WEEKLY REVIEW  |  August 31, 2017

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TECH

Apple’s plunge into augmented reality (AR).

With the release of iOS 11, Apple will roll out the ARKit and put augmented reality in the iPhone and iPad. Ikea is interested in developing a new app where customers can get a 3-D view of furniture and other items inside their homes.

Robots transforming California farming.

Taylor Farms, one of the largest producers of fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, is bringing advanced automation technology to the food-harvesting process. A labor shortage and improved food safety are prompting them and other farmers to consider robots.

MARKETING

Kid sugar sculptures highlight consumption.

NYC Times Square was the site of a 20-foot-tall, 30-foot-wide pile of over 45 thousand pounds of sugar, along with statues of children sculpted in sugar. The marketing stunt brought attention to a sugar epidemic in which the average nine-year-old child in the US eats their body weight in added sugar every year.

NFL reminds fans nothing should get in your way.

A series of new NFL ads are using humor to remind fans to watch Thursday Night Football, no matter what. Also, if you can’t get in front of the tube, Amazon will be streaming 10 games this season to its Prime members.

From the Gold Rush to today, Levi’s survives.

For over 164 years, the denim jean has repeatedly survived changing fashion trends, thanks to SF-based Levi Strauss & Co. With a current sag in denim sales, the company is looking to disrupt the industry once again with high-fashion designs while staying true to its rich history.

DESIGN

Hot trends in logo design.

Popular logo designs come and go, so designers must stay in touch with what’s hot.  Evaluators pored through 40,000 logos to select the best in design from around the world. Popular trends include shadow breaks, fades, rising color, simple overlay, among other techniques.

Consumers dislike design changes.

Do consumers like minimalist designs? A UK consumer study surveyed 500 people to get their purchase preferences between a product’s existing design or a more modern minimalist version. In 9 out of 10 products, consumers preferred the traditional packaging. However, Londoners preferred minimalist designs.

INFLUENCERS

Stacy Brown-Philpot.

Stacy Brown-Philpot is the CEO of SF-based TaskRabbit, a chore-service company that matches home cleaners and handymen with consumers. Her résumé includes management roles at Google and board positions for HP Inc., Nordstrom, and Black Girls CODE. This Bay Area resident is a Wharton and Stanford University Graduate School of Business graduate and was named to Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list in 2015.

EVENTS

If you’re a fan of zines, or self-made books, then head to Kiosk Fest 2017 on September 1 and 2. A kickoff party is planned at The Grand Newsstand on Market Street, between 5th and Embarcadero, on Friday night, and the festival continues all day Saturday. Shakespeare in the Park comes to the Presidio on Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm with a preview of Hamlet. On Sunday, it’s free admission day at the Asian Art Museum. If you’re headed to the Jack London Square Farmers Market on Sunday from 10 am to 3 pm, take in a free Market to Table cooking demo and tasting with Reem Assil at noon. The Labor Day holiday on Monday, September 4, means you can take in a double feature at Free Drive-In Movie Night in either Concord or San Jose. Gates open at 6 pm and the movies start at 8 pm.

AND JUST FOR FUN

A new definition of face time.

Clocks have been around since the 14th century, but thanks to a Japanese design studio, you can now turn to “Patience” to tell time by looking at a human face. The position of the eyes indicates the time in hours and minutes, and the mouth makes popping sounds to indicate seconds.


“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

Oscar Wilde