Archive for May, 2009

May 10th, 2009

Visual Hierarchy at the Supermarket

Last night I was at a major grocery store outside of San Diego. Most of the aisles looked like what you see above… After experiencing this, I’m considering writing a series on visual hierarchy. This same problem applies to branding, website design, and marketing in general.

My premise: if all of the products on the shelf are red, bold and tagged, then is anything actually important? If everything is “on sale,” what is it you want the consumer to pay attention to? If marketing is about cutting through the clutter, what do you do when your brand is the clutter?

May 10th, 2009

Pirates in Saint Augustine

I stumbled upon this pirate-themed hostel (Pirate Haus Inn & Hostel) a few weeks ago during a weekend trip to Saint Augustine, Florida. I don’t know much about their business, but we did meet a young guy who was staying there for the week. He said group rooms were about twenty bucks a night. Unlike traditional western hotels, hostels generally have room for more people who share a group room. What struck me was both: a. I’ve never seen a real hostel in the US, and b. this particular one had some really fun hand-illustrated typography on the stairs leading up to the rooms. I really enjoy the simple touches (even on a budget) of the rope lighting and calligraphy that add so much to this place’s character. Aargh… it looks like a great place to rest your bones!