Stop Forrest Stop

 

Forrest Gump was written in 1986, premiered in 1994, and opened in 1996. The first Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Restaurant opened in Monterey, CA, but I got to go back to its impressive Times Square location.

Just as I was thinking that the employees at Bubba Gump probably knew everything there is to know about Forrest Gump, our waitress came to quiz us on our Forrest Gump trivia. We guessed our way through five questions and our prize was two peppermints :) Other than the friendliness of the staff, our table had a great view that kept us entertained the whole time through.

You enter into the souvenir store to wait for or reserve your table, and that's where the movie starts. If you're not a fan of it already, this restaurant will make you feel like you've already seen it. The restaurant is decked out with photos of scenes from the movie, signs that make you think you're in the movie, and dishes that make you feel like you're out camping (with better food of course). Forrest Gump's presence is so big on TV already, and this restaurant keeps the story alive long past its creation. That's a successful movie.

Win a Job

I think design contests are fun to enter, and they also give designers of all levels the chance to improve their skills, build their portfolio, and if they win, a new connection with an employer (along with the prize). Here are three great ones that I've run into:

1. DesignContest.com

On this site, you can either start your own contest by giving a creative brief for designers to start working on your project, or be the designer working to create the final product that the contest holder will choose. It's a great site because there are numerous contests to choose from with projects ranging from logos to website design, t-shirt design, twitter backgrounds, and more. Just pick what you like, and give it a try. In the end, if you win, the prizes usually range anywhere from $100 to $1000.

2. Threadless Tees

Threadless Tees is a lot of fun to look through. There is so much talent among the designer community, and if you'd like to try your hand at it, your design could be printed onto their tees and sold all over the country! Not to mention you'd get $2500. And if you ever think of a slogan you want to see on a tee, you can send that in as well and get another sizable prize for it.

3. Graphic Competitions

I just came across this one today, and it's amazing. The first thing I've noticed is that it's very professional and the contests are mainly held by global organizations that support various causes. For example, the latest contest is for the Physicians for Social Responsibility. I think contests in general are a great way to spread awareness for causes, so this one is definitely successful. One thing that is different here is that other contestants' work is not displayed, so no one is influenced by each other's work. This could be positive or negative. It just means less inspiration from others, and more of your own originality.

Seeing it in Print

My business cards arrived today! I was happy with the results, especially since the images came out clearly. The pencil graphic goes back to my post about The Story of the Pencil, which explains the symbolism that I chose for it. I designed this business card last semester when I was studying abroad in Sydney, and like always, it's exciting to see work off the screen!

Dreaming Up a Bookstore

When I think about selling my t-shirts in the future, my thoughts stray much further than to whom I would sell them to. Practically, those ideas may or may not work, but I have a lot of fun thinking about them. For example, I think it would be fabulous if I had a little boutique to sell them in. And for every t-shirt I sell, a portion would go toward a children’s literacy organization. For this reason, I’m imagining a little store that looks like a bookstore.

Packaging

Every tee would be packaged in a box that opens like a book (similar to the one below). The cover would look like a novel or a children’s story book.

Window Displays

If you walked by the store, you would think it was a bookstore. The window would have the t-shirt packaging on shelves along with pictures of the t-shirts in frames. 

In-store Displays

When you walk in, there would be a large catalogue (the size of a regular newspaper) on display for customers to flip through the different t-shirt designs. This would make their shopping experience easier.

Atmosphere

The atmosphere of the store would be family-friendly and inviting.

Target Audience

The typical customer may be someone who likes to read or would like to explore a new book. This audience would be likely to support the cause of children’s literacy. 

This is just the beginning though. First things first: work on those t-shirts :)

Dress to Impress?

I read an interesting article in the New York Times called The Power of Apparel, which talked about  impressions people give through the way they dress.

We’re all familiar with the idea of looking our best when we’re trying to give off a good impression to someone new/ important. This is especially important for interviews. But as the article mentions, people at the top of the ladder such as Simon Cowell, Michael Kors, and Mark Zuckerberg, play the dress-down trend. This means they can get away with wearing casual clothes and still upholding their reputations as top execs. This is their marketing strategy of saying that they’ve still got their feet on the ground.

It’s interesting to think whether just anyone can pull this off. Maybe you could once you've created a distinct impression for yourself, but as a first impression, probably not. There’s a lot more to say about first impressions, but just like an ad has to have visual appeal to attract initial attention, I think dressing to impress is what captures your attention. After that, beauty is only skin deep.

Perspectives

Pretty much everybody has something that they strongly believe in. It doesn’t happen often, but there are times when something comes along and changes their mind by 180.

What has the power to make someone become completely persuaded by a new idea?

For example, how would you change a PC person to Mac? That’s a tough job, especially if the PC person has strong backup about why they think PCs are better than Macs. Those who don't know as much about the technical details are usually open to new information, and are more likely to be persuaded by new ideas.

So is it possible to turn a PC person into a Mac lover? When someone is driven by facts, they try to make practical decisions. But what about emotionally-driven decisions? I know it sounds irrelevant in this case, but let’s say that a PC person starts to develop a sentimental view of Macs (for whatever reason). I don’t think this makes their decision impractical though; it’s just a change in perspective.

It’s very easy to get lost in something you strongly believe in. But when you open up to new ideas, things start to change. You could start supporting your cause even stronger, or you could start something new. Perspective definitely changes things.