J H I Blog

So perhaps I’m a little late to the party: all of a sudden I’m really into GOOD, despite the fact that I’ve known about it for a good (hah) while now. I just never really sat down and gave these people my full attention. That is, until yesterday (mid-informal-brainstorm) when Maya, Carter and I sifted through their site for inspiring infographics.

We found some:

It turns out they’re doing some other pretty cool things over there at good.is. continue reading

If you’ve turned on your TV, read the news online or flipped open your morning paper, you, like me, have been bombarded with nothing but repeats of the same doom and gloom message from the media about the state of our country and the current financial crisis that we can all officially (I think) call a recession.

Luckily, we Americans are a hopeful and enterprising lot, which is what a lot of marketers are betting on as they try to appeal to consumers trying to do more with less.

Here is a quick list of recent campaigns trying to shed a ray of hope through the dark clouds.  Here at JHI, we’re more than ready to put our shades on.

Pepsi, Refresh Everything. The world watched as Pepsi launched their “refreshed” logo on New Year’s Eve in Times Square.  Here is the video just in case you missed it.  And, check out www.refresheverything.com, where just in time for Obama’s Inauguration, visitors can upload a “Dear Mr. President” video.

Allstate, Back to the Basics. Same spokesperson, same “are you in good hands” message with a new “back to the basics in life” theme.  The commercial does a great job of connecting with viewers by touting a “remember the good old days” message.

Coke, Open Happiness. Known for many a happy message, such as “the Coke side of life” in the past, Coke is going toe-to-toe with Pepsi with a new “Open Happiness” slogan. No new creative to show, but be on the lookout in the next couple of weeks.

And, in news from Ad Age, Budweiser plans to run three Super Bowl spots featuring their famous Clydesdales.  Talk about a company that recently went through a lot of change opting to go with the tried and true, a reminder to people that even in tumultuous times, some good things can stay the same.

Presenting Creative

We have a saying here at J H I: sending creative ideas to a client without protection is like sending a toddler out to play in rush hour traffic. Because the fact is, an idea is just that: an idea. It needs the support of the person or people who came up with it, who understand all of the nuances and details that lead to its conception, who know why it’s strong and where it can go, or what can be altered without weakening its core value.

Clients frequently ask us to send initial concepts as pdfs because they are too busy to meet and go over the ideas in person. Of course, technology has made everyone’s workday an accelerated rush from punch-in to punch-out, with packed schedules making it difficult to find even a few minutes to meet. So, unfortunately, despite our deep misgivings, there are times when we are forced to send original, embryonic conceptual ideas alone over the internet. What happens? continue reading

This Saturday, December 12th from 10 am to 5 pm, 40 of Richmond’s best indie crafters in Richmond will be displaying their latest work at the Handmade Holiday Craft Show. This event is sponsored by The Richmond Craft Mafia and will be held at the Visual Arts Center.

(PS – Tickets to the Preview Party on Friday night are available here.)

Please come out and see my latest gourd creations, appearing for the first time under the official name of “Avant-gourde”. This group is brand new and has not yet been featured on my blog. To get a gander of previous pieces, click here.

I HAVE LOTS MORE TO DO AND A COUPLE OF VERRRRY LONG NIGHTS AHEAD OF ME!!! -

(See you at the show!)

…passed away last weekend, but not before making an immense impact on the company he worked for, the creative industry he revolutionized, and me, when I was struggling to find my career and my path in life.

I sit here today with the full knowledge and appreciation that most of what I know as a designer and all that I aspire to be as a professional, I owe directly to Lou Dorfsman and my amazing and privileged years working near him in the design department at CBS.

I’ll never forget the first time he said hello to me.

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John, Betsy and I spent an evening with the Richmond AMA last Tuesday in the beautiful courtyard of the Poe Museum to eat, drink and be merry with fellow marketers! Well, it wasn’t all fun and games, as we were treated to an interesting talk from Dan Elash about how to survive in today’s business climate and utilize the potential of all employees within your organization – from boomers to millenials. Here at J H I, we utilize the strengths of all employees in all-hands brainstorms – as you never know where the next “good idea” might come from.  We also celebrate “First Mondays” each month, where one employee presents an interesting or bad example of design to foster continuous learning and creativity.  Where do you find good ideas?

The value of good design extends well beyond branding and marketing communications, all the way to the very core of human life.

While traveling in Italy recently, we were reminded of the unmistakable importance of simple human communication as evidenced in the town squares that were designed to be the center of every large or small community we visited.

A sense of place is fundamental to how we relate to our surroundings and the people with whom we share our environment.

The ancient and charming “piazza” is a place where we see our neighbors rushing to do their errands, where generations of children have learned about community and each other, formed attachments, designed their families and their futures.

Each day, as the sun begins to set on the landscape of history, the people of the town quietly stroll on to this open stage like actors at the beginning of a play, to see and hear and reaffirm the sharing of a moment in time.

Piazza: Tropea from jhigoodidea.com on Vimeo.

Piazza: Ravello from jhigoodidea.com on Vimeo.

Greetings from the end of my first day here at J H I!  Aside from the normal first day paperwork awaiting me on my desk, I had a special gift from the staff – my very own Swingline Stapler.  

So why the fuss over a stapler?  During my interview with the staff, staplers somehow came up in the conversation (perhaps we were discussing Office Space?), and I mentioned that my previous office had about 50 staplers, and not ONE of them actually worked!  They all looked at me in sheer horror (what, did this not happen everywhere or was it just me?) and quickly set the record straight, “Well, all of ours work here.”  Hence, the one-of-a-kind Swingline on my desk as my official welcome to J H I.  I don’t know about the rest of the staplers in the office (as I have no intentions of actually testing all of them), but this one is in excellent working condition – and it happens to look pretty sweet on my desk.  How’s that for creative inspiration?

Here at J H I, we use the first Monday of each month to discuss relevant, inspirational, or unavoidable events or work in the creative community that have captured our attention. We have aptly titled this forum event “First Mondays.” Everybody here has an assigned month during which they bring something before the group. We use this item to spark a conversation that can cover anything from ideas and execution to trends and relevance.

While I realize that this post about the first Monday of the month is being published on the last Friday of the month, I wanted to share our latest topic of discussion.
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First Friday and Saturday, December 7th and 8th

“Foodist Colony”
a group show to benefit the Virginia Food Bank
at None Such

Here is how it works…

Each artist that has a piece displayed in the gallery for the month of December, has also created multiple editions, books, or other samples of their artwork. These samples will be available for trade instead of purchase.

All you have to do is bring in some canned food and trade it for a piece you like!

Each artist has determined the amount of cans needed to “purchase” their work. For instance, if you show up to the opening with 10 cans from your pantry you can trade them in for a small print by one of the participating artists.

Please make an effort to bring organic foods!

Opening receptions will be held Friday evening from 7pm until 10pm and all day Saturday from 11am until 10pm (so you have plenty of time to buy your cans). On Saturday there will be baked goods, holiday photo opportunities, and live music by local musicians.

A list of participating artists follows…

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