Over the past few months I have been back on Art Center College of Design’s campus in a role that was different from student, alumni or even adjunct professor. This time I was on the client’s side as I have connected Geyrhalter & Company’s client Goodwill of Orange County with Art Center’s amazing Design Matters Department handing the recently developed retail enhancement campaign over to five groups of talented students to take their lifestyle upcycle spin on it. You can now learn more about this creative collaboration on Art Center’s web site.

For a great lesson on how to immediately connect with your audience (and audiences captured via immediate viral spread), watch this video. I took it with my iPhone at the concert of the legendary band James at the El Rey Theater in Los Angeles last night. In a strategy that became a staple of the band’s entrance to their own concerts, the lead singer, sometimes accompanied by the band, starts the show in midst of the crowd (Figure A), slowly making his way onto the stage (Figure B, for your convenience), connecting with the non-die-hard fans in the back of the room, hence winning over the entire audience within the first 2 minutes of the show. Read the rest »

9/11/11 is past us, and I am sure we are all a bit relieved as it is not a joyful day in any means, and it comes with many hurtful memories atop of fears of repeat attacks. When flipping through the great New York Times memorial issue, I paused to reflect on the way brands chose to walk the very delicate line of mixing honest sympathy with a hint of marketing message – all the way to a blunt in-your-face sales message hidden inside the memorial post. Here is a selection of the ones that grabbed my attention the most:

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(Guest post by Sara)

Google Docs snuck up on me like Rickey Henderson on speed skates. There was no getting-to-know-you period, it was like, “Pleased to make your acquaintance, now will you marry me?” I said “yes.”

Here are 3 reasons why Google Docs. makes my work day a breeze:

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In times where brands respond to customers within seconds via Twitter it makes sense that brands try to stay on top of the movement by providing a personalized experience to their customers. It is good to try, but if you try too hard, you die trying.

Some policy changed at Peet’s Coffee & Tea for example and all of a sudden a random ‘barista’ shouts ‘Good Morning’ to the crowd, which feels very awkward as everyone feels like they are being talked to, yet no one feels addressed. Another awkward new habit is to have employees at stores such as Nordstrom, and even Barneys, use their downtime to write strange postcards that look like they are written by a pre-teen, for a pre-teen, to their customers.

Brands, be careful out there. Unless you really understand who your customer is and how you can take advantage of a more unique outreach that is truly personal and honest, it is best not to try too hard and stick to the conventional ways you already mastered. It can only backfire.

I have been buying a lot of used vinyl lately. Mostly for under $1 and a majority of it focused on establishing a collection of all the classics: The Carpenters, The Bee Gees, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Dave Brubeck, lots of Motown and Verve Records, and of course the occasional 80′s record that just brings back those childhood memories.

It is interesting when you listen to the 80′s pop genre. The music you know, you think of as ‘amazing’ and then once you hear B-sides or tracks on full lengths that you have not been exposed to, they sound, well, dated. Or shall we say ‘cheesy’, and often plain embarrassing.

The same holds true for the record sleeve designs, as you can see in the examples below:

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I just recently came back from a trip to see my parents in Austria. We are all big lovers of Austrian wines and have an affinty for great design. It seems to go hand in hand in many cases, no  pun intended. As I tasted a Grüner Veltliner from a vineyard I have not explored so far, something interesting happened. I did not take the bottle with me while having the first sips.

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Back in 1997 Fabian Geyrhalter, our President and Creative Director, a graphic design student at Art Center College Of Design at the time, was approached by his brother Nikolaus, to design the poster for his second documentary film.

13 years later, the talented designers at Geyrhalter & Co are busy working on two new film posters, two web sites and several collateral pieces for Nikolaus Geyrhalter Filmproduktion in Vienna, Austria. Fabian’s brother has since emerged as one of Europe’s most successful and important documentarians and we want to use this moment to look back at the work we have created for Nikolaus’ important films over the past 13 years. If you are intrigued, which we hope you will be, you can view trailers of his films via this YouTube channel. Read the rest »

92 year old Mr. Harman, of hi-fi equipment Harman/Kardon fame, recently purchased Newsweek for $1. Well and the $50 million in liabilities that come with it. Most of us have heard the story over past weeks. Last weekend, the New York Times released an interview with Mr. Harman that gives an insight on what he is planning to change about Newsweek as the new owner of the money-losing magazine. The first thing on Mr. Harman’s list, quoting the New York Times, is a change in its graphic design:

He thinks the magazine is “dull to behold, dull, dull” and wants its graphic design to be “as meaningful, as imperative, as the written expression.”

To us, this is a very significant statement showcasing the understanding of the importance graphic and brand design has gained with corporate veterans over the past years. It also signals that the marriage of design and content is seen to indeed create a more successful message delivery. While changes in staff and editorial views would be on top of the list for most newly appointed owners at this significant turning point, for Mr. Harman it seems to be the creation of a distinct and harmonious Brand Atmosphere in order to compete and win in an industry that is on the verge of collapse.

A smart move. In this day and age of content source overload, a news publication needs to create a product that differentiates and convinces through its design. We can’t wait to see the changes come around, maybe on Mr. Harman’s 93rd birthday?

Why is it that the more prestigious the design competition, the more it costs to enter?

Prices for a single entry can be around $120. But once you are selected to either receive an award, or be published in the awards annual, which after all is part of the exercise, there will be an additional fee of $280 – $400. And that is for just one single entry.

Sure, we play along. Sometimes. As we see fit, and for projects we feel deserve to be honored. But we too draw the line.

Let’s not forget that we are an agency, we have a PR budget and cash flow. How about all the students, freelancers, micro design firms, nonprofits and other entities that may have the big, creative, genius ideas that we should all be drooling over? The ideas that really look different because they come from folks that may not have ‘corporate’ breathing down their necks, or they do it for free, out of passion and just for fun? Isn’t that often when truly great ideas happen? They will never be in any of the ‘big’ award books showcasing the best, the brightest and most amazing ideas. The books that design students get for christmas, that turn into their text books of what they ought to measure their own creativity with, are lacking to showcase just that, the unconditionally best creative endeavours. Read the rest »