Location

Start Year

Favorite Quote

Anything Else?

My Story:


    Good For Design. Design For Good.

    Is anyone else surprised about how my public interest design is getting lately? Consciously or subconsciously the masses have embraced design seamlessly into their lives, at times not even realizing its impact in their day to day lives. From being a niche topic—design has come to being omnipresent, and everyone is taking notice. it is now intergrated into everyone's lives—socially and emotionally and is creating richer life experiences. Plus, design for the masses doesn't mean what it means to us designers, it is a means to more meaningful experiences and they're expecting it more and more. For designers it's a craft. That might have to change. it's good for design, and certainly design for good. The service industry can't afford to not take notice. Adapting to this change only makes sense and will allow for an easier acceptance of their products in the consumers lifestyles.

    http://www.publicinterestdesign.org/

     

     

     

     

    0 comments

     
    May17
     

    The advertising experience

    0 comments

     
    May15
     

    A brand adjustment for A&F

     

     

     

     

     

     

    There has been a lot of chatter recently about Abercrombie & Fitch and who the CEO likes to target. See what one man is doing to stand up to him. 

     

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/14/abercrombie-and-fitch-homeless-brand-readjustment_n_3272498.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

     

     

    0 comments

     
    May15
     

    Budweiser Buddy Cup

    Brilliant 'Social' Bud activation. Completely on brand. And with incredible food-service potential.

    http://youtu.be/9FdnssHlcRk

    0 comments

     
    May14
     

    Cut Food

    Anyone can photograph the outside of the food we eat, but what about the inside?

    http://bethgalton.com/conceptual/#

    0 comments

     
    May13
     

    Oreo turns 101 & launches cool new campaign

    http://www.oreo.com/wonderfilled/

    some more info here >> http://nyti.ms/19h4bcA

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    0 comments

     
    May13
     
  •  

    Heard it through the #Vine

    With Vine now being the latest shiny new digital toy that brands want to play with, here's a quick collection of examples of how some brands are using it well (including Urban Outfitters), and a few not-so-much.  Time to get inspired!

    http://www.businessinsider.com/brands-are-doing-incredible-things-on-vine-2013-5#when-vine-launched-january-25-it-took-brands-less-than-24-hours-to-jump-on-the-platform-urban-outfitters-was-the-first-to-put-out-what-it-calls-the-most-important-vine-youll-ever-see-1

    0 comments

     
    May09
     

    Coke slim vending machine

    Coke shows a way to think about how the operational delivery process of a product can help in communicating the brand promise.  

    Looks like they had these custom built rather than mass produced.  Obviously, there will be operation issues (higher frequency refill, power to new dispensing locations, etc).  Still, how can we think about letting each piece in the supply/distribution chain work for our brands?

     

    http://www.coca-colacompany.com/videos/diet-coke-presents-the-slender-vender-ytwyyuxxcctwu

    0 comments

     
    May09
     

    Old and New

    There's little need to name a partner/property, or product features, when an ad tied-in with a blockbuster re-boot is done well enough: http://mashable.com/2013/05/07/zachary-quinto-leonard-nimoy-audi-ad/

     

    0 comments

     
    May08
     

    Top 5 businesses visited by Americans

    http://blogs.prevention.com/inspired-bites/2013/05/07/a-new-campaign-highlights-where-we-shop/

    0 comments

     
    May08
     

    Beer Drones to Deliver Brew to Concertgoers

    "During August's OppiKoppi Music Festival, attendees can order beers from their phones to be delivered the event's District 9 campsite. The beer-equipped drones will swoop down and deliver beer via parachute to the appropriate customer..."

    Seems like there's a few bugs to work out, but will we be advertising on drone parachutes in the future?

    http://mashable.com/2013/05/05/beer-drones/

     

    0 comments

     
    May07
     

    Unbelievably Smart Advertising

    In an effort to provide abused children with a safe way to reach out for help, a Spanish organization called the Aid to Children and Adolescents at Risk Foundation, or ANAR for short, created an ad that displays a different message for adults and children at the same time.

    http://gizmodo.com/this-ad-has-a-secret-anti-abuse-message-that-only-kids-493108460?autoplay=1

    0 comments

     
    May07
     

    Anti-child abuse Outdoor Ad Communicates to Child and Adult

     

     

     

    This outdoor display ad has a secret.  It can communicate distintct messages to children and to (possible aggresor) adults, as at the same time.

     

    http://gizmodo.com/this-ad-has-a-secret-anti-abuse-message-that-only-kids-493108460

     

     

     

     

    0 comments

     
    May07
     

    Good Read On Behavioral Economics And How It Relates to Our Work

    http://www.research-live.com/magazine/how-will-behavioural-economics-change-research?%2F4004762.article    

    Definition:

    "Behavioural economics is a reaction to traditional economic theory, which has tended to assume that decision-making is based on individuals acting rationally. Behavioural economics shoots holes in this by demonstrating how our behaviour is, to a large extent, unconscious, irrational and socially driven....We may be dealing with behaviour that’s irrational, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t predictable."

    Behavioral Economics 101

    We use rules of thumb to cut through complexity
    It would be impossible to make considered, rational choices for more than a handful of items when doing a weekly shop at a supermarket. To make sense of the sheer amount of information, we unconsciously adopt coping strategies, or heuristics.

    We are hard-wired to think relatively
    We focus on the relative advantage of one thing over another, rather than its absolute value. 

    We are heavily influenced by other people
    We tend to observe and copy what others do and, generally, we like conforming.  And even when we think we are being individual, our choices are still influenced by aspirational people, experts or people we want to impress. Standing out from the crowd isn’t the same as not being influenced by it.

    We think short term and we are loss-averse
    The ‘buy now, pay later’ bias can affect everything from our choice of sofas to our pension planning and long-term health. 

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    0 comments

     
    May03
     

    reformatted barcodes that can be read by standard supermarket scanners

    hopefully this will speed up the process of scanning, buying products without the grocery stores needing to buy new scanner / readers.

    check out the details here  http://bit.ly/ZRBXRk

    0 comments

     
    May01
     

    With so many beer and spirits clients...

    ...here's a bunch of data from Ipsos about the state of the industry.  

    http://www.ipsos.com/content/here-are-some-key-findings

    Full report is here:

    http://www.ipsos.com/sites/ipsos.com/files/Drinking-to-the-Future-Trends-in-the-Spirits-Industry.pdf

     

    Here's an excerpt about the U.S.

    US consumers are increasingly concerned about the effects of excessive drinking on 

    both health and personal appearance. As a result, ‘Skinny’ or low-calorie pre-mixed 

    cocktails are growing rapidly in the ready to drink (RTD) category. 

    Young women are the demographic driving RTD growth in the US. Our research 

    shows that women are both more likely than men to consider pre-mixed cocktails 

    and to be concerned about health and personal appearance.

    Alongside the skinny trend, low alcohol cocktails, wines and RTD variants are taking 

    off in the United States. In general, US consumers are looking for lighter alternatives.

    Beam’s ‘Skinnygirl’ brand grew by 388% in volume between 2010 and 2011

    0 comments

     
    May01
     

    From pixels to brick and mortar

    Fab launches first-ever retail outlet. Online and physical space retail colliding seamlessly.

    http://mashable.com/2013/04/30/fab-launches-first-retail-store-design-your-own-furniture/

     

    0 comments

     
    Apr30
     

    It's Important to Take Risks in Advertising

    Remember that inspiring NIKE ad from last summer featuring the overweight kid jogging down an empty street with the TOM HARDY whispering about "greatness"?

    It spot was risky and unapologetic and now it's reaping rewards again, because that kid has lost 32 lbs. 

    It's all over the ad blogs, he's making rounds on the morning shows and the first thing they do is show that commercial, for free (http://bit.ly/14WqIyS)

    This is a great example of why it's important to take risks in advertising, because you never know when one of your bets is going to come from out of the blue and reward you one more time. 

    If you haven't seen it the original, here you go. http://youtu.be/2JnYcuRW_qo

     

     

     

     

     

     

    0 comments

     
    Apr29
     

    Feel good about work.

    Interesting fact-based TED talk about what attributes to a satisfactory work-self relationship.

    http://www.ted.com/talks/dan_ariely_what_makes_us_feel_good_about_our_work.html

     

    0 comments

     
    Apr22
     

    how do you see yourself?

    This is a short video - the gist of it....how we see ourselves vs. how others see us.

     
     
    heads up: once you open the link just hit the "x" to close the pop up that comes at you and watch the embeded video:

    0 comments

     
    Apr18
     

    Selling PB and J with Vine

    The 12 employees at Peanut Butter & Co. used a 6-second video to promote a buy-one-get-one-free coupon for National Peanut Butter & Jelly Day, which falls on April 2, in case you were wondering. The effort generated 300,000 impressions and 6,000 coupons downloaded. Simple, relevant value.

    Learn more here: http://read.bi/ZkCqub

    0 comments

     
    Apr17
     

    Be Iron man!

    Pretty cool tech in a mall in Hong Kong.

     

    http://kotaku.com/awesome-tech-demo-turns-you-into-iron-man-472613965

    0 comments

     
    Apr12
     

    Guitars made out of skateboards

    2 comments

    • Kurt Odom

      Awesome! But, please don\'t chop that Bones Brigade era McGill.

    • Kurt Odom

      Awesome! But, please don\'t chop that Bones Brigade era McGill.

     
    Apr11
     
  •  

    Seven Rules for Managing Creative People

    The Harvard Business Review has posted a list of seven rules for managing creative people, a bit interesting, a bit condescending. 

    http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2013/04/seven_rules_for_managing_creat.html

    0 comments

     
    Apr09
     

    Pepsi Shopper Marketing Makes The DieLine

    Another shout out for Diet Pepsi on The Dieline includes artwork created at TL for Target!  Awesome work done by the team in Wilton (Amanda Maurutis, Corinne Bolanos, Jen Roche, Sarah Kelleher, Matt Coppola, and Matt Nevins)!

    http://www.thedieline.com/blog/2013/4/4/sip-in-style-limited-edition-diet-pepsi-mini-can-by-vern-yip.html

    0 comments

     
    Apr05
     

    can you hear me now?

    40 years ago yestserday, (April 3, 1973), the first cell phone call was made by Martin Cooper (motorola employee)

     

    take a look at the infographic to see how far we've come with our cell phone technology!

    0 comments

     
    Apr04
     

    Addictomatic - Free Social Listening Tool

    Enter any topic into the search bar and it will create a dashboard with current relevant information. You can also create a dashboard and bookmark the link and it will save the topic and layout information with updated content when you re-visit.

    http://addictomatic.com/

     

    0 comments

     
    Mar25
     

    Sweet Engraved Skateboards

    Awesomely engraved skate decks by Magnetic Kitchen. I can always appreciate innovativeness but when the design is just as cool... Just check out the link!

     

     

    http://knstrct.com/2013/03/19/magnetic-kitchens-laser-engraved-skateboard-decks/

    0 comments

     
    Mar23
     

    Train Hopping : A Period of Juvenile Prosperity

    Mike Brodie is well-travelled, but by unconventional means. In 2002 the photographer, then in his late teens, skipped town and started train hopping. In the years since, Brodie has travelled over 50,000 miles through 46 states by train, toting his cameras to document the experience.

     

    While on his path of post-adolescent/pre-adulthood discovery, Brodie discovered a network of fellow train hoppers, and equipped with his ever-present Polaroid SX-70, picked up the nickname "The Polaroid Kidd".

     

    His series of photographs – Brodie shot with Polaroid and 35 mm film – draws from his seven-year stint train hopping across the country, and offers a poignant look into the grit and the grime, the adventure, and the punk idealism the lifestyle entails. Brodie's work simultaneously captures a sense of fright and a sense of freedom in the journey of these young travelers, going wherever the tracks may lead them.

     

    Mike Brodie's photographs can be seen in person at the Yossi Milo Gallery in New York.

     

    http://www.mbart.com/exhibitions/_101/_img/

     

    0 comments

     
    Mar20
     

    Creating Stories from Data - The Journalist's Perspective

    good advice about making sense of data from an editorial perspective:

    Best takeaway:

    "start by trying to make the data you’re working with smaller – to try to reveal the story within."

    http://www.research-live.com/blogs/creating-stories-out-of-data/4009417.blog

    0 comments

     
    Mar20
     

    Young Glory and mad props for six of our Dallas creatives!

    Six of our young creatives have been participating in a monthly, worldwide under-30 creative competition called Young Glory.
    The competition spans eight months, with one brief per month from a big-name judge.
    They have been submitting ideas every month for briefs ranging from “Come up with an idea to help curb overpopulation.” to “Motivate people to use Bing over Google.”
     
    In January, we had the winning submission!
    The brief's challenge was "Taxes are a necessary evil. Make them cool."
    So they made a video around an idea of controlling where 5% of your taxes go and called it My5.
    My5 took highest honors in the Professional category.
     
    The leader boards haven't been updated yet, but after they add up the points, TracyLocke will be tied for second place among all competing agencies.
    We have three more months to get enough points to take first place!

    Results
     
    http://youngglory.com/round-4--professional-results

    Team Members
    Nedal Ahmed
    Bryan Barnes
    Austin Campbell
    Stacy Mann
    Richard Ward
    John Wolfe

    0 comments

     
    Mar18
     

    Samsung's OLED Technology

    Samsung is now setting the bar. This is unbelievable!

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLjfUhLPUH0

    0 comments

     
    Mar18
     

    Walmart 'trending now' search capabilities

    Walmart.com has introduced a “trending now” capaibility to help shoppers browse its assortment based on what’s popular.  The trend types include filtering items by:
    New Pin in the social media site Pinterest
    Best rated
    Just sold on Walmart.com
    Best seller on the website
    Just reviewed
    Top searched
    Users may also filter by departments, including auto & DIY, baby & kids, movies/music/books, toys & video games, home/furniture, and electronices & office

    0 comments

     
    Mar14
     

    Test Drive with Pepsi MAX

    Another great way to drive consumers towards the product.

     

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5mHPo2yDG8&sns=em

     

    0 comments

     
    Mar13
     
  •  
  •  

    3D Pen

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    http://www.designer-daily.com/3doodler-the-worlds-first-3d-printing-pen-31869

    0 comments

     
    Feb27
     
  •