Social Media: An Impromptu Newsroom or a Maniacal Menace?

Now go sit in the corner and think about what you've done!

Fresh off of reading an interesting news article, slamming social media mega-site Mashable for posting a news story on the recent passing of British jazz-core musician Amy Winehouse, I have developed a defending position for the 'Mash. In the article, it claims Mashable posted the hot story on it's site simply to gain more clicks and traffic to their site. While this may or may not be the case, (either way I don't really care), the article brings up an interesting point - Mashable, and social media sites in general for that matter, should redefine who they are. Mashable touts itself as a social media news and technology blog. Last I checked social media is designed for and justly used for social engagement between friends, professionals and businesses alike to share and trade media, news, entertainment, etc. Let that digest for a bit. Feel it wash over you.

Social media in and of itself is made to spread ideas, likes and dislikes, news, and whatever else tickles your fancy. Slamming a social media site for posting news is just mind-blowing to me. Granted it may be out of their particular realm of normal postings, however them being a social site, I can see it's place. Mashable has posted several stories prior to this one that could be labeled as "not social media site worthy", but the 'Mash does tend to look at it from a social perspective. For example they posted a story about the recent Oslo bombing, but focused more on how the story unfolded on the social front - namely Twitter and YouTube. Earlier today, Mashable made another post about Ms. Winehouse, but this time how the Microsoft made a distasteful tweet, and how other sites are feeding off her death to increase sales and traffic - more on that in a second.

RIP to an artist gone too soon.

Truth be told, I found out about Amy Winehouse's untimely demise via a post from Mashable founder Pete Cashmore on Google+. Granted I probably would've found out a few minutes later on one of my other social accounts, or the old school way on the television, or even (GASP!) through a phone call with a friend who heard about it. Point being, I got the news first through a non traditional news source. But let's think about how the news is getting spread around these days - through social media! Tides are shifting towards a new era of news discovery.

How Not to Tweet: 101

Back to how other sites are "taking advantage" of celebrity deaths to turn a profit. Is it so wrong for Apple to post on the iTunes front page "Remembering Amy Winehouse" with a link to her life's work? I think it's a wonderful homage, and seeing that iTunes sells music why not? Sales have spiked for other famous musicians who've passed away, and it did not bother me one bit. Think of how much Michael Jackson's discography jumped off the shelves when he passed away 2 years ago. The same can be said for Amazon and Microsoft's music sites, I don't think it makes them careless or crass to do what they've done. There IS however a wrong way to post about tragic news on your social media sites - just ask Kenneth Cole and their now infamous "Egypt" tweet. What Kenneth Cole's social team did and what Mashable, iTunes, and other have done are two completely different situations. The former was indeed in bad taste, while the latter was simply not.

So to reiterate, social media is an outlet and should not have to be sectored and filtered off to news-only avenues. Take this blog you're reading for example. Printed Specialties is a packaging printer, but I'm still writing about this, because it's a social media outlet. Social media is what I do, and seeing as how this pertains to my job title, I see it as appropriate. People are going to get their news wherever they frequent, and that's a tough pill for news channels to swallow. It's a new day and generation - and her name is Social.

Be well,

BlueWater Ropes: An IDC Case Study

Previous design. No call to action or easily
accessible information.

It's a tale as old as time itself: evolution. Things change, tastes adapt, designs tweak, images shift. Such was the case for one of our great customers, BlueWater Ropes. Months ago, they came to Printed Specialties seeking help. They desperately needed to update their product packaging. Their previous design (pictured right) offered no immediate information to the customer and they were looking to revamp their product lines.


Luckily, Printed Specialties' Innovative Design Center stepped up and took this local business under their wing. Deconstructing the entire essence of the original packaging and what the company itself stood for, PSI worked closely with the company to figure out just what they were wanting. After multiple revisions and trial and error, the two arrived at a creative compromise.

The same general idea stayed within the new design, and did not stray too far from what they wanted to accomplish. With the new packaging, the customer can easily see the weight and type of rope they may be searching for, while still have a nice eye-pleasing style.

New design. Clean and concise makes everything nice.

Another look at previous designs.

Different angle for the newest design.

All in all this was a successful venture for Printed Specialties' new Innovative Design Center, and a great experience for our customer BlueWater Ropes. While not a standard box that PSI is used to producing, this proved to be a welcoming challenge. Ultimately, BlueWater Ropes couldn't have been more satisfied with the work that was done, and it was fulfilled just before their big trade show in Salt Lake City.

So if you or someone you know is looking for a package printer who does more than a standard 4-corner box, look no further than Printed Specialties Inc.

Be well,

A Commercial Stickler

Being someone who is selectively OCD (I like straight lines and symmetry when I place my groceries on the conveyor, but my closet is a force to be reckoned with) and a person who just loves great design and typography, I have a bone to pick with certain advertisers and designers when it comes to their recent design choices.

For one, I am a nitpicker for items and text to be centered. Take this new Volkswagen commercial for example.




While inherently hilarious, I mean honestly how can you not laugh at the kid's determined face, the ending is what bothers me to no end (roughly the last 2-3 seconds). My hands clench and I wince in slight discomfort looking at the somewhat off-center "That's Das Auto" tagline. And once the word "That's" disappears, we're left with just "Das Auto" that still looks a little wonky. I have to look away each time the commercial nears it's end to save from screaming in uneasiness.

I might as well be staring at this poster.

View more like this here.

Now I can forgive certain designs that are meant to be off-the-cuff and cutting edge, but when I think of Volkswagen I think of sleek, sophisticated German engineering.While that off-center tagline might have been on purpose, it still felt out of place to me.

The other day I passed a good old fashioned billboard that rattled my practical designer's nerves. This was a combination of unnecessary usage of extra billboard material (add ons) and just poor planning and design layout, in my opinion. While I could not get a shot of said offending billboard seeing as how I was zipping down the interstate at 70 MPH, I decided to make a mock-up.

Instead of the traditional rectangle shape, you will see that there is an added "hump" on the top left. Surely they did this on purpose; but for what reason? I see no added value to the advertisement, nor does it add anything exciting to look at for the advertisee. Now, before I slammed them too much for wasting time and money, I figured the other side of the billboard used that hump in a more resourceful way, and the advert above was simply piggy-backing on just using the extra space. I slowed down once I passed the sign and used my mirrors to look behind me to see. But alas, it was not true, and the advertisers really did add an extra hump for no good reason. Shame.

There is a lot of bad design out there, especially when it comes to advertisements. Let's try and shape it up people. Or risk being ridiculed by a bevy of your peers (i.e. Me).

Be well,