BlogmyQuery – BMQ

It’s not good for you but every now and then, we all hit the drive thru for something quick and easy. The golden arches are the most recognized brand in the United States, if not the world. When my family moved from Brooklyn to St. Louis, my three-year old son saw the St. Louis arch and yelled, “McDonalds!�

I asked him what we should order and he replied, “a Burger King!�

McStart

The marketing McDonalds did on children’s programming had my two kids brainwashed long before my youngest son could even talk. When a McDonalds commercial came on the TV, it might as well have been Spongebob due to the transfixed state both my kids would enter. In fact, once Happy Meals featured Spongebob, we had to eat there twice a day so the kids could collect each and every piece of brightly colored plastic from China. I often wonder what the Chinese think of the toys they produce for the west. In the morning they package Cello sponges for the kitchen and in the afternoon, sponges that live in a pineapple under the sea.

Say what you will about McDonalds, they are smart, savvy marketers of their poisonous products. Good thing they chose to sell food and not bags of broken glass and sulfuric acid squirt guns! Maybe I shouldn’t give them ideas. Sometimes it just gets a bit too weird.

This image will give me nightmares forever. Now I’ll have to sleep with my hands and feet under the covers so baby Ronald doesn’t bite off my fingers and toes while I sleep! 

I have no idea why or from where but it’ll keep those nightmares coming. Maybe it’s an ad for fresh milk?

Clowning Around With Customer Service

I once had the pleasure of meeting one of the McDonalds Corporation executives who worked in the department that planned counter and drive thru innovation. He was a smart, well-spoken man who had come up through the ranks, as do many corporate executives. One day flipping slabs of meat and the next, ordering around slabs of meat, so to speak.

He was speaking to an audience of creatives and marketing personnel about how his company explores the evolving customer base and solves the challenges. Sure, technology keeps advancing but, just the same, the public grows stupider, too. If you doubt that statement, listen to people order a simple burger next time you are standing in line. It’s like asking Stephen Hawking to solve an immense calculus problem in his head, except he can do it in less than ten minutes. As customers lose their ability to think quickly when ordering a simple meal by a number tied to a large picture of what it represents.

The McGentleman showed video of experiments in both drive-thru creation and in-store ordering situations. In a large warehouse, crisscrossed with white grid lines on a black floor and walls, much like the holodeck of the starship Enterprise, or, if you aren’t a nerd, the game grid in Tron. Cardboard boxes were laid out to simulate a drive-thru space and walls and actual cars were driven in to test traffic flow, service time and the number of fiery crashes that would occur when the herds converge on a restaurant.

Viewing the video, I was struck that the testing was probably more intensive than what NASA had done with the space shuttles. If you think about it, McDonalds was around long before the space shuttle and has outlived it. Chances are there will be Big Macs on the International Space Station long before the United States has another launch vehicle able to dock there.

The cardboard boxes would be moved to form two or three lanes and the flow tests continued until they found the best solution with the least amount of deaths.

Moving inside, the flow at the counter with an eye to the ease of ordering was the challenge. The register used by all fast food places, also known as the POS (Point of Sale), is laid out in a fairly simple fashion. All menu items present and then sub menus to upsize, add items, remove items, figure in discounts for the out-of-date coupons senior citizens scream about having honored and a delete button for when people change their mind two or three times while trying to order from an array of three basic burgers.

Having stood on both sides of the counter at times in my life, I can attest that having a human to regulate the ordering process is essential and will never change. Although McDonalds did try to entertain the notion of POS ordering system a customer could do by themselves, I gather the amount of mistakes made by illiterates having to push buttons with a number from one to ten was just too much and I have yet to see the proposed technological advance put in place.

A clever use of food to advertise McDonalds “Wi-Fry.” Do you want to eat greasy food while typing on your laptop? It don’t come off so easy, folks!

A public service ad to promote how a balanced diet is good for breast-feeding mothers and their babies. I’d like to thank the McDonalds Corporation for not using baby Ronald… or adult Ronald!

I always appreciate when a creative sees something unusual in the usual. The ad for McDonalds coffee balances on the bean resembling a burger, albeit a thousand year-old, mummified burger.

There’s something sadistic about this, and how many customers will think the sandwich is made from goldfish?

She won’t be “lovin’ it” when stalker Ronald grabs her and turns her into burger meat.

I can hardly wait for my next trip to McDonalds to make me fish-eyed for life!

McDonalds is the leader in environmental advertising. Working with engineers, they have created some very impressive advertising.

How cool is this engineered piece? Of course, after noon, you’re stuck with a watch!

I wonder who had the job of scooping the beans out every day, and what they did with them? Maybe there was a reason the coffee was free?

Fries to the heavens! I wonder if the beams blinded any pilots?

Does this need to be watered?

How about this one? Dead fresh carrots kind of negates the message.

A “night only” ad? Personally, I would have opted for something subtle during daylight hours in conjunction with the reflective lettering, which would make a bigger impact on locals who knew the sign.

McBribery is a wonderful thing! Why not use it?

I love this technique. It may take a minute for the viewer to identify the message but that’s more time spent on the brand, which seems under represented in this case.

Again, this may take a moment to get but all the while, you see the brand.

McDonalds is known for generous altruism. In this case, a public service against drunk driving. Besides, the drunks will be McThrowing up in the back of the cab!

McCulture

I’ve traveled all over the United States and odd parts of the world and have been amazed that while each McDonalds, corporately owned or run as a franchise, sticks to the handbook of rules and ethics, yet veers on menu items depending on the local cuisine and population. While in Newark, New Jersey, I was delighted to find they served McBean Pie. I’ve heard of other locations that serve Pizza, McWine (France), McBeer (Germany) and some of the oddest things in Japan and Mexico. The McLobster Roll (viewed by many as a menu item failure), served seasonally in New England, is actually quite tasty and made from real lobster, as opposed to the McRib Sandwich that is pressed mystery meat formed to look like a slab of ribs on the bone but there are no bones. Frightening but evily delish!

The McLobster Roll still sells well in New England as most lobster rolls are nine dollars.

The infamous McRib sandwich that only appears every couple of years for a month and then retreats into history.

Is it more embarrassing to have to wear this hat while taking orders or ordering from someone forced to wear this hat?

McZpacho showed up on menus in Spain. Can such a McDish compete with such a national culinary staple?

McPizza just couldn’t cut it on the market. It was reported to be tasteless, soggy and McAwful.

Some concoctions from Japan. The McDonalds menu selections change often and just get weirder and larger. Wish I lived there!

If you have a “Yen” for a sausage, the Mega Sausage is available in Japan. Unfortunately, it’s a breakfast item, so get up early!

I’m surprised the Japanese aren’t all the size of Sumo wrestlers with menu items like these. I wish they had them in America!

Cheese McKatsu sandwich, a fried pork sandwich stuffed with cheese (although I’ve never had Katsu with cheese). Again, the McDonalds people need to import these to America!

The McEbi Filet-o, a fried shrimp sandwich. In Hong Kong, it’s known as the McShrimp Burger. Here it would be known as, “in my belly!”

Ach du lieber Gott! McBeer in Germany? Can a country famous for brewing for over a thousand years stomach beer from a tap on the soda machine?

McArabia? What internationally inept marketing tool came up with this name? The McArabia is made with grilled chicken or grilled kofta (beef with spices) and comes with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, garlic mayonnaise and is wrapped in an “Arabic style” pita bread. I’m surprised McDonalds didn’t call it “The Aladdin.”

The Chicken McCurry Pan. It starts off with a rectangle dish made out of dough and is topped with a tomato-curry sauce, spiced with thyme, basil, oregano, chicken, bell peppers, and cheese. Why are we stuck with chicken and burgers when things like this are available?

Want to see more McDishes available throughout the world? See more…

McMarketing

McDonalds is widely recognized as being a leader in projecting its brand through marketing and advertising. While McDonalds uses many agencies for co-op advertising, Leo Burnett Worldwide is their biggest agency of record. Burnett, known for innovative advertising, has led McDonalds into the top spot for influential ads.

The first McDonalds TV commercial. Can you spot TV weatherman, Willard Scott, as Ronald? We all have to start somewhere! Hy-uck!

Although several examples of foreign ads were used here, this article has some great foreign ads for McDonalds including a nine-minute mini drama on working at McDonalds. The Japanese “hipster” video will just cause you to freak!

McFail

No matter how much you try and how good your ads are, it’s the public who will decide in the end. These are some failed products “Mickey D’s� (as they tried to brand it for the “urban� customer) just can’t live down.

If you’re going to make a commercial, be ready to have it parodied. Like the iconic Ronald, sometimes even parody, often known as the sincerest form of flattery, can be cruel. But even bad press is, as many ad execs will tell you, good press.

(Did you spot the TV stars in the chorus?) Naturally, this was ad was spoofed.

Again, this ad was parodied many times over.

While there’s no parody for this 1980s commercial starring a young, unknown Jason Alexander, there should be.

It wasn’t so much the burger itself as the idea of keeping the hot elements hot and the cold items cold, it was the styrofoam packaging at a time when people were starting to become more aware of the need for recycling and a greener approaches.

Naturally, there have been menu items that just didn’t sell well, for one reason or another. Let me see them!

McEnd

Certainly there are many iconic brands that have ads, jingles and packaging that people will always remember and cherish as parts of their childhoods and lives. That’s quite a power, especially from a brand that is blamed for major obesity in America. Whether you believe that or not, McDonalds has succeeded at what many tyrants and madmen have tried throughout history and failed – they conquered every part of the globe and are here to stay. All bow down to Emperor Ronald…

15 Facts About McDonalds That Will Blow Your Mind…

What are your thoughts on this iconic branding? How many of these outrageous ads or products have you seen in your area? Use the comment section to fill us in your McXperiences.

(rb)

There are two major things that had to be overcome in writing this spotlight on Massimo and Lella Vingnelli: One was how to approach the subjects in a different way as they’ve had so much written about them. Two, as with writing about other designers who are still living, one runs the risk of being told by them that the article is wrong or even worse, moronic. Admittedly, I’m more concerned about the first as the second is nothing new to my writing career.

As with my other spotlights on designers who greatly influenced or keep on influencing our industry, I’m interested in WHY they took the path that set them apart from other designers and HOW they can change the way designers think and create. It’s about inspiration. Their example is not one of purposeful self-important and self-initiated public relations – I refuse to write about those who practice such conceit to make up for lack of talent. It was pure talent and creativity that brought Vignelli Design into the public eye.

Pure Talent

“Pure,� as defined by the dictionary is:

• Free from what vitiates, weakens, or pollutes.
• Containing nothing that does not properly belong.
• Being nonobjective and to be appraised on formal and technical qualities only.

“Pure talent?� That’s too abstract a concept. It’s Vignelli’s own words that best explains the success of his work: “We have to make a distinction between design and art. If you are an artist, you can do anything you want. It’s perfectly all right. Design serves a different purpose. If in the process of solving a problem you create a problem, obviously, you did not design.� (From an interview in Print magazine – 1991)

The Vignellis’ office in New York City. Simple, clean and… pure.

Massimo Vignelli at work. There’s something I don’t trust about a designer having an uncluttered desk! ;)

“Whatever we do, if not understood, fails to communicate and is wasted effort. We design things which we think are semantically correct and syntactically consistent but if, at the point of fruition, no one understands the result, or the meaning of all that effort, the entire work is useless. Sometimes it may need some explanation but it is better when not necessary. Any artifact should stand by itself in all its clarity. Otherwise, something really important has been missed.�

Vignelli was also driven by the notion of timelessness. On this he said: “You can reach timelessness if you look for the essence of things and not the appearance. The appearance is transitory — the appearance is fashion, the appearance is trendiness — but the essence is timeless.�

A Little History

Massimo Vignelli and his wife Lella, both designers, ran a successful design firm in Milan, Italy before coming to New York City in 1966 to start the New York branch of a new company, Unimark International. This quickly became one of the largest design firms in the world. When commuting back and forth became too much, they decided to make New York their home. In 1971, they founded Vignelli Associates.

It’s important to look at America at the time they arrived to make their mark on the design scene. The Vietnam War was in full swing and America was changing. It was the hippies vs. the conservative establishment, acid rock vs. bubblegum rock, and society was evolving. The Vignellis’ European sensibilities were to offer design America had not really experienced. Obviously it was successful and became a driving force in design that others would follow.

My First Exposure to Vignelli

Growing up in New York wasn’t easy. The subway map alone was a diagram of the human circulatory system, and as confusing to an adult as it was to me as a child. Foreign tourists and diehard New Yorkers alike all had to brave the death-inviting move of asking someone if they were on the correct train to their destination.

Vignelli’s now-classic New York City subway map was first introduced in 1972, following his work on the signage system in the late 1960s. Inspired by London’s Underground map (designed by Harry Beck in 1933—which was inspired by electrical circuit diagrams) Vignelli simplified New York’s complex, twisting, winding subway system into a clean graphic. “A different color for each line, a dot for every station. No dot, no station. Very simple. The whole map is designed on a 45/90 degrees grid with geographic distortions to accommodate the lines,� recalls Vignelli in his book, “From A to Z.�

It’s alleged that New Yorkers didn’t take to the design because it didn’t give an accurate representation of the distances the trains had to travel, borough to borough. The present map has returned to that pre-Vignelli jumble of veins and arteries; and despite the supposed dislike to Vignelli’s cleaner interpretation of the whole mess, other designers keep trying to reintroduce the same effective graphic that Vignelli had designed. Nothing is better then letting time vindicate your actions and beliefs!

A section of the 1979 subway map that replaced the Vignelli design, returning to the jumble of which Vignelli sought to make sense and order. Once again, people entered subway stations and were never seen again! Note how it includes surface streets, parks and sections of the continental shelf.

The 2011 map, returning to the idea that simple and clear is better. It stuck to the desire for realistic distances but got rid of the extraneous information that had nothing to do with the subway.

He is, however, still passionate about his design. “A diagram is a diagram. Don’t cheat me,� he is quoted as saying during an AIGA/NY event in 2010. Nothing burns the soul of a designer more than seeing a great design thrown away by non-creatives and those without the ability to understand how design affects people and products.

Listen to his thoughts about the map redesign and the problems he had to overcome…

In fact, if you look at the metro maps around the world, you’ll note that they all take inspiration from Vignelli’s design. I can only hope he smiles widely and thumbs his nose at his detractors.

Design Is Everything!

While other works by Vignelli may not be as public, you’ve probably seen and/or even lived with them, not knowing how this design team has affected you. Design is interesting because we use it everyday, in everything. To quote Vignelli from a 2007 article:

“Designers take care of everything around us. Everything that is around us, this table, this chair, this lamp, this pen has been designed. All of these things, everything has been designed by somebody.�

Have you flown anywhere lately? When you step aboard American Airlines, you are surrounded by Vignelli’s work. The 1967 redesign of the AA identity was pure Vignelli – simple, strong, functional and pleasing to the eye.

Do you eat? Could be you are using plates, glasses or mugs designed by Vignelli? The key to the design is usability. Plates, bowls, mugs and platters stack as opposed to the usual piling on as with most dish sets. It’s designed for function as well as form.

I don’t care how big your kitchen may be – these plates, bowls and platters are great design and real space savers!

The calendar designed by Vignelli has been around for longer than I can remember.

Crave any furniture designs lately? If not, you obviously haven’t seen any from the Vignellis. Anyone who appreciates great design will admire and almost certainly crave pieces either created by Vignelli or at least inspired by the duo.

“Here is an example of interaction between one field of design and another,� says Vignelli. “I call this the Bodoni Table, because the Bodoni typeface has big thick vertical strokes and very thin serifs, just as you see in this table.�

“This is a result of continuous cross-pollination between one experience and another. It is not true that if you’re a graphic designer, you can’t design furniture. You can design it, because design is one. The discipline of design is the same.�

Designed by Vignelli in the 1950s, this lamp is timeless. Function and form.

Print vs. Web

Naturally, like so many who have been in design for a time, Vignelli has an affinity for print. In a web culture, print, according to some, is a lost art and disappearing from our lives. Vignelli, among others, point to the permanence of print (as the couple’s personal library, pictured below, attests).

“We strongly believe in the permanence of the printed word as a witness to the culture of our time. Words and images interact to create feelings, to expand our perception, to enrich our knowledge.�

Of course, such passion for design understands web design and Vignelli has some advice that rings true…

Obviously, Massimo and Lella Vignelli look at all design challenges with the same dedication, and approach problem solving in the same logical way.

“Good design is a matter of discipline. It starts by looking at the problem and collecting all the available information about it. If you understand the problem, you have the solution. It’s really more about logic than imagination.� —New York Magazine Interview, 2007

A proposed redesign for The European Journal in 1978. Note how modern WordPress themes are similar in layout.

Another thought Mr. Vignelli has on print vs. web design is simple, yet all too true: “The computer is like a pencil. It is just a tool. The pencil is a submissive tool. Leave it there and the pencil is totally dead. It doesn’t offer anything; you have to guide it. But the computer is a seductive tool. It offers you incredible options, but your work can become a total disaster if you don’t have an idea to begin with.�

Lessons To Be Learned?

Like other designers who have practiced for decades, Massimo and Lella Vignelli offer lessons to all of us that we may not see right away. Let down your guard and preconceived notions on what is important in design and consider what the Vignellis have to teach us. The “WOW! Factor� we depend upon with computer programs and apps are no substitute for design basics. The basics are the foundation of all design.

I cheated the history of Vignelli Associates a bit for breavity at the beginning of this article. In an interview in Observatory, Mr. Vignelli relates the full story:

“We started the company with some friends here in the U.S., and we opened an office in New York. The person who was supposed to run the office got sick. I was in Milan at the time and I was commuting back and forth. I got tired of flying over twice a month, and so we decided to come over and run the office for a while and then go back. We’re still here after 40 years.�

This is a lesson in overcoming fear. Imagine moving to a new city, in a new country. What raw nerve that takes. I have several friends who moved from the U.S. to different countries in Europe and they were terrified. Excited but terrified.

The Vignellis accepted a challenge and met it head on with purpose, bravery and ended with great success. Should any simple design challenge frighten you? Not if you follow the design basics and build from there.

Massimo Vignelli with an uncut sheet of brochures, “Five Vignelli-isms” when he and Lella received The Architectural League President’s Medal “in recognition of a body of work so influential in its breadth that it has shaped the very way we see the world.â€� Note the advice in the Vignelli-isms!

Another admirable lesson is one that doesn’t come easy to most designers who do not wield the power Vignelli has. “I never work with middle management.� Says Vignelli. “Middle managers are dominated by fear of losing their job, and therefore they have no sense of risk. I always work with the top person, the president or the owner of a company. That’s it. Only the person at the top can take risk. He’s used to it. That is how he got to the position he is in. He understands what you are doing, and he doesn’t have to report to anybody. He makes his decision, and that’s the way it goes.�

How does one hope for the same power when starting out? The answer is you can’t, but you can try to seek out clients where you CAN work directly with the company owner as much as possible. You may be stuck with someone who says, “I’ll know what I like when I see it� but you may also find yourself working with someone who will trust your design ideas and give you free reign.

Mr. Vignelli, as all of the interviews with him seem to attest, worships purity in design (there’s that word again).  His focus is purposeful and without distraction of the thoughts too many designers have of how their design will be viewed by others. He knows his design is the best he can do and it leaves no doubts or regrets.

Sure with his career experience and decades of practice, he has nothing to doubt, but there’s a lesson for every designer no matter what level you’re at – focus on the design and not what peers will think. Please the client and yourself and in the end, your design will have the purity that will make it last.

So many designers yearn for recognition. They dream of being invited to the Oscars with all cameras turned to them while reporters announce that they have arrived and the crowd screams with admiration. Dream on, because it happens only to a small few. Those who have affected people’s everyday lives. Even then, they elicit recognition from the layperson of “oh, yes. He/she did that? I love his/her work.�

To reiterate a quote of mine that people tweeted all over the place, “people don’t remember the name of the designer – they remember the design and how it affected their life.� THAT is the purpose of design! Massimo and Lella Vignelli have done that and have been recognized through a real and deserved placement in design history. It is worth considering how they got there and what you can learn from their example.

(rb)

If you haven’t seen the viral pictures of English artist Julian Beever’s work, then you aren’t on the web enough. Mr. Beever started as a street artist who figured out how to make his pastel chalk drawings on hard sidewalks turn into three-dimensional scenes that amazed and delighted passersby. Beever started out with traditional paintings but soon figured out how to give his work a three-dimensional twist and those pieces became a web sensation.

Turning 2D Into 3D

Beever’s work soon gave way to commercial success as he was commissioned to incorporate famous brands into his street art.

Yet another viral group of art was optical illusions painted in hallways and offices. You’ve probably seen these too, but if you haven’t or it’s been a while since you marveled at these feats of planning and drafting.

Here’s some cool examples without the engineering degree…

The one thing all of these pieces share is that you need to be standing in just the right place to make them work and someone had to figure out the distortions to make them all look real and line up just right.

Printing 3D Pieces

Purely by accident, I once created a 3d piece on a printed piece without even trying using the distort function in Photoshop. I was called into an important smoking break by some coworkers, and I was so excited by the prospect of renewing some much needed nicotine into my blood stream. So instead of hitting save, I hit the keyboard combination for print and ran off to our little smoking spot on the fifth level of the underground garage. Where the smokers and Morlocks were banished.

Upon my return to my cubicle, I found, as often happened, someone at the printer had done me a favor and put my printout on my keyboard. I was struck by the distortion and realized that the piece had a three-dimensional appearance. Not saying I invented this way to make 2D objects into 3D optical illusions as Beever and others had done it many years before.

I showed a couple of coworkers, who pronounced it to be “neat� and “like that guy who does the sidewalk art� and I even left it on the department worktable to see if anyone would see it as 3D. I tried incorporating it into some of our products but it just didn’t fly as we were starting to work with high definition lenticular technology.

I’m sure you’ve stumbled upon it, too. While working on a file, surely something struck a cord in your creativity. That’s often how we discover optical illusions. With a bit of manipulation in Photoshop (edit > transform > distort), a 2D print can create an unbelievable illusion.

Leo Burnett’s advertising agency in São Paulo, Brazil started using the same 2D printing for Samsung to advertise their printers.

A few extra cuts and folds can yield surprising results as in these examples (turn off your computer’s sound or you’ll regret it!)…

How Can You Use This?

For print, the applications are endless. Any image that is used on a flat card can have a 3D appearance. Selling real estate? Have a house standing up on a brochure that sits on a table. Put an image, QR code or AR code on your business card so when it sits on someone’s desk, you’ll “stand out� among the other pieces of paper. Put one on hats, T-shirts, pants (use your imagination but don’t be disgusting) and any other flat surface that is intended to sell.

With a mix of angles on billboards and posters, drivers and passersby will really take notice… and probably crash into something, but what a way to get a message across. Massive pile-ups on the highway may be a tragedy on the evening news but think of the free advertising!

For point of purchase advertising, using the same technique as Beever can have people taking notice in store aisles and parking lots. A cool scene of hell in your driveway will keep away pesky door-to-door salespeople and the neighbors.

Best of all, there are no extraordinary production costs involved aside from some extra Photoshop manipulation and a decent drop shadow.

For the web, it can be a bit more challenging. Still, any 2D surface will work as long as you figure out the angles of viewing. If you can’t figure out the angles, then let web functionality work FOR you. Animated gifs using the same technique as the old stereo viewers with two images, just slightly askew so when viewed through two lenses the images came together into one 3D image. Also caused long-term cross-eyed headaches, which are now suspected to have been the major cause of the First World War.

The Stereoscope glasses. This is why my great grandparents were cross-eyed and thought I was twins. At least I got TWO birthday presents!

Unlike the other examples, that have two layers, this image is ten layers of objects. The effect is hypnotic.

Keep Looking At The Same Things In Different Ways

Every day some creative comes up with a different way of seeing the ordinary. Looking past the limitations of 2D has led to innovative insights. Take the examples here and run with them. See mistakes for what they might present. In the creative process we don’t really make mistakes… we either discover ways something won’t work or a way something will work on a different plane.

Using small white pegs to match the background color, placed in just the right spots, this 2D billboard is actually 3D, and uses the sun’s rays to create shadows to reveal the image for this sunscreen product.

Was it a “royal pain” to figure this one out or did the creator just pull crumpled ten pound notes from his/her pocket and notice how the ripples made the queen smile and frown?

In the End

Always remember this: When they think you’re weird because of your ideas, proudly say, “YES!” When they say you’re different, be glad you are. When they say you don’t look at things the way everyone else does, smile because you are the one who will change things by seeing the solutions… in 3D!

(rb)

When I was with a former employer there were rumors of upcoming layoffs (obviously the rumors ended up being true or I wouldn’t be referring to it as a FORMER employer). The company denied the rumors, which sent employees a message to be nervous. Sure enough, layoffs started. First it was some forced retirements. Then the sales force got hit hard. Naturally, the creative department, which was one of the largest of any American company, started suffering odd hits among the staff.

Many of these people were leaders in creative innovation that were completely undervalued and underused. Matthew Hawkins was one such individual. His success at making his passion the top priority in his life shows how much untapped potential went to waste while working for the company. But, as the saying goes, “one door closes and another opens.� The open door also allowed him to profit from his passion, rather then let it bypass his pocket and go directly to his employer.

Matthew Hawkins. Self portrait in paper.

How He Started A New Creative Path

“Well,â€� Matthew begins, “I was working at a greeting card company as a production artist and they had these free soda machines. So every time you went to get a soda a little plastic cup would drop down and at the end of every day I’d amass a small stack of plastic cups. One day I turned one over and drew a face on it with a Sharpie. Then I used some index cards and made little paper limbs for my little ‘Cupenstein.’”

“So I started making more and more cup figures,” Matthew resumed, “and started making more and more elaborate paper accessories like cars and whatnot. In a little while these creations were more paper than plastic cups. About this time I came across the website http://www.paperforest.blogspot.com and they feature artists who were making these amazing little paper crafts and sharing the templates online. I made a paper craft character to promote a comic I had just released. I was hooked and things just took off from there.”

“While at the card company,â€� he continues, “I got a couple art directors interested in the idea of putting some punch out and assemble toys inside of cards, so we developed a line for Father’s Day. We thought kids and dads would enjoy making these models. So I was given the time and resources to fully develop them.â€�

Unfortunately, as can happen with innovative ideas, Matthew’s ideas were a bit too fresh for some. As he relates the story, “they were presented to a certain retailer that didn’t go for them and I’m not sure why we never tried the concept again. People seemed to dig them. I know I’ve hit roadblocks with other companies because they feel they aren’t instant gratification, they’re too hard to build, kids don’t have the attention span or parents don’t really want to spend time with their kids — they want something to throw at them to keep them quite for a few minutes. I disagree with all these things and that’s why I continue to work with companies who believe these toys are a great project for families and kids and have great value and fun.â€�

Luckily, Matthew landed at a company that saw value and fun in his work. “I do a lot of papertoys for my current employer, who specializes in fast food premiums — stuff you would find in kids meals from fast food restaurants. We use ‘papertoys’ (Matthew’s term for his paper creations) to cost balance plastic or plush toys. So we might do a month of papertoys so we can afford to do really cool plastic or plush toys the next month or will put one papertoy in with a group of plastic toys. With the price of oil/plastic going up, shipping getting more expensive and a rising wages in China, papertoys have become a great option for us. They are cheaper, can be domestically produced and at the end of their life, biodegradable! I also design and illustrate a lot of kid’s menus for them.

Just a few of Matthew’s creations for fast food premiums.

Matthew has also discovered that his 3d work has become an art form, showing in galleries around the globe. “I have sent papertoys to shows in LA, New York, Vancouver, Amsterdam. Places like Rivet Gallery in Columbus and Pink Hobo in Minneapolis. Lately I’ve been doing these larger scale Shadow Box type pieces that use my paper craft atheistic but applies it to a more ‘hang on the wall’ type art. I love doing large freestanding pieces but they don’t sell because people don’t know what the heck to do with them!â€�

After so many creations and successes on the market and in galleries, it was inevitable that Matthew do a collection in book form. “Urban Paper was my first book experience and it sold out in its first year but didn’t get a second printing,â€� he reflects. “Mostly I think due to a bad economy when it came out a few years back but since then I’ve done publishing projects for books and toy kits that have been selling well!â€�

One of the many books in which you can find Matthew’s work. Check out his site for more!

There’s a good chance you’ve already seen Matthew’s papertoys in a magazine or newspaper. As a 3D illustrator, he has had some impressive clients. “I started out wanting to do editorial illustration,â€� he recalls, “so I love it when I get a chance to build a little paper craft scene or toy that gets used for illustration. I’ve done stuff for a kid’s magazine, alternative newsweeklies and even did a papertoy version of Rupert Murdoch driving a paper machine robot for Newsweek!

Cover of The Pitch — Kansas City (Village Voice Publishing).

Naturally, I had to ask how long it takes him to create one of these pieces, from concept to finished piece, as it’s not just design but also paper engineering. “A long, long while,â€� he answered, dodging the question nicely. “I really have no idea. All I know is it always takes longer than I think. I enjoy the process so I don’t really count the hours but when a commercial project comes down I’m almost always under the time quoted.â€�

With a growing reputation and exposure, Matthew’s work is gaining popularity. I asked what projects he has on the horizon. “I’m actually doing some small kids crafts and a big paper craft piece for an upcoming event at the Nelson-Atkins Museum in Kansas City, Missouri. I also have a full year of gallery shows to which I’m sending pieces. But this year, I’m really concentrating on getting some retail stuff in the market place. I went to Toy Fair a few week ago and saw a lot of crap paper craft kits being offered and I thought ‘HEY! I can make crap paper craft kits, too!’ So, I’ll be focusing on some of those projects.â€�

What’s Matthew’s future in this creative avenue? “I’m just going to keep plugging away, and I want to get back to doing more free models to download from my site. I love to share these things for free as it was a big part of what inspired me to start making them. I’m working with a few different toy companies to make a few retail papertoy kits for the market.â€�

Matthew imparts some advice for those who want to explore making 3D papertoys. “Grab a piece of paper and start cutting, gluing and folding! Really explore the medium with your hands. Don’t open up Illustrator and start making cubes.â€�

Creativity Is The Key Basis To Success!

It’s been a while since Matthew left his fulltime job and the safety of a weekly paycheck. I asked how he feels about his success as a 2D illustrator/designer, moving into the 3D arena. “It’s weird!â€� he admits. “It wasn’t something I planned. I just found something I enjoyed and shared it. As soon as I stopped trying to make a career drawing and designing what I thought would sell and just followed my passion, things just started to happen for me!”

“I’ve managed to make a decent career doing what I love.” He adds, “I find having that background in concepting, illustrating and character design gave me a leg up over some paper engineers who are more engineer-centric and not as creative. So I’ve found a sweet spot between the technical and the creative. I love it when I get to jump a technical hurdle in pursuit of a creative goal.â€�

One of Matthew’s innovative projects.

Matthew’s piece from the Pee-Wee Herman Show in Los Angeles.

Available at Barnes & Noble: Robot Wars. Build ‘em, battle ‘em, love ‘em!

Andy Warhol and his fifteen minutes of fame… unless you leave him out in the rain!

I asked Matthew what other uses his toys might have and he answered: “Kindlingâ€� demonstrating how important it is to have a sense of humor about one’s work. His papertoys are worthy of a place of honor in our lives… though not when on fire! Mostly because they are whimsical, fun, colorful and beautiful; but also because it reminds us that creativity is boundless and that is our strength and gift. Use it well.

Check out Matthew’s site for more information, lots of more cool papertoys, videos, books and other stuff. You can even download some free toys!

(rb)

In the Stone Age of computers and digital storage, there were little “floppy disks� that promised holding an entire megabyte of space… although it was really only 978 kilobytes. AOL would send these little plastic disks to every household each and every month, hoping computer users would sign up for that now antiquated and laughable hook up to the internet. They made great drink coasters or building blocks for the kids.

Syquest made these huge, lumbering disks that held 70 megabytes but if they got bumped or shaken like an Etch-a-Sketch, the information would be lost. They were bloody expensive and environmentally hazardous with their hideous plastic cases that matched VCR tape covers for flimsy ugliness.

The Zip disk was a boon to storage with a huge 100 megabytes of storage and computers started including Zip drives along side the slots for the floppy disks. It was heaven! When the Jazz drive was introduced with a gigabyte of storage, orgasms flooded over the digital industry.

And so, eventually the CD-ROM… with external readers/burners, were introduced and the dinosaurs died out and fire was discovered. The Iron Age brought the  multi-gigabyte DVD and the rest is history.

What’s New?

I’ll never forget my first USB drive. I bought a set of four that looked like little medicine pills and held a whopping 256 megabytes each! How would I ever fill that much space? I could hook one or more to my key ring and take them anywhere I wanted to go! I could go on vacation and take my entire hard drive with me if I needed to use a computer wherever I landed. My laptop was the size of a cinder block and weighed twice as much… and was top of the line but there were no USB ports.

I was just given a crappy 8MB USB drive by a local Chinese restaurant I frequent several times a week. It has a dragon and the name and number of the restaurant printed on it. I threw it in the box of several dozen drives I have by my desk. The good drives have a shelf and a place of honor in my studio.

We all love gadgets and fun toys, so why not enjoy both? Can’t get enough Star Wars in your life? Well, that’s your personal problem but you can keep your C3PO from having his memory wiped with a handy USB Drive all your own! From donuts to sushi, from thumb-shaped thumb drives to Simpsons figures, you can take the fun with you.

Showcase of USB Drives

The force is with you and a dozen or so manufacturers with all the Star Wars drives out there. If you’re a fan of the Lucas trilogy of great films… and three Jar-Jarring bad ones, then you’ll Obi-want one of these!

Maybe you still want storage space… the final frontier but only want to embarrass yourself with one of these Star Trek rank badges with a secret drive. Pretty sure there are also figures of your favorite character available. Right now, guessing George Takei is ripping the head off a Captain Kirk drive – not to store files – just because Shatner treated him like crap!

A fan of steam punk? Well, get with reality because the Victorian Age didn’t have brass and copper jet packs! But if you truly insist on living in a dream world, then these cool drives will keep you happy at work while coworkers snicker behind your spats-wearing, woolen outfits.

Lots of files you want to keep with you? Then “Back Up To The Future� with your own Delorean drive. Marty and Doc not included.

If ninjas are invisible, then you’ll never find these colorful rubber drives on your desk or in your messenger bag. Still they’re just too cool not to buy!

Domo arigato Mr. storage roboto! It will compute if you love these mechanical men with the ability to carry your deep, dark secrets.

It was only a matter of time before the Swiss Army Knife had a jump drive in the place of a blade. Yet another needed piece of survival gear when surviving in the wilderness – like the tweezers for eyebrow plucking and the toothpick for cleaning corn nibblets from between the enemy’s teeth.

If carrying a USB drive on your keychain is just too… “techy� for you, then go for the “Bling� drive. Watches, necklaces, glasses, lighters and more. Bling is the king-thing when you’ve got storage bore-age!

There’s so many food-item drives on the market, we just couldn’t stomach including them all. Pies, cookies, cakes, candy, donuts, and… yuck… vegetables and fruit. Guess your choice depends on your taste!?

Stupor hero is how you’ll feel when you’re trying to decide on one of the hundreds of drives available. You’ll just marvel at the amount on the market. The choices will drive you batty! Almost as much as these horrible puns.

Transform your files into these cool Transformer drives. You’ll be Optimus-Primed and ready for business with this ultra-nerdy collection that offers storage and play value, too!

While Betty Boop’s severed head is a bit creepy, “I pity da fool!” who could pass up a Mr. T doing sit ups when plugged it (plugged into a tower, he’ll keep bonking his head against the computer!) or dogs that hump your laptop. And when it comes to thumb drives, why not have an actual thumb?

Choose your weapon and protect your files with these killer drives. Probably not the best choice when traveling on any major airline or entering government buildings… or in an office… or public.

Here’s another cool but dangerous drive made by a studio as a promotional piece. It’s “da bomb!� I only hope there’s contact info printed on the back.

Creating your own USB drive is easy with a little imagination and hot glue. This one certainly has a touching sentimentality for the files and digits you want to keep at your fingertips!

Aside from my favorite Chinese restaurant, lots of promotional drives are being given out all over the place. Even business cards now have built in USB drives (great for loading samples of your work in slideshow format!). Think of some cool ideas for your business and what drive you would create.

If you have a huge mailing list, there are manufacturers with pre-designed drives for promotional pieces and they will print your logo and info, too! Just Google “USB Drive� and you’ll find sources for promotional drives.

Once you have a numerous collection of drives, you’ll need more USB ports then your computer provides, That’s when it’s time to think of a USB hub. Here are a few cool ones on the market – minus the bad puns!

(rb)