Why do you make this so hard to read?

Canadian Blood Services brochure for plasma and platelet donors, June 2015

The purpose of producing a brochure is to inform the reader. The headline font, and the reflection that has been added below the headline text, do nothing to aid the legibility of this brochure.

Canadian Blood Services brochure for plasma and platelet donors, June 2015 (Detail)

I hope that in the next version of this brochure that clarity and legibility rank more highly among the design criteria.

At these prices you must do better

Sign on the former entrance of the Gucci store, Hotel Vancouver, West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC

Handwritten sign next to the former entrance of the Gucci store, Hotel Vancouver, West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC

Gucci is one of the world's better known luxury brands. The stores are luxurious, the staff are well dressed, and the prices are high.

So why does this store have to use a handwritten sign to tell the Chinese customers to enter the store via the Hotel lobby? Given the demographics of the luxury goods consumer in Vancouver, I can understand the need to to have a Chinese-language sign to tell customers to "please use hotel entrance". But why this sad-looking hand-written effort. At the prices that Gucci charges I would expect better.

The madness is soon to recommence

Sign on the door of McDonald's outlet, Main Street, Vancouver, BC

The Canadian fast food/quick service restaurant industry has two periods of frenzy. Tim Hortons "Roll Up The Rim to Win" in winter and McDonald's "Monopoly" in the autumn

For the past two years McDonald's has interfered with "Roll Up The Rim to Win" by giving away free coffee for a week during the Tim Hortons promotion.

I sure the marketers at McDonald's are wondering what the competition has dreamed up to interfere with the success of the "Monopoly" promotion.

I wonder if this will be the year that someone takes a stab at grabbing some of the extra traffic that McDonald's generates during this promotion?

A business built on service

Bike Repair Centre, 47 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Sign outside Bike Repair Centre, 47 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC

Last week I was walking along West Broadway in Vancouver and came across this shop. During the spring and summer months the service departments of many bike shops can get horribly backed up and it can often take days, and sometimes even weeks, to get your bike serviced.

This shop offers same day or next day service on all tuneups. The website (http://www.bikerepaircentre.com/) advises that the 24 hour promise will be in effect for as long as it appears on the website.

And what, I wonder, might result in the offer being withdrawn? The number one reason is likely success. Too much business, not enough trained staff, and an overwhelming volume of bicycles waiting for service. A bit ironic that the main reason that this shop gives to do business with it is probably the number one reason why the level of service will slip.

I wonder what the management will do to ensure that the delivery can keep up with the promise?

The most fashionable city in Canada?

Le Chateau advertisement, SkyTrain station, Vancouver, BC

Fashion in Vancouver is hard to pin down. For many people their choice of clothing is driven by the weather, so rubber boots and Gore-Tex are often in order during the fall and winter. But there is a sizable portion of the population that makes an effort to adopt a more stylish look.

It is interesting that Le Chateau, a retail chain based in Montreal, is now using the headquarters location as part of its appeal.

Montreal has long had a reputation as being among the more stylish cities in North America. For most of the 20th century the city was the centre of Canada's fashion industry.

Will the tagline "of Montreal" sway consumers? That remains to be seen. Le Chateau has been in trouble for a few years and some observers are predicting that the chain will close within the next two or three years.

Canada needs more local retailers. It would be nice if Le Chateau can figure out a way to compete with the likes of Forever 21, H&M, and Zara, but after the demise of Jacob, I don't hold out that much hope.

So, how much fruit am I getting?

Advertisement for Naked juice, transit shelter, Vancouver, BC

Advertisement for Naked juice, transit shelter, Vancouver, BC (Detail)

Advertisement for Naked juice, transit shelter, Vancouver, BC (Detail)

Advertisement for Naked juice, transit shelter, Vancouver, BC (Detail)

454 grams in a pound (grams are a measure of weight), 450 millilitres in this bottle of "fruit smoothie"  (millilitres are a measure of volume), and one millilitre of water weighs one gram.

By extension, the contents of this 450 millilitre bottle of "fruit smoothie" should weigh roughly 450 grams or just under one pound.

So, if one pound (454 grams) of fruit goes into each bottle, and the bottle's contents weigh roughly 450 grams how much of the contents of the bottle are fruit?

In reality we have no weigh of telling. By law the labels on food packaging need to list the ingredients in declining order of weight, but they do not need to indicate the percentage of each ingredient. (Presumably so that competitors can't reverse engineer the recipes.)

One pound of fruit is used to prepare this bottle of fruit smoothie, but we can't tell how much actually makes it into the bottle.

She's bald and has no hands, but we really think that you should look like her

Mannequin outside the front door of  the Sasso store, West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC

Sasso store sign and logo, West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC

Retail displays are subject to mischief and vandalism. And daily wear and tear can exact a price on everything that is used in displays.

But that is no reason not to try to maintain standards. If the mannequin's hands and wig have been been lost or stolen, replace them. Slipshod displays don't impress anyone and certainly don't entice customers to come in and spend their money.

Is this the most overused metaphor in advertising?

C-Tow advertisement, Pacific Yachting (April 2015)

I've probably lost count of the number of times I've seen the Swiss Army Knife used as a metaphor advertising. For many years it seemed to be the visual of choice for computer software makers, especially software utilities. And now this. Perhaps if I did more stuff on boats this would make more sense to me.

In a future post I'll put together some of the many advertisements that I've seen that use the Swiss Army Knife. But in the meanwhile let's ponder how "The Auto Club of the Sea" is like a Swiss Army Knife.

C-Tow vessel, Bowen Island, BC

Branding on side of C-Tow Vessel, Bowen Island, BC

Right advertisement in the right place

modo car co-op advertisement, SkyTrain station, Vancouver, BC

modo car co-op advertisement, SkyTrain station, Vancouver, BC

You'd be hard pressed to find a better spot to advertise a car coop than on public transit. In Vancouver, many of the people who take public transit don't own cars. Yet there are are times when it is very convenient to have a car. And so I think that this is a great location for modo to advertise.

The weird things with these two ads is that the second one make so little sense. Going grocery shopping with a car does offer some benefits over going shopping on foot or by public transit. But why do I need a car to go to the dentist?

But I'm sure people need cars for stranger purposes.

The Nordstrom store is open, and it looks good.

Exterior of Nordstrom store, Pacific Centre, Vancouver, BC (September 19, 2015)

Interior of Nordstrom store, Pacific Centre, Vancouver, BC (September 19, 2015)

The Vancouver Nordstrom store opened today. And I'm impressed.

The store was packed. There was a lineup to get on the escalator to go to the second floor. The shoe department was overwhelmed, but it was the beauty department that surprised me.

The aisles between the fixtures were packed with customers and staff.

Speaking of staff, they are uniformly great. Enthusiastic and friendly.

But the people in the store were not only looking, they were also buying.

I will be interesting to see if the store can maintain this level of service and sales, but I expect great things from Nordstrom. It has certainly changed the retail landscape in downtown Vancouver.

Designed to fail

Telus mobile telephone charging station, Science World at Telus World of Science, Vancouver, BC

At one point Pelican, a manufacturer of waterproof cases and flashlights, guaranteed the cases with three exclusions. Bear attack, shark attack, and children under five.

I fear that this recharging station fell prey to the later. The power cords need to be long enough to make plugging in easy, but that extra length can also mean that the cords can be trapped in the doors.

The doors fit flush to reduce the likelihood that someone will be able to force open the door and steal the mobile telephone inside. The cord was so well jammed that I could not get the door to number 3 open, and the power cord that I needed to recharge my phone in compartment number 2 was stuck in compartment number 3.

Given the enthusiasm that my young daughter has for "helping" with things like this, I'm sure that it was some other young helper that jammed the cords inside.

Why do they make things so difficult?

Sink, soap dispenser, and hand dryer, McDonald's, Royal Centre, Vancouver, BC

Toilet with handrail, McDonald's, Royal Centre, Vancouver, BC

Full marks to McDonald's for making this bathroom accessible. The handrail by the toilet, and the space under the sink make use by wheelchair dependant partons a bit easier.

But what genius thought that it would be a good idea to locate the soap dispenser far above the sink. If I'm in a wheelchair there is no way I can reach that high.

At times I just roll my eyes and wonder what some people are thinking.

What does "Authentic Italian" actually mean?

Sign for La Grotta Del Formaggio sandwiches, London Drugs, Granville Street, Vancouver, BC

I would take "Authentic Italian" to mean that something was actually made in Italy. So, authentic Italian pasta is made in Italy, Parma Ham comes from Parma, and a Ferrari is made in Maranello.

So, unless these "Authentic Italian sandwiches made fresh every day!" are being flown in from Italy (A highly unlikely prospect.) I'd have to say that these are "Italian-style sandwiches".

Blights on the retail landscape

Former ALDO shoe store, Granville Street, Vancouver, BC

Former Quiksilver retail store, Granville Street, Vancouver, BC

Empty retail stores are not unheard of, but these two surprised me. The ALDO location recently closed. ALDO does have other stores within a few blocks, but this location always seemed to be busy.

On the other hand, Quiksilver has been empty for over a year. This is a prime location near Robson and Granville. Other retailers in the neighbourhood include Adidas, Urban Outfitters, and Brandy Melville.

I wonder what it will take to fill this space, even on a temporary basis?

Less than one week to go

Mirror outside Nordstrom store, Granville Street, Vancouver, BC

Staff meeting, Nordstrom store, Granville Street, Vancouver, BC

I was passing by the new Nordstrom store last week. The place was a hive of activity with dozens of people getting the ground floor departments ready for the opening on September 19th.

It looked as if the staff meeting had a couple of hundred people in attendance. This will be one of the most eagerly awaited store openings in Vancouver years.

I'll be there on opening day to see if the reality can live up to expectations. I hope so.

Why do this?

Advertisement for Guinness Blonde American Lager

The old advertising campaigns proudly proclaimed that Guinness was good for you. Traditional Guinness is a stout, almost black in colour. How can the brewser behind the lovely dark Guinness produce this abomination?

There is nothing about mass-produced American lagers that is appealing to any beer lover. I don't plan to even give this travesty a taste.

Getting a little thing so wrong

One of a pair of toy dice, Made in China 

Dice have been around for over 4000 years. Modern dice have a logical arrangement of numbers. The numbers on opposing side always add up to seven. So you will find 1 and 6 on opposing sides, 2 and five, and 3 and 4.

And what do I see on this die? (Die being the singular of dice.) 3 and 4 on adjacent sides.

The other die in this pair, a red one, is fine. The numbers on opposing sides add up to 7.

But at least the manufacturer didn't make the bigger mistake. At least all of the numbers are only on the die once.

A little aid to memory

Shelf outside a room at the retirement home

Shelf outside a room at the retirement home

The parent of a friend of mine has moved into a retirement home. Diminished memory often comes with age.

And so the building was designed with these small shelves outside the door to each suite. So, even if you can't remember the suite number, perhaps you'll remember that the shelf has Chinese pots, or birds, or some other personal momento.

A clever and thoughtful solution to what must be a common problem.

Doing the little, but obvious, things right

Chocolate cream cookies from Dollarama

It is not the end of the earth, and it does not affect how the product tastes, but one of these cookie is defective.

This is a classic sandwich cookie. Two rectangular chocolate biscuits with chocolate cream in between. Like all baked goods the biscuits have a top and a bottom. The top is the fancy-looking side, while the bottom is plain, never planned to be on display.

However the cookie on the left was assembled with the biscuits the wrong war round. The fancy side is facing in, while the plain side is visible.

Yes I'm being pedantic and no it does not affect the taste. But if you have a plan for assembling a product, and have a reason for assembling the product that way, then why not make sure you are doing things right?

A great big mess of logos

Advertisement for Central City shopping centre, Broadway Commercial SkyTrain station, Vancouver, BC

Last week I saw this advertisement at the Broadway Commercial SkyTrain station. This makes no sense to me for a couple of reasons.

The explosion of logos tells me that all of the retailers are chains which means multiple locations. Almost without exception every one of the companies represented by a logo on the advertisement has a location much closer to Broadway Commercial than Central City in Surrey. (There is a Shoppers Drug Mart actually attached to the Broadway Commercial station.)

And apart from the fact that Central City has "140 STORES!" why should I bother going all the way out to Surrey to visit? Perhaps the gift card might entice people.

"Visit Central City for all your Back to School shopping needs and send your kids to school in style! Don’t miss the fabulous Back to School Sidewalk Sale with deals up to 70% off. Plus starting August 14 to September 20th visit customer service and enter for your chance to WIN a $1000 Central City Gift Card. Good luck!" (Source: http://www.centralcity.ca/win-a-1000-central-city-gift-card/)

But this advertisement didn't go up at the station until the end of August and I'd already completed my back to school shopping. It just reinforces a common problem with transit ads, not being up at the right time.

Move along, no subtle messages here

the otherpress (The Douglas College Newspaper), August 5, 2015 issue

Canada is having a federal election on October 19, 2015. This will be an interesting campaign and at the moment no one is making any firm predictions.

Many of the nation's college and university student associations are working hard to motivate students to vote. Many of the student associations lean a bit left and favour New Democratic Party (NDP) policies such as increasing education funding etc.

All of the major political parties in Canada have their own colour. The Conservatives use blue, the Liberals use red, the Greens use green, and the NDP use orange.

I'm sure the orange cushions on the sofa are just a coincidence.

Out of action and confusing to use

Self-serve kiosk, McDonald's, Renfrew Street, Vancouver, BC

This kiosk was out of action two days ago and was still out of action yesterday. This does not speak highly of the reliability of the system.

But that is not my main complaint with the system. The customization options are well hidden. Now that is not completely surprising as customization costs time and money.

An employee was available to walk me through the process and when I could not find the customization menu he told me me that was why he was available.

All well and good, but if the software was well designed in the first place I would not need him on hand to show me how to use the kiosk. It should be logical and obvious. So, still some work to go to get this system ready for broader public rollout.

A recipe for disaster

Advertisement for new single-zone bus pricing, SkyTrain, Vancouver, BC

When prices go down, demand goes up. That is one of the most fundamental principles in economics. The public transit system in Vancouver used to apply pricing in a consistent way. There are three fare zones. If your trip in within a single zone your need a one-zone ticket. If your trip goes from one zone to another you need a two zone ticket. And if your trip includes all three zones then you need a three zone ticket.

But now the transit operator, TransLink, is changing the pricing system and all trips on the bus will only require a one zone ticket, while trip son the SeaBus or SkyTrain will remain multi-zone if they cross a zone boundary. So, if I have the choice of taking a SeaBus or SkyTrain, or a bus, I may be tempted to take the bus and save some money.

So, this should lead to more bus passengers and fewer SeaBus and SkyTrain passengers.

But evidently TransLink is not planning to add any more buses. So, more demand and the same supply. Sounds like the making of a fiasco.

Make your customers do the work

Self-service order terminals, McDonald's, Renfrew Street, Vancouver, BC

The move to involve customers in the retail transactions has been going on for a few decades. Self-service has almost taken over the gas station industry. Grocery stores and airlines are increasingly relying on customers to do the lion's share of the work.

Now McDonald's has joined the throng and is offering kiosks that will accept both orders and payments. On my last visit I didn't see anyone using these, but a member of staff was trying to de-bug one of the them.

Will this trend spread? Only if it does not affect profits. The restaurant saves labour costs, but this terminal eliminates the ability of staff to "upsell". I'd be interested to know how the average sale and items per customer compares with order taken live. I'm sure McDonald's has the statistics, but is unlikely to share them with a lowly academic.