I’ve been passing by the South of Market condo billboard 2 or 3 times a week since May, and it only recently sunk in how weird a name that actually is. Now usually, when we have names that are essentially directions, we base it off of a well-known, paradaisical-type of location, like for example: North of Babylon or East of Eden. But "South of Market"? Doesn’t that just mean you’d be living close to a palengke? (This is of course, coming from the same developers who chose the equally offbeat name Essensa, which should be a line of beauty products, but is instead a high-rise residential building.)
The SoMa site is an interesting example of just-shy-of-perfect design. I won’t mince words here: it’s actually fairly good. But like the name of the condo it’s promoting, it exhibits certain peculiarities upon closer inspection. For one thing, the flash intro is a direct ripoff of the Ocean’s Eleven/Twelve trailers (the music isn’t a direct lift, but it’s similar enough that you’d have to be pretty daft not to notice). And the choice of photo for the front page leaves a lot to be desired.
Lastly, the tagline "The Exceptional, Logical Choice" really bugs me: their entire campaign is geared toward visual appeal and a subtle kind of sexuality, both of which are meant to illicit a very emotional, almost irrational desire from its viewers. So why call it a "logical choice"? There’s no logic in eye candy.