Thursday, October 20, 2005
Arbiters of Cool
Splendid hackle-raising headline and article in ever-cool FastCompany.
Cool Runnings
Cool hunters are more than just streetwise fad spotters. Here are three blogs from arbiters of cool that offer insights and inspiration for innovation.BLOG: PSFK BLOG: Cool Hunting BLOG: Ypulse
WHO WRITES IT: Brand consultant Piers Fawkes, creative director Simon King, and their trend-watching entourage
WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: While it rarely identifies original trends on its own, PSFK does a good job of rounding up global cool news and cool businesses, spotlighting trends such as photo-flirting (teens swapping mobile-phone photos) and hair graffiti (shaved and dyed hair designs). Check out its Cool Hunt group on Flickr, which asks readers to photograph their versions of cool.
WHO WRITES IT: Josh Rubin, a former user-interface designer for Motorola, and his band of 10 contributors
WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: Because drinking Pabst with hipsters at after-hours Brooklyn bars is exhausting. Instead, tap into the cool-kid consciousness by reading Rubin and his cohorts--classic cool hunters obsessed with gadgets, T-shirts, and of course, Puma and Nike. Although perhaps best suited for those in the fashion biz, Rubin's blog helps anyone tap into maven culture.
WHO WRITES IT: Anastasia Goodstein, manager of viewer-created content at the new cable channel Current, of which Al Gore is the chairman
WHY YOU SHOULD READ IT: Goodstein, who has been involved with youth content at Oxygen and AOL (she hasn't always worked for the guy who created the Internet), uses her youth-oriented eye to round up news on what's cool with teens. She does have some help: Julia and Katie, two Silicon Valley teenagers, chime in with their finds.
