Shared posts

23 Dec 21:17

Kenny Omega Thinks A New Day Vs. Bullet Club Feud Would Be Great For Pro Wrestling

by billhanstock

Over the past year, wrestling fans on social media have followed along with the good-natured rivalry between the Elite of the Bullet Club (consisting of Kenny Omega and the Young Bucks) and The New Day. The Bullet Club, of course, are property of New Japan (and appear in Ring of Honor from time to time), so it’s a long shot that the two factions will mix it up, but that doesn’t stop them from barking at each other online.

Wrestle Kingdom 11 is coming up on Jan. 4 and as per tradition, it’s New Japan’s biggest show of the year. It’s also the date when most New Japan wrestlers’ contracts end. Last year, AJ Styles, Karl Anderson, and Luke Gallows left the company after Wrestle Kingdom in January of this year (yep, that was THIS YEAR), and although the Young Bucks have already re-signed with New Japan, there’s speculation that Omega will be WWE-bound if he doesn’t defeat Kazuchika Okada for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. But that’s not going to stop him from continuing to beat the New Day vs. Bullet Club drum.

Omega’s recent appearance on Ring Rust Radio to promote Wrestle Kingdom — which you can hear above — went all over the place and touched on a bunch of different things, but he elaborated on how much he wanted the New Day/Bullet Club feud to go down.

“In a fantasy situation, it would be great for not only us to go there to have a match, but I would love for it to go both ways. I would love to have New Day come to New Japan as well so that both types of fans would be able to see the differences in product and wrester. I really do feel like surprising people.

“I wouldn’t want to be built up through video packages. I would love for it to just be really spur of the moment and take people off guard and make it just something they would never see coming. People understand that this is an unlikely scenario and people that are contracted can’t just waltz in the company and issue challenges. There’s so much more that goes behind the business of pro wrestling and the politics you can’t do it.

“For it to work that way would be such a treat for the fans and that’s the only reason why we were ever so serious about doing it to begin with. We didn’t care about contracts, who’s going to win, who’s going to lose, what day it is going to be, which days is this guy going to miss; we just wanted it to happen. The fans wanted it to happen and even the fans that didn’t know about our social media rivalry wanted it to happen.

“I do think if they saw it, people would enjoy it and they would love it. This is something that would cause pro wrestling to grow even more so as a whole. Not WWE, not New Japan; just pro wrestling. Cool stuff like that just doesn’t happen anymore. Everything is more predictable, in my opinion.”

I think anyone who’s aware of the Bullet Club wants a match against the New Day to go down any way possible, and I do believe that it would be awesome for the sport and would get people interested all over the world. But I do have to disagree with Omega on one thing: 2016 was anything but predictable when it came to interpromotional shenanigans. Between the CWC, Finn Bálor showing up on indie events, WWE contracted stars mixing it up with TNA wrestlers on EVOLVE shows, and the announcement of the UK Tournament, it’s pretty clear that anything goes these days.

Here’s hoping New Day pops up at Wrestle Kingdom 11 to cost the Young Bucks their title match or something. I’m not counting on it, but I wouldn’t dare be sour if it happened.

02 Jun 13:27

Magical Bus

by Reza

magical-bus

10 Mar 19:04

Rally

by Reza

rally

07 Mar 22:54

At Home with Sue

by Reza

at-home-with-sue

07 Mar 15:27

Napoleon

by Reza

napoleon

07 Mar 15:27

Baby

Does it get taller first and then widen, or does it reach full width before getting taller, or alternate, or what?
02 Mar 15:46

Reviewed: New Logo and Type Family for U.S. Soccer by Nike and Type Supply

by Armin

Striking Stripes

New Logo and Type Family for U.S. Soccer by Nike and Type Supply

Established in 1913 -- originally as United States Football Association and later as United States Soccer Football Association -- the United States Soccer Federation (U.S. Soccer for short) is the governing body of soccer in all its forms in the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, IL, it manages the men's and women's national soccer teams that represent the U.S. at the World Cup and other tournaments as well as the Olympics and Paralympics. U.S. Soccer oversees youth development leagues, operates the National Training Center at StubHub Center in Carson, CA, sanctions referees, and pretty much helps fuel the increasing love of soccer in the U.S.. Yesterday, the organization introduced a new logo designed by Nike and a new proprietary type family by Type Supply.

The process of the rebrand began in earnest about two years ago with U.S. Soccer providing input and insight to the design team at Nike. The collaborative effort went through hundreds of different iterations before arriving on a look that is modern, aggressive, youthful and timeless. The unveiling of the updated crest aligns the visual identity of the Federation with its position as a leader in sport. It represents limitless possibilities for what soccer is today and will become in America.

This design embodies the spirit of U.S. Soccer, but it also transcends our teams and the game. It's uniquely and unmistakably American.

[…] Notably, the new identity no longer features stars or a ball. In soccer tradition, stars are placed above the logo to represent World Cup victories. The WNT crest will prominently feature the three stars earned in 1991, 1999 and most recently, the historic 2015 victory.

[…]The new crest also does not include the soccer ball that has been featured in the past two iterations.

U.S. Soccer press release

New Logo and Type Family for U.S. Soccer by Nike and Type Supply
Logo, explained.
New Logo and Type Family for U.S. Soccer by Nike and Type Supply
Logo with tagline.

The old logo, designed in 1995, was mostly bad but nothing offensive in execution. It was regularly criticized for the stripes being blue instead of red as in the American flag but I find the stars more annoying than that detail as they look like metal stars you buy at antique stores. The main problem with the logo was that every element had its own aesthetic and the only thing that kept it together was literally being inside a crest shape.

The new logo is much simpler and efficient, dropping the stars and the soccer ball while doubling down on the U.S.A.-ness of it. The stripes have been corrected to be red and white and include all 13 from the flag while the "USA" lettering fits snuggly in the straightforward crest shape. There are no unnecessary curves to the crest, it has a good proportion, and it looks confident. The lettering is bold, striking, and mostly well executed... as much as I don't like half rounded corners on letters, the top corner of the right stem of the "U" should have been rounded to mirror that of the "A", as everything else is symmetric. Nonetheless, it's a strong evolution and, probably more important than the logo representing soccer, it represents the U.S. and the merchandise has the potential to sell well beyond soccer fans. Heck, it's better than the official Brand USA logo.

New Logo and Type Family for U.S. Soccer by Nike and Type Supply
Merchandise.
New Logo and Type Family for U.S. Soccer by Nike and Type Supply
Package sent to 8,000 registered club supporters and 2,000 to players and media to introduce the new logo. The package contained a Google Cardboard virtual reality set that played the video below that contained the code to unlock a scarf. Photo by mattyb6.
Virtual reality video included in the package above. Use your mouse to "drag" the video and look around.

To introduce the new logo, U.S. Soccer sent out 10,000 packages with a VR device and scarf with the goal of lighting social media on fire. I don't follow soccer on social media so I can't tell if it worked but from looking at the Instagram accounts of men's and women's national teams it wasn't too hot. ESPN has collected some of them and The New York Times has a good story on the unveiling approach that cost in the "seven figures".

In addition, U.S. Soccer unveils its official font, 90Minutes, a unique custom look designed by renowned typeface designer Tal Leming to complement the lettermarks used in the crest and allow for the integration of text with the crest.

U.S. Soccer press release

Tal Leming of Type Supply on the development of 90 Minutes, a custom type family.
New Logo and Type Family for U.S. Soccer by Nike and Type Supply
Original display font by Nike. Well done in deciding to hire a professional type designer.
New Logo and Type Family for U.S. Soccer by Nike and Type Supply
90 Minutes type family by Type Supply.

The identity comes with a new type family by Tal Leming of Type Supply — he goes into every detail here — and the best thing about it it's that it's not a geometric sans! Goool! U.S. Soccer, as Tal explains, had been using his type family, United, to good effect so switching to something else was almost as big a deal as changing the logo. The new type family was based on a first headline font designed by Nike, which was on the awful side, with very wonky construction and poorly resolved structure. I'm not a huge fan of the aesthetic of the new type family. The half rounded corners still bug me but it's undeniably a well thought-out and very well developed type system. The numerals are pretty cool and will be one of the most visible elements as they will appear on jerseys. The font lacks the FORCE attitude of United but it has a more sophisticated feel that is fitting for the increased reputation of the national teams.

New Logo and Type Family for U.S. Soccer by Nike and Type Supply
Display version.
New Logo and Type Family for U.S. Soccer by Nike and Type Supply
Kit version for uniforms.
New Logo and Type Family for U.S. Soccer by Nike and Type Supply
Text version.

Overall, logo looks good, type looks good, website looks good. Nothing earth-shattering but given how easily things can go South in large redesigns this held up well in what I'm sure was a grueling approval and consensus process.

Many thanks to our ADVx3 Partners
29 Feb 16:59

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Methods for Going to Space

by admin@smbc-comics.com

Hovertext: Alternate method: Convert humans to hydrogen, float to space, reassemble.


New comic!
Today's News:
12 Feb 21:12

Secret Agent

by Reza

secret-agent

11 Feb 17:19

Garbage Beef Tastes Like The Great Depression Probably Felt

by Jesse Farrar on Adequate Man, shared by Rob Harvilla to The Concourse

The Woe of Cooking is an ongoing fiasco where Jesse Farrar unearths the weirdest, grossest recipes he can find in The Joy of Cooking, and cooks/eats them. It has been awhile; we missed you.

Read more...

05 Feb 15:20

Hark, A Vagrant: Joan of Arc




buy this print!

Hello! It's been a while.

If you're a fan of Joan of Arc (and I mean, who isn't? Who has ever been like her before or since?) you should definitely look up the 1928 movie, The Passion of Joan of Arc. Maria Falconetti as Joan gives what is widely regarded as one of the best performances on film, ever - though certainly at a cost. Mesmerizing.

Hey, ponies are back in stock! They were out for a while, but they are back! woop woop woop!
02 Feb 17:51

The Case of the Traveling Taco

by Reza

case-of-the-traveling-taco

01 Feb 14:35

Money Trees

by Reza

money-trees

25 Jan 22:05

Guided

by Reza

guided

19 Jan 16:35

Reviewed: New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual

by Armin

May the Fort be with you

New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual

Established in 2014, Fort Point Beer is a craft brewery in San Francisco, CA. Brewing four core beers, Fort Point also offers seasonals and one-offs that were, until now, only available in bars and restaurants. To broaden their reach and bring their beers to the public, the brewer has launched a line of 12 oz cans and a new identity designed by local firm Manual.

The brewery is situated in a historic Presidio building that was formerly used as an Army motor pool. Their iconic location--close to both the Golden Gate Bridge and the Fort Point National Historic Site--provided inspiration for Manual to create the modular, illustrative brand identity that went beyond just a logo, and leveraged recognizable architectural elements of the bridge and the historic site-- arches and trestles--as its backbone.

Manual provided text

New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
Full logo and wordmark detail.

On its own, the logo is literally only a small part of the puzzle, serving as the anchor upon which all the rest of the elements are built on. As such, it handles its weight just fine through a chunky serif that contrasts nicely against the thin lines in the arch graphic that surrounds it. As one of the few typographic elements in the packaging, the logo stands out quite well and complements the line-art approach.

New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
Business cards.
[We] developed the grid-based graphic system into a flexible, modular and scalable set of designs that incorporate playful illustrations of San Francisco culture and charm. Sutro Tower, the Dutch Windmill in Golden Gate Park, and a camper van for the Westfalia beer variety, champion the spirit of San Francisco. Elements of the city and Bay Area create a unique and authentic sense of place, while helping establish Fort Point Beer Co. as the new wave of San Francisco-based brewing.

The distinct color palettes and bold lines of the designs were carefully considered and intentional. We selected color combinations that would be a deliberate departure from more typical beer packaging, with the intention of cutting through clutter on a shelf or aisle. The result is a set of designs that look elegant, refined and still playful. A visual system that's matching in quality with the beer it contains.

Manual provided text

New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
Cans.
New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
Cans 360.
New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
Cans detail.

Dense with illustrations, the cans are absolutely stunning. The muted color palette printed on the metal substrate creates a lovely-looking set of beers. I like how the bottom half of the illustrations is consistent while the top half changes to include different designs, creating a literal landscape of San Francisco.

New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
Cartons.
New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
Cases.
New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
Growlers.
New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
Livery.
New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
Can installation at retail store.
New Logo, Identity, and Packaging for Fort Point Beer by Manual
Tap handles.

Everything else about the packaging system is, effectively, on point. The cartons, the cases, the tap handles… just perfect. The work certainly feels like it belongs in, and is playing within, the genre of hip craft breweries with minimal and sharp-looking graphics but it's so well executed and expanded across applications that it stands out as best in class.

Many thanks to our ADVx3 Partners
12 Jan 03:27

Seen Stuff

by Reza

seen_stuff

11 Jan 14:50

Magnus

In the latest round, 9-year-old Muhammad Ali beat 10-year-old JFK at air hockey, while Secretariat lost the hot-dog-eating crown to 12-year-old Ken Jennings. Meanwhile, in a huge upset, 11-year-old Martha Stewart knocked out the adult Ronda Rousey.
08 Jan 22:48

Being Human

by Reza

being-human

07 Jan 16:55

Told Me

by Reza

told-me

04 Jan 17:12

Substitutions 2

Within a few minutes, our roads will be full of uncontrollably-swerving cars and our skies full of Amazon delivery dogs.
30 Dec 17:37

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Thank you for the sex

by admin@smbc-comics.com

Hovertext: PS: Make America Great Again


New comic!
Today's News:
30 Dec 17:36

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Other Riddles of the Sphinx

by admin@smbc-comics.com

Hovertext: With apologies to anyone of good taste.


New comic!
Today's News:
30 Dec 17:35

Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - Car Seat

by admin@smbc-comics.com

Hovertext: The really hard thing is to click the latch into place while the fabric of spacetime is being destroyed.


New comic!
Today's News:

 Discount BAHFest tickets are selling fast!

30 Dec 15:31

2016 Conversation Guide

The real loser in an argument about the meaning of the word 'hoverboard' is anyone who leaves that argument on foot.
29 Dec 22:37

Deadspin's Favorite Vines Of 2015

by Deadspin Staff

The Deadspin staff picked their favorite Vines from 2015, and you won’t be surprised to learn that many of them include maniacal dogs. Please enjoy.

Read more...

29 Dec 19:16

Lemmy Fucking Ruled

by Tim Marchman

I don’t have anything all that insightful to say about Lemmy, who died tonight, or about Motörhead, the band he lorded over and which lorded over rock and roll longer than I’ve been alive, but they were god damn madmen and you should have loved them if you didn’t.

Read more...

29 Dec 19:15

Small Cat and the Asteroid

by Reza

small-cat-and-the-asteroid

28 Dec 17:25

No Offense

by Jia Tolentino on Jezebel, shared by Puja Patel to The Concourse

It’s strange to edit a feminist website when almost nothing offends you, because the feminist website is traditionally imagined to run on offense.

Read more...

22 Dec 15:00

The 2015 Deadspin Bear Of The Year

by Tom Ley

Deadspin is pleased to announce our 2015 Bear of the Year. After a great deal of consideration and deliberation, we arrived at a clear choice: Extra-Cool Polar Bear Who Discovered Many Ways To Enjoy His Items.

Read more...

21 Dec 14:46

Clouds

by Reza

clouds