you can't miss: American Airlines Redesign & Kobe Bryant hits 30,000 points

It was only a matter of time, really. Time goes by and eventually companies decide they need a new look. At some point American Airlines was going to go through a redesign, too, and it apparently has finally happened. Some people, including Steven Heller at Imprint, are very much against the redesign. I, on the other hand, am torn. I really love the styling on the planes, which can be seen below, but I don't really like the new logo. I think that the design is very stereotypical of the things that we are seeing today and in 10 years the design with change again. Think about it: the former American Airlines logo has been in use for over 40 years. This one doesn't feel nearly as impactful, and with trends constantly on the move I don't see this logo lasting nearly as long. I would have kept a more traditional looking eagle rather than trying to make it more of an illusion within the red and blue. Anyone else have any thoughts on this?

I particularly like the tail designs on the new planes. 

And now for something a bit more fun: basketball. Yes, I know you are asking me what on EARTH I am doing posting about a NBA basketball team on this blog and how is it relevant to journalism, but take a look at this gem of an infographic that was posted back in December. How is this timely, one might ask? Let us not forget that the basketball season is still upon us and college hoops have another month of play. Besides, I believe that any chance a designer has to look at infographics should be grasped by the horns. This is an excellent example of turning a small stat into something complex and elegant:

How cool is this, really?

I know a weakness of mine is trying to find interesting ways to visually present information I find boring. I am not a NBA basketball fan in the slightest, but J Alexander Diaz has successfully pulled me in. Seriously: I read everything on this graphic and actually understood what most of it meant. The only stat I didn't understand was the "Number 8 vs. 24" thing, but I am assuming he changed numbers at some point during his career.  I think as a designer we should always be thinking of new ways to present information beyond a simple table. My only complaint with this graphic is the chart along the top. While I like the overlapping of Kobe and the information and hardcore basketball fans would probably know the stats behind his head, I do not. Thus I lose a little bit of the information. Overall, this is a really, really good graphic, though.