Stardust Lamp, a Sweet Approach to Making a LED Lamp

While the use of LED lights as indoor lighting fixtures isn’t as widespread as it might be in the near future, innovations in design and function are still moving full speed ahead. School of Art Institute Chicago student Won Joon Lee took an unconventional approach in the materials used to create his LED lamp, and it’s pretty sweet…literally.

Lee’s creation, the Stardust lamp, which integrates crystallized sugar into its design, made its debut at the 50th annual Milan Furniture Fair on April 2011 The lamp was the culmination of a two-semester project where the South Korean born Lee explored the potential uses of sugar in everyday design.

Incorporating these sugar bulbs into an iron modular structure, the lamp itself resembles the actual shape of the sugar molecule. With iron and sugar combined, the Stardust Lamp highlights two of the most precious industrial elements known to mankind. As Lee notes, this is only the beginning stage of his project, and we can only begin to imagine the possibilities.

As part of the manufacturing process, Lee submerged LEDs into a concentrated sugar solution for 10 days, causing sugar to solidify around the diodes. The sugar encased diodes were then mounted onto an iron frame inspired resembling a sugar molecule. Lee said the Stardust lamp is still in its developmental stages, so it might be a while before you can get your hands on one to replace your living room lighting fixture. But if you’re a business owner looking LED signs or someone who just likes to collect illuminated signs, LED technology is already available to you at the click of a mouse.

Joon Lee’s Stardust lamp presents a new way of using sugar as an environmentally friendly, sustainable resource at a time when trade is the cause of many problems connected to the design practice. The designer stresses that Stardust is at an early stage in its lifecycle, and if he finds support, he will continue experimenting with colored and fluorescent substances.

Exterior Advertisement Signs for Starting Business Owners

So you’re starting a business? And you think you need an advertising strategy to for people to be acquainted with your product or service? However, having to a start your own business can put you quite on a tight budget. But no worries, you don’t need to pull off a grand billboard or extravagant campaign to catch anyone’s attention. Marketing or advertising is best done with creativity.

All you need to do is think of a phrase or an infographic that will certainly catch a passerby’s attention. The best way to do this is to ask your friends and the people around the area, at least, if possible, do a survey; the answers they’ll give you are definitely going to be the same as your potential customers. Once you have decided on your marketing content, image and graphics, all you need to do is to find the ideal exterior business sign to use.

There are several business signs that you can afford even in a tight budget, and here are some of them:

• Sidewalk Signs

Used to draw the attention of passerby at the front door of your business. These signs usually have a frame for the owner to change out the signs depending on his will. There are sidewalk signs that also have a chalkboard or whiteboard surface so it can be easy for you to change your message or promo daily; such signs are best used in coffee shop and restaurants.
   

o Budget:

 

Sidewalk signs usually costs around $100 to $400, depending on its type and size.

• Vehicle Graphics

Probably the best choice for business who offers delivery or home services. According to CityScoop, “Vehicle graphics constitute a rolling billboard and are a very effective means of advertising.”
   

o Budget:

 

The price for vehicle graphics depends on the car that is going to be use. A full wrap on an average size car is around $1500 or less. A mid-size vehicle like vans, trucks and SUVs are likely to costs around $2000 for a full wrap. While a complete wrap on a class 8 semi-trailer can cost $3000 to $4000. Although it may be quite expensive, vehicle graphics are one of the best forms of advertisement.

• Led Signs

 

Great to customize your advertising message. There are full color LED signs, tricolor LED signs, and scrolling LED signs. You can change their sign message more often, adjusting your advertisement to match your business’ needs.
   

o Budget:

 

There are several types of LED signs so the price varies to each kind. The simple “open” LED signs usually costs around $60 to $150, while writeable LED board costs around $70 to $190.

The Most Marketing Wars Ever (And the Hilarious Too)!

If you think that the advertisement world of marketing is too competitive and serious, then you haven’t seen how marketers have fun when given a chance to use their advertisement tools for humor. If you’re always on Facebook or Twitter, then you might have encounter these humorous advertisements we call marketing wars. It’s a type of advertisement coming from two competing brand or company, and how they answer each other back using humorous ads or banner. From banners, social media marketing, LED signs, billboards and commercials, it wouldn’t hurt a lot if there is a little competitive advertising with humor every now and then.

• Pepsi VS Coke

Undoubtedly, Pepsi and Coca-Cola are the most successful brands in the world. Introduced in the year 1886 and 1903, the two have been rivals ever since, trying to dominate the carbonated soft drinks market. Since the very first day, both brands got into a global advertisement war through print ads and video ads, trying to lead each other.

• Apple vs. Samsung

Two other tech giants that use comparative advertising strategies are Samsung and Apple. We have seen these two rival brands competing for supremacy in the smartphone market. This year, the tech world has been abuzz with patent wars, with the battle between Apple and Samsung at the forefront. Samsung lost big to Apple in a number of intellectual property cases, which soured the firms' relationship as partners. Samsung could have taken it in stride, but when its marketing team noticed that Apple's iPhone 5, released in September, barely improved on previous iPhone models; it decided to take swipes at Apple by comparing the newest Cupertino release to Samsung's Galaxy SIII.

• Burger King vs McDonald's

This war is dated from 33 years ago. The two giants of the Fast Food industry didn’t show any mercy to one another. The first war started in the year 1982 when a commercial starring the young Sarah Michelle Gellar, claiming that McDonald's gave smaller burgers to kids, McDonald's sued both Gellar and Burger King over the ad, but refused to stoop to the level of making similar ads against Burger King. Despite the onslaught, McDonald's has remained America's No. 1 fast food restaurant.