Pampers, Dunnies & Valencia

Today was busy (I started this post yesterday). This morning I scrambled to finish my Pampers Cruisers brief and quickly biked over to 60 Federal to delivery my pecha kucha presentation (20 slides, 20 sec for each). I could definitely use a mulligan, but it’s nice to not worry about diapers anymore (the 20×20 format is much more challenging than it sounds).

After that I tried out The Toaster Oven for lunch. Not bad. Not great. The best part was deciding my next move mid-bbq chicken sandwich – a visit to Roman at 1AM.

I missed the opening of Eternal Sleep so I needed to check out the work…and buy some Fat Caps. The show provided me with some much needed inspiration for a few upcoming assignments. My favorites are below:

I like to end each visit by buying a toy (action figure) or two. For the last couple of months I’ve been a huge fan of Fat Caps (I actually have all 4 in that picture), but not without caution. The problem is that none of the boxes are labeled so you don’t know which design you get until you open it up. The suspense is fun, until you get a duplicate, which I have experienced several times already. Instead of a let down, I decided to explore another design that caught my eye last trip, Kid Robot’s Dunny. The decision was a success as I opened up two ridiculously awesome designs.

Dunny – Ye Olde English – HiCalorie x Julie West

Dunny – Ye Olde English – Mimic Black 2/25

I was feeling pretty good after this trip so I decided to keep things going. I hopped on my bike and headed down Howard St and into the Mission. I made a couple of quick stops at thrift and bike stores before stopping in 826 Valencia. There I bought two books: “Fever Chart” by Bill Cotter and “The Wild Things” by David Eggers (an adaptation of both the children’s book and recent screenplay). I love going into 826 by the way, the place is always filled with kids and the energy is palpable. I spoke with the cashier, who was lovely, and she said that the kids were all writing about their worst fears for a Halloween contest (the winner gets the pajamas that the character Max wears in the movie, awesome). Anyway, on my way back I saw some phenomenal street art. Neatly placed across the sidewalks off 18th street were long and short pieces of tape with words written on each one in sharpie. I snapped the following shots:

Pretty cool medium and a very fitting way to wrap up my trip to the Mission. Look for more on Valencia Street when I finish my cultural map for class. Respect.

Recent Observations

I stopped by @1AM_SF the other day to buy some fat caps and I realized I missed their last opening. Not sure how or why. It turns out the group show titled “Don’t Sweat the Technique: Ode to the Spraycan” was a huge success. Above are two of my favorites pieces, both by NYC’s Queen Andrea.

1AM is involved in some really cool side projects too. They are in the middle of a contest called “Shopwars” where local teams have been challenged to design a blank Toy2R 8” Qee. At the end of the competition one toy will be crowned the winner and a percentage of the proceeds for all toys on display will go to Project Open Hand.

The TRUTH is HUGE over Market Street.

I saw this Geico flyer on a bus seat and thought it was a decal at first. Wouldn’t that make sense though? I think the campaign could dominate outdoor space in wild postings and stickers. Just imagine the creepy eyeball money stack stuck all over the city, in places you would least expect, watching, waiting, judging. I think it would be especially appropriate in San Francisco, where sticker tags are all over the place. A decal would blend in and stick out at the same time.

No need for copy either, the Geico brand icons speak for themselves. Whether its the caveman or the eyeballs, people know they’re dealing with car insurance. At least I hope so.

This is a follow up to my uber hipster twitter post last night. I felt it would be appropriate to document that I was indeed drinking a PBR. Perhaps the sleezy bathroom pic was a little too much, but there is something I love about graffiti covered stalls.