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Tuesday, May 8, 2007

From the Awkward Sex Files

filed under: Design for Sex, Smart. Safe. Sex. by Melissa Gira | 4 Comments

Special to the “Awkward Safer Sex Activism” Department:

(thx, mister.)

Thursday, March 29, 2007

Jet Sex: Condoms in Taipei

filed under: Design for Sex, Jet Sex, Smart. Safe. Sex. by Melissa Gira | 2 Comments

Changing planes in Taipei, I fell in design love with this condom display in the very front entrance of the airport pharmacy. I selected a box (of twelve, thanks for asking) to bring home for field testing.

After a brief moment of consumer panic — that I had unwittingly chosen some lubricated with nonoxynol-9 — I was reassured in reading more closely that:

“FOUR IN ONE Condoms, red & green colours, textured and slip-prevention design, (plain,raised,dotted and ribbbed, and teat-ended) natural latex condoms silicone-oil (non-spermicidal lubricant). Nominal width: 52mm +/- 2mm / Diameter: 33 mm.”

Aside from the fact that ‘oil’ is one of the last words one wants to see on condom packaging, silicone-lubricant is a novel choice that I think I’ve only seen (well) once before. As for the design of the sheath itself, the side-of-the-box illo ought to help bring those descriptions home.

The drawing, or the raised. Or maybe the dotted. Hmm.

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Promote Good Sex! Win Fabulous Prizes!

filed under: Sexerati Hearts, Design for Sex by Lux Nightmare | 1 Comment

Apparently, the Japanese are not having much sex. This is causing some concern, as no sex means no babies, and the Japanese birth rate is already at a record low (a mere 1.26 births in an average woman’s lifetime).

At Sexerati, we’re all about promoting sex (particularly good sex), and we’re also pretty fond of good design and smart public health campaigns. So we’ve decided to have a contest: we want you, our readers, to design some posters for a public health campaign encouraging the people of Japan (and the rest of world, damn it!) to get back to the bedroom.

Say it with pictures, say it with words: just say it with good design (and in a web ready format, like a JPG or a GIF). Entries due in by April 15 to [email protected]. The winner (to be selected by our editorial board, and maybe some hot guest judges) will be awarded some sweet Sexerati schwag.

Get crackin’!

p.s. Bonus points for rounded corners.

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Safer Sex, Coming To a Bus Shelter Near You

filed under: Design for Sex, State of Sex Ed, Smart. Safe. Sex. by Melissa Gira | 1 Comment

Sexerati is a bleeding (Pan Am-esque) heart, you know. While visiting the offices of Better World Advertising yesterday in downtown San Francisco, we couldn’t help but be struck by how much hotter and smarter public health campaigns around safer sex are — and more effective — when introduced by the likes of the Healthy Penis.

Better World is also behind the indie-cred-filled ‘Buck Syphllis’ campaign (just look at that t-shirt), and the controversial ‘Homoboy’ posters that, while promoting HIV prevention for men of color who have sex with men, were also criticized for their portrayal of bottoms as “bitches.” Riding the line of honest community engagement that doesn’t pander or patronize and in-your-face messaging worthy of framing in your bedroom is a tough one, and we’re glad to have such great designers (oh, for their bank of Cinema Displays) and sexual health and rights activists on the cause.

Follow along on our tour in the Sexerati Flickr pool. (And heck yeah, add your own images of smart sexual health messaging to the pool, pls!)