The Etymology of Design
The Thinking of Design, an Interior Journey into the Work and the Word: Sign the Signal, Scribe the Insignia, Script the Sigil and Designate the Signature. Drawing, scratching, scribbling, scarring and scripting - there are alignments in the movement and momentum of...
The Three R’s of Branding: Relevance, Resonance and Relationships
And the Layering of Marketing Focus in SINGULARITY, ATTENTIONALITY, INTENTIONALITY | THEIR STRATEGIES IN BRAND DEVELOPMENT Resonance, Relevance, Relationships — the three indices of connection and community Brands have to matter to be unforgettable. Given the flooding...
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
Pay up. What, pay? Brand development and conjecture. The strategy of idealism and the tactics of reality in brand building. In my history as a strategist and designer, there have been dozens of times that I’ve been asked to build brands and invest in their outcome....
Quick Shot | Energy Spike Drinks
Exploring the branding of hyper-caffeinated power drinks; what image is presented — what story found? And yes, why do I drink them? Montages by R.Bird In the last 20 years, I’ve had plenty of experience exploring drinking in Asia.From Tokyo to Seoul, from Bangkok to...
DESIGNING NOMENCLATURE
The Naming of Things THE MYSTICAL ROOTS OF THE DESIGNING AND VOICING OF NAMES. When you think about it, telling someone your name is either comfortable or proves an uneasiness. And sometimes, you might ask for the name of a person, and there is a pregnant moment of...
The Shining | Moments of Inspiration, Epiphany and Spectacle
SHELF EPIPHANY, RETAIL DESIGN, BRAND STORYTELLING AND SHINING SURPRISES ––––––––––––– I was talking to a client about the concept of the shine. When a product, the shelf on which it resides, the store in which it lives — shines — what is that like, that light? Walking...
Force Fullness
THE SENSE OF PUSH. AND PULL. AND PLAY. Sometimes, in the strength of the passionate moment, the voice of the impassioned telling — accentuating the potent momentum — there’s a need for force. FORCE ACTIVATES. And force can captivate. Enchantment: As the energy passes...
ZenMind
BRAND KICKSTART: ZEN MIND, BEGINNER’S MIND GIRVIN office lobby working session | Seattle THE IMPETUS OF SPIRITUAL BRANDING — EXPLORING THE CONCEPT OF ZEN IN THE CONSTRUCT OF BRANDING In working with teams, on the implications of their brand, the process is inevitably...
The Icon of You
Personal Brands, Totems and Emblems Why does Tim Girvin love crows and ravens? It was just posted, again — a group of images on crows and ravens tagged “for Tim Girvin.” While that was happening, that posting, I was looking at an entity that was clearly looking at me...
The Aesthetics of Aging
The Beauty of Rust Antiquity, Utility, Wabi Sabi and Beauty In one person’s eyes, as an object gets older, it cracks, it discolors — and it might rust. Okay, one approach — toss it out. Get rid of it. And contrary to that — another more classical line of thinking:...