Hotrodding.. the ultimate in Upcycling??

I've been hearing this term "upcycling" a lot lately.  Bre Pettis, the Threadbangers, Mr Jalopy and all the folks at Make Magazine and Etsy have made a real business out of taking other peoples cast- offs and creating goods and works of art of greater value than the original. 

it seems rather obvious now.. but isn't that what we hotrodders have been doing all along?  Consider my truck, the '46 Chevy, Laverne. 

Laverne started life right after the war. 62 years later I'm scrounging parts to get her back on the road.  Out went the old straight axle and the big 6 cylinder lump of an engine.  The new engine a 350 out of an old chevelle and the front end came out of (seriously) one of these:

The seat was from a minivan, the rear end a camaro.  It's really a cllection of parts that may have ended up on a recycling ship to China, but it's all going together to make a rather nice old hotrod truck.  After i'm done with this I'll get back to work on "Shirley" the early hemi powered 1929 Model A Ford.

It's all green.

A new year, A new look

Happy New Year Everyone!

I just got done updating the website with J-2's colorful new look. You've seen it on our mailers and business cards, now it's gone global on our website. We've also linked our blog to the homepage and we promise we'll be updating more often. We look forward to a great new year full of exciting new projects!

www.j-2consulting.com/

Are you ready?

It's coming to a store near you. Are you ready? Wal-Mart is changing the entire store experience. No longer will you be crashing carts like the demolition derby at the county fair - now the aisles will be open and easy to navigate. No longer will you leave with a head ache caused by information over load - the shelves are being cleaned up with consistant messaging. No longer will you see a hodge-podge of messages, signs, literature, and displays touting each individual product. It's about the shopper now. This is a big change for suppliers, who will need to re-evaluate how to communicate their brand. But, in the end, it is the consumer who spends the dollars, and they have spoken up. Sick of not being able to find what they want, can't understand where to look for it, and tired of comparing products, then coming home with the wrong one. All of this is changing. See for yourself. Here are pics from the prototype store that will define all others.

Electroluminescence

This is cool. Finally a temporary display using lights in an effective way. This technology is great. The endcap piece had an image that lit up intermittantly, and really drew some attention. The pallet for Prilosec took it one step further and the lights chased slowly around the clock image in the background, giving the feel of a ticking clock or stopwatch. Stopped traffic in "action alley". Well done.

Typically in the past, lights were done with LED's, and was used sparingly as cost with this type of display is usually a major hinderance to anything other than printing and special diecuts. Apparently, the technology has become more affordable as seen by these recent displays in Wal-Mart. Can't wait to spec this myself.

http://www.sdrts.com/point-of-purchase.html

How to brand a hotel by Nickelodeon

When we made our reservations at the Nickelodeon Hotel (by Holiday Inn) for our Disneyworld/Florida vacation I was a little nervous. I wasn't sure I really wanted to spend 3 days in a hotel that was all about Dora, Spongebob, Jimmy Neutron and all the other Nick yahoos.. but I have to say, I really enjoyed it, and it opened my eyes to what can be done when a company puts all their resources into the design of something really really big. Down to every last detail, this place is high style, but on a kids level. The wallpaper, the shower curtains, even the soap and the "No Smoking" signs wore the Nick brand. It was slimed from top to bottom, but somehow it was fun and not overwhelming. I think it was the way they used contemporary furniture and fixturing the elevated the design and made it something to enjoy rather than beating the guest over the head.

One interesting thing.. it was a Holiday Inn, but the Holiday Inn brand is nowhere to be seen. I think that just shows the level of commitment that Nickelodeon had, it was all or nothing.

art challenge!

Every week over a the HAMB board the art dudes show their stuff on the Friday art show and it gave me this idea to have a little contest.. these guys know custom cars, so what if I presented them with a stock car and told them they could do whatever that wanted? This is what happened.

Here are a few of my favorites:

Miracle Mile????

Wow, where do I start. On my recent trip to Chicago, I spent an afternoon walking Michigan Avenue to find inspiration in the "flagship" stores. Usually they are cutting edge, ground-breaking experements in retail design. I was so dissapointed that I HAVE to critique a few of the worst.

First, I toured the new Garmin store. Here in KC, it was touted in the newspaper as great achievement for this local company. What an utter and complete waste of money! It was plain, empty, cold, and worst of all - zero signage. I couldn't tell what it was about even by walking through the store. They may as well have been displaying produce or duct tape for all I could determine.

Table after table of small objects attached to tiny easels all in rows. Nothing stood out. No color, no graphics, no environment. The first floor reminded me of a jewelry store, and the upstairs was more like the birthing ward at the hospital. Even the hospital has way-finding and environmental signage!

OK, enough about Garmin. Now I visited Apple. I realized where Garmin got the design for their store, only they didn't execute it as well as Apple. Which, again, is not saying all that much. The Apple store had some interesting graphic elements on the walls, but they also failed at the product level. Just table after table of computers with tiny signs, and nothing to differentiate the product lines. I did really like the skylight and Apple window. They added light and a hi-tech feel without being cold. Over-all it was OK, but shopping product was a major challenge. At least I knew where I was, and what the general product lines are.

I don't know if it's an economic issue, or if I hit it at the wrong time, but I just did not see any "WOW" stores. I guess I need a trip to NY - assuming they still value great design in their flagship stores. What a waste of time Michigan Avenue was!