No Red Pins Needed. Scratch-Off Map, in 2 Sizes, Reveals Your Travels.

Scratch Map is a large, high quality wall map which features a gold top foil layer. Why? So you can scratch off all the places you’ve visited to reveal a whole new world below, featuring vibrant color and geographical detail.




Full Size Scratch Off Wall Map:

This 81.9 x 58.2 cm world map is based on the idea of the scratch card so you just scratch off the places you've been and bright colours will be revealed underneath. Scratch Map also includes facts about certain countries and cities. Fun for all the family.

Measures: Length 81.9 cm, Width 58.2 cm, Height 0.2 cm
Weight: 0.3 kg
Material: cardboard; paper
Attributes: 100% recyclable

Travel Edition Scratch-Off Map:



The Travel Edition Scratch Map also has some hip tips on it. For example, did you know that Bulgarians shake their heads from side to side to mean 'yes' and nod up and down to say 'no'? Did you know that cutting down a cactus in America carries a twenty five year prison sentence? Perhaps think twice about bringing home a prickly present for someone. One of the other quirks the map has is sections where you can jot down the music you listened to, the best friend you made and the top 10 highlights. In short, the Scratch Map Travel Edition is brilliant.

Out of tube: 42 x 29.7cm
In tube: 5 x 13.5cm

Below are links to buy the full size, the travel size, the new US version and the UK version.

Impressive Augmented Reality Allows People To Enter The World of National Geographic.

In an impressive display of augmented reality (video further down in this post), people in a shopping mall in Hungary got a chance to pet a cheetah, play with velociraptors, stand within biting distance of a T-Rex, endure a thunderstorm and walk with an astronaut amongst other exciting experiences via technology from the UK's Appshaker.





Appshaker recently launched a unique way for people to interact with the amazing world of National Geographic Channel's content from around the globe.

Using the principles of augmented reality, people could immerse themselves in different scenes such as dolphins, leopards, the space landings, dinosaurs and more.



Thousands of people interacted with the National Geographic Channel brand in the process as it toured Hungary, with thousands more people sharing snapshots and video on Facebook as a result.




For more information on appshaker, please head to appshaker.co.uk and a huge thank you to Vertigo Digital whom they worked with to create the amazing 3D.

Brilliant Ad for Nighttime Bus Service Shows The Ugly Side of Partying.

Ever wonder how you appear to other people when you're drunk? It's not pretty as this inventive and interactive spot for Movia, a Danish nighttime bus service shows you.

A girl sipping a cocktail is feeling pretty fierce:


Mouseover her and she's not quite as glamorous:


The Byturen spot from the Copenhagen ad agency Bocca is a compelling interactive video which uses a special effect to emphasize how different one appears and behaves when they are drinking and suggests taking the bus home at night rather than driving.

The video is double layered and interactive. It shows a typical youthful night out, drinking and dancing, flirting and frolicking. But move your mouse over the video and the ugly truth is revealed.

Primping in the ladies room:


Mouseover it and you'll see she's having a fashion faux pas:


Sloppy drunk young men and women look skanky, urinate on the floor and behave very unattractively when you pass your mouse over the movie.

Taking a leak:


Mouseover him and you'll see he's missed his target by a longshot:


The copy at the end of the spot asks: “Is it time to get home?” at which point we see our main characters riding the bus home - undoubtedly much to the relief of sober drivers on the road.




The interactive site is no longer up, so here's a version of the video with the mouseover being done for you:


Advertising Agency: Bocca, Coppenhagen, Denmark
Art Director: Lisbet Krøll
Copywriter: Ulrik Søby
Director: Adam Bonke
Photographer: Adam Wallensten
Production Design: Emil Walter
Sound design: David Stubbe Teglbjærg
Music: Upright Music
Stylist: Lea Sonne
Production Company: NobodyCph
Client: Movia
Campaign: “Is it time to get home?”
Date: 2011

A Talented Mom Designs An iPad App. Drum Roll Please....

Imani Powell-Razat, a designer/illustrator by trade (see Spye Design Studio) is also a mom who has designed and created an entertaining and informative application for the iPad that is a multicultural celebration of the world's drums.


above: Imani Powell-Razat of Spye Design and her son, Orion, playing with his iPad



Drum Circle Kids is a colorfully animated app that allows your child to engage in and create unique jam sessions by tapping five colorfully animated drummers that represent various types of drums found throughout the world.



The American Trap Set, Caribbean Steel Pan, Chinese Drum, Cuban Conga and the West African Djembe (with more drums to come) can be easily turned on and off with the tap of a finger and combined for dozens of possible musical and sound combinations.



Adding to the fun, is the possibility of discovering ambient sounds hidden in the scenery.



In the learn section, kids can swipe from one drum to the next and touch to play each drum while learning fun drum facts.


Intended for toddlers, age 18 month +
Buy it in the itunes store here

Sweet Bread. Now, Toast Yourself.

The post just prior to this one today featured the fabulous new music video for the song "Last Leaf" by Los Angeles quartet, OK Go.



The stop motion video features illustrations burnt into toast with a laser. Created in conjunction with the Samsung Create Your World website to promote their new NX100 digital camera, the site also features a fun and easy interactive way to place your own image on a piece of toast.



Simply upload your image, choose your level of toast darkness and voila!



Go toast yourself here.


See the Stop motion video of laser burnt toast for Last Leaf by OK go! here.

Private Co-Branding. Karl Lagerfeld's Strippable Model For Eres Swimwear & Lingerie.

The fashion House of Chanel and sister brand Eres swimwear and lingerie have created a fun interactive campaign, photographed by Karl Lagerfeld, that features model Emily Didonato in a pop up window.



Move your cursor over the cutely dressed model and it reveals the Eres lingerie and swimwear underneath.

Here are some screen grabs of the 'before' and 'after':


And some screen grabs of the interactive process.

before:

after you begin clicking upon the visual:


before:

after:

before:

after:


from CHANEL news:


“CHANEL est une maison-mère avec plusieurs enfants qui ne portent pas son nom. La maison ERES en fait partie. CHANEL fait des maillots de bain et de la lingerie occasionnellement dans le cadre particulier d’une collection. ERES en revanche ne fait que ça, sans prendre ombrage de l’image forte de CHANEL. Mettre de la lingerie ERES sous une robe CHANEL est une démarche “mode” naturelle, moderne et spontanée. Normalement le co-branding se fait entre étrangers – ici il se fait en famille : PRIVATE CO-BRANDING.”

The new and improved translation below was provided by reader, Karina (Thanks Karina!):

“CHANEL is a company which owns multiple smaller companies which do not carry its name. The brand of ERES is one of them. CHANEL only occasionally makes swimwear and lingerie in the specific context of a collection. ERES, on the other hand, does nothing but making this, without taking umbrage at the strong reputation of CHANEL. Wearing an ERES lingerie underneath a CHANEL dress is a natural, modern and spontaneous approach of fashion. Normally, co-branding is between strangers – here it is within the family: PRIVATE CO-BRANDING.”


Start stripping Emily here.

What Would You Look Like As a Simpson?

Go ahead...simpsonize yourself!

'Not For The Faint Of Heart' Design Game

The following was so much fun for me as an art director.



Anyone familiar with design, layout or print production terms for type-setting will have a fun time playing this beautiful gothic online game "Find The 25 Design Terms" A picture riddle brought to you by Colle +McVoy.



And if you can find all the terms within the alloted time, you actually get a free poster of this! (you do have to pay for shipping and handling, however).

Below is a bit of the story and the people at Colle + McVoy in Minneapolis who are behind this inventive and fun idea.




You can also purchase T-shirts here.