Sketchy Santas

Just in time for the Holidays. See more here.

Opinions of a Mexican Girl

It feels that I am often confronted with the question “How do you translate _______?” or “How do you say ______ in Spanish?” And my answer is usually ” It doesn’t translate”, which usually frustrates the person doing the questioning and it is followed by a lack of credibility and a bunch of questions to prove me wrong. While 85% of the times I use this answer is a strategic response to laziness or my unwillingness to become the flesh and blood Ultralingua app, there are times that it simply DOESN’T translate. Break a leg might be a nice thing to say in English, but it is mean as heck in Spanish since its meaning is literal (You’ll feel bad when you see your Mexican token friend going up the stairs on crutches). Cultural understanding is relative and not absolute. Things are not apples to apples. So saying that every women has a little black dress in her closet might not seem true in Mexico, yet works in post-Breakfast at Tiffany’s USA. Having said that, using the wrong translation in advertising is simply bad. Here are some samples of ads that should stay in English:

Vectra Bank – FYI or CYI – We don’t have this!

The Economist – We don’t have peer pressure (we drink tequila shots on our own will)

OXY  – Elephant in the room? – It doesn’t translate quickly enough.

Harley Davidson – Crotch rockets? That translates boringly to “fast bikes” so the line will say “I thought fast bikes were an STD.” Dumb.

Pilot light pen – SHARK translates to TIBURÓN, so there is no pointy A to get.

There is no word of the day today since I am feeling lazy about translating.

How much does NYC make?

Somebody sent over this link yesterday and I found it quite interesting. It’s called envisioning development, and it’s quite educational and fun to play with as well. It basically shows how incomes relate to different areas of the city, by borough. Now, I really love to visit NYC, it’s an amazing and vibrant place, but I’ve always been amazed at how expensive it is to live there, especially Manhattan. So, naturally I’ve always wondered what a person requires as income to live there. Apparently there are a few brave souls who subsist on paltry incomes even in Manhattan. Who knew?

In the vein of Thanksgiving, why not say thanks?

Maybe all this giving thanks last weekend has gotten me feeling sappy, but I thought the Let’s Say Thanks website was a really cool idea. The jist of it is that you choose a card and Xerox sends it overseas to a soldier who is away from home. There’s a gallery of art, created by kids, and you pick the one you like and choose your message from 5 or 6 options. All the copy options basically say thanks, and that’s all that really matters. Unfortunately, you don’t get to choose which soldier will receive your card, but it will surely make a soldier’s day a little brighter. It takes 2 minutes and is super easy, so go make a soldier’s day! Great idea, not the best execution when it comes to design of the site, but great idea.

More love from Russia.

We are really excited to learn that the Russian publication, Outdoor, has included us in their fantastic magazine again. This time the grass is dumb campaign was featured in this month’s publication. It feels really great to be recognized outside of Denver, much less outside of the US. Thanks a ton, Outdoor, we really appreciate the face time.

Give this guy a brand ambassadorship.

An artist, Jens Werner, woke up and decided to paint his house to look like the Burberry brand. Though I’m most entertained by the URL that he’s plunked atop his roof.

Ten Lords-A-Leaping

Target’s Billboard in Times Square

If Christmas is the time when “want is most acutely felt,” then this shining image from Target tries to assuage a deep longing. In this beautiful example, a commercial image reinterprets old-world, oral culture — without irony. Here, the fairy tale is revived with modern imagery.

More so in New York than anywhere else on the planet, the businessman is tainted goods. We all know the men of Wall St. are getting coal for Christmas. They have let us down. This image completely ignores that reality and hits us right where we harbor an unfulfilled desire. We want our men to be noble. We want them to climb the white staircase in defense of Justice. Here we see them doing just that, but doing it in sync, not as self-interested individuals. These men are organized for the greater good. They move in the form of migrating birds, telling us there is a change underway. With red ties behind them, they leap upward like latter-day corporate elves, coming to lead the economy north. Well done, Target.

kck

Finally, real type faces on the internet

We are really happy to learn about Typekit, a web service that allows websites to use many more fonts than were previously available to designers. For years there were only a few fonts you could in your designs and it seriously hampered the aesthetics of webdesign. This new development should open the door to the way typography is handled on the web, and this makes us excited!

My parents were awesome.

I think this site is a funny and entertaining idea: my parents were awesome. Now, I need to go dig up some humorous pics of my ‘rents and load ‘em up!

PrrrrrrRrrrrr.

Meow, meow meow meow.

Apparently, Europeans seem to like our work.

Well, we’re always happy to see our stuff in publications, no matter what part of the world they come from. So, we’re happy to see our Denver Water conveyor belts in the Russian mag Outdoor. Funny, but the conveyor is obviously not outdoors, right? Seems like the article is actually about indoor media, and we’re really happy to be featured on the cover and in this story. Thanks, Outdoor! (ps-wow, the river sure looks green in this image)

Your daily dose of irony:

Not to be mean, but really? This guy was dressed as a breathalyzer for Halloween, and got pulled for a DUI. Hilarious. Here’s the backstory over on NBC.com

I could play this all day:

You know, it’s surprisingly hard. Give ‘er a try: steak hour or gay bar.com

Everyone loves CSA

Everyone’s oogled a French paper promo at some point in their life. Watch 20 years of ol’ Charles Spencer Anderson’s designs all in a short video. It’s very cool.

Jello shots more relevant than ever.

Andrew Salomone used approx. 1,000 jello shots to create a portrait of comedian Bill Cosby.