5.01.2007 | Delta's new design

Delta unveiled a new logo and Web site after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday, a design that aims at enhancing Delta's new international stance.

Over the past two years the airline has cut jobs and cut domestic routes, which are facing intense competition from low-fare airlines, in favor of more lucrative international destinations, which have yet to face the same competitive pressure.

The new logo, with a more sophisticated typeface and colors, seems to be aimed at gaining that type of clientèle. United has pursued a similar approach with its "It's time to fly" campaign that uses its classic Rhapsody in Blue theme in conjunction with artistic animations.

But what stood out to me wasn't just the sparse design of Delta's new livery (which incidentally saves Delta money because it uses less paint), but the bad puns on the site's home page and the press release announcing their emergence and rebranding. "'Brand' new era," "chapter of success." Who works for these guys?

Retro cool

Did you know that you could telephone anywhere in the world for just $12 for the first 3 minutes? Apparently it's the next best thing to being there (ad in National Geographic c.1960s).

4.10.2006 | The new look of CNN.com

Lookin' sharp

Probably the best change is getting rid of the banner ad at the top. The down side is that a giant ad has been added at the side, making the site left-heavy, and the site is now 1024 pixels wide, where most sites are closer to 800 (which is how wide my browser is, even though I have a bigger scren), meaning I have to scroll sideways to see all the site's content. Still, though, a nice, clean improvement over the old design, which can still be found (for now) at CNN International.

12.26.2005 | The color of temptation

"What is the color of temptation?" is the question posed by a recent Panasonic ad for high-definition TVs. For me, the color of temptation is black and yellow (incidentally, yellow was the color of the fire hydrant in the Panasonic commercial eyed by a small dog – it's also one of my school colors). These are the colors of the new Sprint, and this snazzy new phone that's currently available buy one get one free for $49.

I'm tired of Cingular's two-year agreement (I'm currently one year through), and I'm so unhappy with my phone that I'm going to pay the $150 termination fee just so I can take advantage of Sprint's offer. They have fairer terms, and only a one-year commitment. I'm going to the store tomorrow to try out the phone in person, but from what I know of Samsung before, it's a sweet phone (my current Motorola loses its charge in a day and locks up every now and then, less than a year out).

Update (12/27/05): I went to go try out the phone at the Sprint store the other day, and it's not so great after all. Though the prospect of greater network coverage (at least in Va.) is tempting, the voice quality is not as good as Cingular. The phone was also cheap and plasticky just like the current Motorola I despise so much. There just are no good cell phones anymore. I might get a Nokia 1100 because at least I know it won't fall apart.

12.13.2005 | Design achievement

I finished the last project of my media graphics class today. The assignment was to design the front page of a newspaper with five assigned headlines. It's called the "Richmond Reporter," and it focuses on Richmond stories with a section highlighted in yellow called the "National Beat." I didn't like the name of the paper at first, but in the end I'm really happy with the way the layout turned out (the "National Beat" part was my idea). If you want to see it in all its full-size glory, e-mail me and I'll send you a high-resolution copy.

Update (12/17/05): Better image uploaded. I also now have a PDF available.

11.29.2005 | Best Firefox promotion ever

Found this in a Google image search. The caption says: "Firefox is the free web browser that offers greater privacy and prevents pop-ups, spyware and viruses."

The Web can be a dangerous place. Be careful out there.

Firefox 1.5 unleashed

New browser, new Web site. Mozilla.com officially launched today, the online home of the newly formed Mozilla Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of the non-profit foundation that first spawned its namesake browsing suite and now the browser that goes by the Firefox name. Key to Firefox's success has been its corporate branding, and with today's launch of Mozilla.com the open-source organization takes it a step further by making themselves more accessible to the public with a dot-com address. Go them.

Meanwhile, you should really download the latest version of the Mozilla Firefox browser. It's faster and better than ever, with built-in support for some surprising features, all with still under a 5 MB download for Windows users. If you're still using IE, which still goes basically unchanged since 2000, it's time to try something new.

11.23.2005 | Lugz to Apple: 'Cease and Desist'

Seen that new Apple ad with Eminem lately? It might have looked familiar for a reason:

Lugz (2002)	Apple (2005)

Plagiarism? You be the judge. I love Apple, but it does seem like their ad agency used the Lugz commercial as a jumping off point for theirs. I remember the ad seemed familiar when I saw it, but I couldn't quite place it. This definitely explains it. But then again, who's going to confuse an iPod ad with an ad for shoes? Apple's ad clearly follows the silhouette covnention used in previous ads, and there enough differences that copyright may not be an issue. Still, it shows that when people use ideas they should try to ask permission first.