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If shopping for prescription eyeglasses was easy, I wouldn’t still have a pair with two missing nose pads and a missing temple piece. Clearly I can’t wear these sad, busted frames out in public. They weren’t even stylish to begin with, for one. And if I lose one more part of them, I might as well be wearing a monocle.

My apprehension to replace them stems from a lifetime of poor eyewear choices. My first pair: an octagonal purple plastic abomination with little white stars along the temple pieces. And because that wasn’t taking it quite far enough, I also selected lenses that faded from pink to purple. It looked like something a unicorn threw up. And because going FULL PRINCESS with your glasses isn’t cheap, I was stuck with them.

Clearly I need a second, third and fourth opinion. But dragging my boyfriend, my friends and family to shop for them is just not a possibility. I barely have time to go on my own behalf. While convenient, ordering a pair on a discount website isn’t an appealing option either. What looks good online may look completely tragic on my face—and there’s no way of knowing until it’s too late.

And then I was turned on to Warby Parker. At a mere $95, they certainly are discounted prescription glasses, however the sophisticated design of the website gives you a sense that you’re purchasing frames from a high-end fashion label, not an online swap meet. They also donate a pair of glasses to someone in need for every pair sold, which makes me feel really good. But the coolest part about Warby Parker? Home Try On.

What a concept! Warby Parker allows customers to try five different frames for five days, giving poor decision makers like myself a chance to enlist the help of their loved ones. The frames arrive (just two business days later, in my case) in a lovely box complete with instructions and a pre-paid shipping label for when you’re ready to send them back.

Kudos to Warby Parker for making what is usually a difficult purchase unique, personal and fun. I spent a good hour trying on frames and even wore a pair out one night for some real world experience. After a full weekend of trial, I know which frames are my favorite. But given my history, I could always use another opinion. Feel free to weigh in!

Update: There was a request or two for pictures of the princess glasses. This picture doesn’t really do them justice, but you get the idea. It’s too bad they don’t have a home try on service for perms.

(with apologies to Clement C. Moore)

‘Twas the day before deadline, when all through the place
Employees were working quite the hectic pace.
Chuck smiled, his ledger was black and not red,
While visions of commissions danced in his head.

Brand donuts were built by Dave all afternoon.
Jim Vitamixed smoothies while blasting a tune.
AEs chattered on client conference calls
Then handed out orders while rushing down halls.

Creatives were staring at blank sheets of white
Then the wine flowed, with ideas taking flight.
We in media were developing plans
On paper-strewn desks, calculators in hand.

When what to our wondering eyes should appear
But an e-mail alert of “The deadline is here!”
Springing up from our chairs, we charged out the door
Powerpoint in hand, storyboards and much more.

Promotions beginning next month all sound great.
“But what do you mean we must up the start date?
You want to start next week? Well, we’ll get it done.”
For tomorrow comes new tasks, deadlines and fun!

I thought Stephanie did such a wonderful job describing our thinking behind the new campaign we’ve been delivering for The MetroHealth System. With that in mind, I’d like to share more comeback stories. Below you’ll find six additional print executions and three :15 television spots. I’m so proud of everyone involved (and so honored to be a part of this), but I wanted to single out one particular contributor: Thomas Cook and his team from TRG Reality, our print photography partner for the campaign.

Thomas’s work can be seen in each of the print executions, and his eye and talent are evident in every shot. There’s a nobility to his subjects, who were actual MetroHealth patients, not professional models. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that Thomas delivered so many wonderful images when, most often, we had mere minutes to set up, block out and capture each participant. You see, we paired the photo shoot with the television production, so we would often have the tiniest window within which to get our pictures. Sometimes as little as two or three minutes. And the work is amazing.

From my end, I wanted to deliver print executions that looked closely related to the television spots. The final product achieves this and has been very easy to adapt across many differing sizes and platforms. One takeaway I’d like to stress to younger designers is to place an emphasis on simplicity and flexibility in your work. That way, when you have to adapt – either in terms of size or medium – you’ll be in a good position to do so without sacrificing anything. So without further ado, here it is:

Last Thursday Melamed Riley treated the whole company to a second annual Tribe game for our summer outing. The view from the “Bud Light Party Deck” was unbeatable, along with the food, drinks and company, of course!

A few months prior to the outing we were given the task to create an invitation. Ultimately, the simple idea of a rolled up sheet of paper to resemble a bat was selected. Throw some woodgrain texture, a wood-burned MR logo and artist tape on that puppy and we were ready to sahwing batta.

On the interior of the invite, we added an illustration of a fan eating a hot dog in classic MLB logo style.

I was very happy with how the invite turned out. And, if nothing else, the MR employees now have a fly swatter.

Going into 2010, Blockbuster had over 5,000 stores and Borders had over 500 superstores. A likely scenario is that by the end of 2012, neither chain will have a brick & mortar presence. While these two brands failed at retailing, is there any equity left in the names that could be leveraged in a different space?

For my family and I, Blockbuster was part of our movie experience for years. At least one day over a weekend would become “A Blockbuster Night.” The location was convenient and we went together to browse the shelves, picking up a current movie while always on a treasure hunt for something remote but very special. Typically, we would wind up with something the family would enjoy together while also satisfying individual preferences. (At times, the shopping experience was better than the movies.) When I see the name Blockbuster today, I think of my kids living at home and actually agreeing on how to spend a Friday or Saturday evening. In spite of the late fees, I have a personal bond with this brand.

Borders is also one of my favorite brands. The store offered a unique experience with its relaxed atmosphere enhanced by jazz and the smell of fresh coffee. For my wife and I, it was a great place to visit, kind of a sanctuary, whether you had a book in mind or not. For readers it was a feast of curiosity and delight. This brand’s departure feels like losing a friend for me and for many others who are expressing their feelings on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Blockbuster and Borders were hit hard and fast by online purchasing through Netflix and Amazon, respectively. At the same time, both brands were left in the dust at retail by direct competitors, namely Family Video and Barnes & Noble. Their financial demise also came about abruptly with competitors and investors showing little interest in their physical assets. With store closings in progress, all that will soon remain are the brand names themselves. Will the names also disappear like the stores?

For now, at least Blockbuster will live on. The Dish Network Corporation recently purchased the bankrupt video-store chain with more interest in the name than the stores. The plan is to offer Dish customers a streaming service to rival Netflix. That service will be called Blockbuster. The intellectual properties of Borders (name, website, logos, etc.) will be auctioned next month and I am confident that this brand will maintain a relationship with its fans, most likely online.

With all negative press associated with these brands over the past year, they will prevail. Strong, established brands are incredibly durable.

“There’s nowhere safe to lock up my bike.” “I get way too sweaty.” “I wear nice clothes to work.” Up until now, all of those excuses were actually valid points. Not for me. I wear shorts all summer to work and our super hip work environment lets us park our aluminum and steel rides right next to our desks. For the rest of you bike enthusiasts or grocery getters out there that don’t have such luxuries, downtown just got all bike-commuter-friendly on us! It’s The Bike Rack, a 24/7 bicycle garage with a locker room and private changing and shower facility. It is located on East 4th between Prospect and Huron and will only cost you five bucks a day or $25 a month (plus a $20 annual fee). That’s a bargain if you add up gasoline consumption and parking costs! Plus, let’s not forget all of the health benefits associated with pedaling, and that it’s an absolutely wonderful way to start your day or to ride off some of that work stress!

When I was there shooting some pics for this blog, I was fortunate enough to run into John Sirignano, the Bike Rack’s Operations Manager. He was on-site to oversee the security system installation and was kind enough to let me in and take some pics of the nearly-completed interior! I asked when this will all be up and running. He told me in or around a week’s time. If you would like more info on Ohio’s first bike storage facility, check out these articles from fresh water and Cleveland Magazine.

Just days away from opening, The Bike Rack is getting its final tweaks and security checkup.

Your bike never had it this good! By bringing your own cable lock, having a security-card entrance and a Bike Rack associate on hand ensures your trusty steed will be here waiting for you after work.

Marvel Studios began the filming of the hotly anticipated “The Avengers” film in downtown Cleveland yesterday. Filming is expected to continue intermittently throughout the month of August.

The Avengers is set to be one of the most ambitious comic book based movies of all time as it spans the stories of several different movies in the Marvel film universe. It will bring characters like Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) – among others – together to fight some sort of cosmic force in one flick. Each of these superheroes have had their own movie adventure, and in case you weren’t quite keeping track here’s the ordered layout so far:

Captain America: The First Avenger

While it’s technically the most recent of the Avenger lead-up films, it’s actually the first movie in The Avengers timeline, as it takes place in the 1940s during the World War II era (how’s that for confusing).

Iron Man & Iron Man 2

Here Nick Fury is officially introduced and establishes “The Avenger Initiative.”

Thor

The second-most-recent film, but not quite the most recent.

The Incredible Hulk

Believe it or not, the oldest movie to be made was intended to be the most recent lead in to The Avengers movie, where suddenly Iron Man, aka Tony Stark, is actively forming the Avengers group.

There are some pretty big names associated with this upcoming blockbuster, from Samuel L. Jackson to Scarlett Johansson. But what hasn’t been revealed is who the film’s main antagonist will be. Sure, Tom Hiddleston is set to return as Loki, Thor’s arch-nemeses and the Norse god of mischief. But many fans agree that Loki doesn’t quite warrant the international peacekeeping agency S.H.I.E.L.D. to assemble a superhero force of this magnitude. Instead many fans are hinting at the possibility that Thanos may make his debut in The Avengers movie. Fans point to an Easter egg in the movie Thor where the “Infinity Gauntlet” was spotted suspended in the air. So why does the possibility of Thanos excite so many people?

Basically, Thanos is the ultimate cosmic villain. He has been compared to a living god and does not need to eat, sleep or breathe oxygen. Essentially, he’s immortal, he’s ageless, he can absorb/expend vast amounts of energy and destroy entire solar systems with the bat of an eyelash. Not only can he make for an excellent bad guy, he’s also a really nice shade of purple. Let’s just hope they don’t turn him into a big gaseous cloud like they did with Galactus.

As our media habits become more and more splintered and our attention spans more frenetic, the advertising industry continually attempts to respond with “new and improved” venues that promise to break through the proverbial clutter and deliver an irresistible message.

I’m always interested — and often humored — by the variety of solicitations that find their way to me through e-mail and snail mail. And I’ll admit it … there’s always just a split-second flash of excitement when an elaborate mailing hits my desk with that oh-so-intimate “Exclusive Offer for Ms. Sarah K. Melamed!” How could they have possibly known that only my closest friends and family members address me that way?!?

So, it was an eye-opening experience for me last week when I received an email touting a “53,000 Square Foot LAX Billboard.” Reading further, I learned that this is one of the largest billboards in the world, and is visible to window passengers of ALL planes landing at LAX International Airport. I found this concept to be intriguing on a variety of levels. First, I imagined myself making the “final approach” into LAX as I have so many times over the years. IF — and it’s a big if — I was unable to score an aisle seat and have been squished up against the window for five hours, I’m not feeling real warm and fuzzy about receiving an advertising message. Even more so, I hope the folks piloting the plane wouldn’t be tempted to let it “divert” their attention away from the task at hand, which would be safely landing several tons of aircraft. Furthermore, which consumers are most likely to end up in a window seat? he adorable little seat back kickers who, thankfully, aren’t yet empowered with the budgetary freedom to purchase this valuable real estate for “$35,000/month plus production.”

Nonetheless, the former copywriter in me was intrigued enough to wonder what sort of creative messaging might be appropriate for this venue, and so I scrolled down until I reached this sample image from Reebok. Two questions instantly raced through my mind. Why is this poor athlete sprawled lifelessly across a roof with arms that are two completely different sizes and a shadow that looks like it belongs to Gumby?

Yes, I realize that voice comes from the cynic in me. But as far as I’m concerned, given the audience, a more appropriate execution for this stellar media opportunity would be something a little more like this.

I’ve never met a girl with the name ‘Topanga.’ Not once. As far as I’m concerned, the name originated with the ultimate girl next door played by Danielle Fishel in the magnificent ’90s TV series Boy Meets World. Still, people have always said I resemble Ben Savage, who played Topanga’s dorky boyfriend, Cory Matthews. I’m fine with it, especially since the gray in my hair tells me it’s only a matter of time before I start looking more like Mr. Feeny anyway. Of course, I’m not the only one here with a much wealthier and more successful clone running around. Below are some the best celebrity look-alikes the MR team has to offer.

Darin, graphic designer and Tim Roth, actor (Pulp Fiction, Reservoir Dogs).

Nicole, art director, and Big Boy, Big Boy restaurants.

Sarah, president, and Danica McKellar, actress (The Wonder Years).

Joseph, art director, and Shaquille O’Neal, NBA legend.

Chuck, chief financial officer, and “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” Dos Equis.

Rick, executive creative director, and Mr. Fantastic, superhero (Marvel Comics) .

John, account supervisor, and Bill Murray, actor (Caddyshack, Groundhog Day).

Dave, senior vice president/director of planning and research, and Jerry Springer, host/politician (The Jerry Springer Show, former Mayor of Cincinnati).

Janis, account executive, and Celine Dion, recording artist.

Jim, broadcast producer/project manager, and John Walsh, host (America’s Most Wanted).

Bill, account supervisor, and Rob Lowe, actor (The West Wing, The Outsiders).

Brian, motion graphic designer , and Jack Black, actor/vocalist (School of Rock, Tenacious D).

Stephanie, associate creative director, and Dory, animated fish (Finding Nemo).

And as promised …

Patrick, plays a copywriter at MR, and Ben Savage, played Cory Matthews on Boy Meets World.

And with glasses, I’m “Subway Jared.”