Most designers with a passion for what they do will tell you that design is present in everything they do – the clothes they wear, the way they decorate their house, the art they make for their walls, the publications they subscribe to.  Design as a way of life is also very present in much of traditional Japanese culture, which is perhaps why it’s always struck a chord with me. Their sushi, zen gardens, tea ceremonies, and kimono patterns are all designed precisely and symbolically.

A creation from Flickr user 'Bentomom'

Bento boxes, a traditional format of Japanese meal preparation, are apparently making a big hit right now in the US as a way to add appeal and variety to food as well as limit portions. This certainly appeals to me as a designer, as a novel and creative way to think about lunch (not sure I want to spend 30 minutes every day making lunch, however). The New York Times has recently posted a slideshow on people and their Bento habits, which you can view here.

Being tasked to create content for a website can offer a unique set of challenges. One must be able to effectively convey the right message, have time to do the proper research, and have a sharp vocabulary to keep reader’s interest.

But what if you need to find words that rhyme? Maybe you want to create a headline that has a rhythm to it. Or maybe you think you are the next NAS or Public Enemy and are setting up to battle verses at the hip hop club on Saturday night.

Whatever the reason, rhymezone.com has you covered. Simply plug in the word that you need a rhyming word for and it will populate a field full of suggestions.

When most people think of web strategy or building a web presence, they think of developing a sophisticated looking web site that shows off all that their company can do, and showcases their brand identity. For global ad agency Modernista!, whose focus lies decidedly in thinking outside the box, the solution for their web strategy didn’t involve a flashy web site at all. Instead, they harnessed all of the existing tools of the internet and used them to create an information cloud, simultaneously showing their web savvy and their intent on thinking differently.

Instead of having a portfolio page, they link to their Flickr stream for still images and their YouTube library for video content. Instead of an About Us page, they link to their Wikipedia entry, Facebook profile, and Twitter feed. All of their content is managed through existing tools and social media on the internet. As I navigate through their non-site, I can’t help but think that someone either had a really clever idea, or the design/development team found an easy way out of a lot of work.

What do you think? See it for yourself: Modernista!

It was 1977 when I first laid eyes on an Ansel Adams print. From that day, I spent the next 20 years trying to produce a silver gelatin print of such grandeur. The key word here is trying. I came close, but there’s only a few folks skilled enough in darkroom magic to pull it off.

Now is your chance to be amazed, as I was. There is an exhibition of Ansel’s prints at the Saint Louis Art Museum.

Bravely going where no other company in their industry has gone before, CENTRIC HEALTH RESOURCES has just launched a new web site with BIG WHEEL that we think you’re going to want to see: http://www.centrichealthresources.com

While most of the competition’s sites take themselves too seriously and/or are comprised of the same 25 images of smiling doctors and patients, CENTRIC has fearlessly launched into deep space with this heavily theme-based design centered around their operating philosophy – which puts patients and their needs at the center of the universe.

From colorful infographics that explain complex business practices to engaging media and informative materials found in their new KNOWLEDGE BASE, this web site allows the audience to see how profoundly different CENTRIC is, and what that can mean for the patients, providers and manufacturers they serve.

We are proud to have played such a large role in creating this new Web vehicle, and look forward to our next “mission” with this client.

When I first read about this, I wasn’t really sure what to make of it. What did Freshjive really mean by “Anti-Branding”? Well, it turns out that Rick Klotz, owner of Freshjive, has decided to remove the Freshjive logo / name from the outside of their fashion lines as well as any inside labels. Their new product lines will feature no logo or name as to who their brand is whatsoever.

I can certainly appreciate not wanting to walk around like a human billboard for a company wearing their logo, and admit that it takes some pretty serious guts to go this route and stand firmly on the product alone, but I guess the question is – what would Nike be without the swoosh, what would Chanel be without its reversed letter C’s, and what would BMW be without its badge. The fact of the matter is that your brand and logo do matter to consumers on a variety of complex and subconscious levels.

Remember in the 1980’s when you would be able to buy generic “beer” at the grocery store, typeset in lowercase Helvetica. That was pretty amusing, but there is a reason that you don’t see that any more. Companies can make more money with a brand that is memorable verses one that is not. Brand loyalty pays the bills. Freshjive is by no means like generic beer, and has BRAND credibility and loyalist. Let’s see if the brand loyalty sticks when kids don’t know its Freshjive anymore.

Check out the full story and let us know what you think.

BIG WHEEL is proud to announce the launch of the new Web site and e-commerce platform for TRIM – a racing inspired line of clothing and accessories for fashion-savvy motorheads who Keep Fast Company.

This project has been a dream, as we have had a fantastic collaborative experience with the founders of the brand and a huge amount of freedom in designing a site that has real thunder. From working with Steve Smith of SMITH RACING (a veteran of the high-octane battlefield since 1964… shouts out to you, sir) to the pride of authorship we’ve shared with the TRIM team (mad props to you, TRIM brothers and sisters) this has been one hell of an experience. You hear references to “building brands” in our industry all of the time – how often to you actually get to do it; I mean really do it?

Though we are extremely fired up about the branding/marketing side of this site, the e-commerce component really has the shop abuzz. Why? Because we are breaking new ground as a company by providing a turnkey solution for TRIM – and that’s not just talk. BIG WHEEL is responsible for full-site maintenance, product inventory, consumer communication and fulfillment for this new enterprise. That’s right: If you order a product from TRIM online, we provide the horsepower behind the scenes that ensures this gear arrives at your doorstep.

Bottom Line: If you are a lover of life in the fast lane, you need TRIM.

Check it at: http://www.trimindustries.com

I’ve been listening to Jerry Week, on the Grateful Dead Channel, on SiriusXM all week. It’s his birthday, and the anniversary of his death (August 1, 1942 – August 9, 1995). There’s been some great interviews and sound bites, interesting facts about the early days of his life and a lot of good music.

Did you know Jerry was first a banjo player? He loved bluegrass music and one of his first bands was a bluegrass band, Old and In the Way, with David Grisman – a lifelong friend. A lot of folks don’t realize Jerry was in several other bands than the Dead. Another interesting fact is Jerry was missing a finger.

Happy Birthday Jerry! We miss you.

With “Going Green” being such a hot topic the last couple of years, we were excited to be contacted by a company that has made it their specialty, Butterfly Energy Works.

We were happy to lend our hand to Butterfly with quite a few deliverables, including a new identity system, trade show graphics, yard signs, door hangers, print collateral, and a brand new website with a Joomla based content management system.

To learn more about Butterfly Energy Works and how they can help your residential or commercial property save money and become more energy efficient, check out their website at www.ButterflyEnergyWorks.com.

In this age of information, documenting one’s life experience has become part of daily habit. Most popularly this comes in the form of social media, where people can share every detail of their experience, from tweeting about your annoying neighbor or posting a cool link on Facebook, to blogging about government reform or personal philosophies . For those left-brainers who enjoy balancing their checkbooks and comparing spreadsheets more than waxing poetic on Facebook status updates, there are a handful of web sites around now where you can input the numbers of your life and receive back the graphic analysis of your existence.

Mint.com : Okay, so Mint.com isn’t all that new, and personal finance software isn’t all that new, but Mint.com is free and is accessible from anywhere via the web. There’s no need to sit at home with your spreadsheets and checkbooks and input your data into some stodgy banking software, because Mint does it all for you by tracking your expenditures through your online bank accounts. It categorizes the data and outputs it into pretty charts and graphs, and will also email you monthly reports as well as notify you when you’ve blown your budget.

Tweet What You Eat : Tweeting can help you lose weight! TWYE uses the concept of a food diary combined with the accessibility of twitter to let you ‘post’ your food/calorie consumption from your phone throughout the day. Unfortunately, it’s up to the user to estimate the amount of calories in a given item, making the margin of error pretty big. Still, the results can be insightful.

openeco.org : Geared mainly toward small and large organizations, OpenEco lets you input and track your energy use so that you can monitor progress over time, and also compare and share with other similar organizations. You can then use the data to report to the EPA, or get a strategy from companies like Butterfly Energy Works for reducing your carbon footprint and lowering costs!

daytum.com : Daytum is really The One To Rule Them All. You can input any sort of numerical data that you want, to track and graph in a variety of ways. This could be as useful or useless as you want it to be. A useful idea could be a community service organization garnering trust and support by tracking how many flowers planted, funds raised, food donated, etc. A less useful data set seen recently was ‘Star Wars Songs Listened To’.