Bumming around and watching TV

It’s a Sunday night, 11:50 PM and I’m supposed to be doing two(2) design projects (due early this week!), a new store plan for the restaurant we’re handling and a mock-up for the new ads paper that I and my friends are planning to launch this October, but instead i stayed in the couch, watched Sharon Cuneta’s Megathirty TV Special and now, I’m blogging!

<John tells self: Stop telling the world that you loooovvveeee Sharon Cuneta! Or else some people may actually cringe!>

I made a mental note that I’m NOT supposed to be working at this time because it’s freaking Sunday in the Philippines, i convinced (more like justified to myself how weekends are supposed to be days of rest) myself that I’m NOT going to work. But then again, the guilt that a third-world and poor freelancer feels when it is IMPERATIVE that he work, HAS to work to keep on providing food on the table and have the luxury of riding a cab at the very least, always creeps in, telling me to get up and open Photoshop and InDesign.

It’s been like this for me during the past weeks and of course I’m NOT happy about it. I need to work. I need to eat. I need to buy a new laptop soon!

<John tells self: But how could these all be possible if you’re bumming around! >

A-huh! Exactly.

<John tells self: So, what are you waiting for? Work! You useless retard!>

Wait! It’s the anniversary episode of Urban Zone (UZ) with my other love, Daphne Osena. I am NOT going to miss this. So I’ll watch it first and maybe, just maybe, work afterwards.

Update: Whoa! I have given in to my alter ego. Yes, i worked my a** off till the wee hours AGAIN! And now i’m close to finish.

Microsoft Airs “I’m A PC” Ads; Makes More Sense

After what seemed to be a vague start for the new Microsoft Advertising Campaign “Windows, Not Walls” with Jerry Seinfield and no less than Bill Gates himself which generated quite a buzz (some positive, mostly baffled) Microsoft is finally doing it right (to me, at least).

To kick-off the so-called second phase of the $300 million worth campaign (though, i am still confused as to what they were trying to accomplish with the first wave of the ads because to me they were waste of airtime and money), Crispin Porter + Bogusky, the agency handling the project, decided to meet head-on with the known competition Apple.

Directly picking up from Apple’s Get-A-Mac ads (with the infamous I’m a PC, I’m a Mac), the new campaign turn’s the supposedly negative “I’m A PC” humdrum into something positive, smart and highly relatable. The new ad actually makes one smile and say “Hey, I’m A PC! And I’m cool too!” without sounding (and being) arrogant, narcissistic and holier-than-thou. The ad just shows how many people, from all walks of life (and not just the elitist) uses the PC; maybe not because it’s the best option in the market, but because it’s one that’s best and works for them; its the one that could give them what they need at the time and price they could afford.

And seriously, there’s nothing wrong with that. There’s nothing wrong with owning a PC. Like i always say, PC’s and Mac’s are just tools, they’re not suppose to be the anchor of one’s “pride” as a person.

However, the one thing that confuses me though is the branding direction of Microsoft on this. In as much as i think the new ads are fantastic , i still think that Microsoft needs to actually build on what the company really is: a software company. I think if and when they make and master an outstanding Operating System and have a great marketing and advertising campaign that would stress on how it could be installed and work at its optimum on whatever computer hardware you have, be it Apple’s or Dell’s or HP’s, then Microsoft could really, really be talking and communicating.

Take a look at the ads and tell me what you think.

What’s wrong with the London 2012 Logo?

Last June, the EUR 400,000 worth London 2012 Olympics Logo (done by London-based brand consultants Wolff Olins) was unveiled amidst much hype, fanfare, anticipation and well, harsh criticisms from graphics design experts from all over the world. Personally, i don’t think there’s anything wrong with the 2012 Olympics logo. Yes, it may not conform with the current design trends today, but i think its cutting edge and represents forward thinking.

But of course, who am i in the field of graphics design? I am definitely no expert. I’m just a budding seed, a mere enthusiast who thinks that the jagged emblem, more like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle, formed to look (the year) 2012, is a fresh take and gives a new dynamism on the Olympics brand.

Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London said that “The new Olympic brand draws on what London has become, the world’s most forward-looking and international city.” And as i perceive it, yes, the logo indeed reflects this.

The straight, jagged edges may be liken to roads heading towards 2012, towards the future. The colors (which will come in pink, blue, green and orange) may not reflect the traditional patriotism carried by the past Olympic logos, but they stand-out – youthful and dynamic.

However, like i said, the international graphics design community simply did not agree with this “branding representation”, an online petition was even started appealing to change the logo completely. The petition, as of to date has already accumulated almost 50,000 signatures.

Adding up to the petition was this website that raised the question: Can you do better? And true to form, graphics designers (from all over) responded enthusiastically and submitted their take on the 2012 Olympics Logo.

Some are good and deserves a second look.

You? What’s you’re take on this? Are these logos really better than the existing one? Do they reflect the essence of the Olympic Spirit as per the vision of the London 2012 Olympics organizers?

Jerry Seinfield and Bill Gates headline new Windows TV Ad

And so finally Microsoft fought back. Or so it seems.

Yesterday the first of the new series of Microsoft TV Campaign premiered on US television. It was noticed, yes. Discussed, yes. Blogged about, yes. But was it effective? Did it deliver its message across? Or more so, did it deliver the right message to its target audience?

Sadly, no.

Personally, i have waited for this campaign to be shown since i first knew about it weeks ago. I must say, i was even excited about it. The campaign has been reported to be worth hundreds of millions of dollars and will come as a series of television commercials headlined by some of Hollywood’s elite stars. It will even be done by Crispin Porter + Bogusky, a Miami based agency responsible for the award winning ads of Burger King.

So i said to myself: good for you Microsoft. It’s about time you act on it and regain your stance. I am not a Windows fan neither am i an Apple fan. As i have said before, to me they’re tools to make one productive (and not religions to go all cultish about) and I use both operating systems in my daily life and whilst Apple has clearly the design+stability edge, Windows has the flexibility+interoperability advantage (well, at least before Vista came to be). I need these advantages, all of them, so i use them both.

BUT when i saw the ad, i was disappointed. BIG TIME. I expected more from Microsoft. I expected something different and cutting edge. Simple and on-target. I told myself: is this the ad that is suppose to help Microsoft re-establish Vista in the market? Is this the ad that will go head-to-head with Apple’s Get-A-Mac commercials?

For a campaign touted by Microsoft itself to “reposition (itself) to tell a better story about Windows Vista, to counter attacks by rival Apple and let customers know that Vista is finally stable and ready“, the commercial is pathetic. It lacks credibility.

First, the concept+message was vague, it did not hit the target. A television commercial is suppose to get you during the first ten (10) seconds so that you’ll actually watch it till the end and know what it’s telling you about. At least, that’s how I see it.

Second, i know the commercial is suppose to be funny and smart (hey, its Jerry Seinfield! Surprise! Surprise!). But it isn’t. What i find funny about it is Bill Gates himself being in it. The comedic approach to it seemed a bit off.

Third, a Shoe (Circus) shop? Big discounts? Conquistador? Mexicans? What was that all about? Couldn’t it be more tacky?

Okay, okay. I said to myself: Microsoft deserves its big chance. The company worked hard for years to give the world all those Service Packs for XP to make it the BEST operating system the planet has ever experienced! You give it a second spin.

Maybe the commercial is supposed to be interpreted as per every frame and the message is there, as per interpretation, within the: (a)Leather not fitting and being tight on Bill Gates, (b)Seinfield recommeding Conquistador and showcasing its “flexibility and adaptability”, (c)Mexicans being in awe/wondering about the Conquistador (dunno if its referring to Gates or to the shoes), (d)Bill having Conquistador on a BIG discount for having a “loyalty” card (hmmm, could this be a sign that Vista will finally be affordable?), and (e)Bill listening to the need/want of Jerry (Microsoft listens to the consumers! It does, really.)

So i watched it again.

And again.

And again. Just so i am sure to get a clear picture of what Microsoft is telling me.

And i think i got it.

It’s not a Mac.