it seems that celebrities are on a kick to diversify there resumes lately. JAY-Z designed the ny nets logo, justin timberlake has taken on interior decorating, and now drew barrymore has made her foray into the wine business. this introduction has been met with a lot of industry skepticism, especially the package design by shepard fairey.

generally speaking, i think there is a lot of opportunity in the spirits category to have fun with the package/label design. i don’t think the barrymore label is offensive, but i also don’t think it is all that memorable and most definitely won’t have any shelf presence. i am sure that they were trying to separate this product line from the actress, but they hired shepard fairey… use that resource to its fullest! here are a few examples of beverage packaging that walks that fine line of simplicity, personality, and good design:

[package 1, package 2, package 3, package 4, package 5, package 6]

as the limitations of web typography dissipate, there is becoming an increasing number of font options with their windows/mac applications. this article provides an explanation of font rendering and why there are type constraints in different platforms. hopefully these insights will make it easier for you to choose fonts for your next web project.

we’ve all heard it: “i want my brand to be as recognizable as apple/target/coke.” there are a few variables that give these brands their stature such as budget and time; but what really gives them the greatest advantage is that they put their design foot forward first. this article discusses the inherent success of this strategy as it applies to facebook, although the aforementioned brands illustrate the value of this seemingly secret ingredient at its best.

apple has brought the aesthetic influence of deiter rams and paul rand to their products that give them the “gotta-have” factor. and their commercials with humanized computers have been rehashed and parodied into oblivion.

target is introducing a new store concept called the shops at target. these rotating boutiques feature free-standing brands with products for all parts of your life, and of course they aesthetically live up to the designer/target collaborations like liberty of london and missoni.

coke has found a way to apply their timeless brand in new ways evidenced by a recent promotion with the classic coke bottle re-design.

people have gone wild for the amc series mad men. now amc has translated that fan base into a new reality series called the pitch that follows agencies making pitches to corporate clients. do you think these shows are creating a culture of awareness that can foster greater visual expectation of the consumer? is this the catalyst to raise the bar and visually de-clutter our environment?

everybody’s creative process varies by personal preference; some start with a pencil and paper and others prefer to jump right on to the computer. there are benefits to each… pencil sketches allow you to ideate without being visually influenced by the polish that digital sketches have, and vector drafts allow you to consider the technical details from the beginning. it is always intriguing and inspiring to see how other creatives… well, create. here is a collection of people who use manual wire-framing digital and u.i. designs part of their process.

[top: interface-origami, bottom: wire-frames and mock-ups]

we would like to welcome our newest member, evan, to the welt branding family.

as designers we are a filter, and our work is a product of our environment. finding inspiration, can come from many mediums. it is easy to rely on the web to drop it in our laps with the popularization of sites like pinterest. and while this is all well and good, sometimes it is nice to have tangible experiences to draw from. if you would prefer the latter, here is a subscription that will keep your creativity and the usps alive. lost crates allows you to choose a crate filled with goodies, and sends it to your door.

have you ever heard a brand name and wondered where it came from? bored panda has a quick collection of big-name brands and the narrative behind their moniker.

it seems like digital advertising on the web has put pressure on the television advertising industry to push the boundaries of what a commercial can be. this new race to the top is producing commercials that blur the lines between advertising and entertainment to create an experience that just might persuade you to stay on the couch through the commercial break. this particular method commercial doesn’t even employ a droning voice-over or cheesy licensed music; the visuals speak for themselves.