Microsoft apologizes for race-swap photo incident

Microsoft apologized Tuesday for using photo editing techniques to change the race of a person depicted on the company's Web site.

In a photo on the company's U.S. Web site, three businesspeople--one black, one white and one Asian are shown as part of a pitch for Microsoft's business productivity software. In the same photo on the site of Microsoft's Polish subsidiary, a white head is placed over the black person's body, although the hand is not changed.

The move sparked controversy after it was noticed, quickly making the rounds on Twitter and various Web sites.

"We are looking into the details of this situation," a Microsoft representative told CNET News. "We apologize and are in the process of pulling down the image" from the Polish site. Microsoft also apologized on its corporateTwitter feed.

And here's the one from the Polish site (click to enlarge):

Audi modernizes four-ring logo + Typographic Relaunch

Audi, which has been associated with the four interlocking rings since the formation of the original Auto Union in 1932, and synonymous with the logo since the revival of the brand in 1965, has given its long-running logo a minor update for the 21st century.

While the rings already look fairly modern with their three-dimensional texture and shadowing, Audi decided to shine them up a bit. The result is a finish that looks like polished chrome and is nearly as authentic as seeing the real thing emblazoned across the hood of a 'Bahn-stormer.'

Further embracing a more modern, simple style is the Audi name itself, which has moved down away from the rings and to the left of center. More importantly, it has shrunk and has abandoned its exaggerated, unconventional font (seen in the old logo pictured to the left) in favor of a plainer sans-serif font.

The end result is a very chic, modern take on an ageless design. Expect to see it quietly make its way onto Audi's website, signage, documents, and more worldwide as the brand continues to refresh itself during its centennial celebration

Audi’s Typographic Stylings

Audi Type replaces Audi Sans, a modified version of Univers Extended a Roman and Extended type family commissioned by MetaDesign from Paul van der Laan and Pieter van Rosmalen. Along with being part of the new logo,

Corporate typeface comparison, Audi Sans (above) and Audi Type. Image source.

The new type family can be seen in full action in the 2008 Annual Report, available as a PDF. The result is a strikingly modern and contemporary look that blends quite well with the Audi cars, slick and sophisticated. For a few more images and background, please visit FontFeed.

2008 Annual Report cover in red. Two other versions, green and gray, are also available.

2008 Annual Report sample spreads.

The new 2010 Audi A4 Allroad at the Geneva Motor Show 2009, with the new typog raphy.
If you look closely at some recent print ads from Audi you may discover a subtle typographic restyling. The automotive constructor stopped using the modifiedUnivers Extended called Audi Sans intro duced 12 years ago by MetaDesign, and switched to AudiType. MetaDesign – which is respon sible for this facelift as well – commis sioned Paul van der Laan (Type Invaders) and Pieter van Rosmalen (Caketype) to design the new corporate face for Audi. Both Paul and Pieter studied type design at the KABK (Royal Academy of Arts) in The Hague, The Nether lands.


The previous corporate typeface Audi Sans (a modified Univers Extended, top) and the new Audi Type by Paul van der Laan & Pieter van Rosmalen (bottom)

Print ad for Audi Quattro, Switzerland
Neither Audi nor their CI agency have released an official statement about the typographic relaunch yet. Without knowing their exact motivation I think I perceive the politics of baby steps. The foundation, or may we call it the “chassis”, is preserved – character width, grey value, metrics – while the bodywork was refined. And this is very elegant, away from the static towards the dynamic, the high-​quality.
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Some extra clari fi cation about the new typeface. We have been told that Audi Type was built completely from the ground up. Although its character has indeed been preserved up to a certain point, the character widths and spacing in the new typeface are actually quite different. Normal and Bold are somewhat of a darker colour, and ascenders and descenders are longer than in Univers to guarantee optimal legibility in the smaller point sizes.

One of three covers of the 2008 Annual Report

Detail of the table of contents, from the 2008 Annual Report. Audi Type currently exists in Normal, Bold, Extended Normal, and Extended Bold. Italics are under devel opment, and Greek and Cyrillic will be produced subsequently.

At Typo 2007 MetaDesign’s Carl-​Frank Westermann explained in great detail the strategy behind the Audi Sound Branding, specif i cally the acoustic endings of the commer cials. By applying minute inter fer ences in the overtones the MetaDe­signers lent a higher quality to the two seconds. This scenario seems to work perfectly well for typog raphy as well.

Paul van der Laan and Pieter van Rosmalen will launch their new venture Bold Monday in the near future. At Robothon Pieter handed me a set of very nice postcards with sneak previews of the typefaces. More details to follow, and sooner than you might expect.

It is not funny to text while driving

American Airlines:::Squirrels Mania

It started as an Internet photo post , which went viral, of a Minnesota couple with a squirrel..

Melissa and Jackson Brandts were on vacation at Banff National Park in Canada, snapping photos of themselves when a curious squirrel decided to hog the camera for himself. The photo was entered into a National Geographic contest and gained instant notoriety for the couple, who have since appeared on several national morning shows.

American Airlines is citing the photo as a reason to re-air the spot below, which first ran in the spring, featuring an annoying director making an ad about Parisian squirrels who ride bikes. And they're not just bringing the ad back. The airline has also sent out a goofy press release that says it's launching an "investigation" into the identity of the Banff squirrel.

Sensing that there could be a golden acorn in it, American will rerun its squirrel ad starting in September and sent out a news release that is probably the most humorous ever sent from Amon Carter Boulevard.

"There was no indication that he [the squirrel] was planning to use American Airlines as a springboard to launch a new phase in his career," said Dan Garton, executive vice president of marketing at American.

Since he popped up in Banff, maybe he's Canadian." Seems a bit much. In any case, American aren't the only ones trying to capitalize. Banff and Lake Louise Tourism has already set up squirrel accounts on Facebook and Twitter.

Apple VS blackberry

iPhone vs Blackberry

Blackberry vs iPhone

Sony Ericsson: Street tennis

TRANSFORMERS: LIVE.

Weirdvertising…3.0 bizarre adspaces

http://www.instoresnow.nl/index2.html

www.advertisinghim.com

At SponsorMyMelon.com, this gentleman is selling ad space on his bald head

http://www.bumvertising.com/gallery.html

ChicagoNow.com launched by Zig, using stacked cars, chalk blogs and more

Zig Chicago explored pretty much every media when they launched this campaign for the ChicagoNow.com blog network. For example, a Cubs game sponsorship was used as a platform for more than traditional fan swag, when they stacked up a pile of cars outside the stadium along with a sign reading, “Call me crazy, but I think Chicago needs more parking.” - this drove people to phograph the stunt as well as check out Chicagonow.com where “Parking Ticket Geek” is hosted. Another stunts had a trail of undergarments leading up to a steamed up car which was quite literally rocking back and forth, with signage for the Sex and the Windy City blog. Ah, but of course.

Here are the radio ads that go with this campaign.

Then there was the “chalk blog” in Chicago’s busy Pioneer Court using 40 eight-foot boards spread throughout the courtyard."We posed some of the provocative questions that spark debate on ChicagoNow blogs every day, such as “What would you do to improve the CTA?” and “What will the Olympics do for this city?” Crowds gathered, adding their points of view - because as everyone knows, it's not just the blogs that draws the readers, its the comments and ability to make one as well.

last but not least, the Chicago newspapers carried traditional print ads as well.

chalk-blogs

Credits for the ChicagNow.com campaign are as follows:

Agency:Zig Chicago
Creative Director: Stephen Leps
Art Director: Janay Blazejewski
Copywriters: Geoff Berg, Natalie Taylor
Strategic Planner: Ryan Wilson
Team Leader: Carlie Naftolin
Retoucher: Jeremy Thompson
Studio: Mazen Mansour, William Leung
Print Production: Jen Dark
Music Company: RMW
Music Director: Ted Rosnick
Sound Designer: Tyson Kuteyi

Hewlett-Packard with the new "You on You" campaign.

Hewlett-Packard with the new "You on You" campaign is inviting the public to make homemade versions of the "Personal Again" HP ads that feature celebrities (their faces hidden) talking about their digital lives. The effort, aimed at promoting the HP Artist Edition Notebook, is about halfway through its life span, and some of the submitted work has been pretty impressive.

Zain commercial ads - Ramadan 2009

Zain is a leading emerging markets player in the field of telecommunications aiming to become one of the top ten mobile operators in the world by 2011. Today it is the 4th largest mobile network in the world in terms of geographical footprint with commercial presence in 24 countries spread across the Middle East and Africa providing mobile voice and data services to over 64.7 million active customers as of May 2009.
Zain operates in the following countries: Bahrain, Burkina Faso, Chad, the Republic of the Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Iraq, Jordan, Palestine, Kenya, Kuwait, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. In Lebanon, the company manages the network on behalf of the government operating as mtc-touch. In Morocco, Zain in a joint venture owns 31% of Wana Telecom. On May 18, 2009, Zain entered into an agreement with Palestinian operator Paltel to attain a 56.5% stake in the company serving 1.5 million mobile customers.
The company offers innovative services in its markets such as One Network, the world's first borderless mobile telecommunication network enabling customers to receive calls and sms without charge and to make them at local rates throughout many countries in Africa and the Middle East.
The Zain brand is wholly owned by Mobile Telecommunications Company KSC, which is listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange ( Stock ticker: ZAIN ). Zain is listed in the Financial Times' Global 500 Index which ranks the world's largest companies based on market capitalization ( http://www.ft.com/reports/ft5002008 ).For more, please visit www.zain.com

Zain Ramadan Ads revealed a religious tie up with Sheikh Moshari AlAfassi and song of Ramadan, in three languages Arabic, English and French to communicate virtue of the holy month.

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Client: Zain Group

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