Considered a classic by many in the advertising industry, this is a fun book to read. Ogilvy offers his advice on advertising, illustrating them with amusing stories (both personal and from other people) and quoting everyone from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Dorothy Sayers. A few of my favorite quotes:
  'When people aren't having any fun, they seldom produce good work.'
  'Search all the parks in all your cities; you'll find no statues of committees.'
  'Big ideas are usually simple ideas.'

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This isn't your typical glossy photography book, with an intent to be visually stunning. However, this book still belongs on your coffee table, for people to peruse. It's more about the subjects of the photos, about the things we've heard about but may have never seen. Want to see a stack of uncut $100 and $20 notes totaling over $220, 800,000 from the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, or what art hangs on the walls of the CIA Headquarters? Ever heard of a Standardized Patient, Girl Scouts Beyond Bars, or The Body Farm? Ever see a cryopreservation unit or a death row outdoor recreational facility?
You will, in this book.

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This is another book I've been reading, as part of my continuing research into advertising. What I like best about this book are the abundant pencil sketches of different advertising work. In the author' words: 'As part of The Advertising Concept Book's determined focus on simplicity and concept, I have chosen to use only hand-drawn versions of the appropriate work. . . . This way, the work is judged by its content, not by its cover. And in terms of my own work, I'd rather have a portfolio of brilliant-thinking roughs than brilliant-looking duffs.' Great ideas shine through, even with the simplest of renderings (which is probably why I like the Posterous design). 

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Happy Valentine's Day!

I've had an on-and-off interest in advertising, ever since reading William Gibson's Pattern Recognition. It's currently in the "on" mode. I tend to agree with Hubertus Bigend's assessment that "far more creativity, today, goes into the marketing of products than into the products themselves. . ." Mr. Tungate provides a nice overview of global advertising history, as well as a brief glimpse into it's future. It was from this book that I first heard about agencies, such as 180 Amsterdam, Anomaly, and Naked Communications.

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I think this book is a nice complement to Michael Porter's Competitive Strategy. I found the tools, frameworks, and principles helpful, especially from a design strategy perspective. The strategy canvas, the four actions framework, the practice of reconstructing market boundaries - all good stuff.

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It's been over thirteen years, since the last Calvin and Hobbes strip was published. I still occasionally miss them, when reading the newspaper. A strip often left me laughing out loud, shedding a tear, or contemplating about life and the universe. I'm glad for the compilation books, and I'm glad Watterson took the time to share some of his thoughts, opinions, and stories behind the strip, in this particular book.

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If you've never heard of Daniel Brush, you're missing out on an amazing and fascinating artist. This man creates intimate sculptures that are exquisitely beautiful. His artistic process is equally as fascinating as the objects that he creates. For one piece, Brush had to make 11,700 new drills for the gold encrusted granules. He's made a box out of mastodon ivory - 40 million years old. He can choose from 5,223 varieties of steel, when working with metal. 

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I reread this book recently, and the stories still inspire me. However, if you want a balanced view of the man, I recommend that you read The Pixar Touch, as well. Given Steve's uncertain health, I wonder if Apple's days are numbered. It's hard to imagine someone else running the company with equal success. Companies like Apple and Disney are simply reflections and extensions of their founders. Once those people have moved on, those organizations are like a bodies without souls. Empty shells of their former selves.

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There are a lot of great trend and inspiration publications out there, but most of those publications can range from the hundreds to thousands of dollars - per an issue. Personally, I can't afford those kinds of prices. This is what makes the Ad!dict Inspiration books so appealing, to me. First, they're affordable (one issue costs 15 euros - and that includes shipping); second, there's an "open source" community approach to producing these books (see their site, for more info), which I like; and, third, the content quality is actually quite good. At least, I find inspiration from them.

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Happy New Year! I read this book while visiting family in Southern California, during the Christmas break. We took the kids to Disneyland, and they had a good time. Mr. Kurtti's book familiarizes people with the core creative individuals who participated in the initial development of Disneyland. Among those included are John Hench, Marc Davis, Herbert Ryman, and Claude Coats. What I like most about the book is learning about the different ways Walt Disney managed creativity, and the importance of having a visionary leader who is not afraid to take risks. I was also impressed by the breadth of disciplines and pioneering work necessary to realize Disneyland. One can learn many lessons from this book. I know I have.

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