve will be in St. Paul at the Minnesota History Center (thanks to the CVA Leaders of Design Series) signing his books and regaling us with design history, witticisms, and predictions for our technological future—7 PM on Thursday, November 1. Register now. And while you’re waiting for his visit, check out these appealing titles—New Vintage Type: Classic Fonts for the Digital Age and Stylepedia: A Guide to Graphic Design Mannerisms, Quirks, and Conceits—all found at hellerbooks.com.

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Giving

Nick Zdon — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:22:43 +0000

156 years ago today Moby Dick by Herman Melville was published with limited support from America's literary critics.

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Free-form

Heather Olson — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:09:48 +0000

Spring 2008 is still feeling a bit like winter to us Minnesotans. For a cool look at hot font design, check out NoMak, a free downloadable font that I helped create using a snow scraper in February. I was one of a dozen typophiles participating in a frigid outdoor session with renowned type designer Chank Diesel as part of the MSU Mankato ByDesign Student Conference.

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the

Gwyneth Dwyer — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:41:51 +0000

We’ve made a decision to retire this blog. It’s been a great experience to post and share, and all of us at Larsen thank you for your readership.

If you’d like to stay current on our work — and our point of view — please check out our inSights eNewsletter. You’ll find articles on marketing, branding, naming, design, packaging, creativity, and more.

All the best…

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where

Michelle Solie — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:10:55 +0000

When you look into it, it is a bit shocking. Or at least it was to me. Here is something to consider when you reach for a bottle of water.

What is the real cost? — numbers based on 2006 information

+ PRODUCING BOTTLES (approximately 17 million barrels of oil used + 2.5 tons of CO2 produced)
+ WATER (it takes 3 liters of water to produce 1 liter of bottled water)
+ TRANSPORTATION (shipping empty and full by truck, boat, plane, train)
+ COOLING (store and home)
+ BOTTLE RECOVERY (Recycled: less than 25%, sent to Landfills/dumps: an estimated 75% , or 6.5 billion+ lbs. per year)

How does that break down —The Pacific Institute estimates that the energy used to produce a single bottle of water (on average) is the equivalent of filling that same bottle 1/4 full of oil. Though numbers vary from article to article the gist is the same. The taste of water from a water cooler or a faucet can be even more refreshing when you know the facts.

For more information search for "the real cost of bottled water" or check out the links below.

sfgate.com

environmentalgraffiti.com

askpablo-exotic-bottled-water

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Undeniable

Gwyneth Dwyer — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:56:19 +0000

Imagine cruising to work in this 1967 Mustang convertible. That’s what Larsen’s new director of business development, Jim Madson, does. "It has a 289 V8 with a single-barrel carburetor, duel exhaust, and in-dash factory air," says Jim. "It’s a three-speed automatic with factory console wire-wheel covers, hood scoops with blinkers, and a luggage rack — and it's a totally rust-free survivor.”

Jim says Al Hagen from Yesterday’s Autos calls it “one of the best examples of a 1967 Mustang he has ever seen.”

Jim’s other car?

Are you surprised to hear it’s not a minivan? Try a 1964 Valiant 200 convertible with a 225 Slant-6, a bench seat, and an AM transistor radio.

We’re talking supercharged style here. And fuel-injected fun.

Just like Jim.

So all of us are wondering… Do new Larsen clients get a spin?

(Thanks to Peter de Sibour, Larsen Design Director, for the Mustang photo. Check out the Larsen Design photostream on flickr for more great car images in Peter’s series “Up Close and Shiny.”)

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The Perils of Problematic Punctuation

John Andreini — Tue, 27 May 2008 21:54:30 +0000

National Punctuation Day is four months away, but there are “signs” everywhere that we should celebrate this unique learning opportunity more often than once a year. How about once a week?

Unlike misspelled words, which we usually recognize immediately, incorrect punctuation often results in a double take. You know something’s wrong, but it can take a moment to figure out what it is. Punctuation problems often result in a misplaced emphasis that can turn a serious warning into an unintended joke. In the example here, from The “Blog” of “Unnecesarry” Quotation Marks, the apostrophes used as quotation marks force the reader to question the sincerity of the store’s dedication to both crime prevention and public safety. It works if the sign were meant to be sarcastic or snarky, but that seems unlikely.

Don’t wait for National Punctuation Day (September 24th) to check and double check your punctuation. After all, no one wants to be ‘misinterpreted.’

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