Opinion BY Armin

CNBC Prime goes After Dudes

Launched this past March, CNBC Prime is a new programming block — like, say, Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim or Cinemax’s Max After Dark — of both documentary and reality original shows to air during primetime (8:00 to 11:00 pm). During the day and early evening, CNBC continues its programming focusing on business news and providing real time market coverage and financial information, that has attracted an affluent, male following primed for the content and look and feel of CNBC Prime. The logo and on-air package that provide a clear contrast between day and night were designed by New York, NY-based Gretel.

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Opinion BY Armin

Palestine Says

Breaking ground last week and set to open in the Fall of 2014 as a project of the Welfare Association, the Palestinian Museum in Birzeit, Palestine, is “dedicated to the exploration and understanding of the culture, history and society of Palestine and the Palestinian people.” Along with exhibits, the museum will engage in research, education programs, and cultural events through its hub in Birzeit as well as through local and international partnerships and its digital platform. The museum’s identity has been designed by London-based venturethree. An extended brochure can be found here (PDF).

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Friday Likes BY Armin

Friday Likes 38

These Friday Likes are brought to you by the colors black and white.

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Opinion by Mark Kingsley Posted BY Brand New

My Kind of American Exceptionalism

Flying used to mean something.

And before People Express Airlines remade air travel into the equivalent of a bus ride, before the mediascape overinformed us about every possible destination, before the security theater of X-rayed shoes, and before the global financial crisis, the experience of flying actually delivered on that promise.

But now, air travel can be a miserable experience. Especially if you fly coach. And especially if you fly American Airlines.

[Ed.’s Note: This is the first time I hand over a “large” review to anyone. Mark Kingsley, a good friend and annoyingly astute observer, asked if he could do it, saying he was “totally excited” about the work. His point of view on this is likely the last thing you expected to hear from Brand New. Enjoy. — Armin Vit]

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In Brief BY Armin

In Brief: Brooklyn Nets Open

By now pretty much everyone knows I’m not the biggest fan of the Brooklyn Nets logo. I’ll admit that, despite my regard for the execution of the logo(s), the approach and strategy are right on cue, if a little too hip-hop for its own good — feelings captured ever so by this “Open” that plays across the arena during player introductions at home games. Created by Los Angeles, CA-based TheFamousGroup with an original song, called “Brooklyn” (what else?), by ex-Fugee John Forté, “The film adheres to the Nets’ iconic black & white branding, shot entirely in b&w and featuring players dressed in white shirts and black suits and ties.” Kinda catchy and cool, although at points it’s hard to remember if you are watching an ad for an NBA team or a men’s fashion line. You can see a full-screen optimized version here.

Opinion BY Armin

A Night at the Shrewsbury

Located close to the Welsh border in Shropshire county in the West Midlands, England, Shrewsbury is a small town with a population of 70,000. What it lacks in human beings it makes up for in charm, with a town center still laid out in its medieval form with boutique shops and restaurants. Facing competition from other, nearby small towns with their own charms and looking to increase daytrip and overnight-stay visitors, the Shropshire Council and Shropshire Tourism decided it was time to establish a brand for the town and they worked with London-based & Smith and We All Need Words to design it. One of the town’s attractions is its sixteenth-century Tudor architecture: houses with black and white timber facades in geometric patterns, which served as one of the main elements of the new identity.

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Opinion BY Armin

The Brooklyn Nets: I Call Technical Foul

Last week was the final game of the NBA’s New Jersey Nets, who finished with a 22-44 record to end the season at the bottom of its Atlantic division in the Eastern conference — a far cry from its more successful days in the early 2000s when it reached the finals two seasons in a row or its two ABA championships in the 1970s. For the 2012 – 13 season the team will move to a new home while retaining its name, the Brooklyn Nets. A press conference yesterday where the team logo and merchandise were unveiled at a local sports in front of the billion-dollar Barclays Center was the culmination of almost eight years of ownership negotiations, urban planning, and pissing off Brooklyn residents when developer and part owner Bruce Ratner scurried away people from their homes in order to make room for the ambitious Atlantic Yards project. With a terribly sad team — the Nets most well-known player is probably Kris Humphries, aka Kim Kardashian’s ex husband — the Brooklyn Nets have an uphill battle to win the hearts of the proud and skeptical local crowd which they are doing with a very minimalist, almost anti-NBA new look reportedly designed by Nets part owner Jay Z.

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Opinion BY Armin

Moscow Design Museum on the Grid

Set to open its first exhibition this year, the Moscow Design Museum is “an international exhibition and education platform and the first, the only and the unique design museum in Russia. It is a space where the general public will be able to view the best examples of international and Russian design.” Founded by Alexandra Sankova, Nadezhda Bakuradze, Stepan Lukyanov, and Valery Patkonen — four independent creatives — the museum will have a home base in Moscow’s Artplay culture center but it is mainly imagined as a nomadic, pop-up museum. Its identity has been designed by Amsterdam-based Lava, who also share a partner role in the museum, advising on content and vision.

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Opinion BY Armin

Hill Holliday Goes Minimal

Established in 1968 in Boston, Hill Holliday — a member of the Interpublic Group conglomerate — is an advertising agency with over 850 employees across three offices in Boston, New York, and Greenville. Their clients include Dunkin’ Donuts, CIGNA, Major League Baseball, Toys R Us, and more. Recently, they introduced a new identity for themselves designed in-house.

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Opinion BY Armin

Hörst gets Hot

Hörst Dusseldorf, as its name implies, is a German brand — sold and distributed by a Canadian company based in Montréal — of high-end clothing for men that includes shirts, suits, pants, and other accoutrements to make a man feel more man than slob. (Their site seems to have broken down in the last hour or so). This past December, they introduced a whole new look designed by Montréal-based Lg2boutique.

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Opinion BY Armin

Nice but not Too Nice

With more than 7,700 stores across the U.S., Walgreens is the largest drugstore chain in the country and it has long carried its own private label brands offering discounted prices on common household and grocery items. This past August Walgreens introduced its new Nice! brand which will include over 400 items when it fully launches at the beginning of 2012. The logo and packaging have been designed by New York-based CBX.

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