We at Olive are huge fans of Cool Hunting Podcasts. For inspiration on many levels, personal, creatively, spiritual, musically – it’s all there. Check out this podcast around Cut Brooklyn, a premier knife builder/designer in Brooklyn catering to the New York City and beyond. Just one of many innovative, passionate stories to be moved and inspired by.
With sustainability and metro over-population rising concerns in a modernized society, the Olive Personalized Efficient Transports (PETS) stood as a prime example of a design centric approach to resolving important global issues.
Ok, so I am late to the game of purchasing my iphone – but the day is coming soon. While dining with a few friends after enjoying some amazing Korean food on Buford Highway (for those who come to Atlanta, let me provide you with a few spots to dine), I was geeking out on my friend’s iphone. Then he hands my daughter the phone, while launching the OCARINA. Like a traditional flute, you blow into the mouthpiece (although you don’t have to put your mouth to the phone) and you engage with the touchscreen interface which provides you with a few notes to change the tune.
The sound is actually really clear, clean and symphonically pleasing. Next, he says “touch the world globe icon at the bottom”. She does and it shows with subtle shimmers of glow – where all the OCARINA’s are playing around the world at that exact moment, THEN chooses randomly one of the signals coming through the Ocarina app/ATT Network (not sure where?) and plays that stream of music (with a wonderful interface of winding/twirling DNA-like graphics from that particular part of the world). It brings music, global community and fun together, all to the “tune” of 99 cents. Come on..how cool is that?
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By Eric Goldstein
It’s simple. Think about what will drive awareness to your mission, product and/or cause and then rather than produce a reactionary piece of propaganda, which gets ignored or lost amongst the noise, relish in the storytelling. Epuron – in this video clip, incorporates humor, music and film to convey that EPURON understands who they are NOW speaking to. Their reach is not just those who understand and/or benefit from Wind/Energy initiatives, but they are now getting their name and brand/message and more importantly, they have a personality associated with their brand. They are now an energy company whose approachable, fun, likeable, smart, sophisticated and open-minded to how they reach their audiences (those now customers but almost as important those to be). Hope you enjoy.
By Eric Goldstein
I have known Alissia for a few years now, and when we started up Branch, she seemed like a natural talent to highlight (both for her creative talent and her quirky disposition).
A product of the Netherlands, Alissia turned right at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), turned left at IDEO, Palo Alto, California, made a few other journeys along the way, now resides in Brooklyn, NY. Her designs/products range from her iconic plastic diamond ring to glassware, coat hooks and hand mirrors.
Recently, I chatted with Alissia about her designs and process and here were some highlights:
EG: What inspires you lately?
AMT: “Fashion, but it always has, so that is not very original… asymmetry, bright colors vs. all-white. Patterns, light simplicity vs. complexity…mystery. “silver diamond rings” save from using real diamonds, and avoids the use of blood diamonds.”
EG: With SUSTAINABILITY and DESIGN being such buzz terms these days – do you take sustainability concerns into consideration when embarking on a design project?
AMT: “I do and I don’t, I don’t start a design thinking my next product will be sustainable. I actually don’t believe that will create a very good design, it often gets people so stuck on that one concept that they forget to actually design the piece. And it becomes a sustainable product, not a design product. By creating very simple products, i usually end up using only one material per product which makes it easy to recycle, if it is recyclable. Also our acrylic and
To learn more about Alissia, read this article from the New York Times.
By Brian Carroll
As we move further into the 21st century, we are moving away from the idea of the cookie-cutter hotel. The days of Motel 6 and the small boxy rooms of your basic Hilton are becoming a thing of the past. Travelers, both leisure and business, are looking for more than just a place to rest their weary heads. They are looking for an experience. There have been a few chains that have realized this early on. Groups such as Kimpton and even smaller groups like the Seattle based Ace hotels have pioneered this idea that guest are looking for more than an in-room coffee maker when choosing their brand.
If you have the opportunity, next time you are traveling, spend the extra few dollars and book yourself into a place like Hotel Monaco in Portland Oregon, Hotel Mela in New York City, or and one of the W Hotels. The experience will be well worth it, and you will see how these brands are build on the untraditional methods normally used in hotels.
by Eric Goldstein
Let’s take a step back. Let’s identify WHO the user is. Now, let’s identify the behaviors of this user and figure out, the easiest way for us to develop a visual message which is simple, digestible in a short amount of time, of course compelling but above all – pertinent to this user.
Now, let’s understand how this user likes to be treated. You have to be accommodating as the old school of advertising, forcing the message across the TV, in movies through product placement and in outdoor is behind us. Now, we are a little more conscious as to how we spread ourselves across this media planet. We have to consider the facts, and realize for the client’s sake, which areas need harvesting. The good news is we can now reach many more users, those already enrolled as ambassadors to our clients brand(s), as well as getting new customers privy to tone, services, products, (BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY) – The Cause.
Standing for something is the new device. Making your customers feel connected, a part of the team/brand/message is crucial these days. Especially in a down economy, the companies who speak to the users in the way THEY want to be spoken to, on their terms – will win their hearts and will remain steadfast and true.
Back to the question how you do this – is simple. Look at each medium you have chosen to participate in and realize how to best utilize this medium. Print/Offline – Sure, it’s sometimes necessary to have a leave behind for your customers and to not count on them being internet savvy, or perhaps you can tell the right kind of story in a brochure or catalog that has the tangible/tactile qualities needed. Design it well, follow the standards set forth in the other mediums (online/imagery/copy tone) so that at each touch point of this brand – the customer feels there is a magical thread tying it all together and reinforcing the message/style/products/personality of the company.
Online? – Easy.
Who is your client? Who are their customers? What are those customers expecting in an interactive visit to the website? Do they want story telling, do they want animation or more direct, get to the point? How do you want them to use the site? Which products do they want, and how can you get them to that page the fastest while being sensitive that the person in the cubicle next to them, might want a different site experience. Taking a step back and understanding these questions ahead of time – always wins for strategy, design, and for the client, the right call to action from the end user. And if it doesn’t – and you’ve got the proper tools in place to track this activity, then you change it. That’s the magic of the interactive medium.
Fusing your creative and messaging across the various mediums, whether it’s your annual report, your corporate website, intranet, viral email blast promoting new product, or a general newsletter keeping your brand fresh and to the point – your customers existing and new will start to feel akin to you and your wanting to speak to them the way they expect to be spoken to. With Respect.
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