March 30 2010
March 30 2010
Brooklyn seems to be all over the news these days. In a good way. From celebrity moves and sightings to a host of new shops and restaurants to rival the island, the borough is booming. The most exciting news to many residents is the new Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Route. This 14 mile path will connect Greenpoint to Red Hook all along Brooklyn’s historic waterfront. Sites along the way for cyclists, joggers and walkers will include the Brooklyn Navy Yard (built in 1801), the Atlantic & Erie Basin (built in 1847 & 1861), the Brooklyn Bridge, Red Hook Park and Gowanus Canal. Timing is evasive but seems to be moving.
Evidence of this was the opening of part of the route last Monday - the long anticipated Pier 1 of the Brooklyn Bridge Park. This section of the park, next to the Fulton Ferry Landing, has stunning views of the bridge, downtown Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and Governors Island. A beautiful start to the Bridge Park rollout, and the greater Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway Route.
February 18 2010
An all in one soccer ball, portable generator, community builder and global health tool, sOcket is a “shining example” of functional innovation and design. Developed by Harvard University students, this soccer ball turns energy from a kick into electricity, which is then used to charge lights, cell phones and batteries. For example, for every 15 minutes of play, sOcket can store enough energy to power a LED light for 3 hours. In a world where over 1.5 billion people live in areas with no access to electricity, the sport of soccer, with its global appeal, is a perfect partner.
January 29 2010
El Cosmico has opened in Marfa. Part vintage trailer, yurt and teepee hotel, campground, creative lab, greenhouse and ampitheatre - it is another hotel concept from Liz Lambert, the creative force behind renowned hotels San Jose and Saint Cecilia in Austin. Lambert collaborated with Lake/Flato and Jack Sanders of Design Build Adventure, as well as with a creative team of artists, builders and students, to create a unique communal outpost in the West Texas desert.
This new community space hopes to foster and agitate artistic and intellectual exchange with an evolving program of workshops and retreats. Marfa - a place I have longed to go for years - has a long tradition as an arts destination. It was the location for the epic 1956 film “Giant” with James Dean and, in the late 70s, became the home of Donald Judd. Judd’s work - both indoors and outdoors - is a huge draw for his cult followers and the main reason I have been dying to visit. The idea of sleeping in a kitted out artsy trailer or yurt in the middle of the desert just adds to the long list of reasons to go.
January 21 2010
A new viral campaign from Coke has racked up more than 650,000 views on YouTube and, I venture to guess, has generated more buzz than many of their huge multimillion dollar campaigns.
Targeting teens and young adults outside TV ads and online games, Coke set up a special vending machine on a real college campus and rolled footage of students’ surprised and delighted reactions as the machine proceeded to dispense everything from free bottles of Coke to flowers, a wholepizza, a six-foot sub and balloon animals. Students are captured on film laughing and jumping, passing the Cokes and gifts around, and even thanking Coke as they hug the vending machine.
The campaign ties in with Coke’s ongoing “Open Happiness” global marketing campaign launched in 2009, which urges consumers to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Coke, of course, being one of them.
January 15 2010
Welcome to our blog experiment.
Plaid is a branding agency in Soho, NYC. We are also a collaborative crew of creative artists and thinkers, focused on innovative ideas, branding, design, media, arts, culture and much more.
We weren’t sure at first why it would make sense for us to do a blog. It’s difficult to create an original blog. So we tested the waters by creating an internal blog for just ourselves–an uncensored, common space we could all contribute to.
We happily discovered that the variety of individuals at Plaid led to a far-reaching collection of trends, trivia, graphics, documented “firsts,” some awesome nonsense and timewasters and more than just a few cultural observations that inspired us. And since we like it, we thought others might too.
So here it is. For our first week of posts, we’re each sharing our top three entries from 2009.
We hope you’ll enjoy our finds in 2010. Let us know what you think.
The Plaid team
Carol, James, Patricia, Natalie, Tom, Josh and Hilary
January 14 2010
“Twitter is looking more and more like plumbing, and plumbing is eternal”. Brands are using it, institutions are using it, and it is becoming a place where a lot of important conversations are happening. This NY Times article postures that, if heavily curated, twitter becomes a data stream from really bright people in their respective fields whose tweets are often full of links to incredibly vital, timely information. Twitter also helps define what is important by what is called “algorithmic authority,” meaning that if all kinds of people are pointing at the same thing at the same instant, it must be a pretty big deal.
I am still petrified that one day I will find myself tweeting over some tasty donut I just consumed or some b-grade actor I just saw. So for now, I intend to check out and listen to a couple of good ones: @CMonstah (“Visual arts savant, pop culture tastemaker”), @ginatrapani (Blogger and software developer).
January 14 2010
Wafles & Dinges, Rickshaw Dumplings, Schnitzel & Things – there is a new food movement going on that I like. A lot. Since 2009 there has been an increase in gourmet food trucks circulating around the city and my neighborhood in Brooklyn.
Not only is this a brilliant business idea for chefs with existing restaurants in the city – tapping into the hungry lunch crowd on Wall Street or DUMBO, raising their profile with new customers – but for those without restaurant space it’s a fresh and economical business plan (low overhead and no crazy real estate costs).
For the consumer like me, it is a big win. I never eat lunch at a restaurant (too much time, too expensive). I always get food to go (and sadly eat at my desk), get bored of my staple favorites in my neighborhood and love trying new things. Mystery-meat kebabs and soggy water dogs look out!
January 14 2010
The “Agents of Change” graffiti art project in a soon to be demolished Scottish Ghost town made me question the purpose of art and art creation.
What were the motives behind the artists painting this town? Was it a noble act to memorialize the town before demolition? Or was the town just a free bit of canvas for the artists? Was the art created pertinent to the town’s history? Or was it just an intense 3-month exercise in navel gazing? In any case, it got me thinking, which, to me, proves this art project worthy.
