things we wish we’d thought of


During 2008’s Design Thinkers conference most of the Philter team found themselves listening to designer Massimo Vignelli discussing his years of experience with glass, graphics, interiors and the New York subway map. Massimo has pretty much done it all. A few months later at an sLab talk at the Ontario College of Art & Design, speaker Larry Keeley was recounting a story about he and Massimo walking down the street in Manhattan. They were walking past a department store window when Massimo stopped suddenly and staring at the window display said something like, ‘I can’t believe it! They stole my idea before I even thought of it!”

Well this is what this section of our blog is about. The things that we wish we had thought of.

Visualizing Information

featureimage

There are certain types of people in this world that love to learn; they strive for knowledge wherever they can find it. Myself, being someone who embraces the search for knowledge and understanding, as well as being a designer, I find it difficult to look away when presented with an interesting info-graphic. The visualization of [...]

Read More

App to the Future

app_to_the_future

We’ve moved from portable phones to flip phones in the span of less than ten years, so it’s no surprise that developers are creating applications for mobile devices that allow people to shop, compare prices, check for product availability, and even find coupons on their handheld devices. And you thought BBM was making business more [...]

Read More

The Reign of the Automobile

hoff-940x400

We like to think we buy things to make our lives easier. A hair dryer speeds up the primping process. A microwave makes cooking effortless. But unlike these technologies, the benefit of having a car can often be offset by the frustrations associated with fueling options and unruly traffic. Regardless, people still love their cars. [...]

Read More

Hot chicken and shraaaamp.

Picture 12

Ugoff is hungry. This character, which seems like a bizarre mix of Serge from Beverly Hills Cop and Franc from Father of the Bride, hardly seems like an intuitive way to sell Whoppers, but its entertainment value is, in my opinion, hard to deny. But maybe that’s just me. This is only one of many [...]

Read More

I love you more than blank

iloveyoumore

Each time I start thinking about a viral campaign for a client my mind goes to this wonderfully simple and beautiful example. Created as an alternative to the saccharine Valentine’s Day cards, the message seems to work any old day of the year. I Love You More Than Blank www.iloveyoumorethanblank.com

Read More

Boxed Water

boxedwater

This is just a fantastic example of package design: Boxed Water is Better

Read More

I met the walrus

i_met_walrus

This is an amazing short film about a 14-year-old kid’s conversation with John Lennon. The animation and illustration is beautiful.

Read More