Water: spirit, story, brand, design
The wave, the ripple, the droplet, the metaphor -- exploring allegorical symbolism in brand and business strategy. The idea of water is a metaphor that has consistency to the notion of exploring how people connect with each other: touch, connectedness, stories shared,...
Equine Brand | The art of the horse
Exploring brands, the equine legacy, design story and materiality Working in Sweden, with a branding program with the luxury group Hästens I found exploring the history of the brand -- which, in Swedish, means "Horses" -- is intriguingly intertwined with a heritage...
Aligning Humanitarian Brand Development with Cause Marketing
Ben Affleck | Fight Hunger Feed America Feeding America as the warmest bridge to marketing resonance Working on the mission of supporting cause marketing for humanitarian brands presumes commitment -- it starts with the extraordinary commitment of the founders, the...
Exploring the armory of the iron clad: the graphic identity of Iron Man
Elemental examinations of material and technology in cinematic design Earlier in our history as designers of cinematic identity, we were asked by the marketing team at Paramount Studios, lead by EVP Nancy Goliger, to explore the concept of a cinematic treatment of the...
The Experience of Scent, in Memory, Place and Sentience
This blog reference comes from a request from Steve Heller -- to write something about scent -- about design -- and creating and understanding experience. I was talking to him at a conference we were speaking at together -- and he asked -- "what about that?" It's...
iPad, Flash and Steve Jobs
Apple and Flash: Strategic notations Some notes from the man. As a persistent and tireless defender of all things Apple, and the early Girvin working collaborations and design connections with Mr. Jobs -- Reed College and Lloyd Reynolds, the later iterations of...
Brand patterning | placemaking and architectural treatments in branded environments
Creating organically realized places with conceptually founded pattern language It's been an obsession with me to explore the concepts of brand development and patterning in place-making. And it's something, as well, that Girvin has been involved with for years....
Finding Brand Soul | Seeking the heart of the brand experience
Brand core: what lies within? The idea of finding the soul of the brand is something that many might immediately chafe against, or laugh out loud -- the sheer presumption: brand = soul. But I'm finding that this is increasingly the place in which Girvin works, as well...
Brand Japan
Exploring brand dissolution in Japan: heritage, brand storytelling and emotional resonance in community Working as a designer in Japan in the 80s, then the 90s, lead me to some extraordinary explorations, from the height of Japanese corporate design and the supremely...
Drawing brand energy | the calligraphic stroke
Exploring the signature, brand story, the drawn line and den röda tråden I was working in Sweden, last week, with the CEO of a remarkable company, Hästens, and our discussions ranged around the nature of human experience -- from the spirit of sleep, rest and recovery,...