3 Quotes That Make You Think
Posted on June 20, 2008 - Filed Under Thought Starters
Quote #1 - Google
“Google is making us all stupid.”
Inspired by Nicholas Carr, The Atlantic Monthly
Quote #2 - Airlines
“If airlines really want to cut costs and be fair, they should start charging people based on body weight — not just on how much”
Inspired by Dana Kozlov, cbs2chicago.com
Quote #3 - Housing
“The American housing bust has become responsible for a substantial portion of the world’s problems. “
Inspired by Mark Landler, New York Times.
- Christian
Source: Fast Company
No More Religion
Posted on June 18, 2008 - Filed Under IDEA Challenge
Here’s a quick update on the how we faired in the “Green Competition” (that was the topic for the inaugural Idea Session 1.0). The judges were looking for “a big idea” that could “transform the industry”. Based on the nature of advertising industry and the company that I work for, I thought we could go outside of the box. Improved recycling sorters, a “tax” on energy usage and stickers to remind people to turn off the lights seemed a little provincial. Not enough of a “big” idea.
So we came up with something big. Something a little crazy. Something that people would never have thought of before. We wanted to start a religion. We wanted to harness all of the good intentions and momentum behind the green movement and focus it on a farcical religion. Now how did we do? We lost.
You can’t win them all.
The winning idea? A carbon counter. A simple and engaging idea that will allow us to begin to track and monitor the affects of our daily activities on the environment. Seriously? Maybe I’m misread something, but I’m pretty sure that this already exists. Just Google “Carbon Footprint Calculator”.
The lesson to be learned is that sometimes we go too far out of the box. We push outside of a client’s comfort zone. Sometimes when people ask for that “next big idea” they mean a “revamp what the competitors are doing.” But I still think it’s important to push boundaries. Next time, we’re going to pitch three ideas, instead of putting our eggs in one basket. One idea will be crazy, one will be moderately innovative and one will be normal.
- Christian
The Ultimate Puzzle
Posted on June 16, 2008 - Filed Under Cool Ideas
Eric Clough isn’t your typical architectural designer. Sure, he’ll design you a fine den or kitchen, but he’s clearly got a creative streak that goes much deeper than that. That’s why, when given the opportunity, he secretly built an incredible scavenger hunt into a $8.5-million, 4,200-square-foot Park Avenue apartment that included ciphers, riddles, poems and a lot of hidden doors and compartments.
In any case, the finale involved, in part, removing decorative door knockers from two hallway panels, which fit together to make a crank, which in turn opened hidden panels in a credenza in the dining room, which displayed multiple keys and keyholes, which, when the correct ones were used, yielded drawers containing acrylic letters and a table-size cloth imprinted with the beginnings of a crossword puzzle, the answers to which led to one of the rectangular panels lining the tiny den, which concealed a chamfered magnetic cube, which could be used to open the 24 remaining panels, revealing, in large type, the poem written by Mr. Klinsky.
A normal living room … or is it?
A book with a narrative about a mystery, hidden behind paneling in the front hall, offered clues.
A rectangular panel in the den and guest room opens to reveal acrylic slices, far left, that fit together to form a cube. When the chamfered magnetic cube lodged above the slices is dragged over the 24 panels on a nearby wall, they open.
Decorative leather molding stamped with letters in a hallway can be popped out and wrapped around a rod removed from the foot of Ms. Sherry and Mr. Klinsky’s bed so that the letters on the coiled leather spell out a clue.
Behind a drawing of a plane that hangs in a hallway is a little niche containing a scale model of the kitchen, a clue that leads to a musical score written for the apartment, which is hidden in a drawer above the stove.
Millwork panels in a hallway were designed to look like Le Corbusier’s Modular Man and da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. Puzzle pieces hidden in one fit together to make a key that opens the other.
Door knockers on opposite walls of a hallway initially seemed pointless. They can be removed and joined to create a crank that opens hidden panels in the dining room sideboard.
The custom-made sideboard has hidden panels on either side that can be cranked open to display keys and keyholes.
When the correct keys are used, hidden drawers are revealed.
The final treasure: behind the panels, large white letters laser-cut into teal blue acrylic spell out the words of a poem written years ago by Steven B. Klinsky, the apartment’s owner.
Apparently, it took the family months to discover the scavenger hunt and weeks after that to figure it all out. It’s like living in a children’s book of some kind.
- Christian
Source: Gizmodo
How To Make Microsoft Cool (Part 2)
Posted on June 11, 2008 - Filed Under Random
Over the past two days, I have been pondering how to make Microsoft cool. Sure, I could have generated ideas that have been born out of insights. I could have constructed full strategies drawing from the “cool equity” of the Xbox 360.
But I didn’t. I just wrote down a list of ideas that popped into my head. Sometimes you just have to spew ideas on the page, unaware of the logic behind them. Let me know what you think.
Microsoft soda … so good that people would pay money for it. NOT!
1. The Start of “Logical Thinking”
Okay, people hate Microsoft because it’s a monopoly. But not all monopolies are hated. Think about Google. People love that company. It makes my life easier, which make it easy to love. And you have to be really smart to work at Google. Working there would be like a badge. I’d probably brag about it. Do you think that working at Microsoft would be the same thing? Or would people just hate me.
Anyways, back to making Microsoft cool. Let’s throw in some celebrities. Like HP computers. A little Jay-Z never hurt a brand. Wait … new idea. Have Microsoft sponsor some cool concerts and give away tickets or VIP access when people buy their shit. Don’t even tell people that they’re going to get free stuff. Surprise and delight. Give people unexpected gifts from Microsoft.
2. The Big Ideas
Make a Microsoft reality TV show. It would be like The Ultimate Fighter. Give the public a glimpse into the world of “Microsoft” and the REALLY smart people who work there. Showcase the people in an authentic manner. Maybe have it as a challenge of two Microsoft teams trying to build some sort of world-changing water purification device for African countries. Put those big brains to good use.
Have a developer prize. Give away a million dollar cash prize to the first team who can invent “x”. Give open source code. Track the progress of the teams. Have a nerd-fest. Because nerds with coin aren’t nerds. They’re owners of the Dallas Mavericks.
Give every employee a “cool” makeover, starting with Bill. Seriously though. Go buy a bunch of Levi’s. Get some of those makeover people into the office to make everyone look cool. Get people acting confident, proud and edgy. Get them psyched to work at Microsoft. Make them look so cool that kids are like, “Holy crap. What does that guy do? I want to be like him when I grow up”.
As a caveat, most of these ideas will sound ridiculous. Or scary. Or both. They wouldn’t have the potential to be big ideas if they didn’t. Thoughts?
- Christian
How To Make Microsoft Cool (Part 1)
Posted on June 9, 2008 - Filed Under Random
This afternoon I was reading an interesting article in Fast Company about trying to make Microsoft “cool”. Here’s the crux of the issue. Everyone says that you can’t make yourself cool. You either are cool, or you’re not.
I don’t believe that. I believe that people (and brands) can change. I know plenty of people who, with a change in attitude and a new wardrobe, became cool. It’s all about self-confidence and being authentic. Be someone that people want to talk to. Be interesting. Tell good stories.
The challenge for Microsoft is that they already have an established brand image. They are a massive monopoly. They are the bastions of uncool. They don’t know how to communicate with people.
The proof is in the pudding. Microsoft spent $500 million to tell people about Vista. Nobody cared. In fact, Apple succeeded in defining Microsoft’s brand for them with the PC vs Mac ads. They made them look like Dwight from “The Office”.
The metamorphosis to becoming cool will require more than a new haircut, some ripped jeans and a vintage rock t-shirt. Microsoft will have to build its foundation of cool on the shit that’s actually cool. And then fix what makes it lame.
What Makes Microsoft Cool:
1. Xbox 360
2. Guitar Hero
3. Bill Gates dropping millions in coin for African aid
What Makes Microsoft Lame:
1. Vista
2. Looking like a tool in Mac ads
3. Trying to be cool by buying into Facebook
- Christian
PS. Sometimes being a dork is cool in itself:
Benefits of a Creative Partner
Posted on June 4, 2008 - Filed Under On Ideation
A couple of weeks ago, I was hanging out with one of my friends and we started to talk about life goals. One of her goals was to write a movie script. Of course, when you have lofty creative goals and no plan of attack, they tend to get lost. I’m too busy. I’m too tired. I can’t commit to a writing schedule. I lack motivation.
That’s when I volunteered to be her creative partner. What’s a creative partner? It’s the same as an athletic training partner, except it’s applied to a creative project. I’m not going to help her write the script. I’m going to write my own script at the same time. That way, we can work together to keep each other motivated and on track.
A good creative partner will:
- Keep you motivated
- Keep you consistent in meeting deadlines/writing goals
- Give you a little competition to work up against
- Give psychological support, when you think you can’t go further
- Help you through writer’s block
On the topic of writing a script myself, I’m not going to lie. I have no idea what I am doing. Except that my dream of creating a movie about Frisbee Ninjas may moving closer to reality.
- Christian
Friday Fun: Models & Bottles
Posted on May 30, 2008 - Filed Under Random
It’s Friday. Someone may have been on the patio of The Madison a little late last night exploring the “drunk” part of Idea Drunk, so this is a quick post. The following ad combines two of my favourite things: Heineken and Zoolander.
The movie was released in 2001. Is that too soon to be retro? If you have the appetite for some more throwback ads, check out Way Back Play Back.
- Christian
A Grain of Sand (Or Salt?)
Posted on May 29, 2008 - Filed Under On Ideation
The internet. Apparently, it’s available on computers. I read a recent interview from Wired Magazine with Brian Eno, where he discussed the impact that the interweb has on creativity.
Let me tell you who Brian Eno is. He’s a creative genius. First off, he’s a music producer. He’s produced/written for David Bowie, Talking Heads, U2, and Coldplay. Oh yeah, and he also composed the “Windows chime”. You know … the sound that rings out when you startup your computer.
He also rocks out as a visual artist. His current exhibit is called 77 Million Paintings. Software randomly overlays more than 300 of his own hand-drawn images, constantly producing millions of possible combinations. And it’s beautiful to behold.
To him, the greatest thing about the internet is it’s ability to share raw ideas. So often on the web, we are privy to peering behind the magic curtain and seeing ideas germinating in their naked form. No polish. No explanations. Just ideas. And since all of these facts and ideas are out there, we have an opportunity to collaborate and build on them. The internet provides the single greatest pool of creative inspiration.
Eno also mentioned the enormous quantity of ideas permeating through the internet. And the best thing is that you never know which is going to be the next big idea to take off. You can have a million grains of sand, but not know which one is going to cause an avalanche.
I want to be an avalanche-causing grain of sand. It sounds like fun.
- Christian
The Kobe Brand
Posted on May 26, 2008 - Filed Under Cool Ideas
How do you know that you’re the best? When you do something impossible and everyone believes that it’s real. That’s when you know that your brand is doing alright. When people love you so much that they suspend the feelings of disbelief.
Check out Kobe’s latest Nike commercial. He jumps over an Aston Martin in promotion of his new HyperDunk shoe.
I mean, everyone knows that those shoes aren’t going to make me play like an NBA all-star. But what Nike does accomplish is co-branded itself to the cool that is Kobe Bryant. (We’ll ignore the fact that the Lakers lost by a landslide on the weekend.)
Update on May 29, 2008:
Thanks to Jho for providing the link to the next iteration in the series: Kobe Jumps over a pool of live snakes.
- Christian
Why It’s Okay That I Can’t Draw
Posted on May 22, 2008 - Filed Under Inspiration, On Ideation
I had a revelation. You don’t have to be good at drawing to be an artist. All you need is creativity. Hugh Macleod has made a career as a cartoonist, but his visual art could be described as doodles at best. He doesn’t need elaborate artistic depictions to tell his stories.
From “Gaping Void” by Hugh Macleod
David Shrigely, an artist from the UK that has been compared to Matt Groening, can’t draw either. He even keeps his “mistakes” as part of his art. He just crosses stuff out and moves on. He doesn’t draft! He only creates final pieces. The beauty of it is that it adds personality to his humour and storytelling.
From “Evil Thoughts” by David Shrigley
What does this mean?
It means that anyone can create art. No skills are required. All you need is a brain! The only barriers to entry for creativity and art is thinking that you can’t do it.
1. It’s not the presentation, but the content.
2. It’s not how pretty it looks, but what it says.
3. Creativity trumps talent.
So why not try it? Get a piece of paper and draw whatever comes to mind. If you can’t think of anything to draw, focus on telling a story. Draw your favourite childhood memory. Draw the funniest thing that happened to you this weekend. Draw what you wanted to be when you grew up. It will look awful on the first attempt. Who cares? You’re being creative.
- Christian
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