Your Story Alive: A Live Communications Blog

November 12, 2008 9:40 AM

Tim Brown: The powerful link between creativity and play

Posted byElijah B'Sheart

At the 2008 Serious Play conference, designer Tim Brown talks about the powerful relationship between creative thinking and play -- with many examples you can try at home (and one that maybe you shouldn't).

Tags: Creative Inspirations, Photography, Music, People, Media, Interactives, Innovation, Global Design, Green Design, Guerrilla Marketing

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July 31, 2008 1:14 PM

Aviation Spirit

Posted byLaura DeMeulemeester

AirVenture comes alive 24x7 for one week as an international community of 100,000 people descend upon Oshkosh, WI. Friendships are renewed, family bonds strengthened, aviation passions explored.

As a first time, non-aviator visitor, I was quite impressed. The best part is the lack of security lines, baggage claims and overall bustle. It's cool to see exhibit architecture and consumer engagement at this level. The people make this an incredible experience. The spirit, the passion, the overall energy for the community and what they offer. Educational seminars and technological opportunities abound, as do purchase decisions ... a couple cool executive jets that seem mighty fine!

For a flavor of what you've missed, check out the video. And mark your calendar - it's only 51 weeks until the next one!

Tags: People

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May 13, 2008 12:10 AM

Gravity Free: 2008 Launches "The Year of Dangerous Minds"

Posted byMatt Hubbard

Day one has ended at Gravity Free: 2008, and the content at Lee Knight's creative think tank has lived up to the high standards set at previous events. Billed as "The Year of Dangerous Minds," this year's conference at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry has already featured a provocative mix of multidisciplinary creatives.

The event kicked off with Charles White III, a forefather of modern illustration and experience design. White showcased an impressive body of work that spanned decades and genres, and featured a seemingly boundless imagination. Key takeaways of White's talk: show the ordinary in unexpected ways and work for dictators who will champion your cause. Well put, Mr. White.

Interaction designers Ryan Genz and Francesca Rosella followed, with a thought-provoking look at wearable experiences being developed by their firm, CuteCircuit. Merging fashion and technology, prototypes like the Hug Shirt, Mobile Phone Dress, Skate Hoodie and Kinetic Dress seek to bring real human interaction back to the often arms-length experience of this so-called social technology. If it gets us out of our cubes again, I'm in.

Jamie Drake, interior designer and self-professed "society decorator," took the stage next, reminding everyone why they got into the design business to begin with. His passion for his craft, and excitement for color, was infectious and inspiring. When asked what makes an experience great, Drake talked about people falling in love and recapturing a fresh point of view. Powerful stuff.

After a short break (Mr. Knight likes to keep it moving), green architect Michelle Kaufmann was up, showcasing the Smart Home designed by her firm, MKD. Touting the benefits of modular housing (and the incredible waste of site built structures), Kaufmann showed how design and innovation meet to bring simple, green living to the masses. It's wonderful to be green, but I want one of these houses because the design is so cool!

Hat designer/milliner Rod Keenan followed Kaufmann, giving everyone a glimpse into the art and craft of hat design. Gracing the heads of celebrities including Mary J. Blige, Brad Pitt and Elvis Costello, Keenan's design has set the bar in the fashion world for years. The amazing attention to detail in Keenan's work reminded us all that great design often comes to life in the smallest details.

Day one ended with an amazing talk by graphic designer, Stefan Sagmeister. Taking us through his latest book, "Things I Have Learned in My Life So Far," Sagmeister punctuated the day with an incredible statement about the power of design to reach, inspire and move. His intensely personal and raw approach to design defies description. Go read his book, I am.

Well, as you can see, it was a good day in Chicago. More updates from Gravity Free: 2008 will be coming soon. If you're at the show, let me know what you think of it so far.

Tags: Creative Inspirations, Cool Stuff, Innovation, People

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April 24, 2008 1:57 PM

Xerox's Journey Helped by Gabby, the Green Gene Kid

Posted byLaura DeMeulemeester

Edward Gala, Vice President of corporate marketing at xerox, walked us through xerox's journey during the last session at EMS 2008. And how experiential marketing was a brand differentiator for them. On 1/7/08, xerox launched a new logo and a new look and feel - something fairly radical for the first time in 40 years. It was interesting to realize the new brand was helping launch the re-birth of the "new" xerox. And for any of us who have gone through this process, it is a real opportunity to look at all of our communication pieces under one umbrella to get the messaging and execution on target.

The YouTube clip shows Gabby, the daughter of one of Edward's colleagues, talking about the different products and demonstrating the strength of xerox's products vs. the competition. I love it. Gabby has a lot of presence and the videos are fantastic. To me, it shows the boldness xerox is willing to take and the strength of their products. It also shows the importance of social media to xerox (actually, using the right mix and the right messages) AND social responsibility - an integral part of their fabric. Clearly, to develop products like these, it has to be in their DNA - green is not a bandwagon concept for xerox.

An interesting look into the world of xerox...I wish Edward would have shared what didn't work for them. However, the really important part of Ed's message... the one of getting comfortable with risk taking and being strategic (so one can turn the ordinary into extraordinary) was very well received.

Tags: Brand Stories, Cool Stuff, Green Design, Guerrilla Marketing, Interactives, Media, People, Technology

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April 08, 2008 9:05 AM

Simple, Yet Effective

Posted byDarren Coon

I found this on www.aboutcolonblank.com. A simple guerrilla marketing installation that generated a lot of interest and interaction for Google Video. Check out their 2-minute promo video on YouTube.

Tags: Advertising, Creative Inspirations, Guerrilla Marketing, People

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April 03, 2008 11:27 AM

Dove Appeals to "Head. Heart. Gut." with Self Esteem Campaign

Posted byMatt Hubbard

I recently saw Marc Gobe speak at GlobalShop 2008 in Chicago. Marc is the author of Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People and Brand Jam: Humanizing Brands Through Emotional Design.

Like you, I've seen dozens of speakers, consultants and gurus speak about their brand methodology over the years. Most are good. A few are bad. And even fewer are great. I would put Marc in the great category.

His approach centers on establishing the emotional profile of your brand (I like it already). His process follows a simple "Head, Heart, and Gut" analysis that explores the emotional depth of a brand's connection to its users. The "Head" analysis explores the logical connection a brand makes. The "Heart" analysis explores the level of relationship a brand establishes with its users. And the "Gut" analysis explores the extent to which desire is stimulated by the brand.

Marc argues, I think correctly, that when a brand is successful connecting at all three levels, it forms a stronger bond with its users, is less sensitive to price, and ultimately, competes at a different level in the market.

His most compelling example of a brand that has achieved this level is Dove. They show tremendous courage with their "Dove Self Esteem Fund" initiative. Take a look at the video above to see how they use emotion to establish a completely different kind of relationship with their market.

Tags: Brand Stories, People

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March 27, 2008 11:40 AM

Color = Emotion = Brand Identity

Posted byAngela Heiple

What color is your brand? Do the colors of your logo match the personality of your company? Or at least the image you're trying to project?

While attending Global Shop in Chicago last week, I was fortunate enough to catch several inspirational conference sessions about retail design. One common theme was the importance of making an emotional connection with consumers, and how companies can do this through great design. Another common theme was color. And on more than one occasion the two themes were combined.

How can designers use color to emotionally connect consumers with their brand?

Brian Priest of Upshot shared the example of West Elm, a furniture and home accessory store that categorizes its products by color rather than product type. Instead of designing separate sections for pillows, lamps and couches, the products are integrated in rooms of blue, green, orange-- creating a much more emotional shopping experience. A more abstract example given by Emotional Branding author Marc Gobe is a Sao Paulo convenience store that stocks its shelves according to the colors of product packaging creating aisles of colorful "murals".

In both examples, the unique use of color is very purposeful, making a brand statement and certainly connecting on some emotional level with the consumer. But what about the more subtle use of color that you might find in brand id's?

For fun, I clicked around on the internet to find out what the colors of our brand logo might subconsciously convey to customers. And what I discovered was pretty right on with the personality of our company.

gray = Stability. Trustworthiness. Conservatism.

orange = Vibrant. Energy. Play.

What do the colors of your logo say about your brand?

Tags: Brand Stories, People, Environmental Design

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Developed by the creatives of EWI Worldwide to inform, inspire and engage. YSA promotes innovation and creativity within the world of Live Communications, by sharing fresh ideas and creative applications from a variety of perspectives.

"Creative in our industry is no longer about architecture and design, but understanding the most effective means of communicating a client's story and meeting their business objectives. We built YSA to provide a source of inspiration in our industry, where creative and storytelling come together to achieve a higher meaning and a greater result."

-- Bud Price, CCO, EWI Worldwide

For more on "Live Communications", visit www.ewiworldwide.com.

Your Story Alive

YSA

EWI Worldwide

Tim Brown: The powerful link between creativity and play

Aviation Spirit

Gravity Free: 2008 Launches "The Year of Dangerous Minds"

Xerox's Journey Helped by Gabby, the Green Gene Kid

Simple, Yet Effective

Dove Appeals to "Head. Heart. Gut." with Self Esteem Campaign

Color = Emotion = Brand Identity