Notes
Experience the Rainbow That Never Ends
![BEGIN [Detail]](/assets/skittles.png)
When does a design cross the line from ‘inspiration’ to… something a little less comfortable than ‘inspiration’?
Some might call it ‘influence’, some might it call it ‘theft’; one thing is certain, a fine line is all that separates the two.
Honda discovered this in 2003, when Wieden+Kennedy’s award winning Honda advertisement Cog was widely accused of plagiarism, due to its similarities to Swiss artists Fischli and Weiss’s 1987 fine art film Der Lauf der Dinge. The accusations were widespread, and not unfounded, with Creative Review interviewing the Swiss artists who insisted they would never have given their permission to use their work as inspiration:
Of course we didn’t invent the chain reaction … but we did make a film the creatives of [Cog] have obviously seen. We feel we should have been consulted over the making of this advertisement.
Companies have asked us [for] their permission to use the film on several occasions, but for this reason we have always said no.
Though Fischli and Weiss never filed a lawsuit against Wieden+Kennedy or Honda UK, aware that there was little hope of success under UK copyright law, it’s worth noting that the advertising agency eventually admitted to, “copying a sequence of weighted tires rolling uphill.” The controversy surrounding the work was blamed for ultimately denying Cog a Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.
What goes around comes around.
There’s no question that Skittles’ Experience the Rainbow web site, just launched by digital creative agency Big Spaceship, is a very well crafted piece of work, and the metaphor of “experiencing the rainbow” fits well with Skittles’ strapline.
However, there’s equally no question that it bears more than a passing resemblance to Poke London’s award winning 2007 web site for Orange, Good Things Should Never End.
At the heart of both sites is the idea of a web page never ends; a simple idea, arguably, but one that - when well executed - creates a talking point, or social object, that the brand can use to generate a conversation, raising brand awareness. A social object with considerable value.
Poke London’s ‘Good Things Should Never End’, created for Orange UK’s ‘Speak Easy’ pay as you go mobile plan, was shortlisted for a number of awards for its creativity, highlighted in the Interactive category of The Brit Insurance Design Awards 2008. The idea was simple, as Poke state:
You don’t always have to go over the top wrapping up your ideas in loads and loads of complicated messaging. Quite often, the simple ideas are the best ones.
A never ending web page felt like a good, simple idea. The kind of thing that the world would like to see. So we made it.
The design also centred around a ‘rainbow’, as Poke put it, “There’s a rainbow in the TV ad. That’s integration.” Simple. Ingenious. Effective.
Three years later…
You might be forgiven for experiencing déjà vu. Big Spaceship’s ‘Experience the Rainbow’ web site for Skittles, whilst well executed, seems all too familiar with the user scrolling down a never ending web page as they ‘taste the rainbow’. Coincidence?
A never ending web page? A never ending web page that’s also a rainbow?
Where does ‘inspiration’ begin and ‘inspiration’ end? You decide.
MailChimp 5.0
![MAILCHIMP 5.0 [Detail]](/assets/mailchimp_five.jpg)
MailChimp celebrates Version 5.0 with a lovely new microsite, breaking out of the box (and boldly going…). In their own words: “Now you can be anywhere on the planet, any time you want.”
Daily Drop Cap Prints
![Daily Drop Cap Prints [Detail]](/assets/daily_drop_cap_print.png)
While picking up a set of Jessica Hische’s niche-in-the-market-filling “Day Ruining” Invoices (see our previous note 1), you might also like to peruse her recently published prints of her beautifully crafted Daily Drop Cap series 2.
Available as individual drop cap prints - 8” x 8”, printed as archival giclée prints on Velvet Fine Art paper - they’re the perfect gift for your loved one (Valentine’s Day is, after all, upon us).
The “Day Ruining” Invoice
![The “Day Ruining” Invoice [Detail]](/assets/day_ruining_invoice.png)
The ever-talented Jessica Hische rides to the rescue with The “Day Ruining” Invoice, aimed squarely at “incredibly annoying clients”.
Printed as US letter size notepads with letterpressed 100lb French Paper covers with two colour offset pages printed on 80lb ivory paper, the invoices feature a carefully considered multiple choice system for expressing every, frustrating eventuality:
Please remit payment for: the cocktails/beer I will need to calm my nerves; in the amount of ____, ____ … because of your poor email etiquette (unnecessarily harsh tone, passive-aggressive cc’ing, etc.)
No self-respecting design office should be without a set.
Development Status
Cultured Code’s new Development Status page, which tracks the arrivals of new features, combines an elegantly implemented metaphor with some beautifully crafted design.
The Rules of a Gentleman
Regular readers will not be surprised to discover that we appreciate the minimalist elegance and pearls of wisdom dispensed by The Rules of a Gentleman.
Sun Haiku
![The New York Times - Sun's Chief Executive Tweets His Resignation [Detail]](/assets/sun_haiku.png)
Jonathan Schwartz, Sun Microsystems’ ultimate CEO, tweets his resignation with a haiku:
Financial crisis
Stalled too many customers
CEO no more
Photoshop for Food
![Curtis Stone [Detail]](/assets/curtis_stone.png)
Off topic, but exquisitely designed. Curtis Stone’s Workbench Cutting Board is like Photoshop for food. Tasty.
The iPad Is For Everyone But Us
Ever thoughtful, Mike Rundle hits the nail on the head:
There are also many people not in the iPad’s intended audience who want one, myself included. We’d use it as a secondary computing device … The iPad is perfect for this.
The iPad is not made for you, it’s made for everyone else.
iPad Stencil
![iPad Stencil [Detail]](/assets/ipad_stencil.png)
Get started with your plans for iPad world domination with the iPad Stencil, courtesy of Harold Emsheimer at Playing with Shapes (itself well worth a bookmark).
If you prefer your sketches digital, Danish designer Kevin Andersson has put together a fully editable PSD.
![Adactio [Detail]](/assets/jeremy_keith_interview_nano.png)
Jeremy Keith is a web developer, based in Brighton, UK (home to a decidedly healthy geek scene). We asked Mr Keith a dozen questions...![Build [Detail]](/assets/built_nano.png)
![Molly [Detail]](/assets/molly_nano.png)
Molly E. Holzschlag is a writer, teacher, public speaker and opera singer, based in Tucson. We asked Ms Holzschlag a dozen questions...