It's a first

Sure, the Science Museum of Minnesota has always used the side of its building to advertise. To advertise its own shows, that is. But this is the first time they've used the space to advertise someone else's product. (Yeah, they like to stretch out the change, so there are a few days of confusion as the poster gradually changes from one to another.)


Here's a closer view.


[UPDATE: I guess there's a reason they haven't done this in the past. It's a violation of St. Paul's signage code. The sign was for the benefit of the Rebublican Convention. The Science Museum is saying they thought the Republican National Committee was responsible for getting the proper permits. The ad will be taken down on Monday -- three days after the convention ended.]

Republican-ready

Red on the right, blue on the left and red, white and blue in the middle. Must be symbolic of -- something. Look! That big ol' American flag is glowing!

Cleverness

The new attack book about presidential candidate Barack Obama is titled "The Obama Nation." Say it out loud and it sounds like "The Abomination."

It's perfect for use on talk radio.

I'm guessing the author must be, what, 14 years old?

Republican-ready

Pictures of some of the cameras that have recently appeared downtown. Welcome to St. Paul!

Republican-ready redo

That's more like it. Guess they aren't going to go with the mushy, glowy logo after all.

Republican-ready

I go by the Xcel Hockey Arena every day. Two days ago I noted they were putting up a big sign on the glass. There was the Republican National Convention dancing-elephant logo, bigger than life! Kinda colorless. Guess they are going with the red=Republican theme.


Yesterday, the sign is a little bit littler. Not sure why the dancing elephant is gone. But I imagine it will be back. Without the elephant and with only the red background and yellowish stars it looks a little bit Soviet-ish.

Crop art time of year

Crop art time. Blogging progress at
www.cropart.blogspot.com. If you think watching paint dry is exciting, you may enjoy this.

New warnings

In an ad for the new movie, "Hellboy II."


In an ad for the new movie, "Momma Mia."


Smoking -- er, I meant to say, tobacco consumption -- takes place in these movies. You have been warned!

Blinky lights

We've got road construction in the neighborhood this summer. I had to take some video of this bunched-together group of warning lights.

One Dam(n) thing after another

Alcohol ads and "damn" -- they just go together.

Your dad was a damn drunk

Tech nostalgia. I don't like these ads, but I like the real-looking edges of the photos with the dates. And the simulated uncorrected fading colors of old snapshots. The headline type and the white background of the ad are also given the faded look. Click on the image to get a closer view.

Type quiz

From the hallway signage in Town Square in downtown St. Paul. This is really great because there's a duplicate of almost every letter in "UBS Plaza" in the rest of the sign. So you can make a thorough comparison.

Question: What two typefaces are used here?

Bonus question: Why are two typefaces used?

Extra-credit question: If inconsistant font usage delighted me on this sign, why does it bug me here?

Bang, bang, bang

All five "Dirty Harry" films are now available in a set. With new prints, new documentaries, new interviews, new commentary, also available on BluRay, blah, blah, blah.

The only one worth seeing is the first movie. Sorry, Clint.

DayGlo -- is back

A couple DayGlo things from last week's mail. A difference: Wired uses Helvetica, Walker uses Akzidenz-Grotesk.

My favorite noodles

First one: Standard. Blocky. A logo that isn't fussy, it just is.



Second one: More sophisticated. An improvement in some ways. Diluting some of the power, but nicely drawn.



Today's logo: A return to the emphasis on the double "t." Some wiggly noodle shapes added. Weak type treatment. Not an improvement.


Tomorrow: A return to the original logo? Why not!

Video art or malfunctioning sign?

Striking in either case.

From three to one

Way back in January I posted about a church sign I liked because it used three closely related fonts. Stencil, typesetting and letter-by-letter sign type.

Well, the sign's design changed. Now it's one font only (Helvetica, rather than the more expected Arial) and it's a big ol' laser print.

Things change.

Nobody Walks! Drive Green!

Two signs on two buses. Double meanings for both.

Nobody Walks! Nobody has to walk -- even people who think they can't afford a car can afford one with our EZ financing. And, nobody but an idiot walks because everyone drives.

Drive Green! Drive a car that is easy on the environment. And, drive a car that is worth a lot of money.

Wholesome life

Wholesome and cool little logo (about a half-inch tall) on the side of a Pocky chocolate cream- covered biscuit-sticks box.

A few more stickers

I like the add-your-own-eyes Mickey Mouse.