Sauce

This elegant Yaoki sake bottle by Dentsu Kyushu Inc. with a white refined shape and a rounded base, allows the (self-righting) bottle to regain its vertical position by itself. This sake based on potatoes and the Arita porcelain from which the flask is made are famous on the Japanese island of Kyushu.
The message, drawn from an ancient proverb, says “If you fall seven times, get up eight times”; in other words, “Never give up”, like this bottle which always regains its vertical position.

www.thedieline.com

She was born in Sweden, worked in Brazil and is now settled in the Portland area. The prolific illustrator and mixed-media artist is a global citizen of the most interesting kind. Her own life in different locales gives her many sources of inspiration and most likely helps her flex her illustration muscle to meet the needs of a vast variety of clients.

Her work has appeared in Computer Arts  and Bon Magazine; she’s created T-shirt graphics for Levi’s, wall murals for a hotel in Los Angeles, CD covers for artists and illustrations for Oilily and La Perla. Nearly all of her work has a collage-like feel, with many layers, nuances and media. The somewhat surreal and psychedelic look of some of her pieces attests to her ability and willingness to trot not just the globe but regions beyond.

thecoolhunter.com

Forget the sport..some of the most interesting things that happened at the Beijing Olympics came from clever sponsors who dreamt up creative ways to promote their brands at the mega global event. Mini Cooper, dragged traditional Chinese street transport into the 21st century with these great bike-powered Minis. Samsung were equally creative, giving Olympics’ fans a chance to view all of the action from their own “private” alien-like pods.

Boys who like cool toys head to I-Way, a luxe, mega venue dedicated to motor sports racing simulations. I-Way provides aspiring speed racers with an opportunity to experience the adrenalin rush that comes from being behind the wheel of a Formula 1, Endurance or Rally car. The high-tech simulators offer real “piloting” sensations, mounted into a real car, which is experienced through several screens which surround the driver’s field of vision.

The venue is pitched at corporate groups, who, presumably can bond over high speed racing sessions – and all without creasing their polo-necks. To enhance the experience created by the simulators drivers suit up in race outfits, helmets and gloves.

I-Way’s modern design hits its target market perfectly with wide open spaces, industrial finishes and futuristic reflective surfaces. It’s boys playing with expense toys – luxe style.  Located in Lyon, France, the venue also houses a bar, a shop (which sells cool motoring accessories) and bizarrely, a gym and spa. Anyone for a round of weights and a facial in between races?

thecoolhunter.com

Series 3 launch of cult ’serial killer’ TV show Dexter by Showtime took a guerrilla marketing approach to the launch, mounting fake pop-up news stands in heavily trafficked public spaces in cities across America including New York (positioned right by Central Park), Philadelphia (at 30th Street train station), Los Angeles (outside the Kodak Theater), Chicago (in the financial district) and San Francisco (Union square). The stands featured the show’s star Michael C Hall on mock covers of high-profile magazines like Rolling Stone, The New Yorker and GQ. Snacks wrapped in suitably blood-red packaging also figured on the stands.

The two-day pop-up pieces debuted on the weekend to coincide with the airing of the first episode. The innovative idea was dreamt up by experiential marketing agency Pop2Life that also came up with last season’s national launch campaign which consisted of custom-made fountains spitting fake blood. Fake blood fountains and fictitious news stands – we can’t wait to see they do next season.

Thecoolhunter.com

In most cities, strategic downtown street corners are flanked by enormous, old banks, the ornate cathedrals of capital designed to impress and intimidate. With the massive changes in real estate values and consumer banking habits, such monuments to Mammon are no longer smart or necessary. But what amazing opportunities such massive commissions must have been for the architects of the day! And what depressing alternatives we’ve experienced since! Luckily, online banking has made a bank visit almost obsolete, but when you must visit, most of the time you’ll find a boring, convenience-store-type standardized box — retail banking in the worst meaning of both words.

But we are starting to see a change. Several new bank design concepts are in the works, and some have been launched recently, including CheBanca! in Milan by Crea International. The concept for CheBanca! (translation: What a bank!) reflects the brand’s simplicity, transparency and innovation. When Crea International co-founder  will speak at POPAI Italia in November on the power of physical brand design to bring to life a brand’s language, spirit and values, he will no doubt mention CheBanca!

And now that we have seen a few examples of fabulous bank design, we want more! If you’ve seen, designed or commissioned one, let us know.

www.dezeen.com