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McDonalds is refurbishing its entire line of packaging designs in an attempt to place more emphasis on food quality and less on the ambiguous tagline, “I’m Lovin’ It.” The new packages will be more brightly colored, featuring images of natural food like lettuce, potatoes and eggs in order to encourage a greater confidence by consumers in McDonalds’ food quality. The whole process of redesigning was expensive but employees at McDonalds believe that it will be more beneficial in the long run for their business as it exists in both the growing food industry and in the modern advertising world.

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In my years that I watched MTV I saw a rapid decline of music videos being aired on the network. I always remember when MTV was strictly about playing music videos. This was before the reality television era that we are currently having to live with. Well, we are in luck. MTV, like NBC’s hulu.com, is starting a website solely for music videos. The website is mtvmusic.com. They have some very cool ads like the one below. I think it is great for music video lovers because it allows for fans to see many of their favourite artists and their videos. Anytime you turn on MTV, you are likely to see some fake reality show. This website brings music back to MTV.

Want to check out some sweet vintage ads? Check out Found in Mom’s Basement for vintage ads dating back to 1900s, as well as loads of different categories, like “Inadvertently Hysterical Vintage Advertising” and “Vintage Tobacco Advertising.”

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Google’s new G1 Android phone will go on sale today using the T-Mobile service. This phone is slated to compete with the top smart phones including Apple’s iPhone. Android is a type of managing and operating system that allows developers to create code in a Java like form. To learn more about Android, click here.

It is exciting to see new and up-and-coming technology being used for mobile devices. It will be interesting to see if this phone will be able to compete with Apple and its iPhone. More information on Google’s G1 can be found here.

Addiction is when we become too attached to something that feels rewarding. This can range from eating to having sex to consuming chemicals and drugs to behaving in certain activities such as gambling. According to this week’s issue of The Economist, a London-based foundation called Food for the Brain has started to research certain foods that can replace the neurotransmitters that are lost in an addicted brain. For example, the amino acid known as NAC can be found in nuts and seeds and can reduce cocain cravings. Meat, fish, milk and brown rice can all help boost serotonin levels that fall drastically in depressed addicts.

Research is continuing in this field in hopes of finding more simple cures for poorer people with addictive problems. However, this could end up having detrimental effects on the successful drugs that have built their empires because of our relience on using chemicals to fix our problems. If natural food proves to be as successful as man-made products, it could severely change our pharmaceutical industry and hurt a lot of brands.

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Showtime Networks, Metropolitan Home Magazine, and six renowned designers have transformed a townhouse in Granmercy Park, New York into a collaboration of the most popular television programs on the Showtime network. It was inspired by the ideals of The Tudors, The L Word, Californication, Weeds, Dexter, and The United States of Tara. Showtime, a major influencer to the creative talent at places such as The Brand Gallery, has used its own creativity to blend entertainment and interior design in this new Showtime House.

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Guerrilla artist, Banksy, unveiled his first ever exhibition in New York City’s Greenwich Village.

Check out this video, courtesy of BBC News, for more information on Banksy’s Pet Shop.

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Indiana University’s all-male acapella group, Straight No Chaser, has decided to reunite. Ten years ago these ten men created the acapella group that still exists at Indiana University, and now these original founders have come together to reestablish their musical roots and broaden their horizons to the greater world of iTunes and record labels. The original members of SNC have signed a deal with Atlantic Records and produced an album entitled “Holiday Spirits” that will be released on October 28^th. Watch them here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8 

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Also check out nearby Denison University’s Hilltoppers: http://hilltoppers.net/hacnet/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5&Itemid=31

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In a recent video made by Leonardo Dicaprio and others, celebrities are telling the youth to not vote, that is unless you care about the future of the country. I saw this the other day and thought it was interesting. It is also pretty hysterical seeing as many of the celebrities poke fun at voting. I enjoyed it. I hope you guys like it.

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Reactions to the recent financial crisis are appearing around the world, and are presented to the masses in different forms and through different mediums. No doubt, textual responses are the most prevalent - take a look at the various blogs, newspapers and magazines for proof. 

But, as these more conventional forms of communication will continue to define our world, it’s nice to know that other methods of communication do exist, and are being used everyday, not only at marketing and PR firms, but also at schools and universities across the country.   

At New York City’s Parsons, The New School for Design, Communication Design students like Michelle Viau understand the important role relevance plays in creative endeavors.  

 It’s “how the words reflect and respond to the environment they’re in,” says Viau, who created a custom Tetris typeface to spell out the words “GAME OVER” (pictured). 

Similarly, BBD, San Francisco presented The Reverse Graffiti Project. Enlisting artist Paul “Moose” Curtis to “create a mural on a 120-foot-wide wall of San Francisco’s filthy Broadway tunnel using [Clorox] Green Works products,” the Project not only exposes the dangers of pollution, but also “how the plant-based cleaners work just as well as conventional ones.” 

Surely, audiences can appreciate creativity, whether it be student-made or commercial. 

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Over the summer, Vanity Fair published a magazine with a cover that spoofed The New Yorker. Recently they published another spoof cover of InTouch Weekly with John McCain on the front. It seems everyone is getting in on the fun by making jabs at the presidential candidates. The New Yorker spoof is here.       ————————————————————————————————————- 

When the brand Gods met thousands of years ago, it was prophesized there would be one sacred destination where every successful promotional campaign must visit before it goes to the Dollar Store to die.

“Thou shalt taketh thine product to 7-Eleven and brandeth thee amongst the many” 

Since 2000, 7-Eleven has brandished the names of presidential hopefuls (this year’s being John McCain and Barack Obama) on special “7-Election” coffee cups. As one of the nation’s most popular chains, does it surprise you that these cups have correctly predicted the last two elections? Visit 7-Election for more info on this interesting experiment.————————————————————————————————————————– 

Do you find yourself wondering whether it was a good idea to allocate 700 billion tax-payer dollars to save our economy? Thankfully, the folks at OverthinkingIt.com made a nice little video featuring Gotham City’s favorite vigilante to help clear things up. This is way better than watching the news…

Are you passionate about hip-hop and politics? If so, check out Hiptics.com, a student-run blog with entrepreneurial aspirations.

A junior at Denison University, Chris Franco created Hiptics in June of 2008 as an extension of his popular WDUB radio show, “From the Underground Up,” which featured his “favorite hip-hop music as well as hip-hop and political commentary.”  

Although Hiptics has only been around for a few months, Franco makes content a high priority by setting “high standards for posting.”

 …Did Lil Wayne miss his court date because of a dentist appointment? I could care less. What I do care about is the caliber of hip-hop music being released in the underground and mainstream, and how that music is impacting the world.”             

Along with album reviews, news and videos, Hiptics offers audiences socio-political editorials voicing the opinions of a once-deemed “silent” generation. Oh yeah, Franco’s blog also has an arsenal of intelligent writers and a small (but growing) list of affiliates. Adamant on “developing the Hiptics brand,” it looks like this Denisonian has been doing his homework.———————————————————————————————————————————— 

Legendary 1980s jam band Phish, comprised of Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, Mike Gordon, and Jon Fishman, is making a return to the concert scene for the first time since August 2004. The infamous quartet has decided to reunite after their four year break and experimentation as solo artists. Next March they will be appearing in Hampton, Virginia and tickets go onsale mid-October. They broke apart after playing over 1000 concerts together and have not all been together since. In March we will see if a once-worshipped band can still maintain their status as highly talented musicians with an ability to contribute to the greater entertainment industry.

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