25. The World Is Your Studio

Adobe is capitalizing on the understanding that great ideas can show up anywhere, with the invention of their new touch applications for digital sketchpads. The first app that caught my attention was Adobe Ideas. Not only do I want the app, but also an ipad to use it with. Paper notebooks are great, but everyone knows that the world is moving in a digital direction. Adobe Ideas allows you to use creative suite methods to capture ideas anywhere you go, and easily share them with others. Adobe has it right when they say The world is your studio. I'm all for keeping creative methods of the past alive. I'm all about hand drawn everything and sketching out my ideas in my spiral notebook. But i know that it's not realistic to think that I can continue to use these methods and expect to keep up with my competitors in design and advertising. While switching straight from hand-drawn to creative suite might be a little too difficult to tackle, I think Adobe's touch apps offer the perfect transition opportunity.

24. Agency vs. Client

In the world of good branding, my destination is still uncertain. At this point its still not clear about whether I'll end up on the client side or on the agency side. No matter which side I'm on, there's one thing I'm sure of: I want to be a part of a great brand. Today, my example is JetBlue. I could dedicate my entire blog to JetBlue and still not cover all there is to say about this brand. In the comparison of agency to client, I'll be comparing to Mullen to JetBlue. First, check out this ad campaign Mullen created for JetBlue back in 2010:

After watching these videos and getting a better understanding of Mullen's branding process and strategy, I'm still torn in the decision between client and agency. What this campaign has done is made me fully appreciate the personality of JetBlue, which makes me want to be a part of that brand identity. But the campaign has also made me interested in the great work that Mullen was able to do because of the great client they had. If there's one thing I can take away from this, I think its that on either side of the equation, the most important thing is the brand itself. This is what brings client and agency together; And if you don't have a great brand, you won't produce great work. It's as simple as that.

23. From 1984 to 2012

When apple introduced the Macintosh personal computer for the first time on American television, they had no idea of the cultural footprint they would be leaving for centuries to come."1984" was revolutionary. It became a signature representation of apple computers. There are many reasons for why this idea was so incredibly successful, two of them being:
1. It was only aired once. It's only U.S. televised broadcast was on January 22, 1984 during and as part of the telecast of the third quarter of Super Bowl XVIII. It was never again televised as a commercial after that. This made it kind of like a "once in a lifetime" phenomenon. It's not like you could just look up the video on YouTube if you missed it the first time; this was 1984.
2. Originality ahead of its time. When put in context with the other commercials aired during that super bowl, "1984" is in a category all its own. Even now, in today's technologically advanced society, this idea  still possesses revolutionary originality beyond its years. Just take a look at this 1984 commercial for dominos pizza that also aired during that superbowl. How can you even compare the two?

With that said, imagine what Apple's "1984" concept would look like if it had been produced today. Well, you don't really have to imagine it, you can just watch this recreation for ABC's new series, The Duet.

But can you really compare the invention of the Macintosh computer to yet another version of a talent search TV show? Theres no question that "1984" was a revolutionary concept that received phenomenal reception for Apple, but that isn't necessarily going to be the case for ABC just because they copied the idea. Apple was successful because their product was just as revolutionary as the commercial that introduced it. While ABC's commercial is thoughtful and creative, its hard to see it leaving the same cultural impact that was created the first time around.

22. A Few Words of Advice

"Dear Emily,

Thank you very much for your interest in the Publicity Intern position at Pixar. 

We are fortunate to have many qualified candidates apply to each of our positions, and after careful consideration, we have decided to move forward with other candidates who more closely meet the needs of the position. 

We wish you success in your career endeavors and sincerely appreciate your interest in Pixar!
 
Best wishes, 
Pixar Recruiting"

But, this is how I look at it:

" The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to show us how badly we want something. Because the brick walls are there to stop the people who don't want it badly enough. They're there to stop the other people."

- Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture

I can't say that I'm not even a little bit sad about receiving this email, because deep down I wanted to think that I at least had a chance. 97% acknowledged how competitive of a program this was and therefore had realistic expectations about the outcome of my application. But there was still that 3% of me that absorbed all the confidence I have and let me play with the idea that there was even the slightest possibility that this could happen, and it could be me. With all that said, I can honestly say that I wasn't at all surprised by the rejection. Which is why I made certain that I have other arrangements lined up for the summer, that I'm really looking forward to. I have an opportunity to do some freelance work through a creative agency in San Francisco, called Creative Circle. From this experience and my summer planning, I've learned 3 very important things:
1. Always, always, always be persistent.
I sent over 100 emails to advertising and creative agencies in San Francisco about 4 months ago, inquiring about any possible opportunities they might have for internships or shadowing programs. What did I get back? absolutely nothing. Over 100 emails out, and not a single one of them returned. I was so shocked and confused that I called the only person I know who's kind of obligated to hear my whine and complain about my frustrations, my mother. But I'm really glad I did, because she shared some really important advice that will help me no matter what I end up doing in life. She told me to always be persistent. She said I needed to show them that I'm not the person who just sends out a bunch of emails to hundreds of different agencies and just expects to get something promising in return. I have to make an effort to show them that I'm here to stay, whether they chose to act on it or not. I have to follow up and let them know that I'm still interested and willing to stay on top of it because that shows them how much I want it. It show that I can get over the brick wall because I want it that badly.
2. Make the connection.
Its all about who you know. I can't stress this enough. Even the brightest and most talented people need connections. What you know and what you're capable of doing is not enough to get you where you need to be. Make as many connections as you possibly can, and keep track of them. Because one of those connections just might open the door to your future. I would not have gotten the opportunity to work with Creative Circle this summer without my connections. If my mother's friend's daughter hadn't worked in San francisco and reached out to her friends working in the city, the opportunity would have never exisited. Its all about who you know, and more importantly, who they know.
3. Embrace the brick wall.
If I let myself feel defeated for not beating the odds and getting the Pixar internship, I would gain nothing at all from the experience. This experience has two things to offer: an internship, and an opportunity to learn, grow, and move forward. I didn't get the internship, but I did get something i believe is just as valuable. This is such a major part of the real world. There will always be "other candidates who more closely meet the needs of the position". There will always be hundreds of people with your skills, your talent, and your persistence. You have to stand out by embracing the brick wall. You can't let yourself be defeated by the realization that you're not the only qualified candidate. The brick wall is there for a reason. The brick wall allows you to prove that you're able to take rejection and turn it into a positive experience that pushes you to move on to bigger and better things.

21. Brand Identity Theft

Have you ever thought of brand as more than just a brand? There's quite a few examples of brands that are commonly mistaken for the name of the product they represent. For Example:
- People often refer to tissues as Kleenex when in fact, Kleenex is just a type of tissue.
- People often refer to lip balm as Chapstick, when in fact chapstick is only one type of lip balm.
- People often refer to hot tubs as Jacuzzis, when in fact a Jacuzzi is only one type of the many hot tub brands that exist.

= ?

You'd think brands would be honored to be recognized on this sort of level. But I think it might actually do more harm then good. All brands want to be the most recognized by consumers. But when consumers think that tissues and Kleenex are the same thing, that doesn't necessarily mean they are going to purchase the Kleenex brand. This synonymous relationship makes it incredibly difficult for Kleenex to establish itself as a brand, apart from the product it represents.  I find myself guilty of contributing to this common misconception all the time. I'll go to the store with the intention of buying Chapstick, but what that really means to me is that I'm buying Burt's Bees. I forget that Chapstick is not a product, its a brand. Lip Balm is the product. These misconceptions have been so ingrained in our culture that it's hard for me to separate the terms from the identities. It's interesting to think about...

20. All-Natural Brand Authenticity

I thought I'd do a little research on the advertising behind Burt's Bees. For every lip balm purchase I've made in the past couple of years, Burt's bees has been my product of choice. This isn't because of any advertisements I've seen, because now that I think of it, I've never actually seen an Ad campaign for Burt's Bees. I think my decision is based entirely on the way they present themselves as a brand. Among all the other lip balms on the shelf, Burt's Bees stands out as a product that is natural and authentic. I did a little research on the agency that works on Burt's Bees' branding and discovered Baldwin&, a small agency that also places importance on brand authenticity.

Check out the video Baldwin& produced to promote the authenticity of their client:
An All-Natural Animated Short Made of Tinted Lip Balm

19. It's All Greek To Me

Today while enjoying my Chobani greek yogurt I started thinking about the reason I chose this brand over all of it's competitors. Then i did some research. I found out that Chobani is No. 1 in sales in the booming Greek Yogurt segment of the yogurt market. Part of Chobani's success comes from encouraging consumers to share their own stories through social media. They have developed their brand personality by attempting to connect with consumers on a personal level. In charge of their campaign efforts is a creative agency called Gotham. I immediately identified with the agency's culture. Gotham identifies it's culture as a group of doers who welcome optimism.
"We welcome optimism. We welcome the impossible idea, because we understand that the notion of making the impossible possible not only drives inspiration within, but opens one’s mind to the unexpected. Optimism allows one to look at a completely different and alternative side to an issue; to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles and barriers. When it comes to our clients’ businesses, we believe we can accomplish anything."
This is an agency that understands the 8 secrets of success and is actively pursuing each and every one. So back to my original point, I'm not really sure why I picked Chobani. But maybe it's because i was subconsciously aware of the effort Gotham has made to present Chobani as a brand that consumers can personally connect with. Or maybe it's just because I liked the packaging. Either way, my decision lead me to two exciting discoveries:
1.) The existence of Gotham, the creative agency responsible for putting Chobani on top.
and
2.) A new way to think about ad agency culture and the driving force behind successful work.

18. The Secrets of Success

The 8 secrets of Success, according to Richard St. John:

1. Be passionate

2. Work hard

3. Practice, Practice, Practice

4. Stay focused

5. Push yourself

6. Serve others something of value

7. Always generate new ideas

8. Be persistent

Of course, these are all things that can apply to any profession in which one might wish to be successful. But I think these 8 points also account for the difference between the 10% of brilliant advertising and the 90% of crap that exists today.The best ad campaigns are the result of collaboration between many different people. Though these people are all very different, they all share the same 8 values in their work ethic. They are all passionate about what they do. They have identified the reason for why they do what they do and it gives them a purpose to show up to work every day, ready to be a part of something that might just change the way you and I think about something. They know that good things don't come easy. They know they have to work hard to reach their goal and produce good work. But they appreciate every step of the journey, no matter how many obstacles they meet, because they know that the experience is just as rewarding as the destination. They know that success doesn't come easy. They understand that the best work is the result of practice, practice, and more practice. Everything they do is a learning experience. The more they practice, the more they learn. They are able to get through the obstacles and challenges because they are focused. They keep the end in mind because it helps them push through the hard times. And that's how they keep going, they keep pushing themselves no matter what. In the end its all worth it because they're able to serve others something of value, and that's the most rewarding thing you can possibly be a part of. But none of this would be possible of course if each and every one of these people wasn't constantly generating new ideas. After all, advertising is the idea industry. Without new ideas, there's no such thing as progress or change. Lastly, the most successful Ad people demonstrate the outcome of persistence. When you're persistent, you prove that you believe in something, and that you're willing to stick through it all just to be a part of something bigger than yourself.

17. Meet David

This hilarious commercial isn't the only discovery I made while exploring Ad Age today! After watching this video I dug a little deeper to find out who it was made by and where the idea behind it was born. And then I discovered David. David made me think of something I've never really taken the time to think critically about before: the typical formula of agency names. David is unusual because, unlike many agencies, it's a first name. Traditionally there are many agencies that go by the last names of their founders. And the more I think about it, the more examples I come up with for these "last name" agencies. There's Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, there's Young & Rubicam, and there's Wieden & Kennedy. The list goes on and on but the point is that they all follow the same formula. David is different because David acknowledges the formula, but decides to put an end to it and start a new tradition. With the name of the agency alone, I already know David is different. David is a person; someone you can identify with. In fact, David is a person that most people already know by a slightly longer name: David Ogilvy. Most people are familiar with Ogilvy & Mather. And soon they'll be able to recognize the good work that's produced by a "first name" agency with a fresh new perspective.

16. The New JetBlue

I recently read an article on Ad Age about how JetBlue has become one of the hottest brands in America. Marty St. George, Senior VP of marketing, considers JetBlue to a challenger brand, founded on differentiation. When you think JetBlue, you think XM radio, leather, five consecutive J.D. power awards, and the most legroom of any airline. When I think JetBlue, I think of my 8th grade trip to D.C, New York, and Philadelphia led by my history teacher. New York was the last stop of the trip and my mom and I stayed 4 nights longer than the rest of the group. Our flight home was my first JetBlue experience. What do I remember the most? REAL SNACKS and my own T.V. Six years later and I still remember that JetBlue was my favorite flying experience. It didn't even matter that it was a 5 hour flight. In fact, I wished it had been longer! Because of the experience they created, I will forever have a positive impression of the jetBlue brand.

15. Creative Collaboration

Its our nature to be competitive. We all strive to be the best and prove that we can do great things as individuals. But sometimes I think we get too caught up in this idea to realize all the amazing things that could be done if we set the competition aside and made room for collaboration. When we collaborate with others, we open so many doors to new possibilities and potentially brilliant ideas. Today in my Visual Aesthetics class, my teacher showed us a video called "Destino". This video was the result of a collaboration of two individually accomplished and talented people: Walt Disney and Salvador Dali. As fascinating as the film itself is the juxtaposition of the two creative geniuses behind it. There truly was no reason for these two very different people to ever cross paths. Both creative and talented, their interests and visions seemed to lie on completely different ends of the spectrum. On one end is Walt Disney, the all-American cartoonist and creator of world's most well-known fictional characters. On the other end is Salvador Dali, a spanish surrealist widely recognized for his striking and bizarre artwork.

Separately these two innovators have created amazing work, but together they were able to create something entirely new and incredibly brilliant. Discoveries such as this one prove how powerful collaboration can truly be.

14. A Youthful Twist

Jonathan Mak, A 20 year old student from Hong Kong has produced some pretty impressive work as a young designer. Mr.Mak created a simply beautiful design of the Apple logo with Steve Jobs' silhouette making up the bite. He had know idea that his deign would go viral and end up in newspapers and websites everywhere. This design also caught the attention of Graham Fink, chief officer of Ogilvy & Mather China. Fink offered Mak an assignment that he had just presented to his creative team. The brief was: "Sharing a Coke". Mak reworked Coke's iconic white ribbon swirl to incorporate two hands coming together to share a bottle of coke. Mak is by no means a professional designer. But his work just goes to show that even in the midst of you studies, you can still make a difference if you're willing to put yourself out there and accept a challenge.

13. Just Think Pinterest

When you're precious time is not being consumed by Facebook or Twitter, it's a very likely possibility that that it is being spent on Pinterest. Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. I like pinterest because its an idea goldmine. I consider myself a very visual and organized person, so Pinterest is great because it's full of interesting and inspiring visuals that I can "collect" in my own personal way, and then organize however I choose.
Now if you're familiar with pinterest, you're probably familiar with their logo; and that's where the point of this blog post comes in. Continuing on my journey to investigate the world's most creative minds, i stumbled upon Juan Carlos Pagan, the Pinterest logo designer now making waves at DDB New York.
Like myself, Juan considers himself a typeface geek. After reading about his journey to where he is now, I think its safe to attribute a majority of his achievements to his sincere love for typography. It gave him a reason to think of the world as a canvas of inspiration and ideas waiting to be found. DDB provided him with just the opportunity he needed to combine his love of typography with his motivation and the freedom to take risks. The outcome was simply brilliant.


The AHA Moment
My Creative Strategist professor, Deb Morisson, often tells us that "only 10% of the advertising we see today is brilliant. The rest is all crap". I was shocked to see that this concept was confirmed by Juan when asked about his thoughts on the state of design in advertising. He responded,
"The truth is I think a lot of things lie within mediocre. It's like a microcosm for society and people - 10% are exceptional, there's 80% in the middle, and then 10% that's horrible. Design, in terms of advertising, a lot of it you're seeing is in that 80%. You're seeing it, but you're not really seeing it. You're not really engaged. I think we're striving here to do the top 10%."
This is EXACTLY what Deb has been explaining to us all along! And there it is, confirmed by an accomplished designer who lives and works among the reality of this concept. I love making these kind of connections between the important things I have learned. It reinforces all the great knowledge and wisdom that is worth absorbing and passing on.

12. "Our Jar Of Almonds Is Pretty Creative"

The Background

I think it's always a good idea to do your research on the people who do great things, especially when its related to what you aspire to do. These are the people you should look up to and admire. They're stories and advice can be of great benefit to you as you dream of one day being in their shoes. As an aspiring creative, I'm constantly looking in to who's who in the world of advertising. I want to know who's responsible for the incredible ideas circulating throughout our culture. And when I find those people, i want to know what makes them tick. What makes them interesting? Who and what inspired them to see the world the way they do? Where do their ideas come from? If their life was a book, what would be on page 4,893? I think it's important to know as much as you can about where creativity and comes from and how it exists in so many different forms. I found a link on creativity-online titled Creative's You Should Know. This discovery inspired me to learn about as many creative people as I can, because there will never be such a thing as too much inspiration.

Today, i learned about Graham Douglas, a copywriter for Droga5 in New York. I learned that creatives don't always provide normal responses to normal questions. When Asked what his biggest creative inspiration was, Graham responded with "Our jar of almonds is creative". To most people, showers are the best was to get clean and feel refreshed. For Graham, they serve as way for him to recharge his creativity.

My AHA Moment

I 100% agree with Graham when he says that everything is a potential creative influence. Regardless of the cliche factor, its the truth. If theres one thing I can conclude from researching creatives, its that no two sources of creative inspiration are the same. Everyone is unique and creative in their own way, and therefore so are the things that influence and inspire them. It makes perfect sense.

The Take-Away

"Trust your gut". Don't second guess yourself. Be true to who you are. There's plenty of ways to say, but  it all generally means the same thing. The important thing is that you actually do it.

11. GET INSPIRED

Rory Sutherland, Vice Chairman of the Ogilvy Group UK and Ogilvyone,  gives a TED talk titled, "Life Lessons From an Ad Man".

WATCH IT.

get inspired. 

10. Read Me

The more you read, the more you learn. The more you learn, the more you know. And while I've discovered that the advertising industry is primarily about who you know, what you know still matters. So while you're waiting for that one-in-a-million kind of connection to come along,  you might as well read what some of the top advertising minds consider to be their go-to books on creative inspiration. This list just goes to show that everyone is inspired by something. The best way to engage your imagination and creativity is to expose yourself to as many new things as possible: new books, new experiences, new people, new food, new art (the list goes on and on!).

What's the best book on creativity you've ever read? 

Wow, that's a tough one. But if I had to pick one, and only one, it would have to be "The Jolly Pocket Postman" by Janet & Allan Ahlberg. It was one of the first books I can remember reading before I was even old enough to color inside the lines. This book was so exciting to me because it opened up my mind to so many new possibilities. It was no longer about the traditional stories, it was all about this book with pockets and letters and new surprises on every page. This isn't the greatest book ever written and it certainly doesn't belong on the New York Times Bestseller list. But in my life, I consider it to be one of the most important things I've ever read, because of how it's shaped my imagination and creativity.

9. Recreating the Experience

In a 15 second TV commercial, Ogilvy Mumbai discovered how to recreate the sensational experience of eating Sour Mentos Marbles. They found that the feeling you get from eating sour mentos is very similar to the experience of hearing nails on a chalkboard. Ogilvy used this unique similarity to creatively capture the essence of the product in a 15 second commercial that is sure to get a reaction. This is just another great example of how good advertising involves thinking outside of the box.

8. Logo Logistics

Some people consider a logo to be the most important component of brand strategy. I like to think of a logo as a first impression. If done well and creatively, it can attract people to look further into what a brand has to offer. Sometimes people base their entire purchasing decision on the better looking brand, rather than the better quality product. That's not to say that the logo is the only thing that matters, because it isnt. But if you have a good logo you can almost ensure a good first impression. A good logo design is highly instrumental in establishing a business brand and creating a long lasting impression among its customers.

The best logos have three things in common:

1.) Visual Representation

2.) They're Memorable

3.) They're Unique

Its always an effective strategy to incorporate what your brand has to offer in the design of your logo.
I stumbled upon a blog with 100 creative designs and the stuff I found just blew me away. All of these examples were unlike any other logos I've seen before. They were completely unique, memorable, and masters of visual representation. Next time you see a new logo, ask yourself: What does this logo say about the brand it represents?