ONE OF OUR OWN - AMAZINGLY POIGNANT INSTALLATION

Graphic Design student and former intern has sent along a pretty fantastic art installation that he conceived while at design school. Patrick is a pretty creative guy and really has some big thinking behind the things he produces. He has come a long way and has found a bit of a foot hold in this voice that he has always had but grown into expressing outwardly. The experiment is simple. Find common, dingy shoes at various Goodwills and such. Polish them up and make them look like they were new. Display them simply to show off their new facade. Look closer and realize that there is a great message stirring here. Maybe something along the lines, without getting to presumptuous or pretentious, of no matter where you've walked before, tomorrow is a new day. Or maybe something like an old pair of shoes can become something new and full of life with a little bit of pride and joy. Maybe a matter of just shifting our perspective. 

Check out more work - www.patrickenelson.com

CREATIVITY - TREVOR HUBBARD/823

Creativity Magazine Blog, written by Ivy Chuang Full Article

It is San Francisco Design Week this week and there has been a flurry of events ongoing around town. I presented Knoend's Passage for Peace concept at Pecha Kucha last night at the Harlot Nightclub. This was the first time I had attended a Pecha Kucha night and it was fantastically fun. 

Pecha Kucha means "chit-chat" in Japanese. Pecha Kucha Night, devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham architecture, was conceived in 2003 as a place for young designers to meet, network, and show their work in public. Each presenter is allowed 20 images, each shown for 20 seconds each, which gives six minutes 40 seconds of fame before the next presenter is up. The format has spread to over 100 cities and, in San Francisco, last night marked the 34th edition. The 20x20 format really forces someone to get straight to the point about a topic or project, and it turns out six minutes and 40 seconds allows us just enough time to grasp a concept and wrap our heads around it. The theme last night was CAUSE, and 12 presenters shared their projects and views in relation to the topic. 

A few stuck out in my mind: 

823 Key Project Necklace 

Trevor Hubbard presented the 823 Key Project that he started in January of this year. He had given a friend of his that was having a tough time period, a necklace with an antique key as a pendant. He encouraged her with the well-known saying, "When one door closes, another opens..." Trevor then had the idea to convert this gesture into a movement, and a grant foundation for the arts. By selling these key necklaces he would raise enough money to provide artists with grants. The magic number is 823, which he explained, in the old pager days meant "thinking of you." Which I don't really understand, but is fine with me. When 823 necklaces were sold, a call for artists would open and a 25,000 grant would be made on behalf of the project.

PECHA KUCHA VOL. 34 - 823KEYPROJECT DESIGN & CAUSE

Last night was a magical evening for the design community in San Francisco. Yes, it exists. And sorry to use the word 'magical' but I must say there were some fantastic projects and talented people speaking on things they felt passionately about in the design and art world in the context of 'CAUSE" which was the theme.

I was asked to speak at the Pecha Kucha Vol 34. If you don't know what Pecha Kucha (Japanese trans - discussion) is all about then check out the website. It is a discussion series of speakers that have 20 slides, 20 seconds per slide (6 min, 40 sec) to give a presentation on the relevant topic or theme. 823KEYPROJECT was an obvious match for this event and of course the topic 'CAUSE'.

The idea of building communities is something that is important to me. Even the BUTCHERSHOP is like its own little micro-community of upstanding citizens that may or may not do weird shit behind closed doors, but that is none of my business, or yours. As I stood on stage and went through the slides (see slide presentation under 823KEYPROJECT case study here) there was an incredible energy in the room. It was a fantastic experience to speak about the passion and drive behind 823KEYPROJECT.

The photo above is slide 4 in the presentation - the context was that a friend of mine named Angie was part of the inspiration behind 823KEYPROJECT and to keep her anonymity I kept her identity secret.

SO FRESH AND SO CLEAN, CLEAN

BUTCHERSHOP was hired to re-brand and create a new identity for the North Beach Jazz Fest which has now be renamed The North Beach Jazz & Heritage Festival (NBJHF). The annual festival is set to take place July 22 at various venues in the North Beach district of San Francisco over a 5 night period. Adrian Goddard and Alistair Monroe of MEGSF, long time event planners and promoters, approached BUTCHERSHOP with vigor and new energy for their brand, which quickly spun into a wonderful partnership. BUTCHERSHOP will work hard to create a visually and emotionally relevant brand that breaks down the barriers and preconceived stereotypical jazz festivals, appealing to a younger, culturally savvy and enlightened target market. Goddard and Monroe have stressed the importance of bringing about the 'heritage' aspects of the festival which opens up the festival to new and different genres of music. Stay tuned for more.

Miles Davis featured in above photograph.

MONSTER CONSPIRACY THEORY

So, I hate to write this entry because I am not a conspiracy theorist but some things line up so well that I have to offer some thoughts. It just came out in the news last week (BBC) that trace amounts of cocaine were found in RED BULL COLA. So, the "liquid crack" joke is a joke no more. Red Bull argues that it is so miniscule and Cola products use the plant for flavoring and it is legal. Okay, so thats fine, but Red Bull seems smart and they should know that the media is going to blow this way out of proportion. They always do.

A week later, Germany bans all Red Bull products. Subsequent european cities are sure to follow. The big question is whether the United States will ban the products too. If they do ban Red Bull products then there will be a $1.5 billion gap in the US energy drink market which accounts for 32% market share. Which means that the $4.5 billion energy drink business in the United States is wide open for none other than, you guessed it Monster. Conspiracy Theory insert here...

We all know that corporate warfare is real and it happens often times subtly behind the scenes and sometimes blatantly right in front of our consumer driven eyes. Monster is owned by Hansens Co. Hansens Co, for Monster, recently signed a distribution deal with Coca-Cola which is absolutely huge. Coke new this and so did Monster, despite Coke having their own energy drink called Full Throttle. Monster in the last year also significantly cut their marketing budgets as if they were sitting, waiting for something. What could that be? Well, you may say that Red Bull Cola is the one in trouble, but most people only hear what they want to hear and that is RED BULL!

So, if you can see where I am going with this then you are keeping up? Monster increases distribution channels, sits on marketing budgets like a sleeping giant, then (going out on a limb of pure speculation), probably leaks the Cocaine in Red Bull Cola story in europe, knowing that it will spread to the US, tarnishing a good reputation of the behemoth known as RED BULL! Could this be true? Maybe. But then again, energy drinks are silently killing people anyways and they don't even know it so who the fuck cares. Kudos to the orchestrator of this endeavor at Monster or Hansens.

823KEYPROJECT - RUSSELL WARD SPEAKS

NBC Los Angeles - In Good Company by Anna Carranza Photo by Amanda Olmstead

Russell Ward, co-founder of The Confluence, seeks to rebuild the embattled music industry model. He is constructing his own select socially conscious lifestyle portfolio composed of fashion, music, and artists. 

What better place than L.A., the hub of music marketing?  

On a overcast balmy Sunday afternoon at the 3rd Street Promenade, Ward, tall and boyishly charming, sips his black coffee. Conversation flows easily and one gets the sense something exciting is going to happen.

“With the diminishing record label industry, the new power is going back to artists and managers. We are trying to provide ourselves leverage in the situation instead of hoping for a label to get marketing, booking, licensing... The labels for the most part are invested in a failed model. We can fill the gaps in the artist’s profile."

“It’s never been a better time for elbow grease to be converted into awareness and subsequent success."

Confluence defined is a coming together of people, things and ideas. Ward's progressive brand is the coming together of a select community that he has carefully cultivated. He and his partner, Adam Krim, met through music and shared values. The start-up began with online and offline marketing products and bringing consumers together.

They led with their passions and knew that success would follow. It has been over a year since they've teamed up and their public launch tour in L.A, San Francisco and San Diego, collaborations with Flaunt Magazine, Project Hope and a hustling street team, have kept the partners busy. Confluence's music stable includes, Vokab Kompany, AdamandEvil, and Blvd.

“Music is just a branding exercise and with our relationships we knew we could bring effective channels... We're blessed to select bands we want to work with.” Ward said.

Ward's acquisitions give power to the collective thought. What resonates with him emotionally he believes will resonate with his target audience.  The newest addition, 823keyproject, creates one-of-a kind skeleton key necklaces. The project gives grants to artists and enables the consumer to track proceeds.

He grins, understanding the challenges ahead  and finishes his coffee, “Relationships are the new currency.” With Ward and company in the game, the future of social media is a beautiful thing.