Search results for: wabi sabi
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts, General | Apr 17, 2010
Exploring brand dissolution in Japan: heritage, brand storytelling and emotional resonance in community Working as a designer in Japan in the 80s, then the 90s, lead me to some extraordinary explorations, from the height of Japanese corporate design and the supremely... Read More
by Tim Girvin | Cool People, Interior Design, Marketing 2.0, Trends | Jan 29, 2013
The Touch of the Hand, the Human Presence, Retail Experience Design When I work on a restaurant, I always ask about the chef: “is he, or she, planning on being there, being present, consistently?” That, alone is a compelling proposition to managing the... Read More
by Tim Girvin | Concepts, Designers, General | Mar 24, 2007
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. I’ve always been a lover of fire. And smoke. It’s a family thing. My father is a pyrophiliac and he got me started in loving things that are on fire. Not in any sense of destruction, per se; it’s more... Read More
by Tim Girvin | Brand Mysticism, Concepts | Jun 18, 2025
Developing Hand-crafted Symbols as Deep Metaphors During my college years, I studied calligraphy with Lloyd Reynolds— the maestro of the calligraphic arts that inflamed Steve Jobs, during Steve’s limited foray at Reed College. And a core precept—this would be the I +... Read More
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Cool People, Designers, Human brands, Storytelling | Nov 4, 2011
APPLE.COM FINDING FIRE IN THE IMAGINATION OF INVENTION. M E D I T A T I O N S + M E M O R I E S iSad. These days, I’ve been writing, talking, consulting in the proverbial strategy — a great deal — about the invention of new pathways in brand development. And there are... Read More
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Storytelling | Feb 22, 2023
In our own history, we have been honored to cross from core motion picture identity to its applicable resonance in production design. Working on the Lots at Paramount, Warner Brothers and Universal, and meeting with the production crews for various film properties and... Read More
by Tim Girvin | Concepts | Oct 15, 2013
The Quest for Amazement I’m a Scot; and “wow” is a Scottish word from the 1500s. I find another reference of equal interest, the Southern New England Algonquian [Narragansett] framing, the “powwow.” powwaw “shaman, medicine man,... Read More
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts, General, Interior Design, Retail, Storytelling | Mar 22, 2008
Store one: Pike Place Market: It’s clear that Howard Schultz is loved, given the rousing support he received at the shareholder’s conference, this past week in Seattle. Even k.d. lang was there, savoring the melange of several thousand people, singing out.... Read More
by Tim Girvin | Brands, Concepts, Storytelling | Oct 28, 2014
There is a sign, and beneath that sign is another sign. Brands and palimpsest, the layers of content. When I was working in Paris, I marveled at the old shopfronts and the signing on signing — a new sign, on an old sign. You’ve seen them in your town. An old sign... Read More
by Tim Girvin | Concepts, Interior Design, Retail | Mar 27, 2009
A return to the spirit of store one. I’ve worked in the Seattle coffee brewing experience for several decades. And all the while, I’ve been a lover of coffee — and the coffee sensate experience. There are two favorites for me. One, coffee made,... Read More
