“…the Apple logo is no longer on the Command key on the new keyboards” – John Gruber

Looks like I have 2 options:

1. Never change keyboards, and in fact, dig up and old Apple II with the ‘closed Apple’ key – just to keep it real.
2. Print up an lifetime supply of ‘open apple’ stickers for placing on the Command key of every new keyboard I see.

UPDATE:
Here’s the Wikipedia entry on the Apple’s Command Key, including the rise and fall of the ‘closed’ or ‘solid’ Apple key (spoiler: it became ‘Option’). According to that entry, between ’84 and ’86, there were no apple keys on the keyboard.

• From the Old Intel Inside Logo
  
• To the New Intel Logo
  

Unlike the icon that is Kodak’s logo, Intel’s redesign is a much-needed modernization.Notice the dropped ‘e’ of the original Intel mark is gone. But, the most recognizable element from the “Intel Inside” brand – the unfinished brush-stroke circle – has been preserved. Transformed into arguably the best looking swoosh this side of 1999.

You know of any other examples of campaign marks that have been incorporated into owner’s brand?

FreeBSD needs a logo. FreeBSD, if you don’t know, is an open source, UNIX-like operating system based typically used to run web servers. Whenever I bring up open source software with the more ‘visual design’ centric folks, I’m inevitably meant with a series of groans of ‘but it’s so ugly/unusable/clunky/it’s not Photoshop’ replies. Well, here’s your chance to ‘pretty up’ a small part of the growing open source world.

As a bonus, they seem to have a somewhat decent (albeit, basic) specification document and, they’re also tossing in a $500 prize.

Yesterday, while doing some testing on Jen’s computer, I hit Amazon and to my surprise, I saw the new, more text-based header. Back on my machine, still the old header full of tabs.

My sister said she gets the simplified interface after signing-in.

About a year ago, I heard a rumor Amazon was experimenting with a more CSS and text-based header. I’m happy to see it out in the world – if only on a trial basis.

At a young age, I learned two things from watching these programs:

1. Acronyms can tell you who the bad guys are.
2. The group with the nefarious acronym never wins.

You can understand my disappointment when I received an email from the Minnesota Environmental Action Network.

Now you may ask yourselves…

How did they achieve this? What was their thought behind it all? Think Minnesota. Think Dialog. Think Community.

View a PDF of the thinking behind the identity.

Huh?

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Date: Wednesday, April 13th
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Topic: Marketing in a Crowded Marketplace
Game: Timberwolves vs. Warriors
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more information at the Timberwolves site

That’s what I learned watching Front Line’s – The Persuaders.

It’s a fantastic and accurate – from what I’ve heard being 1 step removed – illustration of the panic within the advertising world on a national – if not global – level.

At the end of the 90 minute show, I was left with a distinct feeling that advertisers were completely disconnected from those they serve – both their clients and their client’s customers.

If we overlay the Cathedral and Bazaar metaphor on advertising. The big, multi-national ad agencies are in fact cathedrals. Expensive, disconnected, and inconsistent (both in value and effectiveness).

Where as other channels like this weblog, podcasting, and other participatory media. Like those Dan Gillmor talks about in We the Media are the Bazaar. Completely embedded into the events, relevant (therefore valuable) to the people involved, sustainable, and cheap.