Rivers, Nukes, Melons & Whimsy
what does that even mean?
What does this week’s title even mean? Only the great river of our planet allows for such a flow in this dispatch. That, and the fact that The Colour Bar is- somehow- where creativity, content, personality and design, all swirl together.
Yes, the Amazon (the real one, not the Bezos playground) finds its way into our delighted field of vision courtesy the ‘first ever’ branding of the region it flows through. It comes with a fascinating design approach. So does a video game TV show that recently wrapped a second season and I felt compelled to appreciate. And a clever team pull off a copyright heist with meaning.
Oh, if you have not seen Zendaya whimsically attempt fashion, this is your chance. Take it!
Mumumelon: Yes, it sounds like what you think. A ripoff.
▶️ Curated/Cuts: The shape of Zendaya’s dreams, and a river’s brand.
Concept or cop out?: A note on Bieber @ Coachella
Fallout: Apocalyptic design.
➕ · Mass comments on YT · India’s FIFA WC · prompt a playlists ·
☝🏽Busy? Lazy? Multitasky? Click play above and let me read this to you.
1. Mumumelon
Say hello to mumumelon.
Oli Frost has done it again. He & the folks at the climate campaign group Serious People (he’s a co-founder) bring a brilliant ability to take satire and make it believable in a consistently clever way.
This time, they pick on active wear brand lululemon and its fossil fuel practices. But if that sounds boring, they are not. Here we have a ‘dupe-brand’, openly ripping off lululemon, to showcase how they can build a similar product and line with much greener practices.
This is no theory, Serious People always uses serious ways. So we have mumumelon products and a real, brick & mortar store.
“We are violating copyright, but we aren’t violating the planet.”
And somehow, its all not merely amusing. It’s making a point, making it well and making us smile. And yes, they are “ready to be sue-sued”
This is many kinds of good.
Also, I don’t own any lulus, but would pick mumus over them.
Though I do like lemons. And (water) melons.
Here is their story, and call to (gentle) arms.
You might have seen Oli’s previous effort- Oilwell, a faux-wellness app that could help you quiet all the noise of climate science while you march on to profits and prosperity, to “help you find inner peace while the world burns”. If you haven’t- I wrote about it here last May.
There’s many other sharp ideas they have brought to life. Like the big French Bank campaign, for the bank that said it would stop funding coal, but instead underwrote a $409 million a bond to the world’s largest private coal company through one of their subsidiaries. Or like an illustrated children’s book titled “Why Daddy’s Law Firm Works With Nice Oil Men”, delivered to law firms around London.
The mumumelon campaign is run by Action Speaks Louder, a non-profit organisation that holds “companies accountable for their climate change promises.”
2. Curated/Cuts
· A Shape of Dreams ·
Surreal storytelling? Abstract visuals? Choreographed oddity? Plus Zendaya & Spike Jonze?
I’m in! Surely you should be too.
‘Shape of Dreams’ is a Spike Jonze-directed short, introducing Zendaya’s collab line with sportswear brand On. It’s a wonderful exercise in whimsy, inviting us to her “Dream Lab”- and it sure feels like one.
Zendaya’s “hmm, what should I do here?/ what could I do here?” vibe is a charming mood for the narrative. I love how it moves from curiosity to delight to a growing confidence in what she is playing with in this near seamless, abstract white space.
And the craft just carries us along on this little jaunt of joy.
Stop-motion(or the feel of it), scale distortions, practical effects, the choreography, physical transitions- all strung with a perky rhythm, occasionally reminiscent of silent films.
This line is a collaboration with her long-time stylist Law Roach, who makes an appearance late in the film, almost like a guide/older partner who tweaks her little flights of fancy. Nice touch.
The clothes look cool too.
On Alex Griffin · Thiago Cruz ·
MJZ · David Zander · Kristina Thoegersen · DOP: Jasper Wolf · Editor: Jeff Buchanan · Production Design Francesca di Mottola · Sound Squeak E. Clean ·
· Amazonia ·
Here is a new, first time brand for something that has existed for eons- the Amazon region in Brazil.
Nine states in the ‘Brazilian Legal Amazon’ have come together to create an “ecosystem brand” for the region, promoting it to Brazilians and the world. This is Amazonia, and its brand identity is wonderfully woven into the real world space it represents.
How?
The entire brand design system- typography, motion and more- is derived from the great river itself. Satellite imagery of the Amazon and the curves in its 25,000km of waterways give shape to the logo and the letters.
There is no geometry, no serif or san serif debate, no graphs of motion design. This feels organic, natural and human. More so because of the collaboration with artists from across the nine states in the territory.
As the video grandly but warmly declares, “generating a design system by the greatest creator of all- Nature”
Visit the website or go play with the type system here, and generate stuff (hat tip to Adriano Reis for sharing!)
· By Future Brands ·
3. Concept or cop out?
You are highly likely to have heard of Justin Bieber’s Coachella act, yes?
Let’s just say it was minimal, meta, and not a little strange.
Bieber performed some of his recent hits, but a sort of low-fi- there was no big set, no choreography, no pyro. Stripped down, but not in an MTV Unplugged way. More like a casual, low key way.
And then he kinda settled in at a table with this laptop, and fired up Youtube.
Yup.
For around 30mins, he went on to play some of his old hits via YouTube videos. Sometimes he sang along karaoke-style, other times he just watched them with the crowd. He also played viral videos of himself, chuckling with the fans. All very nostalgic, indulgent, a bit random, a bit cute… could have felt intimate.
But, being a headliner at one of the biggest festivals, with a reported $10 million payday for the two-weekend gig, this was never going to go down as merely “cute”.
Some have loved it, calling it a masterclass in engagement, creativity, authenticity and the internet generation at large. Others railed against it- saying it was lazy, cringe, underwhelming, undercooked, even disrespectful.
I will say this. Having one of the earliest made-by-Youtube pop stars trawl through his YT history sounds like a certain kind of intimate and cool. It’s also the kind of thing that we might not see much of or relate to less with other celebs, because ‘making it on Youtube’ is not what it was for his generation of stars.
Just not sure if it’s what all those peeps in the audience paid for.
Samir Chaudhry has an interesting take, calling Bieber “The Last Honest Internet Sensation.”
4. Fallout
I would like to take a moment or three to doff my dusty, dystopian hat to Fallout- the series- and its wonderful choice to have a custom opening title and end credits for every single episode.
Season 2 of this video game adaptation wrapped some time back on Prime Video. I was very pleased to see it continued the show’s S1 tradition of highly stylised opening title cards and end-credit sequences. They evoke that post-apocalyptic, retro-futuristic aesthetic of the video games, which also permeates the show but is still topped by these animations.
The custom title cards are variations of the Fallout logo, usually connecting to the narrative or episode theme. There’s rusty cola caps, glowing green monitors, Vegas neon signs, rivets, fire, ice, dust, blood. Short, subtle and with just that perfect nudge into the episode.
The end credits are long ‘single shots’ within a very game environment feel, with the setting and details full of nods to the storyline, lore, easter eggs, locations, and potential clues to the plot. All end credits here:
Opening title cards by Eddy Herringson & Laura Heath and Antibody
If you’re really feeling this, go revisit all the S1 end credits here.
➕ Quick Hits
So creators on Youtube can now like comments on their videos in bulk. Yes, that means they can engage meaningfully with their viewers and followers by using an automated function that will like all comments it deems positive. Authentic and real indeed. Or, “draining the humanity out of online interactions for the sake of engagement.”
The FIFA World Cup is not far away. Besides the ticket pricing chaos for those attending, closer to Asia one of the biggest (numerical) markets still doesn’t have a broadcast deal. Venkat Ananth takes a look at how India will end up watching the greatest show in the world.
Spotify’s ‘Prompted Playlist’ feature rolled out in beta earlier this year; it lets you describe what you want (prompt), then generates a playlist “informed by your listening history and what’s happening in music right now.” This has now expanded to include podcasts. Arguably, it could be even more useful.
Excellent mix as always.