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Our studio recently discovered this eclectic collage of artwork on the Behance Network.
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23
Jul
09
Be Inspired…
During the current Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 416 strike, my Toronto neighbourhood came together to mow the lawn at Merrill Bridge Road Park. As a community, it was important to us that our children and dogs have a safe place to play and that we take pride in the appearance of our public space. It seemed innocent enough—neighbours coming together for a good cause and getting to know each other over a free BBQ.
“The city belongs to everybody, not just the striking workers. It belongs to the taxpayers,” said Christine MacLean, the organizer of the Merrill Bridge Road Park mowfest, Toronto Star, July 10, 2009. “We have to stop relying on the city to provide everything. The community has to take some kind of ownership and that’s what we’re doing.”
To our surprise, the press came out to publicize our actions and the President of CUPE Local 416 responded by calling us “SCABS”!
As the days pass into weeks during this strike, I am proud to be a Torontonian. Citizens are taking ownership of our city by actively mowing lawns, cleaning parks and streets, and going above and beyond for no pay and little recognition just to keep the Toronto brand great.
What are you doing to keep Toronto great during this strike?
02
Jul
09
Oh Canada….
There I am driving in Toronto, south on Yonge Street passing Eglinton, and I can hear police saying “….stand back from the door, stay in-line and off the road…” and I wondered what the heck was going on?! I later learned how the Mandarin brand was celebrating Canada Day! Check this out and let us know if you experienced any great Canada Day brand initiatives?
The Mandarin offered an All-You-Can-Eat FREE buffet to celebrate Canada Day between 12 pm to 8:30 pm for anyone who provided proof of Canadian citizenship at any of their 21 Ontario outlets. Mandarin fans started lining-up at 1 am and by noon over 800 Canadians were lined-up around the block at the Mandarin Yonge/Eglinton location which seats 250 guests. The crowds waited over 3-hours in-line and restaurants were forced to bring in extra food and staff to accommodate the growing throng of people.
“Co-founder James Chiu, 61, got the 21 Ontario outlets to celebrate Mandarin’s 30th anniversary and to thank Canada for their success by offering free meals. ‘We are very grateful,’ said Chiu, who emigrated from Taiwan with his family in 1964, became a Canadian citizen five years later and opened his first restaurant in Brampton in 1979. Chiu estimated the event would provide more than 30,000 meals, costing about $500,000.”
James Chiu, centre, President of Mandarin, and other staff members hand out spring rolls to some of the hundreds of people that lined up outside the Yonge/Eglinton restaurant. Image: Avid Cooper/Torstar News Service
10
Jun
09
LuminaTO!
YAY! Toronto is taking the lead on creativity and bringing the multi-dimensional world of the arts to our city with Luminato, a ten-day arts and creativity festival—fantastic!
Friday night was great, “The Girls and Their Buddy” at Massey Hall: Shawn Colvin, wonderful; Patty Griffin, amazing voice, so Nashville; Emmylou Harris, sweet and reserved; and then there’s Buddy Miller—go Buddy go! Together, they jammed in that old hall with great sound and made you feel like you were hanging out in their barn…a really nice laid-back introduction to the uniqueness of a festival where people want to share their passion and talent.
Next, on to the red carpet for the opening night “parties” at The National Ballet School. The outside of the building was transformed into an engaging visual art/media expression with constant images and messages 5 stories high! Lights, cameras, action—all inside…
The best was on the second floor, hosted by Armani. It was happening. Skipping the name dropping, everyone was happy to be involved with this very cool thing called Luminato. The parties had live, unique and diverse entertainment, late night snacks and tons of people all excited and talking about which event they were going to next, how great it is to have Toronto bringing such talent to the public largely for FREE…so many wonderful offerings, possibilities and OH NO I thought of taking a night off this week—now all I want to know is how do I get tickets for the sold-out Nederlands Dans Theater for Thursday?
Saturday night we joined The Children’s Crusade for the standing and OUTSTANDING performance in the converted old warehouse on Dufferin Street, including Fire Marshals haha, no kidding. It added to the excitement and expression of simply working with creativity in our city. It is a must see—with a wonderful mix of macabre, seedy and terrific acts. Oh did I mention it’s a musical, NOT like anything you’ve ever seen.
Sunday we enjoyed an appreciation brunch at the AGO with friends and those generous Luminaries: gracious founding supporters who helped transform the nothing-less-than-brilliant shared vision of Tony Gagliano and David Pecaut (founders) into reality. A wonderful investment in engaging the city with creativity, innovation and unique festival-only experiences—truly an important initiative for Toronto’s social, cultural and economic development.
After lunch HA! Mesmerized we were, by the visual and audio works of Tony Oursler in Grange Park, on the corner of McCaul and Dundas and just inside the AGO, past the shop—FREE of charge. Yes, we spotted the RED BALL at Old City Hall which was fun, as hundreds of people snapped photos of family and friends standing beside the massive ball squished into the columns at the front door :-), but the real beauty was at BCE place! It’s brilliant, the “long wave” by David Rokeby—represented by Pari Nadimi Gallery.
Ahhhh, no rest this week: it’s the Tribute to Neil Young tomorrow night—and I’m still seeking tickets for Nederlands for Thusday. Friday, 5 O’Clock Bells; Saturday we’re off to enjoy the “very hot” interpretation and closing night performance of Carmen and a coolio/fresh after-party (tell you all about it next week), and Sunday—a special 25th Anniversary of Cirque Du Soleil event at Harbourfront—FREE.
How’s your week shaping up? See you at Luminato…
04
Jun
09
Hey Boss, One Sugar or Two?
Interning, regardless of where you’re “placed,” is marred by a certain stigma. Essentially you’re the coffee guy, the photocopier, the gofer. If you’re lucky, the other employees actually know your name.
My time at belladonna communications has been nothing short of…well let’s say pretty darn awesome. Not only have I been fortunate enough to be given my own email address, desk, computer and extension number, but actually being called Hussein and not “Intern,” “You There” or “Kid” is actually quite liberating. Bosses take notice: we interns are simple folk. We appreciate the luxury of being treated like a human being, it gives us a sense of…belonging.
I have never recognized the intricacies and manpower required to launch a website, and the amount of time and effort that goes into designing a website is unbelievable. Not to mention the amount of paper used to create layouts, which are tacked up all over the wall, only to be ripped down, drawn on and thrown on the floor. Yup, I said it, paper is involved in creating something digital (talk about irony). Who would’ve thought you go through tons of paper when creating a website? Not just any paper mind you, there are hundreds, no thousands, actually I would say there are at least 6 bagillion different combinations of paper stocks, weights, colours, and textures.
What I learned: White is out, off white is in, and recycled paper is the new cool. I experienced this first hand when we met with a paper representative from the U.S. Watching Angela and Sam’s faces during the meeting was like watching kids at Christmas. They smiled, they laughed, heck I think they even cried a little. They were overcome with joy, while I sat-in on the meeting trying to comprehend where this sense of euphoria came from. I guess either that it further emphasized their passion for quality work or that their lives are actually quite dull, but either way, thanks to that meeting, I can never look at paper the same way again. It’s actually quite disturbing.
I have to credit the belladonna team though. They are treating me like a human being and not a human coffee maker, plus they actually know my name…score!
So for now, I will go back to my research, my marketing magazines and my desk by the window…for an intern, I sure am living the good life.
28
May
09
Great City Chicago!
What a GREAT weekend, give yourself a gift—go and visit a GREAT CITY, CHICAGO! That city is a GREAT inspiration for transforming Toronto!
Mmmmmmm, Millennium Park—it surrounds you with its magnificence, with the brilliant design features of our Canadian, Frank Gehry…we need more of his work here in Canada! “Millennium Park honors and builds on several proud Chicago traditions at once—beautiful architecture, landscaped and protected parklands, and the ongoing celebration of the arts.” said Mayor Dale
You soooooo must do the new Modern Wing at The Art Institute…to frame Millennium Park from another perspective and let the daylight touch your soul while absorbing the most incredible collection of 20th- and 21st-century art in the fabulous new wing designed by Pritzker Prize–winning architect Renzo Piano. Kudos to Piano!
http://www.artic.edu/aic/collections/exhibitions/modernwing
Don’t forget the culinary haut design, Chicago is for foodies! Awwwwwww, Charlie Trotter’s never disappoints: Chef Trotter is devoted to divine dining and spoiling yourself rotten, I deserve it! It’s a not-to-be-missed experience at one of the world’s finest restaurants, don’t you agree?
http://www.charlietrotters.com
Tell me, don’t you just love Buckminster Fuller?! “So I said, call me Trim Tab.” Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago has the best Buckminster Fuller exhibit on right NOW…what a guy, so smart, empowering and achieving of greatness. Who is Canada’s Buckminster Fuller??
Buckminster Fuller is often cited for his use of trim tabs as a metaphor for leadership and personal empowerment. In the February 1972 issue of Playboy, Fuller said: “Something hit me very hard once, thinking about what one little man could do. Think of the Queen Mary — the whole ship goes by and then comes the rudder. And there’s a tiny thing at the edge of the rudder called a trim tab. It’s a miniature rudder. Just moving the little trim tab builds a low pressure that pulls the rudder around. Takes almost no effort at all. So I said that the little individual can be a trim tab. Society thinks it’s going right by you, that it’s left you altogether. But if you’re doing dynamic things mentally, the fact is that you can just put your foot out like that and the whole big ship of state is going to go. So I said, call me Trim Tab.”
Just sayin’! Have a GREAT time in Chicago! Toronto has huge potential, what will it take to make Toronto the inspiration for Chicago?
21
May
09
Brands Misbehaving…
After much internal debate, belladonna has selected the 3 companies below as some of the worst brands. What brands would you nominate?
COFFEE TIME
“The crack house of coffee shops. At least they are consistent at being bad.” Coffee Time recently relaunched with a new messy logo and identity platform that could be reminiscent of either the smell of coffee or more likely the strong odor of cigarette smoke that still permeates their retail locations. Consistent in poor marketing and brand experiences, Coffee Time delivers an overall dismal coffee shop encounter.
GO TRANSIT
The little engine that could not deliver—union strikes, cancelled service, late trains, “cattle call” packed trains/buses and increased pricing all leave GO as one of the worst brands to deliver on its brand promise of safe, convenient, and efficient transportation to the communities of the Toronto area. As a clear monopoly they win by default, not by design.
AIR CANADA
“It takes years of neglect or mismanagement to destroy a strong brand, and even longer to rejuvenate a brand that has fallen into disrepair,” Alan Middleton, Professor of Marketing at York University. Years of bad service, late flights, government bailouts and other frustrating experiences have left a mark on Air Canada’s brand. Regardless of what new marketing tactics Air Canada tries, its consumers will always remember that their experiences were inconsistent with the brand’s promise.
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