On Sunday May 23rd, at approximately 11:30 PM EST, the eye closed for the last time on a television show that has become ingrained into the culture here at Mlicki. A date many of us here were both anticipating and dreading all at the same time. On that fateful Sunday, after 6 Seasons on ABC, the series finale of LOST aired and the show took it’s final bow.

Yes, LOST was about a plane crash, a smoke monster, polar bears, time-travel, the Others, a seemingly random series of numbers, ancient Egyptian mythology and a mysterious island. Yes, LOST was complicated, went in loops, lived 24/7/365 in online dialogues, had countless podcasts, blogs and fan pages devoted to it. But more than that, LOST was about what the millions of crazed fans out there made it. Their brand experience with the show. (Yes, there were millions of us.)  And really,  isn’t that what every brand wants? A tremendously loyal and expanding fan-base?

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This Spring, Chipotle locations around the country unveiled a new identity for the popular burrito chain. The brand has transitioned from it’s original retro-shaped black and white logo, to a ‘medallion’ logo mark which has now evolved into their current identity designed by San Francisco-based Sequence.

The new identity provides a more stylized pepper, brighter colors and a fun set of “food with integrity” medallions that provide a fun visual for Chipotle’s emphasis on fresh ingredients. Overall the new identity is a nice extension of the previous mark, but this leads us to ask ourselves, since the Chipotle brand is so strong- do we even care what the logo looks like?

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Is America in need of a redesign on dollar bills or is it just internet fun? From Barbie Doll and Superman notes, to rainbow bills and even marbles, the Dollar ReDe$ign Project, has brought a lighter side to the current economy. Creative strategist Richard Smith launched this creative free-for-all with the intent “to rebuild our country, revive our economy, redesign the Dollar bill. The Dollar ReDe$ign Project is open to anyone who wants to redesign the US Dollar.”
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OfficeMax has recently been running a fresh, bright and colorful TV campaign that is aimed directly at its female customers. With the closing tag, “Life is Beautiful. Work Can Be Too,” the campaign takes the focus of the buyer away from what they need, to what they can have for their mundane workspace. An empowering message that hits a sense in the female workforce that says “Yes. I am entitled to a pretty cubicle!” Aren’t we all?

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There’s been a lot of buzz around the office about brands that have recently decided to simplify their look.

After Coca Cola released a stylish revamp of its classic look, Pepsi decided for a minimalist overhaul. Ever since these cans hit the shelves, they’ve been getting mixed reviews here at Mlicki — some of us think the rebranding is a fresh move forward, while others can’t help but feel that it “screams student project.” Regardless of personal preference, we all agree it was a bold move. Pepsi is standing by it strong — maybe a little too strong. With the enormous amount of supportive advertising they’ve put out, it’s clear that they are banking on the hope that the new brand identity is embraced and not confusing customers. And let’s not get started on Pepsi riding the Obama bandwagon….
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