Isn’t that how it works?

via printerset

The ultimate blogging graphic.

via Design Modo

Tag, you’re it.

via A Collection a Day, 2010

have been traveling a lot this semester; I started in New York, NY (where all great things start) moved to Columbia, MO and have been everywhere from Lubbock, TX to Tempe AZ, to Denver CO, to Sanibel Island, FL.

While sitting in an airport terminal today I realized something, I LOVE the process of traveling (and traveling itself, obviously). I like being in an airport wheeling a carry-on behind me. I feel important. I feel adventurous.

And… while sitting in the terminal, I realized something else – I was kind of bored… hence this post. I found this blog a while ago, it posts one “collection” for each day of the year. I found Day 265 to be just the right image for me… maybe in a few years my bag tags will be that international, for now I’m okay flying domestic.

(drop cap art from dailydropcap.com)

Watering Coach’s poppies.

oppy flowers may be part of the Wicked Witch’s evil plans in The Wizard of Oz, but they don’t scare away Coach. The popular high-end accessory and apparel brand is making poppy flowers the center of a new marketing project, one with an entirely social media focus. Poppies will be popping up all over twitter, facebook, and blogs – here’s how they will grow…

The Poppy Project is an innovative art project by Coach that celebrates bloggers and blog readers in the spirit of the new Poppy collection. To participate, blog administrators embed a small piece of code in the header tag of their site and a pattern appears on the sidebar which bloggers and readers will be able to interact with through tweets, facebook “Likes” and site visits. The more interaction, the more the poppy pattern grows. Each pattern even has a chance to grow a Coach Poppy purse – if someone finds the purse and clicks on it, Coach awards them a gift.

The entire project is innovative. It combines the strengths of various social media tools and puts them all to use in one major project. Poppy itself is already a fun brand – channeling a design which brings in a young “PINK-esque” Victoria Secret market with a higher-end, designer savvy cliental.  Now, by reaching out through the online community, Poppy will bring in more views for it’s line and more publicity for its entire campaign. It is exciting to see a company not just reach out through social media with a simple contest, but to reach out through social media with an entire line of tools for anyone to use.

Well… almost anyone. I wish I could add a poppy pattern to my blog, but unfortunately you can only place code in WordPress headers if you purchase a domain and WordPress upgrade (both things I will do as soon as I have a real income). In other words, using the WordPress.com free version doesn’t make the cut. I am restricted from fully participating, but I still want to see the Poppy campign take off… so get ready for some #growpoppy grow tweets from me.

Even though the poppies in The Wizard of Oz put her to sleep, don’t be surprised if you see Dorothy embracing the Coach Poppy and maybe even skipping down the yellow brick road with a new clutch or accessory for Todo sometime soon.

Drop cap art from dailydropcap.com

Cover story.

Judge a book by its cover. Sometimes what is on the outside can be just as interesting as what is on the inside (or more interesting if it is a bad book). If you are searching for some good procrastination activity – check out the gallery for some fantastic blogs/websites dedicated to book cover design.

Colour Lovers

NYT The Book Design Review

The Book Cover Design Archives

Covers

AIGA Design Archives

Honey Tech Blog

With her nose stuck in a book.

“Featuring a book on your bookshelf is akin to displaying a trophy. You’ve accomplished something in reading a book; it feels like a victory. The opportunity to display your literary conquests in unique or unexpected ways is something I will greatly miss with e-readers.”

The New Yorker’s The Book Bench on Bookshelf Porn

Take that Kindle, Nook, and iPad…

via And the Pursuit of Happiness – George is Everywhere

via Bookshelf Porn

via Jane Mount

via Victoria Reichelt

via Bookshelf Porn

via Amanda’s Facebook

via Absolut Materialist

via Jane Mount

via Kristen Angelo

Happy hump day.

surprise ball on Vimeo by kate spade new york

ize does doesn’t matter. The best places in New York to shop are not always the GINORMOUS department stores or multi-level mazes on Broadway. Sometimes the best places are narrow store fronts that require you to ‘suck-in’ and turn sideways to let another shopper squeeze by. They are marked by conspicuous signs. And they are found by navigating the “mean” back alleys of Soho and West Village. So Happy Hump Day – here’s a video from two great shops I have enjoyed visiting in New York. In this video the team at Kate Spade New York (hello well-known designer name) shows you the magic of a “special ball” from kiosk (hello new find).

Speaking of Kate Spade…

Whoever is running the Kate Spade social media marketing projects – applause to you. Obviously I am liking your video on vimeo, but the other content you have is so much fun too: behind the scenes photos, an aesthetically designed facebook page, a blog titled ‘Things We Love‘ AND a shout out to a St. Louis business (that I am obsessed with) – there is only one thing I can imagine still wanting… an invitation for a job! Hire me, I’m in love!

(Drop cap art from www.dailydropcap.com)

Bros, brothers, brethren?

UrbanDictionary defines the ‘bro‘ species as “obnoxious partying males who are often seen at college parties. They usually just stand around holding a red plastic cup waiting for something exciting to happen so they can scream something that demonstrates how much they enjoy partying.”

You know the type. And if you are in college, chances are high you have partied with one, become friends with one, or (gasp) have turned into one. Bros aren’t a rare species, they populate and reproduce like crazy (opportune times: fraternity rush, sport’s team involvement, spring break).

The slightly media-frenzied story of the shut down of brosicingbros.com has brought the species of ‘bro’ (and our confusing adoration for them) to prominent public attention.

In a society which jumps from trend to trend like a child with ADHD, the trend of worshipping “bro culture” has always been around. Some times it ebbs and sometimes it flows like a newly tapped keg.

Right now, the bro-beer is flowing.

Though we had to say ‘hasta la vista‘ to the Smirnoff Ice worshipping website, an article on Time.com by Ella Quittner (yeah, even Time is talking about this) assures us we are not saying goodbye to “bro culture.” In fact, almost anywhere you look right now you can find bro-culture being held on a pedestal.

The site was merely one in a vast constellation of dude-oriented sites that get millions of page views each month.

Sites like Bros Like This Site, The Bro Bible, and Tucker Max’s Blog are the ultimate odes of bro tribute.

But the web is not the only place to get your bro-fix. Think about it. It is in the movies; I Love You Man, Old School, The Hangover. It is on television; Jackass, Bromance, Greek, Entourage. It is even in books (yes bros can read); I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.

But why is there a ridiculous amount of worship and attention given to a culture that can’t manage to do dishes and must always drink from a red solo cup? Easy answer. It is marketable.

Here is how Time.com break this down:

It’s a petri dish–like environment just waiting to spread new germs — exactly the kind of environment, in other words, that marketers crave. “We’re constantly getting e-mails for websites and products,” says BroBible founder Doug Banker. “It’s a great vehicle to unveil new products and new trends.”

And currently it is the only vehicle marketers have been able to confidently tap into.

Time.com explains again:

Ever since Facebook first showed its face seven years ago, marketers have been struggling to crack the code and tap into the exponential growth metrics of social networking.

Over-acheiving bros used social networking sites (mainly blogs) to make fun of their own culture and promote it. For as much as you may disapprove of the beer-bong wielding set, you have to give them some credit. Bro culture is a professionally built machine. Yelling “frat, frat, frat” at a party didn’t get this done – some brother sitting in the back of the room saw a population that loved it’s culture and, even more so, loved to brag about it. That’s what makes it so marketable. Being a bro can get you made fun of, but it can also place you in an envious position. Therefore, it can be sold.

Being a college girl with a social life (shocking right?), I am plagued by this bro-demic. Bros are some of the best guys I know and they are some of the worst. But regardless where they fall on this spectrum, they have something undeniable – a marketing/branding power. Now is the time to “harness the power of the bro.”

A matter of perspective.

alking through Columbia University’s campus, I always try to blend in (aka put my head down, grab a book and look like I am contemplating the reason for life on Earth – smart people stuff, you know). But a few days ago I had to pull out the digital camera to snap a few shots – what I call “going tourist.” Campus is beautiful. And in a city where you can find EVERYTHING and ANYTHING, beauty really is in the eye of the beholder. Perspective matters.

(Drop cap art from – http://dailydropcap.com/)

Life without GPAs.

Over the past few weeks I have met so many new people both socially and professionally. When they hear I am in-town for the summer or that I am the new intern in the department they all robotically resort to the same questions. Where are you from? Where did you go to school?

Hold up… where DID I go to school? I’m flattered you think I am older , maybe more mature than your average college kid – but, please, no crazy talk here!

I, thankfully, still have a year of college left in my undergraduate life. I am even avoiding a dreaded December graduation – somehow my parents fell for the whole “but my scholarships last through the entire year,” speech I gave them this summer so I could stick around campus for the full year. But lately I am starting to wonder how much my undergraduate education will really be valued at in the “real world.” If I am already in the position to convince people I am qualified for jobs now – what difference will 24 more credits and a GPA do?

I figured I wasn’t the only “pre-senior year student” worrying about this over the summer. Can we call it a quarter-life “moment” – a degree less severe than a quarter-life crisis? Life Without Pants proved someone else out there has been thinking about this too.

In a May post, the blog poses some great questions: “Does college matter after you graduate”? Does our hard work mean squat after we’ve walked across the stage? Is it more of a personal pride thing as opposed to a professional requirement? Does it vary from industry to industry?

I have said it before – classroom work is valuable, but internships and real field experiences are what set one candidate above the next (at least in journalism I think). Does my 3.9 GPA really matter when the guy with the 3.3 has a blog getting 10,000 hits a day and produces multimedia like a pro? Yes, as a student I should shoot for the best of both worlds, ace classes and get quality internships/experiences. But, in two years will I be talking about my favorite journalism class in college or the work I did with so-and-so company? I am pretty sure it will be the later.

Also check out this post on Ms. Career Girl about the value of self-education.