Last week was a big one here on the homefront. My wife launched her own design studio. It’s something she’s been thinking about for years and working on for much of the last year. Palette is a new multidisciplinary creative studio focusing on art direction and branding with a focus on supporting creative women during production.
Like a lot of couples (I’m guessing!), Elsa and I are always kicking around creative ideas and helping each other think through creative challenges. Being married to such a talented designer has helped me understand design thinking and strategy in a way I would never have otherwise. Starting any business is daunting and I think launching a creative business is no exception. I’m so excited to see Palette grow (and help in some small way). If you’re in need of design work (art direction, branding, etc), please reach out to her.
Also, even if you’re not looking for a designer, go check out this cool interactive graphic.
Kurt Vonnegut on the Shapes of Stories
It would have been Kurt Vonnegut’s 100 birthday last week (11/11/22) and it seems like as good a time as any to revisit his brilliant explanation of the shapes of stories. This is highly relevant to not only those writing novels, but for anyone thinking about plotting out story arcs for films, documentaries, branded content, emails, essays and pretty much anything else more substantial than a tweet. Kurt was one of the greatests in my mind and I wish he was alive today to make sense of this world.
A CSR Campaign that Worked
I’ve become generally numb to corporate social responsibility statements and campaigns, what about you? Yes, I’m a true blue fan of Patagonia and I do appreciate when companies have real values, but so many of these CSR campaigns seem conceived for marketing and marketing only. They’ve become table stakes to woo Gen Z and Millenials. This World Cup Anti-Sponsor campaign from Brew Dog worked for me though. It was unexpected and seemed to want to start a conversation, not just join one. Also, Brew Dog makes some pretty great NA beer FWIW.
Planning Dirty
If you’re a strategist, small business owner, someone tasked with thinking of creative ideas or just curious about strategy, I highly recommend checking out Julian Cole’s Planning Dirty website, newsletters, and Instagram. He’s a wellspring of practical advice and I find myself going back to his decks for inspo all the time. He’s also a sworn enemy of business jargon in decks, so we’re kindred spirits. This from him:
‘If I were you, I'd spray all the business jargon I know with bug spray, throw it out the window, and call it quits.
It’s a pest that junior strategists seem to deal with often.
Why do I hate business jargon so much?
It isolates people.
It disconnects them.
I never want to see any of that stuff in another strategy deck ever again.”
Check out 100 Creative Ideas on Tiny Budgets for more proof of why I think he’s so great.
What is Good Surf Content?
Surfing content is pretty much all the same. It’s dudes ripping insane waves, beautiful board porn photos, and girls in bikinis (surfing and posing near the water). And then there’s Sterling Spencer. He’s a surfer who seemingly lives in an alternate universe of surf content and I love it. This little short he did with Bob Saget is just a taste of his hilarious approach to making his different kind of surf content. It’s a riff on the stereotypical prickly surfboard shaper. Also, Bob Sagat was a genius.
That’s it!
JP