I know design is a hot topic these days. After all, I am a brand consultant and a designer. But I am also a consumer. For months now, I have been meaning to write Mario Tricoci Salons (owned by Elizabeth Arden) to complain about its packaging because it doesn't work (Sketch Pad, July/August). Good design should solve problems, not just decorate. I loved the comment, "We explored using different colors for different items, but decided to keep it consistent." Why? Have you ever been in the shower with wet hair and tried to tell which bottle is the shampoo and which is the conditioner? The subtle color/pattern difference doesn't work there. The type size that tells which is which is too small. I believe in "minimal and confident," but in the end, this is just decoration.
Diane Kavelaras
Lake Forest, Illinois
Congratulations to the three companies you profiled for recognizing the email problem ("Email Is Dead ...," July/August). However, I believe Capital One is the only company of those three that's on the right track when confronting the problem of declining message quality. The move to a different technology would be missing the point altogether. The only real solution is for workers to learn (or relearn) such practices as time management, advanced writing skills, and critical thinking.
Sean Snyder
Trenton, Ohio
Editors' note: We received a phenomenal response to our story on bottled water ("Message in a Bottle," July/August). Many readers took it as inspiration for action, including one who found ways to reduce waste at refillnotlandfill.org. Here's a sampling of reader comments.
Fast Company's comprehensive, well-researched, and balanced story inspired me to persuade my husband, four stepkids, and more than a dozen friends to quit purchasing bottled water. In order to convince others that they should do the same and help spread the knowledge in your story, I also started a Facebook group, Pledge to Ban Buying Bottled Water, which I hope your readers will consider joining on facebook.com.
Willow Baum-Lundgren
Kansas City, Missouri
Your article brings to light many issues about which few people know. Very well done!
William M. Bowers III
Crown Water Treatment Plant
Cleveland, Ohio
Tap water free? Not exactly. Not only do utilities charge for tap water, that charge is only a fraction of its true cost. Federal and state governments spend millions to protect sources of our tap water--costs we bear through taxes and deficit spending. What's more, they should probably be spending millions more, especially to protect the aquifers that supply half the drinking water in this country. Perhaps if people were asked to pay the true cost of tap water, they would value it more. Currently, we treat it the same way we price it: cheaply.
Peter Mitchell
Washington, DC
The only place you're going to get cold, healthy water when you're exercising is a store. Yeah, I'll pay $1.50 for that when I'm cycling the length and breadth of the state I live in. Particularly when the water in my bottle is hot. And I am, too. I'm worth it.
Tom Steinert-Threlkeld
Weston, Connecticut
Ask a dentist about bottled water. They're doing bang-up business because of all the kids who aren't getting fluoride. Luckily, some bottled-water companies are coming out with fluoridated versions, but not enough. It's amazing how many suckers there are--"This water is so much better than that water." What a crock.
Andrew Kantor
Roanoke, Virginia
In "Email Is Dead ..." (July/August), Akonix is a security and compliance solution that Reuters recommends to its customers; it is not built into Reuters messaging.
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