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Meanings behind Brands

2007-10-29T01:10:00.000-07:00

Mercedes-Benz
The 'Mercedes' name was registered right back in 1902, but at that time there was no logo or trademark to accompany it. The idea for the 'Star' logo came when Paul and Adolf Daimler, the two sons of the company's founder (and then in charge of the business), remembered that their father had once used a star symbol in his family correspondence.

Their father, Gottlieb Daimler, had been technical director of the Deutz gas engine factory from 1872 until 1881. At the beginning of his employment there, he had marked a star above his own house on a picture postcard of Cologne and Deutz, and had written to his wife that this star would one day shine over his own factory to symbolize prosperity.

In June 1909 the company registered both three-pointed and four-pointed stars as trademarks. Although both designs were legally protected, only the three-pointed star was ever used. From 1910 onwards it began to appear at the front of the cars as a design feature on the radiator.

The three points of the star were supposed to represent Daimler's ambition of universal motorization: "on land, on water and in the air".

Over the years the logo evolved, to include the 'Benz' laurel wreath, and then, in 1923, the three-pointed star enclosed in a circle was registered as a trademark.

Since then it has changed little, and is now a powerful symbol and integral part of the Mercedes-Benz brand.

BMW
The BMW logo is symbolic of a white propeller blade, against a blue sky. It reflects the origins of BMW as a maker of military aircraft engines during the first world war.

It is a good example of a strong brand-led company retaining the best of its heritage in the form a of distinctive logo design, without placing too much emphasis on the origins of the logo itself
Playboy
Hefner said that he chose the rabbit as a mascot for its "humorous sexual connotation," and because the image was "frisky and playful."
An urban legend started about Hefner and the Playmate of the Month because of markings on the front covers of the magazine. From 1955 to 1979 (except for a six month gap in 1976), the "P" in Playboy had a number of stars printed in or around the letter. The legend stated that this was either a rating that Hefner gave to the Playmate according to how attractive she was, the number of times that Hefner had slept with her, or how good she was in bed. The stars, which ranged in number between zero and twelve, actually indicated the domestic or international advertising region for that particular printing
Durex
The name, which the London Rubber Company trademarked in 1929, is a portmanteau of "Durability, Reliability, and Excellence", though some people mistake it as being "Durable Latex"
Burger King
The famous Burger King "bun halves" logo made its debut in 1969 and endured well into the 1990s. As its name implies, it was meant to resemble a hamburger: the logo had two orange semi-circular "buns" surrounding the name, which was the "meat" of the logo. In 1994 BK updated the logo with a graphical tightening, replacing the aging "bulging" font with a smoother font with rounded edges. In addition, all secondary signing, such as roof and directional signs, was also updated with new rounded font.
In 1999, BK again revised its logo. The new Burger King logo is a stylized version of the original "bun halves" logo. BK changed the color of the restaurant's name from orange to red lettering, while leaving them sandwiched between two yellow bun halves. The new logo also tilts the bun halves and the font on an axis, has a smaller "bun" motif and wraps the burger with a blue crescent whipping around the buns giving it a more circular appearance. Most restaurants did not acquire newer signs with the new logo, menus, and drive-thru ordering speakers until 2001. Again all secondary signage was updated with the new logo and type face, and all sign posts were repainted to match the blue coloring of the new crescent from their original black.[78]

Healthcare commercials

2007-10-28T07:05:00.000-07:00

What's the difference between weekend newspapers and weekday newspapers?

2007-10-22T09:14:00.000-07:00

A very obvious difference is that there is no classifieds in the weekend's newspaper. But what I have realised overtime is that the stories in the weekend papers have more 'interesting' stories, and more dramatic. They contain more human interest stories. They give the weekly events of the following week in the weekend papers. Plus there are more entertainment oriented news.

Spins in newspapers from Mon-Sun

2007-10-21T08:43:00.000-07:00

(I will present 2 spins in every 1-2 articles from monday to sunday)

The techniques of spin include:

* Selectively presenting facts and quotes that support one's position (cherry picking)
* Non-denial denial
* Phrasing in a way that assumes unproven truths
* Euphemisms to disguise or promote one's agenda

The New Paper
Wednesday October 17 2007
Article:Two Thai women fall to their deaths

Spin 1:'The woman, believed to be a prostitute, was said to have fallen from the 9th floor.' In this paragraph they already claim she is a prostitute. And in the paragraph after, which is 'She was found scantily clad, in a black singlet and panties.', they re-emphasize the point that she was a prostitute by saying she was scantily-clad.

Spin 2:'In another case, this time at Jurong West on Wednesday night, a 31-year-old Thai woman, He Mei Ying, fell to her death from her home on the 8th floor....A neighbour, who declined to be named, told Shin Min that Madam He had gone shopping earlier that day.' If it were true that the neighbour went shopping, wouldn't the sentence be something like "Madam He told her that she went shopping"? Therefore i belive this is assumption.

The New Paper
Thursday October 18 2007
Article:Market roof melts and caves in

Spin 1: "Mr Teh, who had run the stalls there for seven years, estimated that he had lost about $20,000.
But he appeared calm, saying: 'What to do, it's all gone.'" This phrase may or may not be true but i believe it is most likely false. They say the estimated cost he lost was around $20 000. But that is an estimation. And they also say that he appeared calm. This makes the story look very drama-infused. Afterall, people do need a good read otherwise it would be labelled as boring.

The New Paper
Friday October 19 2007
Article:Its all about equal rights

Spin 1:'Earlier, the Government had said that it would maintain the status quo, as Singapore is generally a conservative society. But authorities would not actively prosecute people under Section 377A.' This means that the charge of having gay sex would still be around but you wouldn't get charged for it. Thats basically saying that the charge is useless.

The New Paper
Saturday October 20 2007
Article:LOVES twice LOSES twice

Spin 1:'The bespectacled man with grey hair was only willing to share that he had been divorced for almost 20 years.' This sentence gives people an idea of how the man looks like; true, but not in a desirable way. Yet still not pointing out his better points.So this would be 'cherry-picking'.

The New Paper
Sunday October 21 2007
Article:He gets this in brawl with shop worker

Spin 1: Said Mr Ho: "'I was supposed to go for a plumbing job interview today, but I wasted it all on waiting.'
The shop's manager has advised his employees not to compensate Mr Ho." This sentence is disguising many stuff and making the guy with the stitches look like the good guy, like the one everyone should side for. For all you know what the manager said might have been true; that the guy with the stitches started it.

Why does it work?

2007-10-15T23:54:00.000-07:00

Volkswagen Ad

This ad works because almost everyone can get it; that its a durable car, though it has been exxagerated to be funny as well. To sum it up in one word, it would be durable

This ad works as well because you can't hear the guy singing to the song, neither can you listen to the music at first. But there are 2 qualities its holding; That the car is sound proof on the outside, yet has a powerful stereo system on the inside
Citroen Ad

This ad works because it is keeping up with the latest and modern technology. The message gets to you after some time, that it is equiped with the latest in modern technology.
Toyota Ad

This ad works because the message is straight to the point. That it is irresistable. That you can't part with the car and that they are willing to go to all lengths to be the one to drive it
Honda Ad

Choir music is melodious. And they are trying to show that the sounds that the car can produce is so clean and clear that even a choir group can be able to mimick. Its saying that the car is crisp and clean

What I think about the singapore consumerism of vehicles is that people tend to follow what the person next to them is buying. And word of mouth plays a rather big part because I do't think people are bothered about the ads about cars i singapore. Those ads in other coutries tend to hold more significance and makes you remember about the car. Whatever car has a high rank in terms of safety, and comes cheap, a singaporean is sure to buy. In short. If you wanna sell a car to a singaporean, make it safe and cheap and its sure to win their hearts

COMM. SKILLS

2007-07-09T05:54:00.000-07:00

HILARIOUS TV AD - Watch more free videos

2007-06-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

Juxtaposition

2007-05-23T19:04:00.001-07:00

The opposing emotions are Innocence, and sluttyness. :p

2007-05-11T10:58:00.000-07:00

Design inspired by forms of life

1) Design inspired by chlorophyll
2) Design inspired by fractals
3) Design created using corals
4) Traditional kitchenware using antler horns
5) A sketch for a building inspired by a human torso

2007-05-11T10:14:00.000-07:00

In the first image, the visual contrast plays a rather big part in enhancing the visual message.For example,the difference in color and light between parts of the image,the intensity of colors is focused more on the centre and fades off at the sides.
Secondly, the Colors used in it also make the image stand out. The perfect word to describe the color usage would be Subtle.(not entirely cool, yet soft)

Texel wise,(or textural elements wise) the graphics are simple yet elegant. This concept being the most important, binds the visual contrasts and colors together.Such as not overdoing the colors using vibrant colors; or even making the image like a 'in your face' kind of picture. Even usage of grids makes the image stand out, and also giving hints that it is a motion graphics image.

(photo courtesy of Atomik Studios ©)

DESFUN

2007-05-11T09:49:00.000-07:00

i) Forms in nature

SNOWFLAKES