'Minimalist sculpture' made of abandoned phone books left at Qwest headquarters

On May 19, prankster activists repurposed 576 phone books to create a 'minimalist sculpture' in front of the Qwest corporate headquarters at 1801 California Street. The unwanted phone books were collected from the large piles left in the lobbies of apartment buildings and offices.

Even though a member of my family once made her living selling ads for Dex, unwanted phone books are a massive waste of resources that I think should be legislated against.

• Westword: Institute of Sociometry Communiqué: Operation Qwest Vex. By Jared Jacang Maher. May 22, 2008
• Sociometry
  

Nike leaves Crispin

News just broke that Boulder-based Crispin Porter + Bogusky lost the share of Nike work it won in April of 2007. Crispin's $50 million chunk of Nike's $184 million spend will return to Widen + Kennedy.

• Ad Scam: Nike Nixes CP+B. 5/22/08
• Adweek: Crispin's Nike Loss Is Wieden's Gain. The athletic footwear giant hired Crispin a year ago, mainly for its running-shoe and Nike+ assignments. By Eleftheria Parpis, 5/22
• Ad Age: Nike, Crispin Partnership Ends After 13 Months. Running-Shoe Account Is Going Back to Longtime Agency Wieden. By Rupal Parekh and Jeremy Mullman, 5/22

• RELATED: BOGUSKY ON THE COVER OF FAST COMPANY: Can Alex Bogusky help Microsoft Beat Apple? By Danielle Sacks, June 2008
  
  

Copyright crisis: Little Orphan Artworks

For more on the copyright issue blogged here on Monday:

• New York Times: Little Orphan Artworks. The problem of “orphan works,” those works whose owners cannot be found, is real, but the solution before Congress is both unfair and unwise. By LAWRENCE LESSIG, Op-Ed Contributor, Published: May 20, 2008

• PREVIOUSLY: Rights to your own work threatened by The Orphan Works Act of 2008. 5/19/2008
  

Construction

Spotted yesterday on the 16th St. Mall. Actually, it should read, "REPAIR." From the Rocky Mountain News last October:

The mall is recognized by its distinct pattern of multicolored granite pavers, designed by internationally renowned architect I.M. Pei. But the square stones set in a diamond pattern also are a maintenance nightmare for RTD, which operates free shuttle service along the more than 1.1-mile length of the mall.

RTD spent $985,000 last year replacing the granite, a record amount. Under a legal settlement with the designer, RTD receives $120,000 a year, but that ends in 2012.

Funny to see the typeface Clarendon show up on a vehicle fixing one of Pei's gaffes. Pei's firm is known for choosing the same typeface for the National Bank of Commerce in Lincoln, Nebr. In 2000 the bank was purchased by yet another user of Clarendon: Wells Fargo.

• Rocky Mountain News: 16th Street Mall turns 25. Planned face-lift to solve problems with loose granite. Kevin Flynn, Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Rights to your own work threatened by The Orphan Works Act of 2008

Tell congress you oppose it now

Photographers, visual artists and creative professionals are starting to freak out about The Orphan Works Act of 2008.

If passed, the Act would radically alter copyright laws, taking away the automatic copyright now guaranteed to artists of all types who create any type of work.

If you don't register every photo and work of art in government-certified private databases, you are about to give anyone the legal right to infringe on your copyright.

I'm not a visual artist but my contract states that I own the copyright of the work I create until I'm paid in full. It would suck if that legal leverage were taken away from me.

• Partnership of creative organizations: Take Action: Don't Let Congress Orphan Your Work
• Project Vote Smart: Contact your representatives
• Editor & Publisher: Two Cartoon-Group Presidents Slam Possible 'Orphan Works' Legislation. By Dave Astor, May 12,2008
• Photo District News: Orphan Works Bill Would Establish Database Of Photo Copyrights. By Daryl Lang, April 24, 2008
  

Slate's best Web sites and books about advertising.

• Slate: And Now a Word From Our Sponsor. The best Web sites and books about advertising. 5/16/08

OMFG: Yoga at the mall

Spotted Wed. at Park Meadows in suburban Denver, Colo.

Beautiful Losers screening next week / Contest at the Egotist

Beautiful Losers celebrates the spirit behind one of the most influential cultural movements of a generation. In the early 1990's a loose-knit group of likeminded outsiders found common ground at a little NYC storefront gallery. Rooted in the DIY (do-it-yourself) subcultures of skateboarding, surf, punk, hip hop & graffiti, they made art that reflected the lifestyles they led.

• Official website: Beautiful Losers
  
• Buy tickets for the 5/22 and 5/23 screenings at the Mayan (I think they rented the theater so it makes things a lot easier if you buy your tix online).
  
• The Egotist Beautiful Losers Giveaway

Crocs hatred sells Crocs

Rob Walker, author of the forthcoming book Buying In, says of the Niwot, Colo. based shoe company:

When I wrote about Crocs in [the NYT Magazine column] Consumed (July 15, 2007), I suggested that the fact that many people hate Crocs was probably seen as a plus for those who wore Crocs (”maverick cachet,” etc.). Some, including the person I spoke with at the company, insisted that this was not so. However, Crocs hatred is now apparently the brand’s new selling point.

• Via Murketing: Can hatred of Crocs sell more Crocs? 5/14/08, and AdFreak
  

• PREVIOUSLY: Crocs parody 11/14/07
• PREVIOUSLY: Crocidile state gets Crocs ad account 1/17/07

Qwest's first work from Chicago agency Draftfcb

Check out the entire campaign. Denver's McClain Finlon lost the $95 million account last year.

• Draftfcb: Qwest campaign

• PREVIOUSLY: Qwest's creative collateral damage: 120 of 170 McClain employees said to get boot. 12/28/07
• PREVIOUSLY: McClain looses Qwest. 12/17/2007

ubiquitous decorative deer head gets a hip paint job

• Andrew Holder
• Via: The Strange Attractor

• RELATED: New York Times: Head of Goat, Tail of Fish, More Than a Touch of Weirdness. By JOEL TOPCIK, Published: January 3, 2005
  

Chipotle: no dope burritos, no dope cycling team

Ryder Hesjedal, Flèche Wallonne, originally uploaded by Slipstream Sports/Chipotle.

Great brand alignment. (Congrats to the team for making it to the Tour de France, too.)

"This is a team that's very vigorous about their drug testing and keeping their bodies clean, and that's very much our philosophy," said Jim Adams, Chipotle's executive marketing director.

• Rocky Mountain News: Chipotle rides onto bigger stage. Chain backs drug-free Slipstream cyclists. By Joyzelle Davis, Tuesday, May 6, 2008
• Team webstie: Slipstream

First Data identity

Greenwood Village-based First Data unveiled their new identity and website last week. A spokesperson from the company told me that the Chicago office of VSA Partners created the work. It intends to unify hundreds of product offerings under a single brand image while highlighting the company's commitment to innovation.

Whether someone’s writing a check at the gas station, using an ATM/debit card to pay for groceries, buying a book online, getting cash out of an ATM, paying for dinner with a credit card or using a gift card to purchase something special, chances are the transaction is moved quickly and securely by First Data.

• First Data
• VSA Partners

• RELATED: Logo Lounge: 2008 Trends

The Egotist Inverviews: Stefan Sagmeister

• The Egotist Inverviews: Stefan Sagmeister


• RELATED: Things I have learned in my life so far
• RELATED: Amazon: Things I have learned in my life so far
  

Event: Green and healthy lifestyles grow big business for Gaiam

At Thursday's lunch from the Colorado chapter of the American Marketing Association, "guest speaker Christopher Fisher will discuss how Gaiam, a Broomfield-based health and wellness company, has turned the LOHAS culture into big business."

• Colorado AMA: May Luncheon. Advance ticket sales close at midnight.
  
• LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability)

Legalize LA

American Apparel overlord Dov Charney kept his word, releasing crowds of American Apparel employees onto the streets for May Day.

• Via: Animal New York: Dov Charney's Worker Brigade, 5/2/08

Spring t-shirts

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

I asked some folks for links to their favorite t-shirt sources. I checked 'em out, pulled a few of my favorites and put them on this flickr set. Each image includes a link to its source.

Lotsa walruses, birdies, demented bunnies (and other fauna), trees (but not other flora), public transit, ghetto blasters, skulls and robots. A big thank-you to everyone who helped me put this together.

• Flickr: Andy's spring t-shirt finds

Here are direct links to some of the sources.

Local

• Composition, Belmar
• IndyInk South Broadway & East Colfax
• Fancy Tiger, South Broadway
• The 400, Golden Triangle
• DirtyRags

Rob Walker, Consumed columnist for the New York Times Magazine and author of Buying In (June 2008)

• No Mas (Rob's piece)
• The Shirt Project (News diagrammed on shirts) (Rob's piece)
  
• Glennz Tees (Rob's piece)
  
• Last Exit to Nowhere and 80sTees.com (Rob's piece)
  

Matthew, Fancy Tiger

• Poketo!
• FluffyCo
  

Todd Berger, cypher13 and joyengine

• addic[teed].com :: Fresh Tee Guide (blog)
• designgive
• oddica
  
• CarrotClothing
  
• SuperFishal

Rob Angermuller, Lifter Baron and We Like To

• palmshirts
• iloveby
  
• cosmic soda
  
• Design by Humans
• Monsieur T
  

Justin, the better cookie

• Nuda Tees
• Ten Bills

Hubs, Artifacting

• re-shirt (used t-shirts upcycled)

Personal favorites

• Part of It
• All Favourites
  
• ISO 50
  
• 2X4
  
• Ser-vice
  

Political

• From the left and right: wingzingers

The big site for graphic shirts

• Threadless

Glass ceiling breaks at Swedish crosswalks

Next year Swedes will start seeing women stick figures at crossing signals. The Swedish Road Administration is designing the signs now but perhaps the images here offer an idea of what's to come.

• AFP: 'Green woman' offers equal rights at traffic lights. 4/30/08
• RELATED: Flickr group: Stick figures in peril

On-the-street snapshot blogs cover Denver fashion

Renee Mudd finds bright spots of style on Denver's streets. Her blog, the-intersection, is getting all the press. But another, The Streets of Denver, is more focused on hipsters, especially those expressing some playful sass in their look. Bravo to both.

• the-intersection
• The Streets of Denver
  
• Denver Post: Street style is her forte. By William Porter, 04/28/2008

What's your best source for t-shirts?

New sites for t-shirts turn up more often than Obama's former pastor before a primary. I'm usually not in the market so I ignore most of them. But as things warm up it's time to check out some summer threads, including graphic tees.

So I want your suggestions. If you've got a favorite source, local or otherwise, leave a comment with its website here or e-mail andy :: at :: andybosselman :: dot :: com. I'll compile a list for Friday's post.

• Image: Indy Ink, Denver