The only burrito worth 3000 miles.

I spent the most magical 15 minutes in San Francisco this weekend. For years I've been told about Cancun burrito in the mission. The oldest historical part of SF. I even lived there for two years and avoided it. The problem with it is its lower than 16th street.

Anything lower than that and you need a bandana and wife beater. Most of SF's drug trade comes through there with all the usual fun that comes with a flourishing drug trade. But this time I braved it. I trooped through the mission watching the streets get darker and emptier, cursing myself for my love of the perfect burrito.

But finally around the corner I finally came to it, a simple screen door with barred windows and the most amazing smell ever. Inside a group of Mexican men stood playing guitar and drinking beers. I entered and realized I was the only customer. All eyes suddenly turned on me.

White boy in the collared shirt slumming for burritos. But all that evaporated when I got my first bite of the best carne asada burrito I ever had. It was worth every dollar, and I got to see a part of SF I never would have gone to without a police escort. Ill be back soon Cancun. Just you wait.

Bridge Toll

Agencies are business consultants, nothing more. They make recommendations on a companies business situation, based on up to date marketing information and most importantly a outside fresh perspective. Their solutions are supposed to fill gaps the company could not see themselves.

When businesses hire more traditional consultants to streamline or improve efficiency, I would wager to bet the companies institute 80-90% of the recommendations, because the consultants are seasoned professionals who understand how to make companies run better, with more profit. It would be stupid to ignore these recommendations.

Then why do so few companies take an agencies recomendation for marketing campaigns? Are agencies rolling over in favor of a happy client? Do clients not value agency opinions? Is marketing viewed as a necessary evil and used only when necessary? Sadly these are all true.

Because of the change in payment structure for agencies, they have become dancing monkeys, at least most of them. Instead of holding a retainer offering a solution, and asking for more for implementation, agencies crank out horrible shit that a CMO says his wife would like to see.

Its sad to see businesses avoid and ignore good advice they are recieving especially in an era where all "good business" advice they have paid for is beginning to mount in the american financial sector. While marketing is not the cure for bad business, its a start to changing course. Hell look at Microsoft now.

A little message from the Bob Slydell of advertising.

Another tool in the clients arsenal.

I was watching HULU last night and was watching a horrible ad for Splenda and looked over at the bar on the left and saw this:
Two buttons where you can rate whether you liked the ad or not. I would love to be in on the client call when Splenda calls Pedone & Partners to tell them that NBC says that 98% of people hate their ads.

The sad part is HULU is a great place to showcase cool pieces of work with great stories. To use it to show the same ad 7 times in an hour makes me just pray for the variety that traditional television provides. Just another reason to make something people will enjoy I suppose.

I can now say I've lived richmond.

Always on Display.

Faces pressed to the glass. Photos flashing. People constantly watching. Your second year feels a lot like this. You're expected to know the easy tricks and avoid them and move bigger and better.

We had our first presentation for the Navy today for our brands class. In my humble opinion I thought we did really well for a branch we knew nothing about. Of course it wasn't perfect but our team was all around pleased with the output. (see creative below)

Which is a good start. There seemed to be a lot of relearning this whole team thing again in the whole class. Some teams clicked had eager eyes to present and some teams leaned and slumped questioning their own work without knowing it, which creates a problem.

All the eyes look to the second years to see what will happen. Will they knock it out? Fail? Humiliate us? And while most of us would probably say I don't care, I feel the looks and pressure, but in a good way. I didn't come to this school just to make a good book. I came for a better work ethic, and god knows I've found one better than the last.

The sense of freedom of being almost gone has its benefits, the ability to just relax and do things you like for one, but that sense of freedom has a cost. Not caring at all. I can see how easy it would be to shrug off criticism in favor of a "I like it so screw it" attitude. To not try to improve it because it looks perfect in your head, and I completely understand.

But hopefully the feeling of 100 sets of eyes in the back of mind help push me a little further. Enjoy the work, comments are always welcome.

Culture by online shopping

So a little bird directed me to Ork Design. She makes typographic posters of metropolitan neighborhoods. you've probably seen them like this one of my hometown.

I was forwarded an article that did an interview with the owner of Ork Design. What struck me was this quote about working at home:

"Waking up and getting straight to working right away. I never knew my brain functioned at that moment in the day. Also, being barefoot all day. I really hate socks."

I love this because it reminds me of a time when i didn't work for 8 months and made tee shirts in my bathroom for myself. Most were inside jokes or funny ideas kicking around. But to be honest it was some of the best times I had in SF.

So I've decided to get back into this screen printing business for my first culture assignment. Sure it isn't new or different but it is something I've wanted to do again for some time.

I'm not talking to you....

Ok so i've ignored this blog for long enough, but in my defense I've been busy. Ignore that tan and empty case of beer over there. I SAID DONT LOOK!! I promise I've been working, here look at my sketch book.

So what there's only a few notes. Quailty my friend. Quality. HEY LOOK OVER THERE!!

Sorry. But I've been busy. 4 clients this time. The NAVY, Stinger bug killers, Newspaper Association, and a freelance client. It feels like a lot but exciting as well. There's progress on all fronts and good stuff is starting to come out of my cobweb filled brain.

The most interesting point so far is the teacher/group meetings. We had our first today for the NAVY. We all sat and listened to recommendation and suggestions, made a few of our own and left. We met afterwards to digest and regroup. The difference happened when we all agreed that the direction suggested wasn't something we were interested in and we decided our own path.

While this might seem like a pretty easy decision there outside our humble building but for me it feels like the start of me doing work I want instead of homework. So long mindless drone. Hello indepenent free wheeling thinker!

Hey! What did i say about not looking at the empty beer bottles?

Sluggishness is the enemy of May.

So its back on in all 5 gears here.

Except I can only get it to go into 3rd, and I need 4 and 5 from the start. I only have 9 months until I hope to do this for a salary. Part of me knows it will all come together and I will finish it, succeed and have a great book.

The other half worries. Teachers said we would come back sluggish, cautious, and flat out lazy. Seeing how advertising actually works sometimes takes the piss and vinegar out, and I can feel the rust, the sluggishness.

But its not all bad, the rust will pass, and thankfully I came back with something. Speed. I can feel my ability to plow through bad ideas quicker. Target on shreds of thoughts with potential. So hopefully this will help off set the rust until I can relearn how to drive my manual transmission again.

Artists beware.

287. Give or take.

One more glorious year of avoiding adulthood ahead.
One more year of infinite budgets, ideas, and clients.
One more year to live in a bubble called Brandcenter.

But as always the seeds of doubt are at foot. I've been thinking about where I want to go every day because I'll wake up tomorrow and it will be upon me. I think about my book about once a week because I'll cough and I'll be sitting in a cap and gown. I watch the economy every five mintues because nothing scares people entering the work world than a recession.

But wait, a recession is actually great for me.

I make half a peanut in terms of salary. A art director with 5 years experience makes enough peanuts to make Jimmy Carter nauseous. Agencies need art directors but not the large salaries. So in business terms I'm called a bargain.

So things look up as the numbers go down, or so I hope. This phenomenon has been reported on Agency Spy. Apparently people over 50 are getting the axe at unheard levels in favor of cheap and young. Guess ill start using anti aging cream this year.

A conversation between a creative and the rest of the world.

(Click for larger view.)

I'm just missing the little umbrella.

I've been back in Richmond for a week now and have thoroughly enjoyed being back.

Met a few of the incoming students and have been very impressed by the quality of their previous experiences and portfolios. Brandcenter's new policies which include two years previous experience, and a degree involving some form of design, will make the Brandcenter much more competitive in terms of Art Direction and will produce great ADs for years to come.

I would love to keep posting but honestly I've had a extremely relaxed week and will get back to posting once I'm done doing the following:

Three levels of advice

Level One: Mark Roddy ECD of BBH NYC.

"I want people with big ideas. BIG ideas. Look at Droga five. Ideas like Tap Project and the phones for public school students in NYC. People at my level want those ideas and at times are a little afraid because they don't know where to get them from."



Level Two: Paul Foulkes CD of BBH NYC.

"I have alot of friends who are creative directors who hire these kids out of Miami or Crispin and their book are filled with cool ambient and OOH, but they can't make a print ad for their lives. I want people who can do cool stuff we all do. You just have to remember 85% of the time I just need a damn print ad, radio ad, coupon. Show me you can do the simple as well."


Level Three: Victoria Weeks AD at BBDO SF.

"You should put in your book what you want to be hired to do."




All good advice. Now go do it.

Note: These are not direct quotes but summations of conversations I had with these people during the summer.

Seuss in the major of NYC

I took my spot at a desk on the 19th floor.
The first couple weeks turned out to be quite a bore.
After 51 one layouts and not one OK.
My Airborne layout was approved, not a single more Nay.
I learned about agencies the way that they work,
I regretfully learned undergrads can be jerks.
Everyone was a creative, a writer, a pro,
Until I asked for help and was met with the familiar no.
But I loved my time living, in the city that never sleeps.
And now I'm moving back to the city that barely peeps.
The best lesson i learned from my 8 weeks as a pro,
Is my skills as an art director have a long way to grow.
But that is the challenge of this industry of ads,
To always get better, build an army of comrades.
I look forward to my time when I'll be back and on top.
Walk back with a book, that will make jaws from ocean to ocean drop.
So goodbye New York, you treated me so well,
But Richmond is calling, so god speed, and farewell.

Fung Shui

I asked a writer if he could come up with 20 lines for outdoor billboards today.

He said: "Of course! Can you decorate them?"

It's official, art direction is now something that guys like this do: