Dysfunctional promotional calendars
Memo to those businesses in the graphic trades contemplating sending out fancy calendars to this art director/designer next year:
1. It’s overdesigned.
2. It doesn’t work
3. I get lots of this stuff.
4. I use the Entourage calendar.
5. It’s going straight to recycling.
6. I do actually have a printed calendar in the kitchen—from my insurance agent. Nice scenic photos at top, basic boxed grid below. Not much of a “design”, but the best design for the job.
9.Jan.2008 2.14pm
Are you trying to tell us that somebody already thought about giving a calendar as a holiday gift? Assholes.
9.Jan.2008 2.59pm
Further on #5, recycling:
“Shades of green — 2008 Resource Calendar: Making sense of environmental options for your business” from Flash Reproductions.
I get this as a member of the RGD.
It’s a free-standing “tent card” item of 52+ sheets, wire bound.
As I don’t use desktop calendars, and it’s going straight to recycling, the green theme is somewhat ironic.
Added to which, damn thing is set entirely in Helvetica.
9.Jan.2008 3.05pm
Ha! I got that one today too. Came in a nice sturdy box for me to feel good about putting right in the little blue box under my desk.
What’s with the perforations down the middle of each page?
-=®=-
9.Jan.2008 3.13pm
At year end, you’re supposed to tear off the calendar parts, and the remainder is a “handy reference guide”.
I could probably have used that as a reference book, if it had been designed in book format with a contents page and index.
What use is a 52-page reference book with no index? That is really bad, stupid design.
10.Jan.2008 6.12am
> Added to which, damn thing is set entirely in Helvetica.
Yes, but is it recycled Helvetica?