Time for a new tube map?

Harry Beck's original 1933 electric circuit based tube map was a navigational masterpiece that set the benchmark for future transport maps. Over the years though, the much loved tube map has steadily evolved with the addition of new stations & lines. In particular the new Overground extension has had a dramatic effect on the look of the tube map and to some extent the usability.

©TfL/London's Transport Museum

Overall beck's design has stood the test of time quite well, but with the impending Crossrail line possibly being added to the map, things could get a bit messy. So is it time for a new map?

©TfL

Tube expert Max Roberts thinks so, and has suggested this more european, concentric circle based approach. He says that it was just a bit of fun, but I think there is more to it than that. There's a few usability issues that need ironed out; distances look a bit off, there's some congestion in areas and zoning is missing but with a bit of work this design could be the answer. Getting rid of Beck's design sounds like sacrilege but perhaps design nostalgia should make way for a clean, user friendly navigation system. And the underground roundel in the middle is a nice touch.

©Max Roberts

Read more about it over here.

Your Grammar Sucks

If you believe in the awesome power of the word and stuff, you may find this video funny.
It's a simple and funny idea, however, the presenter is more frustrating than having to spit out a piece of chewing gum, because you've just walked downwind into a stranger's fart. His style is annoyingly over-the-top (similar to the description I just gave). But hey, that's my preference. Check it out, and judge for yourself.

Just When You Think That The Final Nail Has Been Hammered Into The Advertising Industry's Coffin When It Comes To Credibility, Someone Comes Along With A Brand-New, Six-Foot, Gold-Plated Nail, And A Massive, Fuck-Off, Hundred-Pound Lump Hammer, And Gets Busy...

From Campaign Brief:
http://www.campaignbrief.com/2013/01/experts-in-advertising-festiva.html
As Jeff wrote to us earlier, what on earth would Ed McCabe think?

Sometimes, Simple Is King

I caught this video again the other day.  I hadn't seen it for a while and it made me smile as much as the first time I watched it last year.  And as soon as it finished I watched the whole thing through again.  Twice.  That's no mean feat for me given my wandering magpie mind and poor attention span.

It got me thinking about the beautiful simplicity of the craft behind it and the confidence of the Black Keys in running with something that is so stripped back [apparently, the record company weren't keen when they first clocked it].

I reckon that agencies could learn a lot from this approach.

These days there seems to be a tendency for creatives to want to showboat their cleverness on everything they do.  To chase the latest technique.  To covet the "original" and the "different for the sake of it" over an idea where the quality of the execution does the talking.

Sometimes, it's the role of a creative to actually get out of the way of the idea and keep things simple.  The great leap can often be taken at the pre-production stage. The lion's share of the energy and focus can then be put into bringing the idea to life in the best possible manner.

I imagine that on a piece of paper, the idea behind this video could seem pedestrian and derivative.

At face value, the concept of getting an interesting character who isn't in the band to lip sync their way through a song isn't new.  And the technique of doing it all in one take has been done plenty of times before.  Retro, low-fi look and feel? Well, that's familiar too.

But none of this matters a jot.

The brilliance of the casting and performance is everything here.

And sometimes that's all you need for a great idea to really fly.

Pukka Print

At the weekend, I thought I'd treat myself to some Fish and Chips - so I trundled on down to the local chippy. I was greeted at the counter by a smily Chinese lady, the smell of malt vinegar and these classic bits of work.

Aspirational imagery, meaty puns and a playful blonde cupping a pie ... what more does a growing lad / ad need?

Palindromic Friday

Some say that the rock'n'roll has gone out of advertising. Well, nothing could be further from the truth at Sell! Towers, where every Friday we like to kick back with a root beer and some palindromes. I know! So, enjoy a palindromic opening to the weekend in the form of Weird Al Yankovic's very well put together palindromic version of Subterranean Homesick Blues - every line is a palindrome. Rock'n'fuckin'roll!

When Hunter met Keith

Hunter S. Thompson interviews Keith Richards circa 1993.