Ralph Lauren brings QR codes to the U.S.

I was in NYC today for a few meetings and picked up a New York Magazine at the news stand in Grand Central and on the back page I found a Ralph Lauren Polo ad with a huge QR code in the corner.

For those who don't know QR stand for "Quick Response" and is a square shaped label that looks like a cross between a bar code and crossword puzzle. They have been around since 1994 and are used a lot in China and Japan for everything from advertising, c-commerce (cell commerce), train tickets and buying products in vending machines .

I was intrigued with the ad since I have been playing with QR codes for a while now and I did some research and found out that Ralph Lauren launched this new campaign and new store windows here in NYC today. So I had to head over to the store and check it out. The store windows have the usual set-ups with mannequins sporting different outfits but each one has it's own QR code. There is also a large explanation of what the codes are and how to get the software that will let you read them. Once you have the software installed and photograph one of the codes it will pull up the item on their mobile site and you can buy it on the spot f you want. You can see a sample of how the mobile site looks and works here.

This isn't the first time they have done something like this as about two years ago they did a large touch screen window in New York and London. Consumers could browse the clothes and if they liked an outfit they could enter their contact info and would be contacted by e-mail or phone the next day to securely enter their payment information and arrange shipping. This newer version obviously cuts out the day wait the middle step by letting you get the instant gratification of buying the outfit while standing on a street in New York. I applaud them for taking a proactive position to be the first brand to finally bring this technology to the U.S. even if it is years later than it should be. This is one of those pieces of marketing that isn't going to generate a sales spike but it does spike the aware of your brand, the perception of that brand as an innovator and it gets people to like me to go to their store.

Teroforma - The table as a visual shopping cart

I do a lot of work every week trying to see how to make very linear and transactional sites engaging and creative. In general when it comes to online shopping you ever see anything new or different outside of maybe Nike who is willing to push the envelope from time to time. Today I cam across the tableware company Teroforma and their new web site that is doing something very interesting by creating a simple and elegant Flash based shopping interface. The main site is well designed but light on content so you have to click through to the web store to find the interesting content. You start by choose from type, material or finish. The items that correspond with your selection appear in a long scrolling row and you can click to pull out the items of interest that will move and organize themselves on a long wooden table. Clicking the item pulls up basic info like size and price but clicking the 'more info' button reveals a map showing the location of all the designers involved in making the piece. You can then about info pictures and stories about them which is simple but a nice and humanizing touch to a retail process. When you have the combination you are satisfied with the site can generate a URL that you can email or IM to your significant other so they can see everything already laid out on the table for them. Overall it is a well executed design and a great example that less can be more.

Blurb publishing

Being able to create and publish your own book isn't anything new since iPhoto has been doing it for years. I did come across a new entry into the category that I thought was really interesting this week in Blurb.com. You download their BookSmart software and can create a book much like you have in other programs but what makes it different is the addition of several new features like the ability to automatically suck in blog content, you can collaborate with other people to create your book and when it is done you can set a price and sell it in their bookstore.

First, the ability to suck in blog content works with all major blogging engines and all you have to do is put in your log-in, click which entries you want in the book and it sucks down all the content and puts it into your selected book size and layout. There are a lot more page layout options that I expected though since I am a designer I was hoping for a few more but that will always be the case. I tried it with this blog and it was really easy to get the content in but you quickly realize the problem is that you have to go back and replace all the photos because since it is a blog I am not using an image size or quality that is anywhere near good enough for print.

I like that they have also included the ability to collaborate on book with other people as it adds the community element to the process. It is set-up so even though it is a collaboration one person serves as the editor who pulls in and controls the content from the contributors. This seems like it could have a lot of potential for writers, designers and potentially for it to be re-skinned and used advertisers who have a consumer base that would like to do something like this.

Finally when the book it done you can set your options and price and put the book up for sale in their bookstore. The content has to be original since it is for sale but the amount of content here is growing quickly and includes some really good work that is worth checking out.

I think it will be interesting to see how Blurb build on their model but I think it has a lot of potential and should really appeal to the 'pro-sumers' who want more control, integration and a place to sell their work than what they get in basic applications like iPhoto.

Starbucks iPhone QuickOrder revealed

I am not a member of the cult of Starbucks. For some reason I want to rebel against being someone who defines part of their personality by the string of options they have assembled to create their personal Starbucks coffee. On the days when the darker part of my sense of humor takes over I find amusement in arriving at Grand Central Station, making my way to the front of the Starbucks line and then take my time in deciding what to order. The fact that you don't have your order at the ready will cause the 30 year stock broker who is wound too tight and on track to have a heart attack by 45 and is line behind you to lose his mind.

My sense of humor aside, you can't ignore the fact that it is the trick all brands are searching for in how they can get consumers to invest something of themselves in their product so it becomes personal. The reaction from the people in the line behind me is a testament to the Starbucks brand as they have been able to get their product to become one of the global metrics that people use to define themselves. Cat or dog? Coke or Pepsi? Mac or PC?

Starbucks feels that the answer to the last question is Mac as they have already partner with them so when you walk into a Starbucks here in New York you can use the iTunes application on your iPhone to see what song is playing and purchase it right then and there. The evolution in the partner ship was announced a few weeks ago as you will be able to order your coffee through your iPhone before you even arrive at the store.



It is a very interesting concept and marriage of technology and brick and mortar retail. I had a lot of question about how it would work and I got a link today to a design shop called GENOCO which has comps and a Flash animation of what they are claiming is the Starbucks QuickOrder iPhone application. Based on the quality of the design usability I am inclined to believe that it is real.

You can go through and choose a beverage from the menu or pick from saved combinations in the My Favorites section. Choose a size, add-ons and even write a note on how to customize it the way you want it and it is sent on to the store. When you arrive you hold the iPhone up to a scanner which reads a semacode and rings up the order. It looks like if this is the final version then it will be an easy to use experience that will drive revenue for Starbucks in orders and Apple in another reason to be among the growing masses to buy an iPhone.

Colette - style.design.art.food

My wife turned me on to this site for the French design store colette which is found on rue Saint-Honoré in Paris. The site is fun and unusual since it is populated with colettes signature robots who serve as the site navigation. It is a fun diversion and you may find something cool for your office.

The new converse.com

Converse has launched a new version of their website converse.com. The new site is all done in Flash takes advantage of the motion and non-standard interface design you can create with Flash but it is ultimately the sites biggest downfall.

The main navigation is a floating circular disc which moves depending on the section of the site and houses the four main sections of the site. Secondary nav is listed down the left hand side of the site and spring out when you roll over to reveal a variety of content. Content is usually shown in a module that only takes up about a third of the page and this is surprisingly small given the fixed site size. Browsing the inventory is straight forward with the usual options with a few upgrades and embellishments that are available because of Flash.

All of these parts adds up to several large problems. First, the relationship between the main nav, secondary nav and content feeling awkward with too much un-used dead space. The eye lines are broken and many of the pages have no visual center that path to lead the user through the page. Next, is that the interface designs feels like it was done by several designs who never met as different section have different navigation schemes and none of it leads to a consistent feel or experience.

In the end the new coverse.com is a project that should have spent a lot more time in information architecture and less time in design and Flash prototyping. It is unfortunate that this site seems to have been lead more by production technique than thinking and strategy.

Uniqlo - Now THAT is a product catalog

I was in New York city this week and saw a lot of very cool outdoor ads for the Asia retailer Uniqlo who opened thier new Flagship store in Soho this week. A friend of mine over at BBDO Atmosphere (thanks Arturo) sent me a link to their site and I was absolutely blown away by the Uniqlo Explorer which is the best online product catalog I have ever seen.

You click on the button for the Explorer and it loads the catalog as a photomosaic of the image that was displayed on the home page. You can then browse to specific category and you will get an entire screen of scrolling thumbnails of their products. You can click on one of the products and it will pull up a larger version of the product. Once you have seen enough click on the floating product and site will create a new photomosaic of the product you were just looking. This is what makes this not only the most unique e-commerce site I have ever seen but easily one of the most impressive displays of Actionscripting I have ever seen. It is easy to dismiss the effect when it happens from the home page because you think they have pre-scripted the mosaics based on those initial pictures. But when you see it create one on the fly you realize that those mosaics are all quickly being created dynamically. The rest of the site is also full of interesting design and content so click around and see it all.