If you pay any attention to health news, you may have followed the recent controversy over mercury levels in tuna and other fish. There are many sides to the story, but I find one aspect of it really surprising. Namely, it appears that the US government has been publishing stats about which types of fish […]

Although spell check has become ubiquitous in everything from word processors to web browsers, it seems like the average person has become even sloppier when it comes to written communication. Since things move so quickly on the web, perhaps people figure that quantity is more important than quality, and a typo-laden document is better than […]

After seeing a product placement for GE’s Monogram appliances, it occurred to me that several different companies have adoped the “Monogram” label for their premium line. Aside from GE, there’s Banana Republic, and probably a few others. But what does the term “Monogram” actually mean to customers? To me, “Monogram” indicates something that’s personalized to […]

Last weekend, I walked by the site of the new Halsted Street Deli / Rainbow Cone near the Chicago Theater. On the window was a big sign saying “Closed for private event”. The restaurants hadn’t even opened yet, so I figured they were still working on things, and the grand opening would be a few […]

I have some old stuff sitting around that I periodically try to sell on Craigslist. Each time I list it, a few people inquire and one maybe even offers to buy it. But when it comes time to get together and complete the transaction, they flake out. And we’re not talking about a lot of […]

I saw a few articles recently about how Toyota is paying to plant roadside gardens in California. Although not overtly commercial, the gardens feature designs that reinforce the overall branding strategy for their new Prius model. This is a great idea, since it helps improve public spaces without turning them into the type of billboards […]

Whenever I walk by the frozen pizza section at the grocery store, there’s a good chance I’ll see somebody trying to decide which pizza to buy. Typically, these people are looking at the nutritional info, probably to find the pizza with the fewest calories. And sometimes they get frustrated and walk away empty handed. The […]

About six months ago, there was a bunch of news about how a huge grocery store would be opening a few blocks from my apartment. It’s no Trader Joe’s, but having another option for picking up hard-to-find items can’t hurt. However, after that initial flurry of press releases and articles and interviews, details on the […]

I needed to track a package within a particular web app, and was impressed at how easy it was to find the tracking number. But when I tried clicking on it, nothing happened. The tracking number wasn’t hyperlinked, nor was there a separate button to track the package itself. That’s just lame. If you’re going […]

I’ve seen some really terrible banner ads lately. Here are some of the offending design elements, though I hesitate to even use the word “design” in reference to such junk: – Before and after pictures that obviously aren’t from the same person (that is, unless weight loss pills also give you a makeover and a […]