Instant Love

Warhol's

Last June the world kind of ran out of Polaroid film. I have a special place in my heart for Polaroids. They are so candid and honest and immediate. A little hobby of mine is purchasing old cameras at flea markets and antique stores. Great in theory but I run into issues when I try to find film for them, which these days, is usually impossible. Ironically, in the case of my 1983 Polaroid Sun 600, Impossible may be the answer.

Polaroids of my parents from the mid '70s. They are about my age here.

First off, let me quickly explain why Polaroid film is unavailable now:

Polaroid made negatives. Every Polaroid has a negative and a positive. The negative material was made in Boston and the equipment they used was decomissioned years ago. Before the equipment was decommissioned, the company produced miles and miles of negative and put it in cold storage. So once that negative was gone (last june), there really wasn't anybody to make more of it.

Enter: SavePolaroid & The Impossible Project. Essentially, one man (Dr. Florian Kaps, Impossible Project founder) purchased the last Polaroid factory, hired some of the staff and is working to produce a new type of Instant Film by early 2010. At this point it is undecided as to whether he will keep the Polaroid name or not.

I find it interesting that we've come so far with digital photography, and live in a world with such advanced technology, but trying to recreate instant film is deemed an "impossible" project.

Perhaps the secret of creating successful instant film died with this guy. 

Or maybe there is just not enough interest/money/materials?

I for one hope Polaroid film comes back, and for less than $100 a pack. 

Watch & Share Fridays

And donate here.

C'est vendredi

Ola amigos y amigas.

It's foreign language Friday. Well, not really, but let's pretend.

I'm thinking about language a lot these days. Being concise is important, and I come from an academic writing background which doesn't exactly translate into pithy ad copy as easily as you might think. There aren't many fifty-dollar words in your average radio spot or print ad. You have to be able to convey a message in just a few words that will reach a lot of people. And of course, the language you use needs to be particular to your target demographic.

It's a lot like being in ethno-linguistics, except that it's market-based. A sentence aimed at teenage girls likely won't resonate with seniors because their cultural contexts are so different. There's a lot of room for play in writing ads, especially with such a talented graphic designer as Cassie.

There's a marriage of text and image that goes into designing communications... even radio spots or picture-only print ads. Image and text evoke each other, and sometimes they overlap and become one another, so "marriage" is actually a very romantic way to think of communication design.

Consider Douglas Coupland's sculpture "Generation X", made of paper and magnolia branch in 2004. This is one of my all-time favourite pieces by one of my all-time favourite sculptor/writers. The author himself masticated (ie.: chewed) his novel and formed it into a wasp's nest around a section of tree branch.

What the what? Something Coupland once told me (yes, personally) is that he wasn't a novelist. He creates, he says, sculptures of books. That statement started me rethinking the way I imagine the meaning of words and how they exist in our lives. New media has changed many things: not the least of which is prevalence of the image above the word and a shift in something called (in the academy, at any rate) visual culture. Our culture is almost entirely visual now. We consume more with our eyes that with any other sense organ, even though our eyesight isn't that great as a species. At one point the oral (or the aural) was the primary form of communication, but since the invention of the printing press (some three centuries ago) culture has shifted to the visual. Functional literacy is higher than ever, but the emphasis is away from text and toward image.

Images are a language all their own. Some days I feel as though I'm at a disadvantage because even though I understand images perfectly well, my "native" language is text. My visual rhetoric, the act of drawing or photographing or illustrating or whathaveyou (if you can imagine those acts as a parallel to speaking or writing) has a distinct accent.

And that's why I let my esteemed colleague, Cassie, do the drawing. She's fluent.

Merci Dieux, c'est le fin de semaine.

Come Visit Us Virtually

Between organizing ad campaigns, developing corporate identities (logos and brands), and creating our own corporate structure, we somehow found time to publish a website. To be more accurate, we found Emeri Schweigert, who then published our website.

Emeri is sort of the fifth Beatle. He's also our favourite freelancer and rockstar.

We're pretty excited about it. Cassie, of course, designed it and yours truly wrote the web copy... no big deal.

Have a gander and tell us what you think!

Meet Kevin.

Here's a new little feature we'll have on the PE blog from time to time...An interview with someone who, we think, does/is doing/is planning on doing something interesting.

First up is your new boyfriend Kevin Suess. 

That's him above. In logo form.

Kevin and I met a few years back when I was scouring KW for new artists to feature in (qatalyst) magazine. He is a darling and extremely talented. So commission something already.

PE:  Hi, who are you? Name, Age, Employment if any (blame the recession), Claim to Fame. 

KS: a) My name is Kevin Suess. Hello! 
b) I'm 23 and I'm an illustrator / graphic designer / musician. 
c) I make incredible grilled cheese sandwiches. 

PE:  Are you native to this area?
KS: I've lived in K-W for 23 years which coincidentally, is my whole life.

PE:  What do you do art wise and what are your favourite medias to work in? Creatively.
KS: I suppose I experiment in many styles and themes in art making. I paint and pour and sketch and ink, sometimes overly tidily, sometimes disasterously messily. I use mostly oil, acrylic and charcoal but lately I've been considering getting into encaustic and the mess it will most definitely entail. 

PE: What are your favourite things in/about KW?
KS: I'm crazy about the Boathouse in Victoria Park. I've only played there once but it was amazing. It's a great venue. Artistically, I like that less established artists and musicians like myself are given chances and opportunities to show their talents. Maybe it's not the area, i could just be luck with people I've had the opportunity to meet... but local publications and venues in the past have been very kind and welcoming to me.

PE: If you could have one super power, what would it be?
KS: The ability to accurately generate any statistic I could possibly conceive. How many times have I listened to the blue album in my life? 107. Hmm, no shit. Is that lame? Okay... invisibility. 

PE: As a representative of all the 20somethings in Waterloo, I'm curious to know where you see KW in 15 years?
KS:  In 15 years I see K-W as being essentially the same. Maybe ALL businesses will have automatic doors. Actually, I see K-W as becoming even more of a full on arts community, I think it's already on it's way.

PE: Shamelessly plug your band.

KS: I play in a band with four other awesome gents. Our name is Trap Tiger and we play oddly catchy indie-ish pop? We can't agree on what we are but we jump, shout, clap, dance and sing our little hearts out. You can visit us online at myspace.com/traptiger or visit us in person at one of our shows. We're at the Starlight on the 1st of October. Was that shameless enough? 

For more information on Kevboto, email him here: robotdancefight@hotmail.com. 

Kevin's artwork will be donning the walls of Jane Bond beginning this fall. Details TBD.

the gem of dt K dot

Last night after work Cassie and I tottled down to Queen Street for the open house at the Queen Street Conservatory. We've decided it's probably the new gem of Downtown Kitchener.

Here's why:

a) Heritage Building with some of the coolest office space on the main floor.
b) The bathrooms have marble stalls
c) The second and third floors are converted into large dance studios, the uppermost with hip-hop artwork (ie. grafitti) dressing the walls
d) Huge, street-facing windows that make you feel like you're actually in a NYC dance academy
e) Enthusiastic community leaders and industry pros are all over the place and super-excited about the dance and vocal programs offered there (right now!)

The building was formerly the Royal Conservatory of Music, but had been a few things before that and one or two since. If you missed the open house (catered by Vincenzo's, who are moving soon to Allen St. in case you weren't aware) it's probably because you hadn't heard about it. But don't worry, you can still support dance and vocal studies in this community by visiting their website and letting them know how absolutely desperate you are to take modern dance classes. 

That's what Cassie did.

Lunch Review 002

Where: Duke St. Muse Cafe, Duke Street, Kitchener

What: Pesto Monterey Veggie Sandwich Toasted on Multigrain & Citrus Pine Nut Salad 

Price: Sandwich - $4.35   Salad - $3.25

(sorry for the horrible photos. all we have in the office today is my mac photobooth. real professional)

The Duke Street Muse is a huge office fave here at PE. Everything is so fresh and the service is always excellent. They have their full menu online (link above), take out takes less than 10 minutes if you call ahead, and the owner is always waiting for you with a smile.  I usually order the mexican black bean burrito ($3bucks!) but today I wanted something lighter...And I

 gotta say, this sandwich is amazing. Fresh mulitgrain bread, basil pesto, tomatoes, lettuce and Monterey cheese (Soy Cheese is also available if you lean Vegan).

The salad is also great, but a little too much vinaigrette . Mixed greens, raisins, pine nuts and cucumber, with grated carrot. Nice (but a little eager) citrusy light dressing. 

Don't want to stop eating. 

Also- Kudos to Duke St. Muse for accepting the Downtown Card which gave me 10% off my lunch. Steal.

Total Rating: 4.75/5 ( coulda been perfect but it came in styrofoam )

Friends in Bellwoods 2

Just thought I would give you the heads up if you're looking for something to do this weekend.

This weekend celebrates the release of Friends in Bellwoods II, a 40-song, double-album set of rare, new and unreleased selections from some of Canada's most innovative independent musicians. The disc itself is available August 25 (today), but there are a series of release parties in Toronto throughout late August. All proceeds from the sale of the compilation go to the Daily Bread Food Bank in Toronto. And let me tell you....It's good.

The discs feature songs from Artists such as: Forest City Lovers, Basia Bulat, Great Lake Swimmers, Timber Timbre, The Acorn, Ohbijou, Waterloo's own, Bocce ....and soooooo much more. 

You can pick up the double disc for $19.99 at any of the release parties this weekend or if you're super saavy - grab it on itunes from the link here.

For those of you who aren't familiar with Toronto based Ohbijou, check out this video for one of their latest singles, New Years (video created by Exploding Motor Car).

If you ever get the chance, SEE THEM LIVE. You will fall in love. Casey Mejica is the cutest person in this world.

Actually, what am I talking about? HERE is your chance:  

Friday August 28th - Friends in Bellwoods II Release Party Part 1 - Lee's Palace (529 Bloor Street West) Ohbijou / Bocce / Forest City Lovers / Evening Hymns Doors 9 PM - 19+ - $12 in advance (On sale at Rotate This and Soundscapes next week) - $15 at the door

Saturday August 29th - Friends in Bellwoods II Release Party Part 2 - Tranzac (292 Brunswick Avenue) Short sets by : Tusks / The Acorn / Great Bloomers / Kate Rogers / Bellewoods / Kite Hill / Lisa Bozokovik / The Low Notes / Snowblink / Emma McKenna / The Phonemes / The D'urbervilles / Sebastien Grainger / Bruce Peninsula / Dinghies / Kids on TV and more

Starts 12 Noon until late - $10 at the door / $8 with a non-perishable food item

Enjoy!

Prince of Pot at City Hall? Yes.

I just popped out to see what's happening at City Hall to find a group of young kids, some media, and a man with a mic talking about pot. Little did I know, this isn't just any man. This is the Prince of Pot, Marc Emery.

A little background from Wiki:

Marc Emery is  a Canadian cannabis and libertarian activist, as well as a former cannabis seed seller. United Statesgovernment officials have described Emery as a drug dealer for his 

efforts to sell marijuana seeds nationally and abroad. He is the publisher ofCannabis Culture magazine. He ran for mayor of the city of Vancouver in 1996, 2002 and 2008. He is often referred to as the Prince of Pot.

A large banner donning "Different Strokes Presents: Marc Emery's Farewell Tour" hangs behind him as he paces back and forth infront of 60 or so people looking either disgusted or extremely interested. 

Marc Emery is heading to jail. He will be convicted in Seattle, after pleading guilty to one count distribution (he sold marijuana seeds online).

According to Emery :

On the charge of marijuana distribution I will plead to, the Assistant DA, Mr. Greenburg, is going to be asking for 5 – 8 years. My lawyers will ask for less, much less, in punishment, but it's likely to be a stint in a US federal prison. 

I would have some very good arguments in my favor at a sentencing hearing: I did all my activities openly, transparently, paid taxes on earnings in full view of all Canadians for ten years. I had clear political motives, gave away over $4,000,000 to the movement 

in that ten years, and there are no victims here. 

Upon my conviction, my wife Jodie will organize a campaign to have me transferred back to a Canadian jail - if transferred my sentence would reflect Canadian rules of release, so a 5-year sentence may see me released after a few years to day parole.

Very interesting choice of venue - Kitchener City Hall - to essentially hold a rally promoting the legalization of marijuana and a campaign to "Free Marc Emery".

I kind of like it. 

Just another reason to love the diversity of Downtown Kitchener. Right?

Back Alley Art Fair!

Calling all Artisits! This came across my desk and I thought I would share - Kava Bean Commons Cafe (right around the corner from our office, on Gaukel) is holding an Art Fair on Saturday September 12.

"The days events include performances by local musicians, bands, poets, dramatic arts and many art vendors displaying and selling their works of art, jewelery and much more to tantalize your creative senses!"

Tables cost $15  for a small round table or $20 for an 8 ft table - including a free lunch and advertising. 

The show runs in the back alley behind Kava Bean from 10am - 3pm. And is completely FREE to viewers.  For more information, contact Alannah @ s0_and_s0@hotmail.com

PE will be there. Will you?

Monday

Damn you, Monday!!!

You continue to sneak up on me.

I am Jack's lack of specialization

Not a lot of time to blog today for me. Hopefully Cassie will pick up the slack - nothing new there.

Liz and I have been in and out of meetings all week, sourcing new clients, shaking things up, getting down to business. Power lunching. Doing all kinds of entrepreneurial things.

Our clients are all really different. It gets me thinking about specialization. One said to me yesterday that he respects specialists "I'm a specialist in my area, you're a specialist in yours." And maybe that's true, but I've always considered myself a Jack-of-all-Trades (not a master of none, I'm a certified Master of Arts for what it's worth). I wonder if it's possible to specialize in being a Jack of all Trades. They used to call that being a "Renaissance Man" or woman as the case may be.

I think there's a great deal of value in being able to work across disciplines. Specialization is great for factory workers, but to be successful beyond performing a repetitive task don't you need a broad skill set? That's an over-simplification of specializtion, granted, but that's my point.

We specialize in a field; but what, dear reader, defines a field in the fractured, post-modern economic landscape?

I have to run off to another meeting this afternoon, but I'll return to this question in the future.

In other news: Pink Elephant "designed" a radio ad that's airing on 91.5 the Beat starting today! It's our first foray in broadcast media in a while, and we'd love to know what you think of the Just Between Us "Summer's Revenge" spot.

“Without music, life would be an error.” - Friedrich Nietzsche

All alone in the office today. Which means it's quiet. Which means I listen to loud music.

Do you ever get to a point where you start to fall out of love with your iTunes library?

This is a feeling I've been having like, 4 times a week lately. So,  as my favourite co-worker would recommend, I'm going to "quit complaining" and do something about it. Time for some new tunes. I must give myself props for my uncanny ability to find new music sites online that let me try out a few new artists before I commit to a purchase. Commitment is scary. Can I get an amen.

I used to frequent Muxtape for new music. Did any of you ever see that site before it got pulled? (It's back up now but a completely different concept - still very cool - check it out). Anyway, I've found some new sites that are pretty great, so in light of these recently discovered webtreasures, I thought I would share them with you guys, because who doesn't like new music. and wasting time at work finding it. 

Ok. First up- Shown to me by a good bud: The Hype Machine. Awesome site to listen to new and old artists, listen to remixes, spend an afternoon avoiding newsletter design. 

Second! And this one I'm really digging because they just celebrated a One Year Anni, so they've created downloadable free mixtapes (you're welcome): Something For The Ladies.

And third, because "everyone deserves good music": Tunage

K. Check them out. 

And listen to new Radiohead- Harry Patch (In memory of) and These are My Twisted Words here.

Another point for the board, Marc- PE Mixtapes. Once a month. Published on our blog. People can download. 

Thoughts?

TGIFsoon

We're all real Winers

We've created a monster at PinkE. Cassie had the bright idea last Tuesday that we should split a bottle of wine for the afternoon while we hashed out some creative stuff for a radio ad campaign we're working on for one of our clients which will air on 91.5 the Beat starting next week.

It was good notion. So good in fact, that we decided to replicate it. Cass has already posted images of the bottles below, so I won't again here. She's images. I'm text. Here we go.

#1
Henry of Pelham
2005 Reserve Baco Noir
13.5%
$24.95

"makes our mouths happy"

Bright on the nose, and quite strong until it mellows.
Suggestions of fruit, specifically apple and pear, but also blackberries.
Well rounded and earthy body, with a very short, crisp finish.
This is an excellent pick for Fall 2009, but it's definitely peaking now so if you have some don't hesitate.
We suggest pairing with foods that will compliment the earthiness of the Baco Noir, like arugula salad with pear and goat's cheese or possibly a tart dessert or spiced pie.

#2

Mike Weir Wine
2007
Cab Merlot
13%
$18.99

"Um, no."

Very young smelling wine, lots of tobacco on the nose.
Medium bodied, hints of grass clippings, triple bogies, and a 7 iron.
Pairing possibilities: game meats, rich cheese, smooth cigar, cabbage rolls.
Might be better in 2 years, but hopefully we'll just forget about it.
Way overpriced.

BV Coastal Estates
Cab Sauv
2005 California
13.5%
$10

"like a jack of all trades"

Plenty of body for a wine with such a delicate aroma.
Flavours of spices and chocolate.
Would pair well with spaghetti and meatballs, mellow cheeses, grilled anything, and... wait for it... tapas!

Special thanks go to Eric Stein for the '05 BV Coastal Estates and helping us close up shop.
As always, a nod to Liz Stolper for the Pelham. She also brought the Weir. We talked about it and, Liz, you can come back if you don't bring wine made by a golfer anymore. No, hockey players don't count as golfers but don't press your luck.

Wine Tuesdays.

A little tradition we have at PE is Wine Tuesdays.

Each week we sample a bottle (or in yesterdays case, 3) and do an uneducated wine review. 

Marc's going to be posting it later today, so stay tuned!

Yesterday's players:

And to everyone who saw me after this tasting, I apologize. 

Absolut Balls

It's pretty brave (and awesome) when a company launches a 4 month campaign removing all labels from their product. Unfortunately, you won't see this in your local LBCO. The campaign is exlusive to retail store Nuance in Sweden, but I'm curious, if it was available in Canada, do you think  you would  have been able to recognize the brand? Of course you would. This company has such a strong, well established brand identity and bottle shape that they can easily do stunts like this. Props.

The Absolut Company global travel-retail director Anders Olsson says: In an Absolut world there are no labels. No one is judged on the basis of prejudice, and everybody is encouraged to be who they really are. Seeing beyond stereotypical labels makes the world more vibrant, diverse and respectful.

adjust yr dosage

I think 2 Cafe Americanos is the perfect amount.

The first I have with breakfast, which I make on a basic Krups Espresso maker (which doesn't belong to me, but it's just sitting there on my counter at home). Great way to start the day.

The second I have with snack-time at PinkE. The team takes a mid-morning field trip most days to Matter of Taste for caffeine and baked goods. Another double Americano later and I'm very focused and only slightly more obnoxious. Their banana & pecan muffins are amazing, but have caused several divorces in recent months.

Anything beyond two double Yankees puts me about 3 seconds into the future. It's weird getting emails before they've been sent.

Tuesday So Far

Goodmorning Goodmorning.... Well, it's 11.

My day always starts with checking emails and perusing various blogs. This morning I came across this and laughed, and then agreed:

In other news, Fran is on her way to Pandora to pick up the new sale post cards we've created for a sale at Just Between Us. Excited to see how they've turned out!  We went with a 1950's concept entitled "Summer's Revenge", 'cause, you know, it's August and NOW  the summer has decided to come with a vengeance. We chose a thick matte stock to make it look and feel more authentic. Check it out below:

Hope you like it. Coffee time! 

Lunch Time.

Here at PE we love lunch! We eat a lot. Luckily, downtown Kitchener has a nice variety of restaurants that we can work our way through. So, that's what we plan to do. And each time we order something new, we'll tell you about it so you can perhaps try it yourself sometime. Or, you can just read about it while we get fat. Whatever works.

LUNCH REVIEW 001

• Where: Lotus Leaf, King St. Kitchener
  
• What: "Lunchean Specail" Combo G - Mixed Veg, Sesame Chicken, Fried Rice.
  
• Price: $5.95

We all had the Sesame Chicken Combo today. Overall, we thought it was pretty good. The service was super fast, the vegetables were fresh, and there were lots of pieces of chicken in a sweet sesame sauce.  The rice however tasted old. I would opt for steamed rice next time. 

Marc said his stomach hurts now. 

And the best part:

Overall Rating: 3.25/5

I'm so fortunate

Cassie designed this incredotastical blogspace thinger and has some excellent ideas about how it'll work. I agree with her for the most part, but she forgot a few things.

She and I are starting to be pretty involved in the workings of downtown Kitchener - that's where our office is currently - and we're also going to include reviews of the restaurants from which we order food as well as insights on the many events and exhibits that happen around here. We'll do our damnedest to make it interesting.

And yeah, Cass, I think we should have cool sign-offs.

smell ya later,

Inaugural Blog. Inblogural Blog? Yes.

FAIR CITIZENS,

Joking.

So, here it is. Pink Elephant's Blog. I can't tell you enough how often we do something and then say "We should blog about that!!!". Well, I say that and then Marc says, "You are so smart!" and so here we are in Blogland.

This blog will serve many a purpose here in the office. To name a few: 

• A place to record interesting design and marketing ideas we come across
  
• A vehicle to share really awesome web links, images etc. with you
  
• A behind the scenes look at what it's like to work for a small design & marketing firm in downtown Kitchener

I can pretty much guarantee we will update often, as we are chained to our computers for at least 8 hours a day. Well, that may be slightly dramatic...they are more like zip ties. 

Marc, what do

 you think? Is this post appropriate? Anything to add?

We should create some cool sign offs that we always do at the end our posts, like on Anchorman. You know, "Keep it Classy San Diego". San Francisco? Whatever.

Should we talk back and forth like this? Help me I'm lost in blogland!!!