The Book of Signs, the Book of Symbols, the Sign of the Book, the Signal of the Sigil
Designed Magic, Magic Designed. It's been said that illustration, the real meaning of the word is a shining -- to illustrate is "making bright." But also -- to purify. In a manner, thinking about illustration as a craft of communication suggests change, a new, evolved...
Crafted by Hand
Designing a World: Bears, Children, Wonderment and Michele Clise Ophelia's World [Ophelia, showing above] Now and then, you get a chance to work on a project, or a succession of them, that might be reaching out to the edge of "what's that, you're looking for what?"...
The BrandQuest® That is a Journey
When You Get Out There. For the Curious, More Can Be Found. Doors opened, entries walked, the pilgrimage taken. When you get out there, closer to the heart of the story, the feeling of it: the place, the brand, the people, the story, can be found. For nearly 20 years,...
WHAT ABOUT STEVE JOBS, NOW GONE, AND APPLE?
PRODUCT DESIGN, CAPTIVATION AND THE APPLE SIGNATURE I was talking to a young engineer about the principled ideation of Apple industrial design; that certain details are not only innovative not only in terms of product design creation -- they didn't exist before; or...
NORDSTROM + GIRVIN | A HISTORY OF 35 YEARS
THE HAND CRAFT OF RETAIL DESIGN IN THE BEGINNING, RETAIL DESIGN GOES BACK TO ONE SIMPLE PROPOSITION. "WHY SHOULD I BUY FROM YOU?" The implications of retail speaks to retelling -- that is, there is a story, and another story, in a story -- and you either buy it, or...
Posting posters
Billboarding, postering the story in the story in the story. [Imagery from PSFK] We've designed dozens of posters, an earlier legacy of work. But we love this Black Sabbath promotion, pointed out by Daniela Walker and "DaBitch." As Daniela notes, "the advertisement,...
Are you a Lone Ranger?
In the Journey, who is your companion? Who is your guardian, your guide, your icon, your shepherding guide? Me? Raven and crow, telling. We've noted in an earlier blog study, that we've been involved in the Lone Ranger, as designers, in the past -- the current,...
Archetypal Symbology and The Design of Place
Design thinking deep metaphors When I was working as a brand / design strategist at Procter & Gamble, on brand innovation, I'd partnered with a closely-aligned colleague there, Iain Douglas. We talked about, and worked on, the layering of ideas -- of stories, of...
The Signature of a Man
Designing the Hand-made Letter Craft of a Human Brand What the person is, show shall his signature tell his story. The signature is a graphical amalgam of emotion, traits and experiences that craft the character of the hand, the gesticulation of time, the musculature...
The Fragrance Design of Man’s World
The Scent of Maleness -- the Fragrance Design of Man's World The ArcherMen Lexicon of Fragrance. Spray it on. The New Meaning of "Air Superiority." There is something to the world of fragrance design that presumes subtlety, delicacy, restraint in the alchemy of...