Detail had the pleasure of joining the Media Merchants’ crew downstairs last Friday, as they celebrated the final coat of paint on a changing office space. The stand out feature of the evening was the impressive wall mural that spanned the length of the room, which was collaboratively created by artist Luke Ramsey and AKA, also located in our building.
I loved the concept. In its abstract form, it really gave onlookers the opportunity to ponder and interpret the message – a message of allowing ideas to take less obvious forms, while giving them time to fully develop and be carefully executed.

Furthermore, I really appreciate Media Merchants’ ability to seamlessly create synergy between traditional artwork and the digitization of today’s visual communication. I left inspired and scouring the web for some of the coolest and creative executions of 3D Projection Mapping. Here are my “Sum of 7″ for your viewing pleasure:

1. Hot Wheels Secret Race Battle at Circular Quay on the Customs House in Sydney

By advertising agency Muse Amsterdam

2. Alienwares Area 52 3d projection mapping event.

By Alienware

4.Vienna Now or Never Night

5. Lumiere festival in Lyon projection map

by 1023 Architecture

6.25th anniversary for City of Sugarland, Texas. New Years Eve 2010.

7.BMW’s “Joy is”

by Publicis

Last week, I experienced my first Pecha Kucha Vancouver Night (pronounced pe/chahk/cha – see this quirky Muppet video created to help with the pronunciation). I had heard about the success of these creative nights giving 20 people the floor to discuss 20 slides at 20 seconds each, and have been eager to attend despite missing the boat on purchasing tickets. Low and behold, Twitter came to my rescue in the final hours. Asking for a Christmas miracle from various give-away contests over the platform, @VanObserver and @BeeVancity came to my rescue, awarding me two tickets after a simple tweet out  – “I just entered to win 2 tix to #pknvan from @beevancity and @vanobserver http://bit.ly/JvU2S2”. Ah the power of #socialmedia…

Pecha Kucha was an inspirational surprise, and seeped into the happenings of our Friday #socialab the following day, as new friends from @BeeVancity joined us for our weekly social, and conversations surrounded the eloquent and fun speakers of the night before. While all the speakers were excellent, my personal stand-out, favourites included:

1. Painter Johnny Taylor for his brilliantly timed delivery on the creative process and his unexpected but incredibly poignant Michael Jordan references: “I’ve always believed that if you put in the work, the results will come.” (See his fantastic website and works).

2. CEO and developer John Evans for his revealing vulnerability and his subsequent accomplishments, conveying that you can only reach your creative potential when you have broken yourself down and exposed yourself for your true self. (Opus Hotels)

3. Designer Craig Stanghetta for his ability to incorporate his roots and memories into the fine details and materials of his work, reimagining the ordinary into the extraordinary. Think meat-cleaver toilet roll holders at Meat&Bread and a 13,000-nail map of the world at Revolver. (See his latest interview in Scout Magazine).

4. Graphic designer and entrepreneur Alex Usow for his blunt demeanor that slaps the audience in the face with its simplicity – just do what you love, be active on your ideas as they come to you and have a support network who will be active with you. Feel like sushi? Open a restaurant. Like art? Open a gallery. Not to mention his hilarious bit on “Words that sound dirty but aren’t,” such as childrearing.

What I love about an event like this is it pulls everyone out from behind their computers and translates the virtual conversation that permeates our lives into a real and resonating experience. I came away inspired and refreshed to have miraculously participated in a juiced up version of my Twitter feed. This virtual to real connection is what our Friday #socialab is all about – taking social media to the next level and physically bringing people together to expand the conversation and experience. Twitter has been an invaluable tool for us to make those connections, and Detail is in full support of Pecha Kucha’s intention of sharing thought, gathering the creative community and having a good time!

So thank you to Cause+Affect for producing such a high quality event in Vancouver, as well as Bee VanCity and the Vancouver Observer for introducing us into the Pecha Kucha scene! Detail will be attending again, without a doubt.

-Monica

I am a fan of Coldplay, no doubt about it. As are many others. Their latest album Mylo Xyloto selling over 50 million can attest to that.

Being in the business of branding, I always end up thinking about what it is that makes a brand successful and the things that impact that brand.

Lets have a quick look at the brand that is Coldplay. The band resonates fun – they really get into their work and it shows on stage. Kerry puts it well when she says “Coldplay works hard, plays solidly, writes lovely, magnanimous songs with big, joyous melodies and understands its audience.” Heck even a canadian pastor digs what they do.

Now, about their new album “Mylo Xyloto”. I know what they were thinking when digging for a new album name, and to their credit they achieved it. It stands out, it permeates fun, excitement and creativity. And its quirky. But Coldplay has confirmed, it has no real meaning. It was just a made up word. To top it off, not many can actually pronounce it either!

Coming from a branding perspective, I think that is where their endeavour went sour. As Coldplay is an international and intergenerational brand, it is important first of all to create a name that your audience can pronounce and therefore talk about, and second of all, give the audience a little more intellectual credit, keeping them on their toes with a meaningful or profound name that reflects the quality of music created. The Coldplay frontman Chris Martin has admitted he regrets the name of their recent album.

Don’t worry Coldplay, if Ikea can get away with ridiculous naming conventions, we can let this one slide as well…But just this once.

One of our favourite techniques is using the Attribute Spectrum, a tool that lays out a scale of dichotomous attributes and asks the client to mark off where their brand personality lies between the opposing descriptions. It successfully works to have a client think about the facets of their company – their personality, how they function, what they provide and the grand vision of what they hope to be. It narrows the field and ignites a client with confidence regarding who they are.

When using this spectrum with clients who have multiple decision makers, we encourage them to fill it out individually to highlight any conflicting views of the brand that should be addressed. However, this technique revealed difficulties during our delightful spectrum exercise. The resulting picture of the company could be skewed for the following reasons: a) an individual can get confused while reviewing the attributes as many of them are very visually charged “bright, color, light, simple” which could result in answering in accordance with that tangible qualities of a logo as opposed to a brand personality and b) an individuals misunderstanding of what is being asked of them and what a “brand personality” really is.

To bring these discrepancies to light and assist our clients, Detail thought to run a series of brand analyses for some major brands in the hopes of demonstrating how the Attribute Spectrum hones in on a brand’s personality, not necessarily the visual representation (logo). A logo doesn’t have to encapsulate all of the attributes, but be guided by them. As Chua & Ilicic say, “A logo is simply the punctuation to a brand” (Logo Savvy).

Apple

Our first brand analysis goes to Apple – one of the most exceptional and well-known brands in the market today. When you buy Apple, you are buying into a culture and lifestyle. The Apple brand strategy is highly based on human emotions. It points to innovation, creativity, passion, inspiration and individuality. The brand has positioned itself as a catalyst for expression and there is an entire inclusive community of Apple supporters that encompass the vibrancy of its personality. Apple takes the complexity of technology and simplifies it. It’s easy; it’s luxurious; it’s quality.

Applying the Apple brand to our trusty Attribute Spectrum was quick and easy. What’s important to note, however, is that the logo itself doesn’t visually demonstrate all of the listed attributes. The brand is so well positioned that the logo represents much more than the obvious. Apple has had a number of logo variations in the past, but has now settled on the simplicity of the single, silver apple, with its glossy sheen and lighting effects. As you can see, we’ve checked off Apple’s brand personality as bright, colorful and somewhat exotic…but the logo itself is not representing those attributes at all. This is because the Apple brand is more than just a logo it’s an experience. The overall experience of Apple reflects these vibrant attributes.

A well-developed brand has spent the time on discerning their personality and lets it emanate everything they do – from how they design their logo to how they create an advertisement; how they deal with customers to how they promote staff morale. Accurately determining a brand’s personality at the level of an Attribute Spectrum can affect everything down the line and Detail supports a careful analysis in the early stages of our creative process to make sure our clients’ brands are strong, visionary and steadfast.

After receiving the news that Michael, David and Maya wanted to welcome me on board as their Creative Lead, I was thrilled, to say the least. My first order of business was to attend their unique Friday get-together, #socialab. Falling on Game 5 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, I joined them at the Greedy Pig for some nail-biting, beer-drinking, bone-marrow-eating, good fun (you heard me—bone marrow—which is not for the faint-hearted). We lost thegame. We tweeted about it. I had gained so much in the matter of a week. New friends and colleagues, and a peek into an office culture I could definitely get used to.

First day jitters were washed over by the wonderful warmth and enthusiasm that is Detail. The projects thus far have been inspiring and challenging, from branding to social media to internal creative endeavors, and I’ve learned so much in a short space of time. So thank you to Michael, David and Maya for integrating me into the team, listening to my ideas and guiding me through the transition from student to professional. I look forward to what the future holds for all of us!
Cheers,
Monica

11. Souloff

The illustrations from the female turkish illustrator Souloff remind me very much of the French Art Nouveau movement. Brilliantly executed emotion within the contour rich female profiles. A delight to see.
Souloff on Behance
www.vectroave.com

12.Glenn Jones

Glen James brings some of the most witty and brilliantly amusing illustrations I have yet to see. And all I can say is, thank-you for that.
www.glenz.com

13.J Nawet

Based out of Cracow Poland, Nawet’s intensely brilliant handle of pen and ink is told in the Quil Pen Story.
Nawet on Behance

14.Ian Macarthur

Ian Macarthur on Behance

15.Wesley Eggebrecht

A disturbingly beautiful style of illustration. Gotta love how this guy thinks…I think.
Eggebrecht on Behance

16.Leonardo Rodriguez

Leonardo R on Behance

17.Yu Cheng Hong

Yu Cheng Hong on Behance
www.yuchenghong.com

18.Cristiano Siqueira

Probably better known as Cris Vector, this guy’s style shines brilliantly among the overwhelming availability of vector based art.
Cris Vector on Behance

19.Francisco Perez

His sketch books flow with inspiration and it is such a joy to gaze them over. Just looking at this work gives me more than enough motivation to stop what I am doing and grab my own sketch book. Beautiful works.
Perez on Behance
www.pac23.com

20.Nook

Nook on Behance
www.raccoonnook.com

21.Michal Bialogrzywy

Creator to some of the most brilliant poster designs around.
Bialogrzywy on Behance

22.Man Tsun

Man Tsun on Behance

23.Francesco Liori

Francesco on Behance

24.Krzysztof Domaradzki

Krysztof on Behance

25.Colwyn Thomas

Colwyn Thomas on Behance

Before (300 block of West Hastings)

After (and a little brighter)

The Detail team took to the streets this afternoon to heal post-riot wounds and celebrate the beginning of summer. We reclaimed Vancouver’s beauty, character and sense of fun by crafting some tissue-paper flowers in our favorite colors and infusing a city block on West Hastings, between Cambie and Homer, with a splash of color. If you would like to make one of these flowers and continue to spread the love for Vancouver, go to www.marthastewart.com!

Quotes on Design

Here are some inspirational and timeless quotes we just had to make wallpapers out of, yes I know it’s awesome. Whether it is just a little motivation or you are looking to be inspired, there are so many great quotes out there. The first collection will surely help you improve and energize every facet of your design process.

By Maya Corona

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.

—Leonardo Da Vinci

Wallpaper in size: iphone, 1900×1200, 1680×1050, 1280×1024 & 1024×768

Design is everything. Everything!

—Paul Rand

Wallpaper in size: iphone, 1900×1200, 1680×1050, 1280×1024 & 1024×768

It’s really hard to design products by focus groups.

A lot of times, people don’t know what they want until you show it to them.

—Steve Jobs

Wallpaper in size: iphone, 1900×1200, 1680×1050, 1280×1024 & 1024×768

Some designers create things to show you what they did.

I design things to tell you what I solved.

—Brian Yerkes


Wallpaper in size: iphone, 1900×1200, 1680×1050, 1280×1024 & 1024×768

Once you eliminate quality as a requirement,

the entire design process becomes a whole lot easier.

—Jared M. Spool

Wallpaper in size: iphone, 1900×1200, 1680×1050, 1280×1024 & 1024×768

Our new office is open and we’re certainly pleased with the results. When we began looking for the ultimate space, we had a key set of requirements that just had to be met. 1. We wanted lots of natural light. Afterall a consistent supply of vitamin D is vital to creativity! 2. Because all the directors live in the downtown core of Vancouver it was vital the space be easily accessible to all of us. 3. It needed to be open with plenty of room to move and play. We found our space at 314 West Cordova between Homer and Cambie. You blink and you could miss it. With windows on three sides and 750 square feet – we found the perfect space to grow into and set our roots with the rest of the Design firms and agencies in Gastown.
In planning the space we wanted an informal sitting area, plenty of desk space and a collaborative design & presentation area. We also looked for something that could house our printers, microwave, cables, pencils paper and any other oddly sized paraphernalia. We’ve all built up our own collections of inspiring stuff, but we wanted to keep the clutter at a minimum.
Some searching on craigslist and stores around town yielded some great deals. In the spirit of reduce, reuse and recycle we spent the first three days refinishing a solid wood 8 foot x 4 foot ‘island’ that we managed to get for the cost of bottle of wine! The theme of brown and white emerged from this monster of a piece which served double purpose as storage and presentation table.
Our white desks and lamps came from IKEA which we put together in record time. We were careful to recycle all of the cardboard and plastic (and believe us there was a lot!). We held onto all Styrofoam, as it is ideal for retaining water in planters (A nice little tip from Brad).  Find out more on how to recycle styrofoam over at treehuggers

Our chairs were another amazing deal; 4 chairs that retail at $899 for $40 each –This is where ‘brick’ was added to the colour scheme, yet another craigslist find!
Some more chairs ($30.00), a sofa($150.00), lights($40.00/each) a few trips to Home Depot for supplies, and one trip to Moes for curtain panels($10.00/each) got us what we think is a very fine and inspiring work environment. All for under $2000.00. We were pretty happy about that!
But we would like you to be the judge! We would love to hear what you think.

Also don’t forget to sign up to our newsletter for details of our launch party happening at the end of the summer!

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