Let the Games Begin...

One of my favorite books is the "Olympic Image" a history of Olympic graphic design from 1886 until 1996. If one would want to know the trends of graphics, look no further than the marketing and branding done for the olympics. To see what the four cities bidding for the games in 2016 are up to, you'll get a sneak preview of the future. Although, I miss the original Chicago logo, which featured a burning torch that emulated the city skyline which was eventually rejected by the olympic committee for breaking guideline restrictions. Of course, all I could think of was the Great Chicago Fire, so maybe two wrongs did make a right.

Coming Soon: Anthony Hicks Illustration

Web design is a big deal. Everyone needs a web page for credibility, for accessibility, and to simply show off. I recently created a temporary web page with a PDF portfolio for Seattle based Illustrator Anthony Jon Hicks. The logo design was based on my observations that Anthony was obsessive for details. I can't wait to finish the site for him. So far, he's very pleased with the results, and even referred to me as a PAGAN GOD! Of course, I believe I'll have to build some sort of Henge... like Stonehenge or Woodhenge... any suggestions?

Visit Anthony's Temporary Site

New Web Project: KCM Accounting

Also on the list of new projects by my studio, which is basically me hacking away at a computer... is KCM Accounting. She was looking for a site that appealed to a younger audience, to doctors and medical staff, to organizations that need an accountant that wasn't a bean counter, but an individual that loves her work and will bring the attention necessary to help a business keep on track. And she loves the color purple. I love this site, it's simple... elegant, direct and to-the-point.

Visit KCM Accounting

Recession: Or Why It's a Great Time to be a Small Fry

As you may have heard, Wall Street has been officially hit by a comet, and the old dinosaurs are dying out. Actually, the comet struck years ago... it just takes a while for the food supply to drain.

Is it spooky? Yes. Has the condition the middle class person really changed over the the last thirty years? Sort of. We have more credit and cheaper technology. But we're just as vulnerable, if not more so. Ask anybody that lost their home. Times are tough, but aren't they always in some degree? Just remember, the dinosaurs died of and the small fuzzy mammals thrived. In an economic sense, that's about to happen.

You can see it in society. People are getting nice prices at Walmart, but missing the human interaction and service. After all, that greeter only goes so far. People are looking for that local shop again. Of course, it's the future so you'll have to be smarter about the whole ordeal... but for small businesses, your time is now. Why? Here's a short list of reasons.

1. You can make decisions on your feet, and not have to go through a committee. (Believe me, that's a big advantage over the corporate dinosaurs.)
2. Technology and the internet has now officially leveled the playing field on all fronts. You can get the information you need to survive.
3. There's enough small local businesses like you that could use another small local business to help support them in some form or another.

And finally, let's say you've been laid off by a large giant corporate dinosaur going under. Do you think you could actually trust another one to provide for you and your family? Studies show less and less feel that way, and would rather take the risk of starting their own company than being let go. At least fate in in your hands.

This is 19th century economics with a 21st century spin. Chris Anderson of Wired said so. My old art teacher Steve Sherell said so, too. Actually, most people in the know say it. The 20th century was a necessary fluke to the economic climate of today. And the news reports that small businesses will triple in the next three years.

So, from one small business person to another, let me know when you're ready to draw up some great advertising. Let's embrace the new economy together.

Response to a Washington CEO Question...

Washington CEO magazine posted the following on their site...

How do you think Washington State should promote itself?

The state has had a few false starts in promoting itself to both in-state and out-of-state tourists. The current advertising campaign may help, but it's only a start. What can we do? How would you sell Washington? More ads? Multimedia road shows? A new slogan? (Just kidding.)

So This Was My Response....


"How should Washington market itself? Let's start with concept, then execution.

I moved out here over a year ago now, and thus my wife and I have a pile of relatives from Chi-town that float into SeaTac to visit about every five days or so. What I hear from all of them... "I never knew how beautiful this state was." There's an awareness issue here, most outsiders see Seattle as damp and dreary. Visitors quickly notice the thriving music scene, rolling San Francisco-esque hills, dash of wild west, winter sports, the cuisine scene... wine country... you name it. We have all of the benefits of California with a little less sunshine but a lot less attitude.

Part of the problem is that most mass media that has brought national awareness to Seattle is not really Seattle-centric. Does Grey's Anatomy and Sleepless in Seattle really the heart of Washington? Sort of. Movies like Singles or programs like Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure have faded into memory, which were much more honest in their version of quirky northwest lifestyle.

Many campaigns have be structured around the whole "all you can do is right here" package. California is recently doing just that in their television advertising. The state of Virgina also did a diversity push, which was geared towards budding filmmakers, their claim... our individual counties looks like a lot of other states. You'll have California, Nevada, Maine and Florida all in one region. So yeah, it's been done before. But in the tradition of Mircosoft we can take something that has been done and do it differently.

The message is simple, Washington is an exciting place has a lot of stuff happening, and you should be a part of it. Like San Francisco in the 60s, New York in the 70s, Los Angeles in the 80s.... this is the big thing now. We need to be larger than life. We're progressive, fun, exciting, with a lot of brainpower. See major plays tested before they hit Broadway, see bands before the make it big, snowboard down Mt. Rainer, know the latest and greatest before it hits the rest of the country. Many companies test their products here because we're so d*** picky. Use it to an advantage. Forget rest and relaxation... this place is like an espresso shot to the soul. In fact... that's a good starting point.

Execution, this is Microsoft country. Let's look at the internet. It's already a buzz generator, let's channel it to make Seattle the place where it's all coming from. After all, you can download music and plays... but you cannot experience them live online. Use the internet as a teaser for an up and coming happening destination. Gear the message to "look what you're missing by not being here." In a climate where Obama can rise to power by soliciting "change" and "hope," it says people want something new. The trick is to find inventive ways to present the information in a way where it says "seeing in online just isn't enough." Look at how "Improv Everywhere" promotes New York every time they pull a wacky stunt.

In short, we're exciting. Since so many connect Seattle with grunge it's a good fit, and it's true. We have the capacity to pull this off, we just need someone to tie it together."

Chris Anderson and the Free speech.

I had the opportunity to watch WIRED editor-in-chief Chris Anderson speak at the 2008 Economic Insight in Seattle. His subject... giving away items in your business for free, to lure customers into purchasing other commodities. This is nothing new. Much of what I heard reminded me of something my art teacher Steve Sherrell once said... that the 19th Century would have more in common with the 21st century. As for the Free Speech, I won't go into too many details, you can find those by clicking directly to his story.

View Anderson's article 'Free! Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business' on WIRED

Let's face it, the 20th century was a weird fluke in terms of business. The idea of a parental corporation that took care of its employees was noble and naive. How could GM ever expect to take care of all those former employees and their rising medical costs? I truly feel bad for the baby boomers, they've had the carpet pulled from under their feet during every critical moment in their lifespan. They had a choice between college or Vietnam. Their women's liberation efforts were rewarded with adjusting the economy to a two-person income. And when it was time to retire, many had the pleasure of watching their 401K's disappear. And then 9-11 and another war that seems like it's fought for the wrong reasons. No wonder the boomers are distraught.

I want to enforce the notion that everything we knew about the world between 1950 & 2000 was a hiccup in the timeline. It's back to business of survival, and fortunately we have new technology on our side. Thanks to the small cost of internet storage (referred to in Anderson's speech), we can now reduce online costs to virtually zero. And if you read his book The Long Tail, you know how Amazon.com and other on-line stores thrive on the simple face that since they don't have to turn around physical items on valuable retail shelf space, they can offer gobs of merchandise aimed at the niche markets for reasonable costs.

If I had one complaint about the speech, it was that I didn't really learn anything that I hadn't already read in his book and his article. The one true highlight was his play-by-play on how Ryanair can offer plane tickets for free, by weaving in lots of 'ala carte' costs. There's something to this, especially with a downturning economy and a Generation X that thrives on experiences. I like this business model as well, because it emphasizes responsibility. Obviously, the more responsible passengers will be rewarded by spending less. It's a good example of an airline doing good, for a bad one... watch PBS Frontline's take on marketing and how they examine the downfall of Song Airlines.

Is free the future of business? Perhaps... I personally think there's a different word for it. It's COMMUNITY with a dash of EXPERIENCE.

More later.

Free the arts... no it's actually for free now.

One of the topics I really want to explore is the impact of digital media and how an artist can compete (let alone put food on the table) in a world where so much information is now given away. The first step, this article by WIRED magazine's Chris Anderson entitled "What Are You Worth in a Free Economy?" by Nat Ives for Ad Age Magazine.

View the article here.

Book Club part 1

The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality
by Brian Greene

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. What's a physics book doing on an art & design blog. Well, truth be told... there are a lot of lessons to be learned through the exploration of string theory. Not to mention the ability to picture 11 dimensions can do wonders for ones painting (and or advertising) career.

Some of what you will learn is the following...
1) Sometimes there is more than one accurate and valid explanation for the same thing.
2) Every moment of your life in theory hasn't disappeared, it's still happening.
3) You need negative forces to have positive ones. (and vice versa)
4) It takes about 20 very solid and fixed measurements (size of electrons, temperature which water freezes, etc.) to make a universe as random as ours.

It's a good mind expander, and under $12.00. Check it out!

Buy the book at Amazon here.

The Ground Floor

There have been some misconceptions, some bad karma, some seedy compromises, and broken promises over the last few thousand years or so that have wrecked the simple notion of marketing and sales that you almost have to include the frowny face icon in any discussion. Example...

Today we will discuss new techniques in marketing :(

Now, let’s take a moment and discuss why this is so. First, we need to look at the definition of sell as described in the Webster’s Dictionary which is as follows...

Sell (n) transitive verb
1: to deliver or give up in violation of duty, trust, or loyalty and especially for personal gain : betray —often used with out
2 a (1): to give up (property) to another for something of value (as money) (2): to offer for sale b: to give up in return for something else especially foolishly or dishonorably c: to exact a price for
3 a: to deliver into slavery for money b: to give into the power of another c: to deliver the personal services of for money
4: to dispose of or manage for profit instead of in accordance with conscience, justice, or duty
5 a: to develop a belief in the truth, value, or desirability of : gain acceptance for b: to persuade or influence to a course of action or to the acceptance of something
6: to impose on : cheat
7 a: to cause or promote the sale of b: to make or attempt to make sales to c: to influence or induce to make a purchase
8: to achieve a sale of

Foreboding, isn’t it? Selling has become a bad word because human beings have generally sacrificed dignity over higher profits ever since the invention of currency. Misrepresented crappy products and services have always been a major problem for suckers born yesterday. Now it is different. These days, nothing exposes a bad product better than great advertising. If you build up a product or service that doesn’t deliver, you might as well file for Chapter 11 and pass out resumes, assuming your reputation hasn’t been truly damaged. And information technology has made the bad guys easier to spot.

This leads to a fabulously overused term known as “selling out,” which is generally used under two circumstances...

1) The individual accused of selling out has in fact obviously cashed in their dignity to create mass-appeal, short-term, unfulfilling work that will eventually fade into obscurity,but in the process will generate a ridiculous amount of money.

2) The person accusing someone else of selling out is in fact upset that they weren’t joyously handed a successful career right after snagging a bachelors in Liberal Arts. Thus, anyone doing better than themselves must obviously be selling out.

That second group causes more trouble than they intend to. Simply put, they feel anything with an ounce of success must be corrupt, and honesty is only established by the lessons learned through complete failure.

America has become a polarized nation of extremes, almost to the point where a simple political debate can be dangerous. Ever since the fractions of a second after the big bang, the universe fails to be composed of absolutes, and today is no exception. In fact, to think in simple black & white terms is not only outdated... it is dangerous. We must start thinking on all levels, perspectives and viewpoints if we want to survive, let alone advertise efficiently.

Therefore, let us say it is perfectly fine and just to desire a successful career. One can achieve great heights without hurting others, and without crippling ourselves with self-indulgence. We can learn to live within our means. The “buy less, live more” movement so championed by Adbusters is already seeping into this overextended generation. And if you are into advertising, you can be unfairly labeled as untrustworthy. You are selling something, and nobody likes to be sold to. Society has dealt with hundreds of years of sellouts and bad business transactions. Like heartbroken lovers, there needs to be dialogue between you and your client base, to arrive at a mutual understanding.