EP 36: We Chat(has) with David Chathas, energy beverage connoisseur, chaotic graphic designer and enthusiastic lurker
Did u kno he lifts??
On this week’s episode we have a guest on the show!! Kind of an IYKYK type of deal, but the man the myth the legend DAVID CHATHAS joined us for 40 Trillion DPI’s first tri-state zoom recording and we kicked it off (somehow) with…
BUD LIGHT: a brand evolution that…sorta makes you think… “but” LIGHT
In our first segment, Dave unlocks some core childhood memories going down the rabbit hole of drink brand preferences. We learn that Dave’s dad glitters his garage walls with Bud Light paraphernalia, thereby creating an incidental visual archive.
How does one effectively market a slightly more flavourful watery carbonated alcoholic beverage? The psychology behind the design decision-making at Anheuser Busch feels fascinating in its reach for the ultra-banal-yet-bold-yet-sports. The idea seems to be “the essence of sport/force/motion” but also somehow “cooling.” Over the years the sans-serifs have morphed, the logo has rotated in all sorts of directions, and in the 2Ks we got a kind of Photoshop-native bubbly water surf effect which was an interesting touch. (Editor’s note: Helen’s fave is the can from November 2008 when the acronym “BL” was introduced and the other side of the can reads “BL BL BUD LIGHT,” as if one didn’t know already they weren’t drinking Bud “Heavy”).
To the stars (and that’s it)!
Go Kansas?
Perhaps in what seems like a reflection of the economic/moral/social condition of many US governmental institutions, the proposed redesign of the Kansas state license plate appears utterly devoid of any feeling [cue “Cut to the Feeling” by Carly Rae Jepsen]. In an effort, it seems to fly under the radar, irritating no one—the redesigners of this plate ended up irritating everyone. Ha! The plate has been recalled and is in the process of being remade. Which is also funny—like, trying to save money by making a basic-ass design is probably costing them more money in the long run? Not only is the plate oddly generic, but they also have shortened (and translated) the state motto, which (in English) is: “To the stars, through difficulties”, but they render only as “to the stars…”. The abbreviation of the state motto also seems like a missed opportunity. Or, a very pointed dig at the Kansas emo community. If anyone from Kansas is listening to our very niche show, send your thoughts our way 💫🧑🎤💫
Luxury skincare products for luxury babies and luxury mamas. But what kind of mamas tho
In other horrifying news, we talk about Dior’s latest designer skincare line for babies. Yes, babies too, need bad and bougie products just like their high-profile society-climbing parentals-to-be. This harrowing article from The Guardian also outlines baby-skincare adjacent trends, such as taking your baby to the derm to get a “baby facial” on TikTok, and then not-so-skincare adjacent trends, such as spraying your baby with Axe (also on TikTok). The conclusion we reach here is that perhaps this isn’t so much about babies as it is about the parents: a possible ploy to get rich people to have (rich) babies??
Your energy drink does NOT equal your fuel injector cleaner. Or DOES it???
Next up—Dave alerts us to the conflation of Big Automotive with Big Energy Drink corporations. On first glance, it seems they may be at cross-purposes with the cross-pollination of their aesthetic. Or not just cross-purposes—this semiotic cross-pollination could be literally life-threatening (read above caption regarding this poor 54-year-old man). However, these companies are “driving” at the same demographic, and the mutual conflation of car-as-living-creature and human-body-as-engine is far from accidental. People’s admiration/identification with BOTH automotive and energy drink products does reach a merch-level of fandom. But when does this kind of cross-pollination become too caustic (TLC’s Strange Addictions, anyone)? Why do bright colours look SO TASTY??
I lurk, you lurk, we all lurk. woop
Does the term “lurker” do lurkers a disservice? We discuss what it means to be a lurker, inspired by the November 16th edition of the Dirt e-newsletter. Lurkers as part of the greater online community are generally perceived in a negative light, but we discuss some upsides to lurking. Why be part of the top 1% of contributors when you can be the best learner of the lurkers?? And of course true to form Dave had a handy dandy deck he made for some other purpose to talk about levels of socio-cultural awareness:
And that’s a wrap! Thanks again to our guest Dave for hanging with us. You can find his work at: bestgraphicdesignerintheworld.com. As this year comes to a close we’re (hoping!) to do some fun new randomness (aka make more self-published offbeat grfx ‘n’ things), and as always uncover more ground worth listening to. We’ll see you in 2024. Ciao ciao!!