Make it with a Fireman

Here's one for the ladies - combine a hunk of a fireman with a kitten, French and Sauza tequila and this is the result.

'Make it with a Fireman'  - Enjoy!

Does your website breach new EU legislation for cookies?

Is your website ready to meet the new data protection rules that come into force on 26th May?  

If you run cookies on your website to track and store information about users then from 26th May you will need their permission or you may be in breach of new EU legislation.  

The only exception to this rule, according to the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) is, 'if what you are doing is ‘strictly necessary’ for a service requested by the user. This exception is a narrow one but might apply, for example, to a cookie you use to ensure that when a user of your site has chosen the goods they wish to buy and clicks the ‘add to basket’ or ‘proceed to checkout’ button, your site ‘remembers’ what they chose on a previous page. You would not need to get consent for this type of activity.  

How you gain this approval is the next challenge. If you visit the ICO's website you will see that they now ask you the following question:  

'The ICO would like to place cookies on your computer to help us make this website better. To find out more about the cookies, see our privacy notice.'  

'I accept cookies from this site'  

Many sites will be able to ask a specific question when users register for a service or locked off content however others will also need to ask similar questions not to be in breach of the legislation.  

The ICO has issued a guidance document on this subject which you can download below.

advice_on_the_new_cookies_regulations.pdf (122 kb)

tokyobike store comes to London

The super cool Japanese bike brand, tokyobike has opened its first permanent shop in London this week.

They are offering limited edition models, new frame colours, recent collaborations and a whole host of accessories and Japanese lifestyle products at the new store on Tabernacle Street EC2, which opened today (Friday 20th April).

There promotional material says, 'An instant hit with urban cyclists due to their simple designs and expert handling, tokyobikes weigh just 10kg and comes in almost any colour you can think of and a range of styles. As well as striking new colours- including pastels and the long awaited saffron, the London store will stock the full tokyobike collection and a vast range of accessories including some lesser-known brands like French saddle maker Gilles Berthoud as well as beautifully designed Japanese lifestyle products.'

A great new way to get on 'yer bike.

Click here to see their online store

Armageddon comes to Paris - or does it?

A scene of Armageddon or not? This French ad keeps you and the victim entranced until the end.

Very clever and quite unexpected.

From giant rats to hand fishing, US reality TV bites

If you thought that TV reality programmes could not get much worse than 'My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding' then think again.

Cable TV programmes in the US beat us hands down for niche and outrageous content. Here are a selection of unbelievable programmes:

"Hillbilly Handfishin" 
Some amazing people catch catfish by hand and feet. A net is a lot easier.  

"Cajun Justice"
Crazy times with Terrebonne Parish Sheriff's Office, Louisiana, that promises a range of reports including one of a shape-shifting swamp creature called the Rougarou. It must be a swamp thing.  

"Tattoo School"
Following students who take two weeks to learn "what most tattoo artists spend years learning" in Louisiana. Watch out for the spelling mistakes.  

"Rat Bastards"
Follow the hunters of nutria, which are large, ecologically ruinous rodents. Set in Louisiana - there's a theme here.  

"Full Metal Jousting"
Medieval jousting is back as an extreme sport with modern steel suits and "big money" prizes. A train crash in the making.  

"Texas Multi Mamas"
A programme that follows the lives of mothers of twins, triplets and quadruplets in Texas. Double, triple and quadruple trouble.  

"Doomsday Preppers"
Hunting out Americans that are getting themselves ready for the end of the world. An expert joins in advising them whether their survival tactics would work in the face of Armageddon, the Rapture or a mile-wide asteroid. Good to be prepared.  

"Confessions: Animal Hoarding"
Visiting people who have a compulsion for accumulating various critters. Move over Doctor Doolittle.  

"American Stuffers"
Don't say goodbye to your pets with the taxidermist in this programme. Time to run away and hide we think.  

Bring back Rogue Traders, all is forgiven.

Measuring Online Advertising Response

We recently found a very interesting article in AdAge by Kathryn Koegel looking into measurement of online advertising and calls for definitions to be changed for when an ad is viewed.

Making Measurement Make Sense, or 3Ms, is an initiative backed by the Interactive Advertising Bureau, 4A's, the Association of National Advertisers, the Media Ratings Council, MediaLink and Bain Consulting and calls for a whole new definition of an ad, based on whether anyone actually saw it.

According to a recent study by ComScore in the US of 18 campaigns from advertisers including Kellogg's, Allstate, Ford and eTrade, up to 31% of online ad impressions served were never viewed, even though they counted as impressions in the campaigns.

This is because whether an ad is viewed or not is based upon whether the ad technically loaded on to a page rather than whether someone had the opportununity to see it.  

IAB Senior VP of Research, Analytics and Measurement Sherrill Mane commented,  "We want to put display-ad units on an equal footing with other media. The adoption of viewable impressions will ... give the media community comfort and security for brand advertisers to move forward."

Linda Abraham, CMO of ComScore commented, " Typically, top-of-page placements command highest prices, but research shows that in many cases these are overlooked in favour of in-content or below-the-fold placements -- it all depends on the type of content and how people consume it. What's surprising is how little of these publishers know and use.

"As an example, recipe sites actually have higher viewability rates of ads below-the-fold than top of page placements and we're now "able to unearth the gold below the fold."

This may be US focussed but an interesting article on measurement of online advertising and how it is being addressed.

Read the full article here. And you can find out more about 'making Measurement Make Sense' and their five principles here.

Photosynthesis conveys link between nature and man at Milan Design Week

This year's Milan Design Week sees an installation by Japanese architect Akihisa Hirata who has designed 'Photosynthesis', an installation for Panasonic that celebrates the biological process of storing solar energy.

Panasonic wish to show a potential link between nature and man-made materials through the installation and  'Photosynthesis' will be exhibited at Interni Legacy from the 16th until the 30th April. The installation will transform the Cortile della Farmacia courtyard into a space in which the visitors can experience the natural and technical, futuristic and traditional simultaneously.

The installation creates an artificial ecosystem with solar panels representing leaves, energy storage batteries as the fruits and LEDs and OLED panels represent the flowers.

Find out more on Design Boom.

Two new interiors shows to open in London in 2013

Two new interior design trade fairs are set to open their doors in London next year.

In a brave move in a market that has seen the demise of several shows, including Design Prima, in recent years Office Interiors at Earls Court and DX, at Excel, will avoid the September Interiors scrum focussing on the beginning of the year.

Office Interiors is organised by Diversified Business Communications and will be held on 13th and 14th February. The organisers present the show as a 'vibrant, fresh and exciting new event dedicated to the UK's office interior industry'. 

DX is organised by UBM and launched by Ian Rudge, co-founder of the 100% Design and Tent shows, in collaboration with graphic designer Neville Brody and architect Ad Rogers. The show will focus on the relationship between design and technology and will be at Excel on 19th and 21st May 2013.

To find out more about DX click here

To find out more about Office Interiors click here.

Architecture in fabric; Installation by Do Ho Suh

Hovering like ghostly aparitions of architecture these fabric installations by Korean artist Do Ho Suh create new environments within his exhibition using silk and metal structures.

The artist’s architectural sculptures have been brought together for an exhibition called ‘Home Within Home‘ at the Leeum Samsung Museum of Art in Seoul, South Korea.

Previously on display at New York’s Lehmann Maupin Gallery, they explore the idea of home and the sense of cultural displacement that comes with immigrating to a new place. 

See more of these beautiful structures here on Design Boom

Drama descends on a Belgian town

To launch a new TV station, TNT, in Belgium agency Duval Guillaume installed a giant red button in the middle of a Flemish square of an average Flemish town. A sign with the text "Push to add drama" was hung above it, inviting the general public to use the button. 

When one of the locals did the results were certainly dramatic, with a gun battle, ambulances and more. 

The Tipp-Ex Hunter and the Bear are back

For the best Friday fun you have to watch this great interactive Tipp-Ex viral.

The Hunter and the Bear are back for Bear's 2012 Birthday Party which is interrupted by a meteor.

This is a superb example of online interaction and they must have had great fun making it.

It's a 'don't miss' clip.

Enjoy.

'From Scandinavia with Love'

We recently came across this blog by Tiger who apparently also blogs for Swedish Elle Decor.  

'From Scandinavia with Love' features a wide range of great designs from Northern Europe including furniture, lighting, textiles, tableware and accessories from designers large and small.  

This is well worth a visit for some great design - click here

Sustainability Communication for Formica Group

If you popped along to Ecobuild a few weeks ago you may have come across the Formica Group stand. During the show they announced that they had completed the measurement of the carbon footprint of their entire range of High Pressure Laminate (HPL), Continuous Pressure Laminates (CPL), Compact Laminates and Bonded Worktops products, and in doing so their products now qualify to carry the Carbon Trust’s
Carbon Reduction Label.   
To recognise being the first laminate manufacturer to achieve this The Think Tank developed a brochure which communicates the Formica Group environmental policy and their commitment to reducing carbon emissions across all its operations.  
The brochure in full can be viewed here.

Account Executive Position Available

We are are always looking for talented individuals to join our team. We currently have one permanent Account Executive position working on a multinational client.You will need to be:

Results oriented

Have an interest in integrated marketing and social media

Be a self starter

Demonstrate excellent organisational skills

Have the ability to multi-task and show an attention to detail

Display a confident manner

European or other foreign language useful.

Interested applicants should apply first by email to liamb@thinktank.org.uk with a CV and brief covering letter.

Smarter Buildings: Interacting with the environment

Experimenting with materials in architecture to achieve environmental benefits has led to the development of many outstanding innovations that have changed the way we interact with buildings.

Now architect Doris Kim Sung, assistant professor of architecture at the USC School of Architecture, is experimenting with how a building can interact with its environment through the materials used in its construction.

Her latest installation, “Bloom”, is 20-foot tall and made from 14,000 tiny sheets of metal that open and close with the sun manipulating the light within the structure.

Sung discovered a new use for a material usually used in thermostat coils that responds to temperature changes. The metal alloy, called “thermobimetal”, is made of two sheets of metal laminated together. Each metal expands at a different rate when heated, curling as the temperature rises and flattening when cooled.

The metal sheets curl upwards with the sun creating moving shaded areas within the installation when needed. Sung believes that it could be used to create canopies that close when the sun is above or vents that open when the air becomes too stuffy and is now working on ways to integrate thermobimetal with standard building components.

It looks fantastic and is a mixture of art and architecture that addresses an environmental need. See a video of the installation below and more can be found on their blog.

A wet Scotland and 'manky wool'

This amusing short animated film about life at Pringle of Scotland was created by artist David Shrigley to celebrate the return of the brand  to Milan Fashion Week in 2010. 

From a wet Scotalnd to 'manky wool', it will certainly make you smile.

Jersey, gorillas and cupcakes

This fun ad for Jersey Tourism France  combines video with animation in a real feel good format. A bit surreal at times but that adds to the charm.

It starts with a bored businessman being pulled into a colourful poster at a bus stop and then takes you on a tour around Jersey.

From gorillas to the white rabbit from Alice in Wonderland this certainly challenges the standard holiday ad treatment of beaches and sunshine - although the gorilla is seen heading off into the sunset on a golden beach with a surfer girl.

Definitely adds colour to your day - great work. See below or click this link.

Ready to make a monster?

If you're looking for something to keep yourself (or the children) occupied this Easter then download these great model monsters.

They are a promotional tool for a new film called Waste, that I am afraid we know nothing about. But on their website you can download a monster kit and see a demonstration video of how to make it.

There are three to make and we have added the video for one of them below.

Download them all from the Waste website here.

Hole to another universe

These wall stickers are great fun for any home - you could even buy them for the kids!

They are designed by Dan Golden Studio and available from Blik.