Apples to Apples

This morning, an email from a friend led me to the 5th interweb wonder of the world, Wikipedia (yes, Wikipedia site was recently named 5th most popular website in the world), to view this 1976 original apple logo drawn by co-founder Ronald Wayne. Now, I’ve seen this gem-of-a-logo before, but never really noticed how intricate it was, nor did I realize the apparent story behind the original Apple brand. The logo features the words Newton… A Mind Forever Voyaging Through Strange Seas of Thought … Alone with Sir Isaac Newton sitting under the apple tree where he supposedly discovered gravity, by an apple falling on his head. I wonder if that experience is synonymous with Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne‘s idea to create and sell the Apple I Personal Computer kit? I doubt it, but interesting nonetheless. The original logo was only used for 1 year. In 1977, Steve Jobs hired Rob Janoff to create the rainbow-bitten apple that represented the brand for 22 years before going monochromatic & glossy. Apparently, the bite of the apple was added to differentiate the apple from a tomato. Many also believe the bite lends itself to another kind of byte, which also adds a nice “nerdy” vibe. Any way you slice it, or bite it…Janoff says all of those design meanings are BS. You can read more about the design of the most iconic brand in the world here, in this Creative Bits interview from 2009. Take a minute and make it your read for the day.

Who was this advertising genius?

Mr. was one of the great advertising pioneers, he believed advertising existed only to sell something and should be measurable and justify the results that it produced.

He worked for various advertisers, including Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company, Swift & Company and Dr. Shoop’s patent medicine company. At the age of 41, he was hired in 1907 at a salary of $185,000 a year, _________ insisted copywriters researched their client products and produce reason-why copy. He believed that a good product was often its own best salesperson and as such he was a great believer in sampling.

To track the results of his advertising he used key coded coupons and then tested headlines, offers and propositions against one another. He used the analysis of these measurements to continually improve his ad results, driving responses and the cost effectiveness of his clients advertising spend.

Give up?

How Ink is Made

No, this isn’t one of those “How Stuff is Made” shows, but you get the idea. Master ink maker (yes, there is such a profession), Peter Welfare, takes you on a personal tour of the process of making inks. This is perfect for design nerds and appropriate for design students. Take a gander — it’s fascinating.

The Race Across the Sky

For those of us that ride, you can’t beat this epic journey. What started 25 years ago as a running race to bring tourism to Leadville, Colorado is now this —  a 100 mile race above 10,000+ feet, starting at the former mining town, 1228 cyclists accepted via lottery, waiting for a long climb of 14,000 vertical feet. For many, it will be the most difficult race of their lives. For some, a bragging right to say they raced alongside the best in the world, including Lance Armstrong & David Weins. Some unbelievable guts to finish this race out and it makes for a great film too. I think Leadville succeeded in their marketing quest to bring more people to this quiet mining town, with the most difficult mountain race in North America.

Race Across The Sky 2010 from Citizen Pictures on Vimeo.

A View on Corporate Culture

By Oligivy & Mather. A very interesting and excellent writeup regarding beliefs and behavior in the workplace.