What a thankless job lorem ipsum text has. Its entire purpose runs contrary to the very concept of language. This bothers us at Base, not only because lorem ipsum is the salt in the wounds of an extinct and noble language, but because the job of lorem ipsum is to talk and say nothing.

This is why we’ve created a signature Base lorem ipsum text in English. Addressing lorem ipsum’s unique and contradictory predicament of being language used specifically not to communicate, our statement manages to speak up not only for itself, but for lorem ipsum everywhere: … more

Ryan (right) and a doppelganger make work at the opening of his new show, not because he didn’t get it done in time but because this is Studio Franchise.

Ryan McGinness’s Studio Franchise show opened last night at La Casa Encendida, in Madrid. Installed across La Casa’s three main gallery spaces, the exhibition lives up to its name, with an operational art studio in one space, the works produced there installed on an ongoing basis in the middle room, and a range of recent paintings and sculptures in the third gallery space.
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“We’re looking for Ryan McGinness”: La Casa Encendida recruits Ryan alternates on the streets of Madrid

Ryan McGinness’s Studio Franchise show opens tomorrow, February 4, at La Casa Encendida, in Madrid. As Ryan explains of the show, “Studio Franchise is a logical extension of Warhol’s factory sarcasm, the Koons/Murakami/Hirst factory sincerity, and the artist-as-brand reality of today.”

True to its name, the exhibition includes an artist studio modeled on Ryan’s New York studio, and is being staged across La Casa’s three main gallery spaces. The functioning artist studio, in Space C, will be in operation during La Casa’s opening hours, with Ryan and a small team making work that will be installed in Space B as it is completed. Space A features a variety of recent work, including a 45-panel piece and several small acrylic sculptures. With new work being added to the show on an ongoing basis, the exhibition won’t be complete until its final day, April 4. … more

You asked for it, dear BaseNow readers, and you got it!

Well, maybe you didn’t ask for it but you’re getting it anyhow.

I’m talking about customizable, rights-free taglines—and lots of ‘em!

Customizable, rights-free taglines are changing the way people think about taglines. Not only that, customizable, rights-free taglines are doing a lot of other things. Here’s how they work: Just personalize the tagline of your choosing with the name or key words of your organization, and boom!—you’ve got a 100% free tagline tailored to whatever it is that you do. Choose from our 40 free and customizable taglines and give your organization the competitive edge it needs to succeed in today’s dog-eat-dog world. … more

The words in type specimens are chosen based on their letters, of course, to showcase the characters and characteristics of the featured typeface. Stripping away the typefaces from these specimens, we’re left with a strange readymade poetry—word husks that say something of their own. Here are a few nice ones. … more

Last May, under tremendous peer pressure, BaseWords reluctantly opened a Twitter account. And with its first tentative tweet—”McJagger”—BaseWords embarked headlong on a magical journey of hope, wonder, and bite-sized nuggets of cheap philosophy and short-attention-span wordsmanship. Today, with its 95th tweet—”Wish you were beer”—BaseWords has seduced its 100th follower.

Are you hip to BaseWords on Twitter? If not, this could happen to you.

People these days sure do love talking about transparency. Well aware that transparency is a hot ticket, we at Base wanted to be transparent with you about the fact that we are going to start talking about transparency a lot so we don’t miss out. While we’re being so transparent we thought we’d also mention offhandedly the fact that throughout BaseNow we’re using a potent strain of subliminal messaging to get you to do whatever we want. Sure, it’s perhaps ironic that we’re being transparent about jumping on the transparency bandwagon. And yes, it’s kind of coincidental that subliminal and transparent both imply imperceptibility. Regardless, we wanted to put all these things on the table in the name of transparency. We hope you don’t mind that while we do, we’re manipulating you to unknowingly do exactly as we wish.

With each word and image, we’re using our ethereal powers of e-persuasion to seep into your consciousness … more

Before eating fast food, many people experience a vision in which the food radiates innocent halos of light and seductive beams of color.

BaseWords is the writing division of Base. We write anything from commercial copy to essays and stories, grocery lists, and emails to friends and family. Each Wednesday we try to post some of our work on BaseNow. This week we chart the 10-stage trajectory of a fast-food episode. … more

A stock image of wine and grapes. If only the 2003 vintner’s cuvée from Chateau Ted were this smooth…

BaseWords is the writing division of Base. On Wednesdays we try to post some of our work on BaseNow. This week we review the worst wine in the world.

The 2003 vintner’s cuvée from Chateau Ted is by far the most putrescent wine I have ever encountered. In the nose, fetid aromas of charred tire and dingleberry leap from the glass in eye-watering, nosehair-singeing waves. On the palette, a chunky mouthfeel tests the tolerance of the gag reflex—one of this wine’s more welcome attributes as it turns out, only in that it distracts from the nightmarish parade of flavors that ensues. Powerful, penetrating notes of methane, burnt hair, and gym locker … more

You’re starting a company that makes comfortable shoe inserts. But you haven’t yet found a name you’re happy with. Of course the right name is crucial. It has to stand for everything your company is and does. It has to be a name you’re proud of. You’ll say it whenever you answer the phone. You’ll print it on a 50/50 cotton/polyester T-shirt. You’ll tell people the name at cocktail parties. Then you’ll tell them the name again because they didn’t hear you the first time. So, the name has to be good.

But what should it be? It has to relate to what you do. It has to be authoritative. Professional. Something that commands respect. Something that says you are Mr. Comfortable Shoe Inserts.

Wait, that’s it! Mr. Comfortable Shoe Inserts!

Countless entrepreneurs have been down this path of logic, and named their company Mr. (or Mister) Whatever-it-is-they-do. There’s a Mr. Name for just about every word in the dictionary, for both products and services, in every conceivable field. Here are 100 or so of our favorite Mr. Names.

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