Small Farm Central; Rodarte For Target: The Morning After; 2009 Feltron Annual Report

• Farmers have enough to take care of, without adding web guru to the list. Enter Small Farm Central, a web service based in Pennsylvania that caters specifically to the farming community with features like the "Member Assembler" for managing CSA subscriptions. Simon Huntley, the founder, came up with the idea after managing the online presence of a small farm in Colorado and asking himself, "How can every farm have access to advanced web tools like these at a price that makes sense for the farm budget?" www.smallfarmcentral.com


• I couldn't wait to check out Rodarte's line of clothing for Target when it debuted last December and was relieved to find that my local store (unlike those in NYC or the online shop) was fully stocked with the looks. Fast forward two months and multiple racks of the clothing are now on deep discount. I wonder if Target would ever unload this stuff on eBay or is it doomed for the fashion graveyard?

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• Nicolas Felton has created a personal annual report since 2005. The 2009 edition of the Feltron (yes, he adds an "r") Report focuses on his "meaningful interactions" and is generated from data submitted by the people who were on the other side of said interactions. To view the report or pre-order a letterpressed version, visit: http://feltron.com/index.php?/content/2009_annual_report/P0/

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QR Code, Learn to Love It

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(wikipedia QR code)

Coding and design don't always mix. My curriculum in grad school included a class that was meant to teach us designers how to intellegently communicate to programmers in the hopes of bridging the divide between those who create the aesthetic look and feel and those who actually have to conjure it into a functional existence. 

So it makes sense that when code exists outside of web design, as in the form of a barcode, for instance, it's generally dealt with as a mandatory but loathed element that takes up space and distracts from the aesthetics of a product, and therefore ends up sitting on the edge of a label or in the corner of a package. (This is not to say that designers never make an effort to cleverly incorporate barcodes into a design; the company Vanity Barcodes even offers a varity of cute graphics for improved barcode integration.)

But if the present in Japan is the future in the States, print designers will soon be dealing with a whole new beast: QR (Quick Response) codes. Created by the Japanese company Denso-Wave in 1994, QR codes are 2-dimensional codes that house more information (a URL, a phone number, etc.) than a traditional barcode and can be read by cameras on mobile phones. And unlike barcodes, which are mainly used to streamline tracking and purchasing, QR codes can serve as promotional tools that up the ante by allowing users to instantly visit a specific URL via their smart phones.

Interactive marketing, however, can only be as technologically savvy as its target audience, so while American companies like McDonalds and Disney World use QR codes in their printed collateral for years in Japan, the code has yet to appear to the same degree here. Google recently announced it will pass out QR code window decals to 100,000 businesses deemed "Favorite Places on Google" and you can buy personalized QR codes on T-shirts and patches, but the code presentation hasn't started to look particularly cool yet, perhaps because they are still seen as souped-up barcodes, instead of creative elements in and of themselves. So back to Asia for the below examples from the creative agency SET Japan which prove that designers need not fear! QR codes will arrive but when they do, they can happily co-exist and even inspire engaging design. 
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QR code for Louis Vuitton, by SET Japan

Cokeqr

QR for Coke, by SET Japan

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QR for Frisk mints made out of Frisk mints, by SET Japan

Style.com Blogger Slams A Particularly Poor Promotional Choice

I keep thinking about the following post I read yesterday on style.com's Style File blog, written by Jon Connors, in which he calls out men's clothing designers Commonwealth Utilities for using military medals in its f/w 2010 show invite. There's just something so fundamental about Connors' reality check; I think it can be easy to forget that our creative ideas and products will ultimately exist within a larger context, which can end up making us look pretty self-absorbed and puny.

Rather than inadequately try to summarize, here's his entire post:

Stylefile

Monday Digest: AIGA Icograda Split; Maira Kalman; Logo News

• Last week AIGA President Richard Grefé posted an explanation for why the American design organization has decided to part ways with the International Council of Graphic Design Associations (Icograda). Apparently AIGA had initially joined Icograda in order to participate in the creation of an International Design Alliance. But, Grefé writes,

After four years of negotiations with the associations representing industrial designers and interior designers—our partners in the idea of the IDA—the Icograda board voted in October 2009 to create yet another task force to study the issue. This means that the multidisciplinary vision for design representation could not begin until after the 2011 General Assembly, and even then may take several more years—a timeframe we consider neither certain enough nor rapid enough to justify our continued support.

Grefé also outlined some other negatives, including cost of membership and a disagreement over who would get to be the Dungeon Master at the next meeting. Read the entire post here: http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/why-has-aiga-withdrawn-from-icograda

• Philadelphians take note: The first major museum retrospective of Maira Kalman's work is on now through June 6 at the Institute of Contemporary Art. As the museum web site states, "Like a gift, [Kalman's] work appears to lift the spirits, no matter how ordinary or overwhelming circumstances can be." The show will also travel to San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York.

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• This American Life has a new logo, thanks to design firm Number 17.

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Full analysis of the new look on Brand New.

• And speaking of logos, today the National Endowment for the Arts announced it will be accepting proposals for a logo to represent the phrase "Art Works." The winner will receive a government grant worth $25,000. Further details and submission information here: http://www.arts.gov/grants/apply/RFP/artworksdesign.html