by Tim Girvin | BRAND MYSTICISM, Brands, Concepts, Storytelling | Aug 25, 2022
VISUALIZING INFORMATION AS A STORY In a recent grouping of discussions, with a late 19th century-influenced designer, innovator and color theorist, we talked strategy and the tiering of information—in her brand-building around the presumptions of color gravity: the...
by Tim Girvin | BRAND MYSTICISM, Concepts, Storytelling | Aug 11, 2022
TIERING MESSAGING AND LAYERING OF INTENTION IN BRAND NARRATIVES AND STORYTELLING In my earlier work as a calligrapher and lettersmith, I explored—and still study in our work—the idea of layering messages. I see this as a kind of palimpsest—letters on one tier, a...
by Tim Girvin | BRAND MYSTICISM, Brands, Concepts, Human brands | Jun 16, 2022
Brand naming As many know, there is a profession of nomenclature strategy—people who “name” things. It’s an intriguing meditation, given ancient character of the concept of the name, which as the tradition of antiquity proffers, speaks literally to the true nature of...
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts, Marketing 2.0 | May 18, 2022
IS EVERYTHING SLOWER NOW? In the purported aftermath of the Covidularity—[right, invented,] it’s been a persistent experience for me for things to be slowing down. Items of the trade that we’re in, strategy, design and production—paper, for example—hard to find, some...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts, Storytelling | May 11, 2022
As designers, we’re looking for memorable impact—design solutions that are memorable, laden with ineluctable magic, surprise, wondrous artfulness, amazing and happiness-creating, or—more particularly, treatments that invoke the sense of wow! Wow is unforgettable. Tim...
by Tim Girvin | Artists, Concepts, Cool People, Designers, Storytelling | Apr 27, 2022
Obviously, the question of beauty doesn’t propound solely a complicated design— instead, it could be profoundly simple—so delicately balanced and restrained that it catalyzes disciplined elegance. But when one calculates the etymology—in reverse—of beautiful graphics,...
by Tim Girvin | BRAND MYSTICISM, Concepts, Storytelling | Mar 30, 2022
DESIGN STRATEGIES, DEEP BRANDING, METAPHORICAL NARRATIVES Of course, we have a different way of thinking about the alphabet—as designers, as brand fire starters, letter crafters and identity theorists. If you’re thinking about a letter—what’s your favorite? Me? X. As...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts | Mar 18, 2022
BACK IN SPOKANE, I FOUND THIS PANEL THAT I DREW FOR MY PARENTS; STILL THERE, NEXT TO THE PIANO. THE MEDITATION ON THE ANSWER OF UPLIFT—YES! I went to Spokane to see my family—my Mother and Father, for a check in—both in their 90s, there has been a health-related...
by Tim Girvin | Artists, Brands, Concepts, Marketing 2.0, Trends | Mar 4, 2022
MEDITATIONS ON THE SHAPE OF CONTENT In the moment of inspiration, everyone “thinks” something and converts this to some framing of expression. Could be handwritten, a journal entry, a sketched missive, drawn on an iPad or typed out. It’s the shaping of content that...
by Tim Girvin | BRAND MYSTICISM, Concepts | Feb 24, 2022
THE SIGILLIC SOLUTION In the journey of brand design and identity, there is the high road, the first summit, the easier vista—the outreach of an accessible view and foundational story: “it’s beautiful, so this must be a beautiful brand.” And then there are the deeper...
