Snobject: Best Father's Day Gift Ever

Yes, I missed Father's Day this year--but if you missed it too, look sharp! This is the perfect gift to make it up to your husband, dad, or grandpa. Whiskey Stones, from Teroforma, are exactly what they say they are: little stones you use to keep whiskey cool.

Hold On! They're not just for whiskey. I don't drink whiskey! I use them in nice, girly framboise lambic, and alternately in lemonade. These little stones live in your freezer in a washable fabric bag. They are the RIGHT solution to keeping a beverage cool without diluting it. Ice cubes make your drink watery. Plastic ice cubes are, well, plastic. And warm drinks are yucky.

So grab some of these little (or big) stones for the man in your life, or for yourself. They're hand-crafted. They're eco-friendly. The packaging is ridiculously sweet, and the price is just right. Plus, they work. Whiskey Stones are awesome all around.

Oh, Scotch Tape! What Have You Done?

This landed in my inbox this morning. What is it? Well, it's a promotional tape dispenser shaped like a high heeled shoe, of course! I'm stunned. Scotch is a brand I've always respected--a classy company that makes tough, practical products. What on earth makes them think I'll collect shoe dispensers from them?

I also don't get the timing of the promotion. Maybe this is a Mother's Day push that got stuck on the boat. That's the only vague tie I can find to validate a high heeled dispenser. Even then, I really question if this is in line with Scotch Brand consumers--this dispenser is huge, must be out on a table, can't fit in a drawer, looks awkward to actually use, and would require regular dusting.

Those aren't product characteristics I think moms are screaming for. But who knows, maybe I'm wrong--perhaps tape dispenser collecting is the next big wave in scrap-booking.

Ritz Packaging Fail

There was a surprise in our Ritz box today--the box looked a little more . . . er . . . pregnant, than usual. This is why. The final tube somehow folded in half as it entered the box on the assembly line, and ended up smashed into 50% of the space it usually gets. And it fit. So, I guess Ritz are at least 50% air. Which makes me glad I used a coupon.

Sephora + Pantone = Cool?

Billed as a "breakthrough partnership" between two giants in the world of color trends, Sephora and Pantone have launched an exclusive color of the year campaign. Pantone's marketing of color trends is undeniably sexy, down to the name for the color of the year: Tangerine Tango.

Are average consumers familiar enough with Pantone's brand for the collaboration to matter? It may not matter, because so far the marketing strategies and visuals are compelling and cool. Passerby may wonder what the heck a "pantone" is, but in the end all they made need is the juicy colors and assurance that these colors are exclusive to buy in.

 Promotion for the collaboration includes an undeniably cool pop-up shop(featuring pantone's trademark color palettes in super scale), which was just in Chelsea in March, and can be viewed at The Grove in LA from April 18-22.

Reason #100 to Love a Dyson Animal

If you have a pet, and you do not have a Dyson Animal vacuum, let me share this with you: it is really worth all that money. Yes, the vacuum is over SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS. But, really, I have never seen a more intuitive, durable, or functional machine.

This morning after eradicating the ten tons of dog hair from my house, I noticed a slight decrease in suction. What? A decrease in suction? Surely not! Dyson says I'll never lose suction! I listened to the vacuum and thought, that sounds like something's blocked.

Turned it off, looked at where the attachment hose meets to machine, followed the purple tabs, and voila! The hose trap popped off the bottom, revealing a small Lego man trapped inside. Now, if Dyson hadn't made such a wonderful machine that really, honestly requires no user manual, my house would never be this clean again -- and that poor little Lego man would've been trapped for eternity in dog hair.

Steve Jobs, Product Design,and Me

Yesterday's news was a bummer. I can't help feeling that with the loss of Steve Jobs presence, Product Design is changing irrevocably - our leader has left the building. For years now, much of traditional product design in the US has been slipping away, small parcels sneaking off to China, India, and beyond until what remains is a shadow of the former glory. Manufacturing exited the building first, quickly, soon taking engineering with it. Now, overseas factories provide modeling and tooling, promoting their own products to clients who used to pay for American design.

Nearly every client I've ever worked with has expressed their desire to emulate Apple, to be a leader in their industry, to be like Steve. Honestly, few have had the dedication and guts to risk long-term research and investments the way Steve Jobs did. But his standard still pushed everyone to do a little more. He made me more diligent. He made us all feel like everything is possible.

I hope that Steve Jobs pulls off another miracle, hits yet another grand slam, and surprises us all by debuting another astounding, design-minded company in a few years. I still hope to meet the man some day. But for now, take a listen to his Commencement speech at Stanford, it's classic Steve Jobs.

Snobject: Moleskine Coming to you in Color!

The Volant Collection from Moleskine offers beautiful vibrant colors - the black's a classic forever, but the new colors are a treat. The green and orange join a family of brightly colored books with great features - tear away notes, removable pages, the palest grid lines, and sticky tabs.  Moleskin continues to make the most delightful notebooks around.

A Castle of Your Own...

It's easy to walk through a room and think, I really need more furniture, or I wish I had more artwork to hang.  It's easy to forget about your walls.  Vinyl decals transform walls in an instant and bring a burst of personality to a drab room.  I especially love the kids motifs, which offer real style at a great price. And if you were ever a gamer, there are retro game decals here that'll make your day.  If you've never browsed the Blik catalog, do yourself a favor and check it out!

Snobject: Weber Genesis E-310 Grill

Honestly, all I think when I look at this grill is "Yes, please!"  Seeing as it's the first day of summer here, I thought it only appropriate to highlight this perennial favorite - The Weber Genesis E-310 Grill.  It's relatively compact but boasts 3 burners and tons of grilling real estate.  Users report it's easy to use and easy to clean.  It's built for the long-run, though the longevity comes at a price. The biggest drawback is that it comes in a ton of pieces, but clear illustrated directions get you grilling asap.  And best of all, it's trimmed out like a classic car.  What is there not to covet?
Weber 6511001 Genesis E-310 Liquid Propane Gas Grill, Black

Orville's New Bag Needs No Bowl

The Orville Redenbacher's Pop Up Bowl is pretty neato. Click through to watch the video - unfortunately they don't have one available to embed. The bag unfolds and expands similarly to other popcorn bags. Once it pops up, you tear off one edge and end up with a bowl-like package suitable for snacking. Beats coating your knuckles with shiny goodness when reaching deep into the greasy salty sides of a regular bag for the last kernels...

Heinz + Chick-Fil-A = Smart Ketchup

When touring North Carolina I have certain items on my must-eat-list: pork bbq, Bojangles, Cook Out shakes, and Chick-Fil-A. Acquired the Chick-Fil-A yesterday, and it was delicious as usual - and accompanied by a truly nifty ketchup packet from Heinz. Practical, intuitive - the only complaint I have is that I missed the free waffle fry day at Chick-Fil-A that accompanied the product launch in March.

The Old VW Beetle is New Again

Well, according to VW the new bug design is going to tap into new buyers:

"VW, which wants to triple its U.S. sales of cars and trucks over the next decade, says the changes will appeal to more buyers, especially men."

But I just don't buy it. I think they should've designed a new vehicle for men if that was their goal. My husband loves his GTI - and it doesn't look like that! Why not release the Corrado in the US? This is a man's car!The Beetle is only a Beetle because of it's visual brand language. They seem to have dismantled that in a search for new market potential. If anything they should've moved back to classic lines, with solid metal body and details. They should've celebrated their heritage instead of throwing it away. Just looking at the new Beetle makes this designer sad.

The Flip is Over!

I'm both surprised and not surprised that Cisco is shutting down Flip. The designer in me is frankly shocked - that they're willing to throw away the wealth of good brand faith that Flip has earned in such a short time. The strategist in me says, why on earth did Cisco buy Flip in the first place? It's a shame that the great PD that went into the original Flip will die with this company - although the ID work was outsourced, so maybe not so much. Smart Design was responsible for the ground breaking user interface, and for much of the population this technology is still relevant. Yes, smart phones abound, but much of the population can't afford those - the Flip brought simple video capture to those who couldn't afford more expensive products, or who had limited familiarity with computers. It was one of the first video cameras that almost all users could understand how to download.

Why's it going away then? Well, a product line (and a company for that matter) have to be loved to succeed - you have to fight for your brand these days, and have the vision to lead it. Cisco doesn't have that vision for consumer products and frankly they shouldn't have tried to buy it like a commodity. While it makes sense for their bottom line to drop Flip now, it's a waste of brand potential. Overall it's sad that the original Flip owners sold to a bidder worth $40B who would never really have much stake in a $40M company.

AT&Who? Verizon Hits the Ground Running with iPhone

What's the biggest reason most users report for not owning an iPhone? Having AT&T as their service provider. Well, that's all over. And for me, this is all happening in the family - my husband's responsible for the Verizon commercials currently barraging you with this info. My brother in law will be selling hundreds of the phones to you.

And already, yesterday the iPhone broke Verizon's 24hr sales record in 2 HOURS. That's just the presale folks!! There's nothing new about the phone - no new software, new hardware, in reality it's an 8 month old phone. There's nothing new about this iPhone - except the service. Just goes to show, it's not only what you make but how you sell it that counts! Strategic launch partners and distribution should be a page on your brainstorming wall from Day One.

Brabantia Continues to Reinvigorate Basics

Some of you may be familiar with Brabantia trashcans, commonly found at BB&B. Williams Sonoma is now promoting a new ironing board by Brabantia, and I like what I see. They continue to reinvigorate products that many companies write off as low-margin or commodities. The design features on this ironing board make it a product worth owning.

This week's Winner for Ugliest Packaging

Skintimate shave gel - if the brand name doesn't make you feel icky the packaging probably will. It's exhausting to see so many companies try to make "cool, different" packaging. I can just imagine the Marketing VP exclaiming that they need something New, Fresh!!!! And what they end up with is this hot mess. Offers nothing to the user and may even confuse them or turn them off. Try solving people's problems with your packaging next time and skip the New, Fresh! You'll actually end up with that which you seek.





-- Post From My iPhone

Dominos Fesses Up...

...and I LOVE it! They're admitting their old pizza was crap so that you'll give the new stuff a chance.

Check out the full article here, but this quote pretty much sums it all up:

"The old days of trying to spin things simply doesn't work anymore," President Patrick Doyle, who will become CEO in March, told The Associated Press in an interview. "Great brands going forward are going to have a level of honesty and transparency that hasn't been seen before."

Please, let this succeed and educate the other American companies who are still looking to squeeze margins and pull fast ones on customers in order to save their bottom lines.