by Tim Girvin | Brands, Cool People | Mar 25, 2026
A legacy of collaborations with Elisabeth Lesser, Co-Founder of the Omega Institute If you’re an explorer of holistic wellness, you might be familiar with The Omega Institute. In its latest manifestation, as a description, it’s defined, on their website, as “a...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts, Scent | Feb 27, 2026
Jáime les sensation forte Wind at my back, ocean waves roaring overhead, standing in the middle of the storm-cast river running, & climbing an old tree in the middle of winter, snow falling. I like the strong sensation…and here it is, in the weaving of winds,...
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Motion Pictures, Retail, Storytelling | Feb 18, 2026
Classical lettercraft meets a precision draft, engraved in steel. In the spring cleaning of our moves to GIRVIN’s 16th office location, in the West Queen Anne Elementary School, in Seattle I was sorting through a grouping of files—like a large grouping, dozens of...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts, Storytelling | Feb 11, 2026
A brand allegory reveals itself in an ancient practice A question for you might be—”have you ever stacked stones?” “And, what for, why did you arrange them?” Start at the bottom, rise up. Stacking stones is a symbolic act and it’s a global proposition—...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts | Feb 5, 2026
And a good question: what are you paying attention to—and why? As brand people—idealists, founders, makers, strategists, writers, designers, customers and guests—we focus on how our experiencers are paying attention. It’s interesting [as it always is, in my historical...
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Storytelling | Jan 28, 2026
50 years ago, I got my first passport, it was in 1976—a US Bicentennial year. This was my first international travel, alone. I was 23 years old. But it was the beginning of a journey that would change my life. I’d been corresponding with designers in the US, as well...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts, Storytelling | Nov 26, 2025
And gratitude in being. I was talking to a theatrical advertising designer at Paramount Studios about making. And, as creatives, “how do we make?” Imagination, mind, fist, fingers, lips—mouth and tongue, eyes and ears. What we absorb, as humans, and what we express is...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts, Motion Pictures | Nov 21, 2025
What sways to blandishment? A lot of discussions around last week’s blog— and the notion of brand blandism, and some asked, “wait, so you’re saying that san serif is too bland, too plain, not… ‘exciting’ enough?” No, that’s not the point. As I’d mentioned before, in a...
by Tim Girvin | Concepts | Nov 12, 2025
Modern Clinicality, Emotional Heritage and Blandism In my history as a designer, lettering artist and calligrapher, I’ve spent decades studying the history of the alphabet, from pre-Christian Greek letterform development, cut in stone and inscribed in pottery, to...
by Tim Girvin | Brands | Nov 6, 2025
As a Brand Expert, ever Get a KPI in units sold, or tonnage? What if you had a project that had a number of units for sale as a core goal—your KPI deliverable? I’m wondering, have you ever been in a situation where the expectation is in millions of units sold, or some...
