Heimie's Haberdashery

As I mentioned in previous posts, I started working on a project for a small men's clothing boutique based in St. Paul, Heimie's Haberdashery, with my art director friend Dan Spillman. This is an update on our progress thus far.

It's been about a month or so since we started the project and after 20 or so ideation sessions we have it narrowed down to half a dozen ideas for fleshing out and picking one to produce. We also took on an awesome copywriter that is finishing up her last year at MCAD, Katie Bode.

Dan has been illustrating some logo concepts for rebranding Heimie's to give it an updated feel that still stays true to Heimie's roots. We were drawn to the more stamp, ornate feel of the top row and the more distinctive aristocratic look of the second row. Dan is working on fleshing these out and turning them into vector images.

While narrowing down the concepts, we have been left with the decision to ramp up the wankiness of the store and sell it for all it's ciche. Or to take a slightly more serious refined route with the creative. It will be exciting to see where we end up so stay tuned for more.

Some of our inspiration on this project: Mustache Blog, Victorian Portraits, Old Spice, Postmodern Gentleman, & Kubrick's Barry Lyndon

Great Creatives Are A Dime A Dozen

"It takes two to make a very great career: the man who is great, and the man (almost rarer) who is great enough to see greatness and say so." - Ayn Rand

I ran across this quote again recently and was surprised with how much it resonates with me now more than ever. My perception has been altered after being fortunate enough to have experience working in three different ad agencies (ranging from traditional to interactive) and having in class experience at two more. From those experiences, no matter what the perception of the agency is to the outside world, I have found brilliant, extremely talented creatives at each of the agencies.

The impetus for agencies that are perceived by the industry to be more creative or cutting edge seems to stem from, not the creatives, but those with the gavel that allow work to pass onto the clients [ie creative directors & account managers]. The creative director is the one that has the chance to see the potential in any given budding idea or stamp it out before it becomes fully formed. The account manager has the power to sell the client into believing in the work and pushing back, when appropriate, to ensure great creative is born for the clients future success.

But the thing I learned the most from my experiences thus far is that when an idea fails or succeeds people pass the blame or clamor for the glory. I do think, to a point, that it is still the creatives fault too. If they can't properly sell their work to their superiors, what right do they have to demand them to buy into it?

Being A Creative

"The most frightening thing. . . about being what someone calls a 'creative person' is that you have absolutely no idea where any of your thoughts come from really. . ." This is a quote pulled from the trailer for the ad documentary Art & Copy which I was fortunate to have a chance to see recently.

That quote made me think about the fact that not only do you not know where your ideas come from, you can't truly be taught how to get to them because every creative has a different way of doing it. The one similar thread through most creatives though, is the need to immerse themselves in inspiration wether that be other design work, the client's research or something entirely different.

One thing that has served as a source of inspiration for me is my surrounding, my ethics and the people I'm with. And Arkansas has not fallen short in providing inspiration thus far.

Check out some of the pics I've kept while looking for inspiration in Arkansas.

Transition of a Blog

This blog was going to be about the search of a "modern day" art director student for his first creative position during a recession. That hunt lasted less than three weeks (thankfully). This marks that transition of my blog into the progress of a young art director as I continue to build my book, make a name for myself and hopefully win an award or two along the way.

It also is a cataloging of the transition of an art director working as a designer, a traditional advertising thinker into an interactive one and a northerner operating as a southerner.

This will definitely be an interesting journey and marks the second step into a career I'm looking forward to.

The First Creative

When I told them I'm moving to Arkansas, they asked why? That was the consistent question I was asked when I told colleagues, friends and family that I had accepted the job at Rockfish Interactive as an Interactive Designer. The reason why requires some quick background.

After high school, I took a year off and worked at Target for a year before starting my college education. During that period I was constantly told by people at Target that I would become a "lifer"(one that starts a retail job after high school and never goes back for a higher education). Shortly after I started my college education, I quit my job at Target and took up a job as an Assistant Manager at Noodles & Co. When I was asked by my mother, why I did that. I told her that I didn't want to be like most americans: stuck in a job they can't stand but afraid to quit because they don't know if they could rise to the challenge again.

I took the job at Rockfish because with all the potential doubts of living in the south, living in a small town, working for a relatively unknown agency and with many people that didn't have prior experience in an ad agency setting, the thing that trumped it was the potential. With most not having prior agency experience coupled with a desire to rethink the approach to online advertising, creates a great environment to even rethink the structure of an agency in general. Working for an unknown gives me the chance to help put them on the map. And after meeting the people, seeing the space and feeling the passion and excitement that they had for their work, I knew that I had come to the right place for my first full time creative position.

Headin' to Arkansas

If an ad agency makes a great ad; but, it's hitting the wrong target is it really that bad?

I think thats a question that hangs in the air whenever an advertisement seems to be off key from a brand perspective. Of course, being way out of left field, hitting the wrong gender, race and age all at once would be too far off and would most likely dilute the brand by sending out too many and contradictory messages. However, how close to brand is too "close to brand."

When a client is obsessing where the toys came from, be it Target or Wal-Mart (which is the same exact toy), in a kid's fast food ad because their target consume is considered a wal-mart-like shopper. Is that going too far and isn't that obsessing too much over details that could detract from the big picture?

The subject came up when discussing the new memorable Caribou Coffee ads on youtube made by Colle + McVoy. The ads have a sometimes violent or disgusting sense of humor that feels more apt for a teenager and yet their audience tends to be middle aged, stay at home mom's.

You be the judge:

Caribou's "The Autumn Adventure of Jack & Gourdo #5"

Agency: Colle + McVoy

Reason: A well-made, dry sense of humor that plays with boundaries of acceptability; but, may be off the key consumer.

On a side note: I am happy to report that after being unemployed for a total of 12 day (8 work days), I received a job offer from an excellent, quickly growing agency Rockfish Interactive. They not only create great websites, innovative back-end tools, iPhone apps and social media tools; but, they also launch brands and were named "Best Small Agency of the Year" by Ad Age.

So I will be heading out on a road trip to Arkansas to check out the state and the agency in person. Look for posts on Thursday of traveling pics. . . y'all (thought I'd get started on my accent conversion).

Why Advertising?

Is what drives a person into a creative advertising position a failed art career, utter happenstance or something else completely?

Today during a phone interview I was asked, quite innocently, what drove me to want to be in advertising. Of the 40 or more interviews I have been on across the last two years for practice, for internships, for freelance or full-time positions, I don't think that question hit me quite the same way. I think for each person it is drastically different; but, for most it's a desire to create awesome work that is RELEVANT.

That's what drove me into Advertising. I had a business acumen that I picked up from my parents; but, was always more driven by the subjectivity and social impact of an artistic career. As a result I naturally fell in love with one of the rare career thats satisfies my love of business and creativity while pandering to my need for intense competition.

Yet all I said to them was: "When I saw this specific ad on tv it hit me oddly. I stopped what I was doing from the music, was pulled in by the visuals and was surprised at how well it delivered a message and how beautifully."

This is the ad:

Target's "Design for All"

Agency: Peterson Milla Hooks