“Hi, I’m Neil’s cameraphone and this week he’s kindly allowed me to write a post about some of the things he’s used me to document. Initially he scoffed at me, thinking it ridiculous that he would need a camera in a phone, but needless to say, in the same way he didn’t think sms/text messaging would ever catch on, he was proved completely and utterly wrong. Anyway, I digress. On with the pictures:”
“This is just one example of why graffiti in Art Colleges is generally of a much higher standard than anywhere else.”
“This was captured over the Christmas holidays, an omen for another troubling year for pedestrians in Glasgow, 2007? We hope not.”
“A classic example of idiot branding, outside the new HQ of Scottish Television (STV). These ‘seats’ are in the shape of the new STV logo designed by Elmwood. They don’t function as seats, as their flat solid top is unsuited to a city where wet is the default setting, and there’s no ergonomic or aesthetic consideration for the sitters comfort. And as a branding exercise, what does it say? To employees: even if you pop outside for a break you still have to sit on the goddam logo. To passers by: these are crap seats and this organisation views branding with a fetishism and obsession for repeat-motif’s not seen since the Third Reich.”
A plea to all concious designers: Purpose first, branding second. How many times have we commenced a project where the primary concern is fitting within/incorporating a ‘brand’ – with the actual purpose of the object (like who is this for? how will they use it? how can this print/object/website/whatever have a positive impact on their lives? how can we make it beautiful/useful/engaging?) negated to a secondary concern. These seats are a prime example, but there are many many more out there…’
You might want to check you have things correct before posting them. The branded seating outside STV were created by 442 design, Elmwood created the brand, not the furniture installation.
Though I was refering to Elmwood creating the brand (and the seats then being made from this brand mark), and had assumed the seating to be an idea of STV, I can see that the inclusion of Elmwoods name in the sentence would infer that they were responsible for the seating. The cameraphone apologises.
442 website: http://www.442design.com/