Luxury Branding and Patterning

Perhaps you know the classic rendition of “A Pattern Language”? The premise of this fine theoretical explication by Christopher Alexander is that there are a series of movements, patterns, that relate to how space, volume and presence can be reflected in...

Understanding international presentations

Examples of what your international meetings involve: Global encounters that I’ve been involved in usually relate to complex presentations involving design — and different kinds of design: identity, packaging, brand strategy, retail design and...

to applaud Al Gore, Nobel Peace Laureate

“Thank you, bless you — Al Gore; what greater giving, what better gift to the planet, than your new dawning of insights, intelligence and calm authority in advising the world — finally — to what future there might be…and what future we...

Notes to a student

I believe that the story is the way that people connect with each other. I tell you a story about me, you learn something — there’s a possible magnetic link between us; we’ve made some opening range of a connection. And from there…what, where...

Johnson & Johnson Design Center

I spent time with the team at Johnson & Johnson — first, Skilling, out past Princeton; then at their original spaces on 26th, over by the river, in Chelsea, then in their new design labs. They’ve got the best section of the building, south facing,...

Brand symbolism

When you look, you find. In working on a brand development project in eastern Washington, I was walking their vineyard to get, literally, the lay of the land. And, I’m looking for what lies beneath, what lies inside the brand story. And in any brand development,...

John Larson NBC Kiva Story

Hi and good morning. Starting off, after the absence of Labor…day. Welcome back! —- Here’s a story about a story. The thing that I believe in, personally, is that it’s sometimes hard to imagine that small things really matter — but they...