This is a great little article about some really small but beautiful homes in Japan.  I love people who can turn something as small as a parking space sized lot into something amazing.    I would also suggest NPR.org as a great resource for interesting news.   National Public Radio is an often overlooked outlet for valuable stories.

Hometown pride.   I love the city I work and live in.  This is a great article from the Huffington Post.

http://www.azuremagazine.com/magazine/features.php?id=1975

Yabu Pushelberg is arguably one of the best and most creative interior design firms in the world. They have been around for about 25 years and have one of the most substantial client lists and portfolio’s I’ve ever seen.

From my perspective, they were a ‘black box’ firm, meaning that from the outside, you never really knew who they were, how they worked or what they were about. I never read anything in the media that gave much insight into how they did business; they just seemed to get the best high-end international projects. I’m sure this was a calculated persona that reflected their exclusivity, and it appeared to work effectively.

That is why this article in Azure is so great. The partners really expose their story, mistakes and business structure. This is pure speculation on my part, but in this current climate where trust and transparency in businesses, banks and government has been called into question at all levels, why not go out of your way to expose the real story of your business? I think it shows confidence and leadership in a changing market and builds trust. It shows you’re a real business, have real structure and that it’s run by real people. This strategy is not for everyone, but every firm should ask themselves, “Are we transparent enough for a client with ‘trust issues’ to invest in our services?

(this entry was part of  a client presentation)

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/05/luxury-vs-premium.html

This is an interesting way to explain the difference between Premium and Luxury. Godin uses products as an example in this entry, but I believe the same holds true for services. Creative firms that are working in this current market should understand that premium and luxury mean different things, especially after the economic downturn. Great architecture and design have always been premium services, meaning that you pay more and you get more, and if it’s done right, that final product will hold its invested value. Hiring a good architect or designer is not a luxury service; it’s a premium service. The outcome may be a luxury space if that is what the client requires, but it doesn’t have to be.

I don’t think Godin’s definition of luxury will last forever, and luxury is certainly not dead or a bad thing, but it’s meaning has been reduced and washed out in the last few years. I believe there is still confusion in the market, and potential clients who’ve made savvy financial decisions to survive the downturn may believe that hiring an architect/designer is a luxurious expense, rather than an investment that will see long-term returns.

They may view hiring a good architect or designer as a choice that their overspending, heavily financed counterparts would have made. Creative firms need to focus on communicating to potential clients that they have a premium service that maintains its value. Potential clients need to be reminded that you help people live well, not just luxuriously, and that your skills in design and ‘value engineering’ mean you understand how to add real financial value. Your marketing materials and media plan need to reflect this difference.

http://www.chanel-mobileart.com

Today I visited the Chanel Mobile exhibition is Central Park NYC.   For those of you that don’t know, Zaha Hadid and Chanel partnered to bring her architecture thesis project to life and take it on tour as a ‘mobile art container’.  Within was the work of 20 contemporary artists that created work that referenced the question, ‘what gives the classic quilted Chanel handbag it’s identity?’.

This will probably get criticized for being too over the top considering the economy.  It is completely indulgent.  But despite having a budget for something like this, there is still a possibility of getting an endevour like this wrong from a branding perspective.   There are marketing people that need this to be about ‘Chanel’ to get their ROI, well respected artists who need to balance the integrity of their own work while working within the given theme, and an architect’s work that deserves to shine in its own right.

On the whole I think this worked.  Hadid’s project itself was great. The fabrication, it’s ability to be shipped and assembled onsite, the bio-morphic, high gloss form – everything was unapologetically ‘on point’ and exemplified her aesthetic.  I won’t touch upon every artist in the exhibition but on a whole, they all referenced the brand in avant-garde and thought provoking ways, striking a fine balance between creative integrity and commissioned art.

What stood out the most was the designed experience.  Fashion, Architecture and Art are all about experience and they leveraged that beautifully.   Even in mid-day in Central Park there was a luxury of space and controlled human traffic. (If you registered online for your free ticket week’s prior) The careful organization of each individual’s arrival and the timed audio walk through ensured that every patron could see the exhibition with on only a handful of others.    The large number of staff (decked out in Chanel jackets, sweaters and umbrellas)  was an added touch.

Chanel Mobile allowed the public to see a complex landscape of creative ideas, but though a controlled Chanel filter, endearing the public to keep the brand not only in their closet, but on close watch as an portal to new ideas.