Bowl of Crazy

We are moved, finally. After an insane couple of days, a pointless interview, and 1000 dollars we are in NYC. We are still living out of boxes due to being in town only a couple of days before we came back down to MD for JJ's family Xmas. I start work soon and while I am really excited I am also nervous. Parker Posey came in while I was training and ordered a latte. I also passed Benjamin Pratt on my way to catch Vamoose bus.
I think that is going to happen a lot. I just hope I have enough to sense to not ask them, "hey, which show are you on again?" I worked the Brooklyn Craft Market this past weekend also and that was great. It was super cold, but really worth it and I am going to try and do it at least once a month in the spring. An actress from CSI: NY (who is not on it anymore..the latina with the really bad nose job) came and looked at baby clothes that the woman next to me was selling.
I am going to look into indoor craft fairs but I have a feeling that after Xmas people will stop buying stuff until they pay off their credit cards.
The newest issue of Barista Magazine came out and you can look at the whole issue on their website. The contributors page features a beauuuutiful picture of me courtesy of JJ.
And here is a little something to look at:

Epco

Yay
Epidemik Coalition blogged about the cards I did for Jorge! Buy their shit. They are awesome.

Lalalalala

Officially a blogger on The Dieline.
I will be posting twice a week (minimum).

AIDS is a gay problem

Here is the Communication Arts Advertising winner.....it looks cute enough from the outset until you look more closely at the center illustration. I am still dumbfounded that something like this could get into a magazine that has Amnesty International ads, War Child ads, UNICEF, and The Action Group for World Solidarity.

Stop the ignorance. Write a letter. This is the reason things like Prop 8 pass.

A Letter to the editor of CA

As visual communicators it is our duty to dispel myths and promote truth. If we are the ones spreading ignorance and bigotry then what good are we as communicators.
--------

Dear Editor

I received the most recent communication arts magazine Advertising Annual 49 and spent some quality time pouring over it as I usually do each month. However, this issue I came across something that bothered me. It was on page 13 and was an ad series done by DDB World Wide. The ads showed bugs getting ready to off themselves with bug killer for various reasons. While it was a cute idea one of ads was extremely offensive. It showed a bug lying in a hospital bed dying. I looked this over further and the chart on the bed said HIV Positive, the bug had a nose ring and choke collar, and on the night stand a picture of him with a "friend" wearing leather harnesses and nipple rings. I can believe that an anti gay and anti AIDS ad was running in Singapore but I cannot believe that Communication Arts would give it an award?! Not only was this ad extremely offensive, but it was inaccurate as people who are HIV positive are not necessarily gay and HIV does not mean one is going die. AIDS and HIV are very different things. These might seem like obvious statements, but if an ignorant and offensive ad like this can be made then apparently it is not obvious to everyone.
I would hope that in this day and age something like this would be vetoed in the brain storming period, but that was not the case. I am just truly surprised that this ad was chosen for an award. I know you have a very competitive entry process and I am surprised and saddened that this made it through your screening process.

Sincerely

Charrow
www.charrow.com

By Design

Interesting new designs I have noticed:

The Giant (and Stop & Shop) changed their logo. Their plastic bags have this icon in purple and it looks so simple, clean, and Japanese. The type face is custom and very sophisticated.
(I cannot say the same for the uniforms...the yellow looks flattering on no one and I have not seen the purple but these are not easy colors to wear.)

Eugene and Louise Bakery
Is an amazing looking bakery in Belgium. They marzipan characters are so well developed that I would have a hard time eating them for fear they might protest. I will definitely put it on my list of places to go.

Intelligentsia has newish packaging that I really love. The color fits in so well with the rebranded logo.

Bad taste of the week:
2008 Advertising Annual had an ad on page 13 for Sara Lee Singapore. The ad was created by DDB World Wide Pte Ltd (Singapore). I looked on their site and could not find the ad. There are three ads. All have illustrations of bugs getting ready to off themselves with bug killer for various reasons. One because its love had left it, the other because it had piles of overdue notices, and the last because it had a disease and was lying in a hospital bed. I did not really get what was going on in this last one until I looked more carefully. I observed: the bug is lying in a bed, his chart says HIV Positive, he has a nose ring and a choke collar on, there are pill bottles lining a shelf, and on the shelf is a photograph of him with another buddy and they are both wearing leather (leather daddy cross straps), nipple rings, and one has a police man's hat on. I can believe that an ad like this ran in Singapore, but I cannot believe that CA would give it an award. This is inaccurate and completely offensive. Poor taste is what comes to mind. The worst part is I have no idea what it is supposed to be selling. There is no description just the ad agency and the client. Who do I talk to about this? I will scan it in at a later time to make this point understood more fully.
More to come as I continue to look and not buy many things.