As the saying goes…

As the saying goes…we are what we eat. I was making an Asian inspired meal tonight and was inspired by the beauty of the fruits and veg I was using. I know I often judge a meal by its “presentation points” (a phrase often used in my family for how good a meal looks on the plate), however, tonight I thought about this concept slightly differently. What if we judged a meal not only for its presentation but by the “beauty” of the garbage made throughout the meal’s cooking process? I took this picture of my discarded scraps – isn’t it gorgeous (the picture doesn’t do it justice;)? My compost bowl was full of bright purple from my red onion, vibrant yellow hues from my mango and papayas, and lush greens from my coriander and romaine.

On the other hand, when did cooking involve such a great amount of waste? I think back to when people made meals directly from the land from which the food came from; there was no saran wrap, Styrofoam, or plastic containers.  In the future, I will be now rating my meals by the presentation of my trash as well. Yuck…see below.

Inspired by the Nissan Hypercube

It’s not often that you come across a new and innovative marketing campaign but here’s one I really like. Nissan is launching their new vehicle, the Hypercube, and to do this they are giving away 50 Hypercubes to 50 very lucky Canadians. The winners will be chosen based on their answer to what makes them unique. See contest description here. Contest participants are asked to fill out a profile pertaining to their likes, interests, and the ways they connect online.

Here’s what I love about this campaign. The contest form is quite lengthy, however, this is almost a screening test to see how truly keen people are on winning. The form asks many different questions that go beyond basic demographic questions (age, sex, city, etc.) but goes into how each participants spends their free time and how much they use the internet to connect and spread information. Basically, the campaign is looking for influencers. Influencers adopt new ideas, products, and brands and other people take notice. I love the thrust behind this marketing effort. Instead of just giving away a car in a raffle (on or offline), Nissan has said if we are going to give away 50 brand new cars let’s have people really work for it.  When I say “work” for it, I mean more to say that Nissan is asking people to really engage with them and their respective social networks in order to stand out and be chosen. With the economy the way it is, I think this is fantastic. Why not in this hard time have people disseminate news about your product before you just give them a prize for simply entering a draw? In addition, the demographic information Nissan will have obtained through this campaign will assist them with their future strategies. The use of the Nissan Hypercube Twitter site will also have worked to develop a real time interactive component between Nissan and contest hopefuls, which will undoubtably have lasting affects. Count me in for being a Hypercube contest participant (Pick me, pick me, I’ve entered and would love to cruise in this very cool cube ;).

The Beauty of Outsiders

I’ve stumbled upon the Collection de l’Art Brut in Lausanne Switzerland. This collection is comprised of works done by those who have had no formal art training and who have been considered loners, psychotics or criminally insane. What inspires me about this exhibit is how art has enabled “outsiders” to be included and accepted as worthy contributors within the art world. Each piece of work challenges what is considered to be the formal rules of art. “L’Art Brut” is “Raw Art” – art that has not been cooked but is raw and unaffected by outside influences. Sadly, many of the people on the fringe are never given a second glance but ironically each work of art at L’Art Brut is looked at by thousands of people every year. The gallery displays art by a range of individuals such as a junk dealer, a hospital porter and a postman who believed his hand was being directed by an external force.

Inspiring Words by Paula Scher

Inspiration…
Here’s a great talk shared by Paula Scher a renowned graphic designer in NY. She speaks about “serious play verses “solemn play” and I think her message applies to anything creative you enjoy messing around with. I enjoy listening to female leaders in their respective fields…always enjoyable.

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Take away points:
– go out of your comfort zone and experience how this stretches you to be creative within the unfamiliar
– be a brat and break the rules in art, design, business, etc. don’t think you need to be solemn in all you do
– serious play is a precious time, enjoy it

Christine Vancouver Sample Sales!

This is the time of year when designer Christine Morton of Christine Vancouver let’s us in on her amazing sample sales! You can have your pick of beautiful silk lingerie and sleepwear for a fraction of the cost (up to 50-70& off). Christine is a well known designer in Vancouver (since she started her business over 30 years ago). She has an eye for beautiful fabrications and novelty prints! Very inspiring indeed!

Sample Sale #1:Nov.29th – 30th (Sat/Sun)

The Sync (held at Nettwerk Productions), 1650 W. 2nd, Vancouver. Click here for your map. Saturday and Sunday (10am – 5pm), email me if you want in on the private night (Friday, Nov.28th)

Sample Sale #2: Dec.3rd – 6th (Wed- Sat)

The Christine Vancouver showroom, Suite 201 – 675 Marine Drive, West Vancouver. Click here for your map. Wednesday – Friday (10am – 7pm), and on Saturday (10am – 5pm).  The showroom will stay open until December 20th (including Saturdays).

Please watch the video clip to get a sneak peek of her work!

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10 Successful Redesigns

I encourage you to check out this post by Logo Design Love. The tweaks made to these logos train your eye to see why refining logos can make a big difference.

Follow this link:

http://www.logodesignlove.com/10-successful-logo-redesigns

Lululemon Communicates Brand Personality

I’m a student of marketing and always happy when companies communicate their brand personality appropriately and seamlessly. When a company knows its brand personality it becomes easy for them to confidently share these brand attributes to others. Lululemon has done this very well in their ad featured in the Georgia Straight (March 27th, 2008).

Introducing the Mansy!

Where’s the colour New York continued…

Just spotted…yellow fashion victim at Niles, NY! Love it!. Before, I left New York I did begin to see signs of Spring, some fab worn in leather yellow boots, a few bright bangle bracelets…bring on the colour!

Where’s the colour New York?

Ok…I’m hear in NY and just loving it. The only thing is…I keep asking myself “Where’s the color?” This spring/summer is supposed to be rich with virbant bright yellows, peacock blues, reds, tangerines, greens. Don’t believe me – just look at this months Elle. Elle U.S.A magazine does a story called “Acid Trip” and displays fabulous looks that say “Colour has arrived!”. I can also attest to a certain large women’s fashion magazine asking some people I know to send them samples in tangerines, reds, oranges, and deep purples for a shoot to appear in June (not telling which actress will be in the shoot either). Yet, I look around NY and see the same old black, grays and browns. I know it’s only February…but we are days away from March, maybe I’ve set the bar to high, maybe New Yorkers would say they’re above the trends that hit their streets every season, maybe I’m a fashion victim…maybe I should be patient. What do you think?

Standing my ground on my embrace of color, I’m heading out to Thor Restaurant and Lounge wearing a short yellow jacket and silk dress with mode print over jeans. Ever played the color phone conversation:

Green, green,…

“Yellow?”…

black, black, black, black!…

pink.

Abigail Lorick

I just have to say, I’m pleased with how Abigail has mixed vintage style silhouettes with more contemporary pieces within her collection. The popularity of Gossip Girl has only helped to bring a more diverse range of possibilities to the masses. I’m in love with the dresses featured on Gossip Girl, known commonly as the dresses Blair and Cerena wore near the fountain in the park (deep cut back with small coloured tie). Love! Way to go Lorick!

Click here to see her work featured on GG.