This week, we weren’t surprised that the “world’s ugliest color” had been named…because it’s definitely ugly. Since Pantone 448C was given the honor, it’s been described as “murky,” “drab,” and “sickly,” amongst other unfortunate adjectives. A dark, greenish brown, the color will now be put to work in Australia. Research agency GfK — by request from the Australian government — surveyed 1,000 smokers to determine the “ugliest” color, intending to use that color to package cigarettes. Quite the opposite of standard branding challenges, the packaging has deliberately been designed to turn users away and make them not want to buy the product. How’s that for a design challenge?? We look forward to seeing if the packaging has any affect on the rate of smoking in Australia and if the world’s ugliest color serves its purpose.

It’s very likely that you’ve heard about this musical in New York called Hamilton. Amazingly, those rare people that haven’t do exist — I’ve met one…and no, I don’t understand how they’ve missed it because it feels like it’s everywhere. But regardless, the show cleaned up at the Tony’s this week, surprising no one. What was surprising, however, was how CBS embraced some new technology with this 360 video promo for the show — make sure you look up and down to see some clever branding placement — featuring a number from Hamilton. Let’s hope that we see more interesting promos like this in the future.

We discussed how LinkedIn was purchased by Microsoft and what that might mean for users. While we shared some snarky comments around, we also were optimistic about where Microsoft might take the network. Will they evolve it into something more like Jobvite, with Skype interviewing and other useful tools? Will the homepage feed actually become something unique that we’ll want to visit more often? Will LinkedIn become something that we find more useful than simply a job searching tool? We’re hopeful and await to see what changes come in the future. And by the way, if you’re on LinkedIn, be sure to check out Forum One! 😉

And finally, check out this re-creation of Starry, Starry Night made with just water and paint. Mesmerizing!