These are the 12 most popular New Year’s resolutions according to USA.gov (tagline: “Government Made Easy”—insert your own joke here).

The concept of New Year’s resolutions starts in 153 B.C., when Julius Caesar placed the Roman god Janus—for whom the month of January is named—at the beginning of the calendar. Janus became the symbol of resolutions because he had two faces: one looking back on past events and one looking ahead to the future.

So why do we make resolutions? For some, the act is meaningless. For others, however, it’s the opportunity to make changes and improve their lives.

But how do we make resolutions stick so that we can experience the benefits?

Try this: Make yourself a promise instead of a resolution. Keeping resolutions is like keeping secrets, easier said than done. A resolution is a decision to do something, but a promise is a commitment. And if your promise is reasonable and realistic, then it’s doable. Most importantly, promises are forgiving—if you break them (and everyone does), you can always try again.

Happy New Year.

Download Finale “A Pipe Dream and a Promise”

A Different Drum is an ongoing series that is inspired by Tom’s playlist.

Braving bitter cold temperatures in Ukraine’s capital, politicians and football leaders alike gathered on Mykhailivska Square to praise the visual identity and accompanying slogan, “Creating History Together.” UEFA president, Michel Platini, said: “The vivid colors of the logo are a perfect fit with the image that Poland and Ukraine want to give to the world. The symbolism of a plant that grows is fully in line with the aspirations of the two host countries, and I am sure that we will be creating history together, with the staging of the UEFA European Football Championship in central and eastern Europe for the first time.”

Historically, football tournaments have generally lacked the cultural import often associated with the Olympics. More recently, international football’s leadership recognized that its substantial resources and influence could have positive effects on the socio-economics of developing countries. This can be seen in the selection of South Africa to host the 2010 World Cup. For this reason too, I believe, Poland and Ukraine were chosen. Poland, a former Eastern Bloc nation, has emerged as a relative economic success story, while Ukraine’s democratic aspirations to “rejoin” the greater European community was evidenced in the Orange Revolution. Their shared history, territory and complex cultural entanglements make Poland and Ukraine a fascinating choice.

While leaders lauded their own achievements, the fans shrugged their shoulders in disappointment. Judging by the results of a newspaper straw poll, the logo received a lukewarm response from both Polish and Ukrainian readers. And phrases like “lacking excitement,” “bland,” “toothless,” and “the use of flowers does seem strange to identify a male-only tournament,” littered online discussions, whose participants represented many European nations. While there would be no wholesale rebellion like the one witnessed a few years ago over the London 2012 Olympic Games logo designed by Wolff Olins, the public was sceptical at best about the final design.

The logo development was led by Portuguese brand designer Helder Pombinho of the Lisbon-based Brandia Central agency. According to the UEFA Web site, the design team was inspired by the cultural reference of wycinanki (vytynanky Ukr.), a paper cutout folk art technique practiced in rural areas of Poland and Ukraine. Despite their attempts to mine the cultural riches of these two countries, the candy-colored floral patterns are neither particularly faithful to the art form, nor are they a sophisticated reinterpretation. While the symbology works—blossoming hope and growth—I’m left with a saccharine aftertaste of something inauthentic. (And I won’t even begin to address the “neutered sprites” emerging from within the blossoms.)

The pressing question that remains is why this project was not given to a joint Polish-Ukrainian design team. Apparently, UEFA has a track record of hiring design firms from outside the host nations. Surely, cultural representation made by the host nations’ own practitioners would yield more authentic results. Advertising and brand marketing may be relatively nascent industries in Eastern Europe, but graphic design, typography and commercial illustration have a long heritage there. Would it not be exciting to see how such a branding problem would be tackled in the East? What do you think?

Image credit: Happy Holidays by Mykl Roventine*

Happy Holidays from everyone at NeverKnock.

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Image credit: This Way… by 10ch*

A designer friend of mine recently survived a second layoff at his company, only to find himself with more work, less money, a hazy future and a mounting sense of dread. “I am,” he said, “a dead man walking.”

While waiting for the next axe to fall, many of his co-workers have turned on each other—jockeying for position, withholding information, talking trash and lashing out. “It’s every man for himself,” he told me, “fighting over scraps.” Convinced that his days are numbered, he’s feeling increasingly off-kilter and off course.

Unfortunately, my friend’s story is all too common. With unemployment at its highest rate in a generation, too many are out of work or overworked in environments resembling a Survivor episode. People in the latter situation, like my friend, may feel torn: grateful for even the most tenuous job but miserable in the aftermath. If you’re passionate about your work, it’s hard to do a job with little meaning and value beyond a paycheck. Worse still is feeling uncertain about the future and losing your way.

So, what can you do to rise above the work fray and maintain your true north? I’ll share what I told him—5 things I‘ve learned from people who have prevailed and from my own experiences:

• Remember: You always have choices. While you can’t control what others do, you can control what you do—and how you do it.
• Base your decisions on what’s best for you and people who depend on you. Don’t worry about what others expect or think.
• Take constructive action and lead the way forward. You’ll not only get things done, you’ll empower yourself and others to make things better.
• Life’s too short to waste on regret, so move on if things don’t work out. Learn from your mistakes and bad experiences. Use them to gain fresh perspective and to focus on what really matters to you.
• Always be true to yourself. Act on your values, and never let anyone or anything sway you from doing the right thing.

Any of us in situations like my friend’s can choose and chart our own path, rather than live, as Steve Jobs says, “with the results of other people’s thinking.” Each of us has an internal compass—a true north—based on what’s most important to us: values, principles, motivations and passions. If we just trust its guidance, we can find those opportunities that create a sense of purpose and satisfaction—both in work and in life.

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Situated on Warner Boulevard, near structures that possess characteristically bland elements of new construction, in contrast, the older Warner Bros. Records building had an air of consideration and confidence. Nestled among mature landscaping, I pulled over to take a closer look at the architectural details, fully expecting to find a jillion Google search results when I went home to look it up online.

No dice.

But, with a bit of deductive reasoning I’ve come to some conclusions.

The original sign indicated that the building went up before 1967, when Warner Bros. was sold and renamed Warner Bros.-Seven Arts.

The dedication plaque to Mo Ostin, however, led me to believe the building was established much later, in 1975.

According to their Wikipedia page, Mo Ostin was brought into the Warner fold in 1963 when the company purchased Frank Sinatra’s Reprise Records. It states, “Ostin’s influence and instincts were crucial over the next two decades.”

I’d say.

Four stories tall, post and beam, with slat wood fencing for privacy and protection from direct sunlight, it’s a post modern paradise. Glass panels span floor to ceiling to enhance and reflect the natural landscape, giving the property an enchanted quality.

Despite the more sheltered exterior design, the interior spaces are open and airy. In atypical fashion, executive offices are at basement level, for an added sense of encapsulation and privacy. With an expanse of mixed-use indoor-outdoor space, these “underground” interiors are furnished with original 1960s Knoll office furniture inside and Bertoia tables and chairs outside.

If you happen to have more information on this fantastic forgotten building, please leave a comment below. It would be music to my ears.

Photos: Sheharazad P. Fleming