Brands, Art, and Fear

I had the chance to meet Seth Godin about 8 years ago. His perspective of marketing and branding is so unique and spot on. I always say, branding is who you are and where you are going.

It’s about the humans behind the name, product, or company. It’s about making things. It’s about the creation of ideas and the risk of crushing the status quo. We have to care. We have to love what we create. People don’t want to be fooled by flashy logos and bright colors, only to find out, the soul of the individual, product, or company doesn’t give a sh*t. As the old saying goes, “give a damn, many damns.”

This is My Art

Seth Godin, one of my favorite modern thinkers, released his newest book today. “The Icarus Deception: How High Will You Fly?” is nothing short of brilliant. Two things might hold someone back from sharing the art they’ve got inside: The fear of telling the truth or the lame strategy of hiding the truth behind a sales pitch. If you can find the voice, stand up and tell people what you care about.

Your art is vitally important, and what makes it art is that it is personal, important and fraught with the whiff of failure. This is precisely why it’s scarce and thus valuable—it’s difficult to stand up and own it and say, “here, I made this.” – Seth Godin

Watch this video…go ahead and do it. Now.

At some point, art must involve a human. A human with intent. Your hand can be your heart or your words or your effort or a hug, but, yes, the work of a human. If you de-industrialize the process and return it to humanity, to connection, then yes, it’s art and yes, it will connect to other humans more effectively.

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This is my art:

I’m good at helping tell your story to people who don’t really know it, yet need to know it. I create pictures that don’t speak a thousand words, but instead speak a few strategic words that provoke an inevitable response. I’m gifted at the art of ignoring boxes and rethinking possibilities. In essence, my art is helping give your art wings.

CALL ME 626.467.5335

ALSO, check out our LOFT and how it may support you.

From Graphic Design to Strategic Design.

For as long as I could remember, I have been an artist. I saw my first Picasso exhibit at 6; art was my favorite subject throughout school. About 11 years ago, a friend needed my help making some flyers. I was a bit lost, so he hooked me up with a copy of Photoshop 5. I learned the heck out of it. I began creating flyers and business cards for more friends, until I eventually tried my hand at turning it into a business.

I would get so frustrated with my friends & clients, because I wanted them to have the coolest, hottest designs around, yet they were just looking for something that helped sell their business. I started digging through as many marketing books as I could stand…learning everything I could about branding, strategy and human behavior.

After fighting with clients for years, I finally began listening to them and their potential customers. Asking questions like, “what makes your customer happy? What is your story? What do want your customers to do?” I quickly began to realize that it was not about the pretty pictures I could create, but more importantly about the reaction they provoked.

As I started referring to myself as a “Strategic Designer”, it provided a simple way to start the right conversations with my clients. It provided a simple way to let clients know that I wasn’t just about making pretty pictures, but about making them successful in their marketing journey.