Thinkerbelle » best of web

Let’s make something beautiful together.

Thas — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 03:46:08 +0000

When artists, inventors, scientists and dreamers alike are allowed to get in a room together, armed with their respective strengths, they have created our favorite products. Now the days of product development being restricted to multimillion dollar companies are over. Consumers again have the power in their own hands.

Quirky.com is a delightfully smart website that allows dreamers, inventors, creative people alike to bring their best and biggest ideas for the marginal cost of $99. Not bad for market research, product development and ultimately potentially even product development. And then there’s the collaborating–it’s essentially built on the same kind of social framework we know and love from our other social activities on the web. It allows for comments, and as the product gets closer to development ALL who contributed to the final product will get a “portion” of their final earnings.

www.quirky.com

Quirky in 30 Seconds

Now are any quirky members gazillionaires off of their inventions? No. Or should I say, not yet. But the mere ability for this kind of collaborative creativity is endless. This is but the first step in a world of boundless innovation. It’s an exciting time!

A few very gorgeous little inventions. Very interested in the split stick–so smart! One side your personal, the other your work info–if only we could compartmentalize ALL of our lives that easily…

first lady of style.

Thas — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:47:50 +0000

We look to the leaders of our country to lead fearlessly and inspire a nation. And behind every great man, stands a great woman. Not going to lie: I hate that phrase. Because every woman, every mother knows that they do not stand behind. They stand fearlessly alongside. Betty Friedan moments aside, the First Lady of the United States plays an important political and moreover social role in the public eye. She is a role model and softer side of the hard realities of politics.

(Image via: www.newyorksocialdiary.com)

Jackie O may be considered the consummate first lady. Poised, articulate, and every sense of the word, a lady. Her style is legendary and still imitated and emulated by women around the world. The perfect sunglasses, scarf and conservatively stylish dresses. She had a quiet sense about her, loving to with her children and husband, compassionate with those around her. She was a role model in the face of adversity. She gave a nation hope when hope was all but nonexistent.

(Image: http://fashiontribes.typepad.com/fashion/2009/01/first-lady-of-f.html)

Enter 2009 and our newest first lady, Michelle Obama. For the first time, arguably since Jackie O, there is a true icon of strength, grace and style in our first lady. Her positivity is infectious. Her style is undeniable. In a time of economic unrest, she unabashedly wears the same thing twice; ditches the stogy St. John suits of her predecessors in lieu of simple J.Crew basics. She supports young American designers, making household names of designers like Jason Wu and Isabel Toledo. The nation is riveted by her every fashion choice. Her H&M dress sold out in hours after her wearing it. Out of this fascination, the brilliant website http://mrs-o.org/ was created. Check it out. And then try to grab one of Mrs. O’s most fabulous dresses or flats.

(Image via: http://mrs-o.org/)

Keep it short and sweet.

Thas — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 04:04:08 +0000

In a world of elevator pitches and shortened attention spans, it’s no wonder that short talks like those on TED or more interestingly pecha kucha nights are gaining momentum. Constantly connected, we have all gotten used to small windows of highly impactful informative bites. The days of hours and hours of talks and hundreds of pages of a powerpoint presentation are all but dead. This is the benefit of the information era.

Pecha Kucha (pronounced in three syllables like “pe-chak-cha”), -a Japanese term for chit chat-built in response to long winded designers who love to wax poetic when describing their art-was developed to breed brevity. Started in 2003, designers a venue to meet, network, and show their work and to attract people to their experimental event space. There are strict rules around the presentation: the presenter shows 20 images for 20 seconds apiece, for a total time of 6 minutes, 40 seconds.

Image via: http://theosophist.wordpress.com/2008/03/08/30/attachment/29/

TED talks are quite well known by now, just some of the best and brightest coming together in a dreamy intellectual cornucopia for three days. Cult-like followings, these forward thinkers challenge and intrigue in their given 20 minutes. With a list of presenters from Bill Clinton and Al Gore to Jane Goodall and Bill Gates. One rule. You got 20 minutes.

Image: TED.com

Tell me a story.

Thas — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 22:58:02 +0000

I’m fascinated by storytelling of all kinds. Growing up, I loved the “Choose your Own Adventure” books. Even though I’d skip to the end and figure out what was the “best” option, there’s was something intriguing about being given the autonomy to create your own ending. Let’s face it. All of us want to choose our own adventures rather than have someone dicate them. I don’t care about other people’s adventures. What about me???

Enter: publisher Penguin. They continue to innovate and create incredible online interactive story-telling experiences. The “grown up” version is “We Tell Stories”, while the new kid friendly (and gorgeous interface!) “We make stories” opens a whole new world to kids. An amazing hybrid of creativity and marketing for the publishing giant. In a time where some feel the written word is being denegrated to nothingsness, this gives me hope.

Have fun with the site. Tell your own stories. I did. And if I like you enough I just might share it with you…

http://wetellstories.co.uk/

Made to inspire.

Thas — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 04:13:09 +0000

How many of us have sat at our desk in a windowless world, searching for that next “big idea” (or a reasonable facsimile), only to think WHERE is this inspiration going to come from. Here are a couple places that I’ve been exploring:

Thinking Space: http://thinkingspace.economist.com/

In this shrinking voyaristic world, there’s something oddly intriguing about peering into another (creative!) person’s work space. Thinking Space does just that (in a beautiful seamless experience) offering up not only visuals, but descriptors of why the space is important, interesting links, and more information on the individual. The last (and possibly most critical inspiration!) is a playlist that the individual uses to inspire. And it’s not “just” the famously fabulous creative minds of our world. Anyone can submit their space. Look for me some day soon.

sputnik observatory: http://sptnk.org/

The Sputnik Observatory for Contemporary Culture is a New York not-for-profit educational organization dedicated to the study of contemporary culture. Their mission is to ” …by documenting, archiving, and disseminating ideas that are shaping modern thought by interviewing leading thinkers in the arts, sciences and technology from around the world” There is a fearlessness that fuels this immense collection of thought. This mind-boggling experience challenges you to think in ways you may never have thought before. As you go on the journey through this expansive experience, you can choose themes to explore, or people to “converse” with through these short video monologues.

Ideas are energy.
Your brain is a satellite.
Out there is your mind.

(Sputnik Observatory)

Advice? 5 cents please.

Thas — Thu, 07 May 2009 05:14:00 +0000

Ah, Peanuts. Learned one of my most important lessons: good advice need not come at a high price.

When I first saw Zulu Alpha Kilo’s “Thinking Inside the Box” experiment, I immediately drew this connection…they were acting as a modern day Lucy!

Thinking Inside the Box, had them set up a 9X14 box in the middle of downtown Toronto, and offered up creative problem solving for passers by. Questions ranged from the mundane (how do I convince my husband we should go on vacation?) to the complex (How do we use art to help bridge the gap between classes and cultures?) The result? An incredible online archive of creative thought and one heck of a PR move for the agency. And I would venture a bet, a feeling of camaraderie amongst agency creatives that would be difficult to rival anywhere else.

Their founding principle is the world could use more creativity and what a truly beautiful manifestation. It’s thinking like this that makes an ad girl PROUD to be a part of this wonky, wonderful community.

Go on. Think inside the box. I dare you.

Check out their work:

http://thinkinginsidethebox.ca/

YouTube Symphony

Thas — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:46:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/symphony

The world is getting so very small thanks to this crazy internet thing.

YouTube Symphony is a brilliant idea that is a collaborative online orchestra, bringing together some of the world’s most spectacular talents. Completely user-driven, artists were chosen on the basis of audition videos that were voted on and winning artists are coming together April 15, 2009 at Carnegie Hall.

This is symbolic of a huge shift in our culture. We’re one GLOBAL symphony now. It’s gone beyond nationalism (a very critical component of the classical music scene), it’s pure talent. And it will be the fans who decide your fate. Sound familiar? Don’t even think of bringing up American Idol here. But I know what we’re all thinking…

YOU can be a star. Twitter yourself there. Make an incredible YouTube video. Blog your way there. And it’s not just about striving for stardom. It’s about personal expression, the only difference is now people can actually HEAR you, and that impossible dream might just be possible.

And yes. This is a bit partial. My best friend’s brother was one of the winners of the YouTube Symphony. And you can check out his vlogs below. Be inspired.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8×5pcc6Utyc&feature=PlayList&p=B8B08228E249AB61&index=0

Battle of the Sexes

Thas — Tue, 24 Mar 2009 04:08:00 +0000

Ah, the eternal battle-which gender is better, stronger, faster. Leave it to Nike to take on the challenge of figuring out who owns the title. Regardless of how “athletic” you are, chances are you can relate to this primal call to action-come on, we’ve all been doing it since preschool. Boys versus girls. It works globally. It works on the most local of levels. Now this is what I call a “big idea”.

The program has already had more than 10,000 people sign up-even before traditional media hit! Star-studded ads are merely one component of this TRULY integrated campaign. It literally makes every consumer an ACTIVE (haha) participant in the communication. Social media is a huge component of this campaign, but cannot be looked at in a vacuum. Every piece of the puzzle is crucial to the ultimate success of the program. The fascinating thing is that EVERY communication feels like it’s part of a whole-not merely checking off a box on the integrated wheel. It’s purposeful and the message resonates every step of the way. Simple. Clear. Conversational.

Time to open up the conversation brands, Nike’s leading the way…

The Tin Shed…

Thas — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 06:35:00 +0000

So in the meanderings of every planner, you come across a gazillion iterations of the “earth shattering microsites” (in a world where the term “microsite” is not only dated, but meaningless in many cases!). Everyone claims to have the most innovative, interactive and flashy piece of interactive goodness. And more often than not, we’re underwhelmed. Well curb your cynicism, because Patagonia has something for you-the Tin Shed. First of all it’s quite exquisitely designed. Second you are wrapped into a wonderful world of delicately branded content. And all under the guise of something so true and honest to the brand- the simple, symbolic tin shed the place that “once held heavy equipment, now houses our stories”. It’s a multimedia experience consumers can RELISH in and advertisers alike can marvel at.

Check it out for yourself: http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/tinshed/index.jsp

Image: http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/tinshed/index.jsp