Another art camp at the cabin, another opportunity to get our hands dirty while creating what we all hope will turn out to be beautiful art.

Close to 2 years ago John Munger and Bill Dossett came to D&P to discuss an idea that Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak had - bringing a bike share program to our city. At this point we were basically starting from scratch. Their direction was to make it happen, period.

A poster party. April 10, 7 pm - 12 am

Building creative thinking.

How about asking a native artist from the host nation to design your uniforms? That’s what the Dutch did, and I honestly think they deserve the gold medal in design.

Ok, now that the games are in full swing and the official team uniforms have been exposed to millions around the world, it’s time to sharpen the pencils at the judge’s table. I must admit some of my earlier concerns have been dashed as I’ve had the chance to see more official team attire, particularly for Team USA.

The excitement is rising. The games will soon be here. I can’t wait. As someone raised in the ice and snow of Minnesota, the Winter Olympics are my favorite spectator event.

A snowflake. How can something so small have such intricate detail?

Let me introduce the smart, witty artwork of American artist Craig Damrauer.

Last minute gift inspiration

The country audience is the one we designers need to "play to" if we're going to broaden the appeal of our best work.

Whether you're an Iron Chef or a Top Chef fan you know points for "presentation" are just about as important as they are for taste.

I love Vegas. It is so over-the-top bling all jammed together that one wonders how anyone can possibly make sense of what they are seeing.

A ceramics show at the Walker Art Center got me thinking about the importance of working with my hands.

In my life design has always been a way to connect me to the people I love and the things I believe in.

Barkeeping and branding are both in my blood...and have more in common than you might think.

Established as, “the most beautiful urban marathon in America,” the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon has become an iconic event in the Minneapolis / St. Paul community, as well at Duffy & Partners. Duffy created this marathon brand by developing the primary identity and a subsequent series of posters that were displayed throughout both cities.

We are living in interesting times. Never before have we been so connected. Our ability to interact is nearly unlimited. Technology is a most formidable tool, the driver, a catalyst in the laboratory of life.

Nature never fails to produce something new and interesting. Connecting it with your craft yields inspired solutions.

The brands that have been designed in the best possible ways have their own proprietary language that tells their story, sets them apart from all the brands they compete with, and connects them in a very meaningful way to their audience.

Design is as much a process as it is an end product. And it should be a process that designers and clients resolve to make simple.

Simple good things for good people.

This past weekend I participated in the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk in the Twin Cities, walking 60 miles over the course of 3 days. Over 2500 walkers joined in the fight against breast cancer, raising over $6.1 Million, to benefit Susan G. Komen For the Cure in their efforts against the horrible disease.

I was thrilled to be asked to design graphics and the mural for this year's Art-A-Whirl event held by Creative Electric Studios, an impressive collaborative of writers, musicians, actors, film makers and craftspeople. Thanks to Jenny Adams Salmela and Dave Salmela of Creative Electric for heading up this art bash and for including me.

-verb (used with object) 2. to plan and fashion artistically or skillfully.

The AIGA South Dakota chapter invited me out to present our work to a group of local designers, ad people and students. I had never been to Sioux Falls before and I was excited for the opportunity to share our process, work and thoughts on the business of graphic design.

I had the good fortune of leaving the frozen tundra a few weeks back and traveled to sunny San Diego to address the local creative community and to visit our client, Jack in the Box. We spent one full afternoon visiting various restaurants that had installed our new design in various signage formats.

I recently finished my latest painting, a portrait of a friend/client’s daughter, “Sarah.”

One super cold Minnesota weekend, I actually left the house....

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An enormous collection of prints:

Designing a brand. Being a brand. Not marketing a brand.

There is nothing more powerful than the words you hear from people you trust and respect.  In fact, research indicates that a word of mouth recommendation is the number one factor in persuading someone to try a product.  Design can create the ripple effect that gets people talking about your product and allows your marketing budget to actually decrease.

It's the Information Age, or the Age of Information Overload-whichever you prefer-and the context for design is also changing. In the quest to get closer to customers, designers need to be aware of trends that interfere.

The bible of the advertising industry declares "the ad business is crushing itself under the weight of it's own messaging."

Damn, what a city. I already miss it and it’s only been 1 week since the super high speed magnetic train slung me from Pudong to Shanghai International at an amazing 431 km per hour. That was a trip in and of itself – all 7 minutes of it. With the terrible traffic congestion the morning I left Mogenshan Road arts area, I was told the same trip by cab would have been over an hour. When the hell are we going to build the rails for these pollution-free, comfortable, speed demons in America? Oh well, that’s probably another subject, for a future post.

Duty regularly calls, even on the other side of the world and this trip was no exception to that rule. Just as I was looking forward to Patsy, hamburgers and the comfort of my own bed, I was asked to meet with a new client in Seoul. The timing was actually fortuitous because it saved a return flight to Asia, the week before Christmas and my few days in Seoul – my first trip there - were a real eye-opener. So I called on my favorite Korean designer, Li’l E, or Esther Mun, as she’s also known, had her meet me in Seoul and we set off on a new cultural adventure, for me at least.

You know how when you take an amazing, life-altering trip somewhere that makes you think differently about the world you live in and you desperately wish you could capture all the important parts just the way they happened and bring it all back home to share with everyone you care about? You know how, in those situations, your digital shots taken on the fly, without much thought, let alone photographic talent, don’t begin to do such an experience justice? If you do, you know how I feel every time I return home from China; that is, until this year’s trip.

Contemporary art grows in Shanghai.

Not to be outdone by Beijing’s burgeoning 798 Arts District, the artists of Shanghai have responded with their own neighborhood of studios, living spaces and galleries. It’s a very cool scene that I’m glad I happened upon just in the nick of time. Unfortunately I didn’t get word on the area until the night before I was leaving Shanghai, so once again, I was looking for art on a Monday and worse yet, it was an early, rainy Monday. Nonetheless, I was able to scout it out, snap a few shots and make a plan for next year’s trip. Given the pace of this crazy town, it will no doubt double in size by then.

A day off in Shanghai and a little shopping is in order.

Once again, it was an amazing stay in Beijing. The city, as always, is framed in imposing heritage and tradition but now includes surprises that are being put in place for the millions who will visit here in some 600+ days. Word is that all construction will (must) be completed 365 days prior to the opening ceremonies and one full year will be spent cleaning the air and scrubbing the entire city to a porcelain shine. Should be quite a show.

He was far and away the best student in my Beijing workshop in 2003 and now his work just keeps getting better. Wang Yuwei, or WZL as he refers to himself, is a young designer working his way up in the emerging Beijing design scene.

Sorry, I just couldn’t resist hamming it up with all the outdoor art in the 798 Arts District of Beijing. What is it about outdoor sculpture that makes you need to become a part of it? … or maybe it’s just me.

A Duffy tradition was born over twenty years ago, over a couple of glasses of wine. It came from a place of good cheer. The idea was to share festive spirits for the holidays with clients, friends and families. The first design featured Mr. Claus himself. We printed 2 cases with a beautifully silk-screened label—a novelty at that time.

I think this is trip number 13 or 14 to China and it still amazes me that such a transition takes place over such a short period of time. Despite the added hassles of international travel over past 5 years, I have to admit, it’s a pretty easy get.

Rock, Clay and Wood

2 Campaign Briefs – Over 3,000 Entries

This year’s entrants in The One Club China student and young professional workshops were given a choice between 2 assignments, one for Mastercard, based on the successful “Priceless” campaign and one for a pro-bono campaign that promotes hybrid technology.

This year's entries were up from last year and came in from advertising and design programs in 33 of China’s provinces. This year, as well as last, we included a category for young professionals in both disciplines.

This is the sixth year I’ve been involved in the China workshops. Each year we invite advertising and design students from throughout China to create work from a defined brief. The top students, based on online judging of their work, are then invited to participate in the workshops.

Three words—return on investment. Simple enough to understand. Isn’t it the equivalent of the amount of sales required to recuperate the cost to successfully market a product or service? It’s time to think again. Today marketers need to consider these four steps in building your brand to deliver ROI in a changed world of marketing.