by Tim Girvin | Concepts | Aug 5, 2014
The Alphabet and Evocation; drawing the letter; voicing the calling. I got a note from some friends at the Oxford English Dictionary. It was about this word: “abracadabra” — and perhaps you’ve got the same one, since you might have friends there too. Earlier in my...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts | Aug 1, 2014
The Strategy of Marks, Meaning, and the Transportation of Magic: Intentional Transformation In my history, and a string of blogs, I’ve commented on the notion of design, magic and their intertwinement. It’s been pointed out by some that such a discussion is infertile...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts, Storytelling | Jul 28, 2014
Designing Magic: The Draft of the Letter as the Quest for Mystery Everyone knows that occult really means hidden. But in that, one might surmise that the Cult of the Occult would be nothing more than the quest for the hidden. I probably live there, in more ways than...
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts, Storytelling | Jul 24, 2014
The Fire of Brand: Is there a story, in a story, in a dream, in another telling? Years ago I was talking to a innovations forum, a large confederated brand team at Procter & Gamble about the layering of brand, in story — this was downtown Cincinnati, Building One...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts | Jul 22, 2014
The compulsion of building libraries — collections of books and the perpetual love of books, more books and books piled high — everywhere. My daughter, Gabrielle, is the official library Matrix of GIRVIN. Since she’s been working there at our Pike Place Offices...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts | Jul 17, 2014
THE JOURNEY FROM MIND TO KEYBOARD AND THE FLUENCY OF THE FIST, IN-HAND, FINGERED — handwritten –– Thought-bound, WORDS, POEMS AND HEARTS DRAWN OUT LARGE. There is more to handwriting than one might expect. We’ve talked about the nature of design and the signature —...
by Tim Girvin | Cool People, Designers, Places, Storytelling | Jul 15, 2014
The Journey of Storytelling in the Context of Space, Made Narrative Place. In the past, we’ve written about the idea of cinematic production design — and individual designers and directors — their interplay, and how interpretations of context are made. Interestingly,...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts, Interior Design, Places | Jul 10, 2014
The inward and outward flow of brand experience design. I was trying to make a connection with a team, a brand, and — like most of you — I was on-hold, then waiting, then holding, then waiting — and finally; and I was passed along to another, who had no clue about my...
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts | Jul 8, 2014
Studying the journey of brand, and those that gather around them. How close in are you? You say you know, but is that just you? Or others? I was working with a team in Texas, and we were talking about modeling brand relationships — how does a brand team synchronize...
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts, Places, Retail, Scent | Jul 1, 2014
Designing a Pathway of Personality, Fragrance and Their Retail Perfume Portal. In a note forwarded by retail strategist and architect, Dawn A. Clark, she notes Selfridges’ newest innovation — a Perfume Laboratory [Videolink]. As has been pointed out by many,...
