So, I know the coolest 12 year old in all of New York City … Noah R. And he recently had this killer idea that ended up being called “12 Second Sketch.”

It all started one day in Central Park when Noah decided to sketch the Dakota building. For those who don’t know, that’s the super-famous building where John Lennon resided, and was shot just outside. Anyway, Noah decided to sketch the building in 12 seconds, because, well … He’s twelve!

And today, Noah, Paul, Jenny and myself set out to make a short film that explains all of this. We interviewed Noah, so that he could explain his concept. However, we didn’t want the visuals of the film to explain the concept. We want the visuals of the film to represent Noah’s perspective. So, that’s what we set out to accomplish. We headed downtown to the Meat Packing district to the Highline. We shot video, shot some stills, did a quick audio interview, and took some audio clips from the streets of NYC.

Looking forward to seeing the final piece. Paul’s supposed to be putting it all together tomorrow and it will be used at City Uprising this year in NYC. Over 400 volunteers are going to be running through Manhattan trying to get New Yorkers to participate in a 12 second sketch of “anything that comes to mind.”

Pretty cool, no?

I had the pleasure of spending a few hours with a young couple & their daughter who are from Sciliy, here in NYC on vacation visiting family. It was a glorious afternoon following weeks of rain. It was a perfect day for this. A few selects above.

Could this be an attempt at preemptive leniency from a police office if this driver were pulled over for a traffic violation? This sign definitely does not look official by any means. However, if the desired objective is attained, then the design would be a success. Potential proof that design isn’t always pretty!

Yes! Love it! This is how I see typography.

via ffffound via i love typography by Jihad Lahham

“The best teachers are the most earnest seekers. Those are the ones to follow.”

Formulated by Grace Hw., initially stated by Claude Hu.

I started really exploring Google Earth outside of just “flying” around and looking at the 3D buildings in my neighborhood. Exploration with cause is usually much more beneficial.

Currently working on a somewhat “interactive” map of vineyards in Napa, I’ve been taking images from Google Earth as a base. Then work some magic in Photoshop. Its turning out nicely. Yes, it feels a bit barren, but it’s California.

Our newest addition to the studio … Banks. He’s one beautiful pit bull, no?

Nestea has a new campaign … Liquid Awesomeness. The website is pretty sweet, but definitely weird. Doubtful it will have a long shelf-life.

Regardless … We’re walking down Broadway last night, look up and see the above poster. Without any context whatsoever, this ad just seems ridiculous. Stupid really! Maybe I’m getting old.

Maybe I’m not. As a designer and brand strategist myself, I always work to consider the environment in which the work exists. Context is so important. And without it, the point can be completely lost. We live in a world where individuals are exposed to a great deal of information … And not everyone is exposed to all the same stuff.

Or maybe I just need to start watching TV! Nahhh, don’t think so.

It seems that television is the “context” some automatically base expectations. But you’d think these days with DVR and the internet, that designers and agencies would realize that the collective public is beginning to gain personal control of their own context. This is changing the way brands must communicate to individuals.

While the base approach for this Nestea campaign is interesting, this approach is not for the general public at large. It should be used only for smaller niche audiences that make up the long tail … Where it resonates the strongest.

Two things I wouldn’t expect to find in a flower shop in the flower district of NYC … A baseball and a very dirty iMac. Just thought I’d share!

Apparently Ice T wants you to Obey Giant as well! Found this down in the Flower District over the weekend while Jenny was working on a friend’s upcoming wedding.