Friday, July 31, 2009

Customer info in Mexican Supermarket

It's common in Mexico to find at the entrance of the Supermarkets a price comparison between two shopping carts with a sample of products, showing of course, that the store is much cheaper than the competitor. It's also not so obvious to add, like a legal mention "No incluye el carrito" aka "Cart not included".

"Dear clients, you may find the Juices where was the beers and Waters where was the wines"

As Tesco says it : Every little helps...

Sunday, July 26, 2009

New eco friendly fashion : recycle your own Pet's fur






Erwan Fichou is a (very) talentuous photographer who made a serie called "Dogwool", portraits of dog owner who knit and wear sweaters and vests made from their own pet fur. That's the absolute (IMHO...) "save the planet" action, the ultimate sustainable growth policy. Shouldn't pet owner obliged to wear these warm sweats ?


For those interested in this new fashion, just read the book by Anne Montgomery and Kendal Crolius, Knitting with dog hair. As they write :

"Better a sweater from a dog you know and love than from a sheep you'll never meet".

As Baudelaire wrote "Ce qu'il y a d'enivrant dans le mauvais goût, c'est le plaisir aristocratique de déplaire" / " What is exhilarating in bad taste is the aristocratic pleasure of giving offense".

Post dedicated to Annick and her 'Tasmanian' bag ;-)

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

You are what you eat, a fridge insider

3 person household / Journalist / designer / Austin Tx

1 person household / bar tender (goes to sleep at 8 am) / San Antonio Tx

3 person household (including dog) / Teachers eating locally grown vegetables

1 person household / Street Adviser (430 USD fixed monthly income)


Looking inside women bags is a bad habit but may tell you a lot about her personality. Wouldn't be the same with fridge insiders ? Here are some presented in the you are what you eat project from Mark Menjivar. As he writes, "refrigerators are like windows into our souls".

The complete report may be found in the Good Magazine, a "collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward"...

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Anti theft Lunch Bags








The Anti Theft Lunch Bag is a brillant and funny idea for those who don't have complete confidence in their neighbourhood, coworkers or roommates. Simple but effective, the bag is printed with strange green spots. The bags are sold here at the. a marketplace managed by Mihoko Ouchi and Sherwood Forlee made of strange and nicely designed wares, 10USD for 25 reusable bags !

Saturday, July 11, 2009




Chicken: low art, high calorie is a book by the graphic designer Siaron Hughes, recommended in the New York Times book review. You'll find a great collection of retail signs, ads and eye catching menu photos all around Chicken.

As the project background says : 'Chicken: Low Art, High Calorie' celebrates the varied and visual qualities of fast food signage, and the people involved. On the surface it may all look the same, but the differences reflect a ubiquitous, and humorous vernacular design. It will make you laugh, ponder and hungry for chicken!

Monday, July 6, 2009

Most expensive liquid on earth




Any idea of which is the most expensive liquid sold in supermarket ?

A 100 ml bottle of perfume, let's say Chanel n°5 (for the eau de parfum, not the least expensive indeed !) is currently sold 90€, for a 900 € per liter.

One bottle of Romanée Conti 2003 is sold about 2000 € see here, that makes about 2600€ per liter.

No, these fluids are quite cheap if you compare them with ... ink print ! Have a look at your standard ink cartridge and look at the volume : you get around 3000€ per liter !


Of course, the price is not justified by the rarity of the ink but by the smart business model in which the hardware is sponsored by the consumible. That's also why a cup of coffee costs you at home 0,05cts, a Nespresso 0,3 cts, 2€ in a restaurant and 4€ at Starbucks...

Smart pricing : fix the price for the value you offer taking account the willingness to pay of your customers and not for the cost you deliver...

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Yummy, the Junk food magazine






Yummy is an interesting magazine dedicated 100% to junk food made by talentuous designers. Not diet oriented but mainly about the pop culture and graphic icons represented by the Junk food in our modern society.

Yummy costs 30€ and can be found in Paris at the Palais de Tokyo, La Hune or Colette.