ikea is a brand that exudes innovation and progress, so it is interesting to see them clinging to printed direct mail catalogs and advertisments. however they are doing it so well, that they are seemingly trying to save the endangered medium from the jaws of the digital era… or at least making them play nicely together.

this advertisement by leo rosa borges is flat-pack inspiration in your mailbox:

and the catalog’s app integration is like being in a furniture secret society:

don’t forget about the briefly available cookbook photographed by carl kleiner:

we are a culture that has to have the latest and greatest in technology; with the market driving the industry at warp speed it is pretty impressive that the iphone has stood the test of time. in the past several years of the iphone’s evolution, peripheral, non-apple products have been developed to accompany your smart phone. here are few fun gadgets to make your iphone even cooler:

here are a few guilt-free opportunities to snoop over someone’s shoulder who is making a variety of design lovelies.

Daycraft Expresso Notebook

“Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise”

SkateBack

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.

the average american is not known for lingual prowess; speaking less than 2 languages. but this statistic overlooks a universal language we all speak. an iconographic communication has the ability to be both quickly identified and access a larger capacity of information. from packaging to graphics, the glossary is vast. here’s a vocabulary test to see where you stand. think you can ace it?

if you would like a hint tweet steve @weltbrand.

here are some more fun and games to expand your lexicon //

1 // http://famousobjectsfromclassicmovies.com/
2 // http://www.kyletezak.com/design/the-four-icon-challenge/
3 // http://www.thenounproject.com/
4 // http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/gerd-arntz-memory/id420640315?mt=8&ls=1

if you would like to play a round in this graphic spelling bee then leave us a comment or speak to our agents by…

posting on their facebook wall at welt branding
tweeting them at weltbrand
or by joining their linkedin group at welt branding: challenge everything