The Des Moines Egotist RSS Feed

#ShitToHit: Market Day is tomorrow

The Des Moines Egotist — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:54 +0000

Local

We have to say, we love the video producer Kathy Landin made for Market Day's latest show.

"Make. Market. Love." That sounds good to us.

Facebook says Market Day is on Saturday from 8 AM to 1 PM in the Kirkwood Building downtown. See you there.

The LARPing League

The Des Moines Egotist — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:00:54 +0000

National

Great posters, killer concept, nicely designed, and simple. Sends the message that all one needs do to get started is show up.

Via.

Maha Music Festival puts a bird on it

The Des Moines Egotist — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:41:19 +0000

Local

First off, who else is going to MAHA this August? The Flaming Lips are headlining. Sure, they played DSM a couple years ago -- but they have a new album and an always-entertaining show.

Okay, now to the real news: MAHA has a new identity, made by Omaha shop Oxide Design.

Of the rebrand, they say:

[We] looked to evoke the lore of the Maha while simultaneously capturing the festival’s key elements: pride, place, and independence. We found the perfect solution in the great chief of the Maha, Chief Blackbird. The Maha were the most powerful Native American tribe of the Great Plains — a people whose name inspired our city’s, and then the festival’s. Oxide developed a modern symbol for the Chief that hints at the visual style of the Plains Indians, but is still pure rock n’ roll.
— Oxide Design case study

Via Brand New from whom we totally ripped the title of this post.

Submit news and work to the Egotist

The Des Moines Egotist — Thu, 16 May 2013 12:00:54 +0000

Local

This site is run on the submissions of our betters. Using the form on this page, we actively encourage you to submit any information that will help make us the trusted creative resource for Des Moines. Please be as detailed as possible with the background and context for the information you’re sending.

Here are the kinds of things we like to get.

Des Moines Work – Local campaigns you love or hate, your own work you want to show off
Des Moines Talent – Individuals or groups who consistently put out amazing work
Des Moines Resource – Industry services, vendors or other secret weapons
Des Moines Event – Be as detailed as possible with links, dates and info you send.
General – New ideas, questions, challenges on where we’re heading

Zombie work safety PSA made by high school students

The Des Moines Egotist — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

Via.

Have you had your eyesight tested recently?

The Des Moines Egotist — Tue, 14 May 2013 14:15:22 +0000

National

Watch the video, then read on.

DraftFCB Toronto made this tricksy ad in conjunction with a tricksy poster equipped with speakers. Nice work! We at the Egotist are all good. You?

Via.

Anti-Abuse Ad’s Secret Message to Children Accompanied By Their Abusers

The Des Moines Egotist — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

Via.

Copycats have no soul

The Des Moines Egotist — Mon, 13 May 2013 14:15:22 +0000

National

“The problem with copycats is that honestly, they have no soul. It sounds silly to say that, but when you don’t have soul and you don’t have a reason for why you’re doing the things you’re doing, you’re always one step behind, and you never really connect with the consumer.”

— Everlane CEO Michael Preysman via.

Aaron Draplin's Iowa poster is here!

The Des Moines Egotist — Mon, 13 May 2013 12:41:19 +0000

Local

Well, the poster is at Domestica in the East Village. An image of the poster is here:

Via

Integer Launches Their New Site

The Des Moines Egotist — Thu, 09 May 2013 14:15:22 +0000

Local

We're a little late, but hat tip to Denver for seeing this first:

We're not exactly sure when this site launched, but two days ago Integer tweeted, "Something is new at integer.com." So we're assuming that was their soft announcement of the new site.

Maybe we haven't had enough coffee this morning, but we find the site oddly designed and quite difficult to navigate. There are many areas that feel like glorified PowerPoint presentations. We might be missing something — but for a global agency with 21 offices around the world, things don't feel completely cooked.

What do you think?

Lovely, simple ad for World Food Day

The Des Moines Egotist — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

Via

The Matrix as told by Mom

The Des Moines Egotist — Thu, 09 May 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

In advance of Mother's Day...and in favor of weird mom-understandings of movies, we share this video.

The rich, deep casserole of human experience

The Des Moines Egotist — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

In an increasingly connected world there’s a temptation to think that a nuanced understanding of people and places can be found online, through social media accounts, self-documentation, street views, and a number of services that put a stream of data out there— where consumers are, what they are listening to, what brands they like, and so on. But these are only the crumbs on the surface of the rich, deep, multilayered casserole of human experience, and the only way to slice straight through it is to travel and be in it.

-Jan Chipchase, Hidden in Plain Sight

Via.

Design Police stickers help passive-aggressively police poor design

The Des Moines Egotist — Wed, 08 May 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

Design Police have created a great visual enforcement kit made up of sticker templates that you can download, print and apply to help bring bad design to justice.

Typography in your work isn't for you. It doesn't matter if you like it.

The Des Moines Egotist — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

Typography in your work isn't for you. It doesn't matter if you like it. It doesn't matter if the committee likes it. After legibility, all that matters is what the recipient is reminded of. (And yes, it's fine if the typography reminds your viewer of nothing at all, at least if your goal is to create the awe of the totally new).

As usual, Seth Godin hits the nail on the head. Unusually, he speaks about graphic design. Read more here.

Daily Rituals: How Artists Work

The Des Moines Egotist — Tue, 07 May 2013 12:00:54 +0000

National

Daily Routines, the blog, is now Daily Rituals, the book.

Via.

Des Moines Register runs ‘Man Bites Dog’ headline

The Des Moines Egotist — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:54 +0000

Local

Via Poynter:

The Des Moines Register puts journalism education into practice.

Why not put your effort into making something beautiful?

The Des Moines Egotist — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:00:54 +0000

National

When I was a kid, my parents took us camping. At some point, they needed a break. (I think they wanted to hump in the camper.) Dad was clever. He asked who could run up a hill, fastest. Without even finishing his sentence, we were off—we never asked why.

The smart kids in The Valley have us doing the same. We chase follows, likes, and views, but fail to consider what to do upon getting them. While the value of these metrics may be questionable, achieving them is seen as a win. Few are wise enough to ask whether these numbers matter.

Having an audience can help you get paid and that’s good. Putting your focus solely on building a following is a fool’s game, though. This pursuit of recognition is boring, and a terribly crowded race.

While you have little control over others’ attention, you have full control of what you make. So, why not put your effort into building something beautiful? Doing so is infinitely more rewarding than bombarding friends with junk. The result may even be something you can promote—should you suffer the need to do so.

Via.

The best ads for Arrested Development's imminent return

The Des Moines Egotist — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

Now there is a market for deliberately making terrible ads and it works.

The Des Moines Egotist — Thu, 02 May 2013 19:05:22 +0000

National

"Shift It", via.

This is amazing. Come on, Des Moines, let's get on this trend.

You are officially awesome.

The Des Moines Egotist — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

...And you'll have the proof, as soon as you fill out this certificate for yourself.

Made by Jessica Hische.

The Designer Says

The Des Moines Egotist — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

We liked this post on Creative Review last week, highlighting a new book called The Designer Says:

Via.

IKEA reveals the dark side of lawn gnomes

The Des Moines Egotist — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us just show up and get to work.

The Des Moines Egotist — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

Via.

A disturbing and effective ad against driving and texting

The Des Moines Egotist — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 12:41:19 +0000

National

Whew. That's heavy. There are a couple more from the same campaign on Ad Teachings.