Cool video that features WK Interact designing a mural in NYC for Jordan’s “Nightmares Never Sleep” campaign.

if you’ve ever lived in a big city, you know that moving day is right up their with tax day  and light-your-underwear-on-fire-day.

designed to help urban dwellers move from flat to flat a bit easier…and greener…the Vrachtfiets are pedal powered moving vans.  concepted and created by two engineering students, these two-man machines are designed to haul some serious weight while cutting down on pollution, noise and parking tickets.

How long until we see one of these loaded down with VitaminWater, Muscle Milk or some other product to be sampled or sold?

a long time ago, on a vacation far, far away…

ok, that’s lame.  but these travel posters based on Star Wars locations are not.  from Chicago-based designer Justin Van Genderen, this series of “travel posters” inspired by Simon Page are wonderfully designed, simplistic yet compelling. and unlike that Reservoir Dogs poster you’re hanging on to, your girlfriend might let you hang one of these puppies up in the new place.

This looks rad…although i had serious issues at the site (could be user error, however).

Have you seen it yet?! Not only does it feature tons of exciting things to do in good ol’ St Louis, but on the cover is a great shot of Chuck Berry and Nelly together on-stage during the 2009 MLB All-Star Commissioner’s Gala.

Switch produced the St Louis themed event last summer…read all about it here  if you’d like to refresh your memory or see more pictures.

Otherwise, you can check out the cover and the rest of the Official Guide here.

This dude is trapped in a box. He will stay there for 30 days. He doesn’t know where he is, but if you can find him, you win $30,000. I don’t know what I love more, the simplicity of the concept or the fact that it’s not (seemingly)  a branded initiative. Oh, wait. Yes I do.  Check it out.

with more and more agencies getting in the content game Wieden+Kennedy is looking to separate themselves from the pack by creating W+K Entertainment.

checking the site out this morning, there are some nice bits…especially the “Don’t Move Here” series on the Portland music scene that was feature in Cool Hunting a little while back.

given the economy, and the fact that most shops around the country (and world) have some excess labor at the moment, it’s not shocking that the smart folks who get paid to create content for brands n blue chips are applying their skills to matters and issues they care about.

and while people have spent the last ten years blubbering on how the “agency model is broken,” these new efforts might be just the thing to shake the system.  creative, bright, relevant, and unedited (to a point)…these efforts are redefining the role agencies play in the marketing mix.  as the bean-counters take over and purchasing / procurement are driving brand strategy, the smart agencies are deciding to change the game rather than play it.

To follow up on the hipster dog post from last week, I bring you something much more ridiculous. Dressing your dog up is one thing, but caring about what they have to, um… say, is another. Thanks to the folks at Japanese Toy company Takara Toys, your dog can have a voice on Twitter. The BowLingual is a device that captures and analyzes a dog’s bark, matching it with one of six general emotions. It will be available this summer in an iphone app with Twitter integration. Seriously. How much information on Twitter is already completely irrelevant to our lives? I like dogs too, but c’mon people and dogs. Leave this one alone. 

Anheuser-Busch recently tapped Switch to redesign their Budweiser merchandise style guide for the UK. Senior Creative Director Eduardo and Senior Art Director Kristen took this challenge head on. For them it’s the perfect marriage of their passion for driving brand creative standards, consistency and application across a variety of packages/elements. The final product was so well received; we were also asked to revise the U.S. Budweiser merchandise style guide.

The Budweiser merchandise style guide basically works to provide design direction and brand standards across multiple package types for licensees using the Budweiser name. Insuring consistent branding and a quality look has always been top priority at both A-B and Switch so these projects fit right into our and our client’s wheelhouse. It’s not too often around here an art director gets to set the universal style rules for brand asset relation, white space, stroke, color, gradient, etc. It’s like being given your own fiefdom, then being appointed “ruler” of that fiefdom all while serving the King of Beers!

Hipsters are everywhere you look these days. With their indie bands, worn-out threads, and coffee shop loitering tendencies. Now the culture is spreading to the canine world. Check it out. These dogs are way, way cooler than your dog.