The Espresso: Edition 121
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Wednesday November 23 2011

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Letter From the Editor- Edition 121

Just Feeling Off

Whilst driving to a gig this week I listened to the Triple M 'Grill Team' for Breakfast. Eddie McGuire was talking about an interview that he had during the week with golfer Tiger Woods. He said Tiger Woods is methodical about his preparation for his game.  In the morning he goes to the practice greens and hits balls. Tiger said if he feels that he is starting to slice the ball to one side he will adapt for that day. He said that sometimes he knows that his body is off that day and is hitting it to the right so he adapts. He made me think about my own world of writing and how some days you just don't have the vibe. Those are the days when you need to turn off the recorder and walk away. Elton John once said that if he couldn't write a great song in less than 35 minutes he would close the piano and walk away, he said "I never try to get blood from a stone". Sometimes in the creative world its just not happening. Its why sometimes conferences are not the best place for creativity because you are drawn to a conference and you are expected to create that day in that moment. It just doesn't happen that way. Creativity has its own time and a place and any great creative will know that there are some days where its just not flowing and your better off closing the piano and walking away. Another way to look at it is to adapt. If its not working sitting in front of your computer then go for a walk. If its not working go and sit in a coffee shop. If its not working in a coffee shop then instead of writing, doodle and think about the visuals. Adapt or walk away. Just because you sit down to create doesn't mean it will always come. Sometimes you are just feeling off. 

Retail

In Store Now

Walmart in the US have just released their first iPad app. We all know the frustration of heading to a store to buy a product when its not in stock. The Walmart app fixes that problem. Designed specifically for the iPad it saves you time and money by allowing you to actually go through the inventory that your local store is holding of products to make sure they have got what you want. There is also the normal things like recent deals, product details and store specific information like opening hours etc. But the thing that took us was the fact that this is real time in-stocks of your local store which is sure to be copied by retailers around the world in the near future. The retail experience is certainly changing as we know it considering that K-Mart last week launched their app that allows you to compare prices of their stock against the same product in other stores. 

Beverage

Hats Off 

This is cracking idea from drink brand Innocent in the UK. It started in 2003 when a guy drinking an Innocent bottle saw a little hat design that was part of the logo. He decided to knit a hat and place it on the bottle. Today Innocent the UK's smoothie brand have taken on a knitting initiative called The Big Knit and are hoping to have 650,000 Innocent bottles each covered in a knitted hat made for free by the general public. When you buy a bottle of innocent juice with one of these little hats on it Innocent give 25p to their charity which then goes to support charities who provide knitted warmth for the elderly. They are hoping to pass on 1.5 million dollars this year. This is a wonderful initiative which pulls upon a number of trends that are happening in brand today. Being more than a brand and helping the community, crowd-sourcing to the general public to be a part of it, the communications through social media and generosity by doing the right thing because its the right thing to do. This is a very cool brand and they tick a lot of the boxes. 

Sport

Off and Running

Asics is a famous brand in long distance running and when they brought to life the marathon experience ad campaign as part of the New York City Marathon it allowed the general public to see whats its like to be an elite marathon runner. Its Run With Ryan Video Simulation was set up in New York City's Columbus Circle subway station. Essentially this massive interactive billboard counted down from ten to one as US marathon runner Ryan Hall approached. Punters were then given a chance to run for 60 feet next to Ryan Hall who was on the video wall at race pace. The staggering outtake for punters was exactly how fast Ryan ran for 26.2 miles. A wonderful interactive campaign that only went to re-enforce Asics positioning as the ultimate long distance running shoe. 

Automotive

It Wont Be a Drag

Suzuki are about to unveil their version of a small lightweight and aerodynamically efficient vehicle. Reportedly coming up soon at the Tokyo Motorshow, Suzuki are going to launch a car that has been tested in wind tunnels and proven to reduce drag. The Regina features a very small front grill opening, exterior rear view camears in place of bulky mirrors and fendors which partially cover the rear wheels. The whole idea of the car is to reduce drag and make it more efficient. We just though you would like to see where car designers are innovating around design.

Design

Thats Not a Toy Lamp

Good friend and contributor to The Espresso Stuart Carver from the UK has once again come up with a great innovation that he spotted recently. You could imagine the scene. Someone is cleaning out their cupboards and grab some of the old toys that haven't been played with in years but still have memories and to each person their own value and emotional attachment. The partner says that they have got to go but the owners says they just can't let them go. Well somebody was placed in that situation and decided that they would instead make a lamp out of it. Evil Robot Designs has been created to help you store those memories you had as a kid by taking your old toys and sculpting them into some pretty cool look high gloss finish lamps. You can choose your colour and if you are attached to your toys these bespoke lamps would be right up your evil alley.

 
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The Espresso is a weekly free newspaper designed specifically for those who want to look at things differently.

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Gary scours the world to find interesting tips, tools and news to give you a new or different perspective on the world around you.