Show and Tell: Zeitgeist 2010: Year in Review

Google released a movie yesterday showcasing the top searches of 2010. The short film brings attention to the year's major events like the earthquake in Haiti and the first face transplant, wonderfully summarizing a year's worth of events in 3 minutes.

Show and Tell: Short Video

Target Women appeared regularly on Current TV. Sarah Haskins hosted the show that imitated a news brief, but parodied advertisements aimed at women. Episodes of the show targeted a variety of trends and products including jewelry, chocolate, and razors. Check out the famous Target Women: Yogurt Edition:



Current TV no longer produces new episodes of Target Women, however you can watch and enjoy them all here. 

Show and Tell: Infographics

Warning: This information graphic may cause a headache.




There is way too much going on in this graphic. The graphic uses an unnecessary amount of images, presents too much information, and immediately makes the reader want to move on. Even the "How to Read the Data" chart is confusing.

Whereas this Colours in Cultures graphic shows a great deal of information cleanly and simply. The chart requires a second look, yet is easy to understand.

Show and Tell: Packaging

Though not exactly a package and not exactly a narrative, Julien Berthier's boat definitely has a story to tell. The sailor describes his one-of-a-kind boat as a "permanent and mobile image of a wrecked ship that has become a functional and safe leisure object."

Made from a boat that was cut in half, Berthier's boat was given a new keel to keep it upright and a motor to make it mobile. See it in action:


Love Love from julien berthier on Vimeo.


For a more traditional example of a package redesign, check out "Nice Package" from October 29.

Show and Tell: Narrative

This article from DCist was originally found as an example of good food writing. The piece paints a picture and puts the readers in the author's shoes, like a good narrative.

I first tried whipped ricotta during a recent business trip to Boston. It rained from the moment I touched down until three days later as I was preparing to leave. Forty mile per hour winds made it unbearable to go out in the evenings. Fortunately, on my last day, I managed to make it to Sportello, a diner-like Italian restaurant with upscale cuisine. Sitting down at the counter, I was provided with slices of moist crumbed bread and a small dish of a white spread, olive oil, and jam.

Biting into the bread with the ricotta spread was the first bit of sunshine I'd had in days.

Show and Tell: Favorite Words

These words are favorites because they sound like what they mean:

Thrill
Vivid
Triumph
Mischievous
Coquettish
Ecstatic
Frenzy
Strut

Strut is defined as "a stiff, erect and apparently arrogant or conceited gait" but who needs a definition when  you can simply watch this:

Show and Tell: Call to Action

Voting campaigns display some of the strongest call to action ads ever. The messages are always similar, that one vote makes a difference. However, taglines and imagery help certain ads stand out over others. Here are examples of several voting ads with different words and pictures featuring the same call to action:










Which ad most inspires you to vote?

Show and Tell: Campaign

The following campaign from Lego is simple and effective. With all of the fancy toys available to kids these days, Lego makes it clear that imagination is really what makes toys fun, especially Legos.

Show and Tell: Concept

EOS, Evolution of Smooth, is a brand of beauty products. Their products have two claims to fame: natural ingredients and packaging that "makes you smile."

That's what makes this advertisement for EOS lip balm so clever:

Right away the viewer associates EOS lip balm with nature and the shape of an apple. Though it may or may not produce a smile, this ad definitely makes EOS memorable. 

Show and Tell: The Art of Definition

A good definition makes complicated things easy to understand by using strong words and translating images. Consumer Reports was the first publication that came to mind in my search for a strong verbal definition. A gift from my dad for years, Consumer Reports explains and reviews almost any product imaginable. Shower heads, grocery stores, lawn mowers, televisions, multivitamins, house paint - you name it, they report about it.

I surprisingly didn't find an explanation of a household item, but came across this explanation of sleep apnea and its effect on the body:

"The most common type, obstructive sleep apnea, is caused by inhaled air squeezing through narrowed airways in the mouth, nose, or throat, causing flabby tissue to vibrate. That noisy snoring is often first noticed by family members or bed partners. Sometimes the airways close off, preventing airflow to the lungs and causing breathing lapses for as long as 2 minutes. As blood-oxygen levels fall and carbon-dioxide blood levels rise, the brain is triggered to interrupt sleep. The sleeper awakens suddenly, struggling to breathe, often choking, snorting, and gasping until normal breathing resumes."

Now I know, and knowing is half the battle. Thanks, Consumer Reports.

Show and Tell: Bad Food Photography

The primary goal of food photography is to make an ingredient or dish look irresistible. It is more difficult than one might think, but it is surprising how often that goal isn’t achieved even in popular cooking and food magazines.

Take a look at this image from Cooking Light for example:

Risotto is delicious and this portrayal makes it appear exactly the opposite. It’s hard to tell it is even risotto in that bowl and any elements of color or texture are completely lost. The image also applies one of the most overused and amusingly simple strategies for making food look appetizing: “Stick a fork in it.”

Luckily for us, Cooking Light is capable of better: