Non-profit organizations and political movements are often so laser-focused on their goals, they fail to see the importance of process and the best path forward. Even fewer have a talented team of brand-builders on the job. Thankfully, the ACLU is the exception to this rule. According to Fast Company, the ACLU’s product development team is mobilizing The Resistance using data visualization, sticky design, and an …
Perpetual Reinvention and Forward Movement—Cabell Harris & Co. Are WORKin On It
Cabell Harris and his agency, WORK Labs in Richmond, Virginia are industry famous. Deservedly so. Now in its 25th year of, WORK is a design-forward, five-person shop that operates from the ground floor of the Harris home. According to Richmond Biz Sense this is about to change. Harris said he is looking into possibly locating his company in a joint venture with some of his clients. In related news, WORK …
Candidates and Causes, Like Companies, Must Design Their Path To Victory
I hope that candidates from coast-to-coast are studying Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s historic win this week in New York and asking themselves what they might learn. There are quite a few political lessons to focus on, but there's also a communications lesson. Fast Company was one of the first to correctly identify her campaign's visual identity as a primary driver. In posters, on Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign …
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Future Ad Makers of America Get Schooled In Pasadena
When you want to study advertising today, where do you go to school? Depending on your educational and professional objectives, there are a handful of excellent options. There's VCU Brandcenter, University of Texas, University of Oregon, University of Colorado, and the portfolio schools. Another path can be found at Savannah College of Art and Design (where Luke Sullivan teaches). Finally, future ad makers will …
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Beautiful Posters for Puppies
Donald Trump is the first U.S. president without a companion animal in 130 years. The last was Andrew Johnson. He was impeached. In a new campaign created by the community, PETA urges President Trump to adopt and feel the adoration of a loyal dog. It's a simple act that could save one dog and the world. PETA hopes that Trump will be inspired to adopt one of the 2,100 dogs currently waiting in animal …
Colle McVoy Takes “Minnesota Nice” To Another Level
When Jen Stack, Director of Communications at Colle McVoy, sends me something, I pay attention. I pay attention because Colle McVoy in Minneapolis sends the best branded merchandise, a.k.a. gifts, of anyone in the business. Whether it's a packet of notecards, chocolates, or a new planner for 2018, it's always well-made, thoughtful and useful. Because the care and the love comes shining through, time and again, I …
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Designer/Archeologist Restores Old Outdoor Ads (To Something Beyond Their Former Glory)
According to Portland Monthly, 3D designer Craig Winslow has turned a yearlong creative residency with Adobe into a fascinating new art project. Using a technique called projection mapping, Winslow takes clues from ghost ads on city walls and recreates the original ads on his computer to scale. Then he projects them back onto the wall. For the next year I'll be literally shining light on layers of …
Legal Cannabis Is A Massive Opportunity for Marketing and Media Pros
Legal cannabis—medical and recreational—is a burgeoning opportunity for cannabis entrepreneurs like retailers and growers. It's also a wide open opportunity for the larger ecosystem that supports this industry, including design shops, ad agencies, and media organizations. I recently had dinner with an account executive in Portland and asked him who was knocking on his shop's door. The answer in Denver, Seattle, …
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