214 East Roosevelt

214 West Roosevelt is more than an address. Inspired by the Bauhaus movement, it’s a place where new things start – new companies, new events, new ideas. Making your own rules is a powerful way to live. When you make the rules, you enjoy the exhilaration of running in the lead and breathing rarefied air. Some people know that 214 and the MonOrchid Gallery were ground zero for First Fridays and the downtown Phoenix art revival. But few know that 214 was an incubator for blockbuster television programs, including ‘Lost’, and boasts client portfolios that include Dreamworks, Procter & Gamble, and Coca-Cola. No matter what the address, the philosophy is the same – two minds are better than one, and infinitely better when you’re writing your own rules. Whatever the address, collaboration is always ground zero.

Heaven was used in acclaimed skate film Fully Flared directed by Spike Jonze and Ty Evans. The collaboration inspired the directors to take footage and re-edit a sequence of shots that shows the Lakai skateboarding team demonstrating their considerable skills as they navigate through and around various exploding obstacles. With "Heaven" as the musical backdrop, the resulting marriage of sound to picture is quite extroaordinary. Dig It!

New Logo for Starbucks

To continue today’s topic of company branding, take a look at Starbucks new logo. Not only did they remove the “Starbucks Coffee” text, but they also reduced the mark to one color.

“Starbucks says the changes amount to more than nips and tucks to its favorite lady. The fresh look goes with a new direction for the company as it makes its way back from its toughest times in its 40-year history.” - MSNBC

As we continue moving forward in this new year, it is no secret that many resolutions involve spending less and saving more, which might include cutting out a $5 cup of coffee each morning.

 
Do you think a fresh look will help Starbucks pull through?

Brand Positioning Workshops

In the best of economies, new initiatives require smart planning and sharp execution. Overcoming stagnant markets, anemic budgets, and desperate competition demands something bigger: You must rewrite the rules.

While airlines contemplate charging you to use restrooms, Southwest Airlines still checks bags for free. Harley Davidson took a stalled counter-culture brand and repackaged it for doctors and lawyers. Both companies write their own rules.

Workshops help you focus your assets, build a game plan, get noticed, and dig out. Here’s where we excel:

• New initiatives – making them customer-optimized and market-ready.
• New brands – doing it right from the start.
• New campaigns – advertising is more complicated and important than ever.
• Positioning – making sure you’re meaningful, credible and different.
• Creating alignment – getting everyone to pull together.
• Customer research – few companies actually take this one critical step.
• Testing – dig into the hearts and minds of your customers, they can tell you how to win.

Digital Design Tournament 2009

Cut&Paste's Digital Design Tournament 2009 kicks off in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 21. The competition formats are 2D Design, 3D Design, and Motion Design. Although the call for entries for North American cities is now closed, you can still buy tickets to attend the event. Click here for a list of cities and dates.

Sedona Landscapes

I wanted to share some beautiful photos recently taken in the magnificent landscape of Sedona.

Along with incredible scenery they have one of a kind art galleries to visit. This is a perfect day trip.

The Friendliest 4-Letter Word

Valentine's Day is just around the corner. I'm digging the love notes that Night Owl Paper Goods is making. The cards are keepers long after the holiday is over.

A few pics of Brian and the new mural on our studio at the MonOrchid. If you are looking to lease  space in our studio take a look at the following link for a floor plan. 

Studio Tour

Lending an Extra Hand

This photo by James Koepnick symbolizes a very basic human act we all could stand to benefit from. "lending an extra hand" is a great act of kindness no matter how big or small it is. The outcome is always a positive step in the right direction helping people pull together.

Flock

It has been over two years since the MonOrchid gallery has been opened to the public.  I remember back in 2001 when we started the blenderHaüs concept and the collective artist talent that blessed and enriched this great community. The efforts that fueled this environment sparked from an economy very similar to that of today. At this moment it was the crash of the .com bubble and the tragedy of 9/11 that brought so many of us together. All of us were looking for something different.... a concept that allowed us to think freely and join talents to create the perfect synergy. Many of us had lost jobs and survival was the inspiration for our togetherness.

The gallery thrived, artists came from all over the country, SHADE magazine emerged, and people worked together unified with a common goal. Collaboration and the connection of people working together was achieved and it was tremendous.

The doors will open again this March after 2 years of quit and we will work to restore these ideals once again. I'm so excited and it is ironic to me that I find this happening again in a similar economic time. 

It is an honor and a privilege to have local artist and painter Brian Boner paint the mural on our building (MonOrchid) that will set the stage for the next phase of our studio. The painting that you see on the blog is one of his works and the inspiration. 

I ask Brian to speak a little about the birds and what this meant to him as an artist. Brian responded , "It is something about the instinctual way they rely on each other, working together making constant progress. The migration of the flock and the unison, not of one bird but the entire group." It reminds him of the growing community of artists in downtown Phoenix who have been working together. You can see the progress and it is not based on one individual, but the collection of many. 

To see more of Brian's paintings go to his website at:

www.brianboner.com

 

Black and White

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

What's Your Type?

Typefaces express personality. Would the Orange County Choppers merchandise look nearly as cool if they had used Comic Sans or Times New Roman instead of an old English style typeface? Do you find that you gravitate toward a certain typeface when writing an email or purchasing a type-designed t-shirt? PBS.org has a fun quiz you can take to discover which font best represents your personality.

Art for Poetry

November 15, 2008 - February 8, 2009 Harnett Gallery will be showcasing 54 complex drawings made by artist Elihu Vedder to accompany Omar Khayyám’s classic 12th century Persian poem, the Rubáiyát. This is a very unique exhibit and this is the first time it has been shown in the southwest.

Visual Resolutions

There are a lot of us out there who are visual learners – we learn things best by seeing them and we prefer using images, pictures, colors, and maps to organize information and communicate our ideas. If this describes you, then why not consider applying your visual learning style to your New Year’s resolutions by creating image boards to communicate your goals. You may find that a daily visual reminder of your goals inspires you more than words on a Post-It stuck to the bathroom mirror.

Apache

The Apache Skateboard team out of San Carlos Az. These guys are great and our studio did a feature article on them in Shade magazine in the July 04 issue. Nice to see they are still being recognized for their designs and riding skills. If you'd like to see more of the photography check out Brendan Moore Photography. Brendan has been following these guys and other interesting people.

www.brendanmoorephoto.com

Air cooled People

I ran across these ads from 1963 while touring the Antique Trove. This place is one of my favorites when it comes to finding antiques and collectables. You really have to love Volkswagen.

It's Not Just The Alphabet

Have you ever really taken the time to look at a word? To see it as art? Just think of the impact that is portrayed by the way a letter is curved, stretched, shrunk, and made bigger. It gets a certain point across just by the way it looks. In the book Typography Workbook by Timothy Samara there are endless demonstrations of how to communicate with type. It shows the mechanics, form and function of a letter as well as how type and image can be integrated.

Visual Thinking

If you asked a classroom of elementary school-aged children for a show of hands as to who among them is an artist, you can bet that nearly every hand is raised. As children we love to draw and have not yet developed a fear of our art being critiqued. Somewhere around the time when drawing is no longer part of our daily learning - and instead becomes an "elective" - many people become uncomfortable drawing, especially in front of others. The book "The Back of the Napkin" offers a bit of pen-to-paper therapy for people who have internalized the statement, "I can't draw." The author writes from the perspective that any problem can be made clearer with a picture and that the use of computer-generated graphics (aka clip art) causes us to limit our visualization of creative solutions.

10 really useful iPhone tips

I've noticed lately that, while the iPhone has a very broad appeal, it seems to have been adopted particularly quickly by marketing and advertising professionals.  The iPhone has so many different uses, and if you have one, you know what I mean.  I have quite a few apps on my multiple home screens, so sometimes the 'phone' part of this little device becomes obscured by its other functions.  Part of this is because the phone is controlled almost entirely by 'virtual' buttons - so the tactile feel real buttons has been lost.  Here's a tip to get the tactile feel back to the main function of your iPhone: in Settings > General > Home Button, you can set a preference to make a double-click on your Home Button take you to your Favorites list.  The nice thing about this is that you can this without looking, scrolling, and tapping - like when you're driving :).  For more really useful tips, visit the Taptaptap blog here.

New York Holiday Spirit

If you are looking for one of many spectacular sites to see during the holiday season there is no place like New York. This photo taken by Gerald Brimacombe shows the illumination one will see when they visit Rockefeller Center. There is also a huge ice rink for all to come and skate away on while enjoying classical holiday music. Make sure to add a visit to Radio City Music Hall for a show of a lifetime!