I’m giving this Blue All Over t-shirt to my dad David who lives in Pittsburgh for Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. We see each other almost every night via FaceTime, but the next time we visit him in mid October, I will personally hand the t-shirt to him. He really appreciates that prostate cancer awareness is being raised and has already committed to have regular check-ups in the past few years.

Me and my daughter Carey showing my dad his new "Join the Fight" t-shirt

Follow us on Twitter @grafikdotcom and the hashtag #whatitoldhim all month as we talk to the special men in our lives about prostate cancer. Join the fight!

I saw this word “Giantism” in an auto magazine the other day and I was so fascinated by it. The article was comparing the Chevy Camero, Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang—the 3 major American muscle car icons, past and present. As you know, the latest design of all 3 cars borrow heavily from their ancestors in the 60s and 70s. However, one of the test drivers commented that all 3 vehicles suffered from “giantism”. He didn’t understand why they are all made so big (from the inside out), that even though they all have gigantic engines, they are not nimble because of the overall size and weight of the cars. So, why do they need to be so big?

This really got me thinking about design trends in a general (and global) sense, especially the Web 2.0 style—big type and big buttons, spacious in every aspect. The question is: is this “giantism” only an American thing? I don’t see BMW, Mercedes, Ferrari and Lamborghini, etc., designing cars like that. I don’t see as much “giantism” in websites designed by Europeans and Asians. Is economic (in term of space and real estate) and compact design less of a concern in this continent? Or do we just emphasize more on being big, bold, clear, plain and simple (sometimes that gets to be simplistic)?

This is not a criticism of the current American design trend, but only an observation in general. I could be all wrong about this, and so I am open to be convinced otherwise.