Who am I and i'm going to ask all of you
guys this is we're going to get a little
touchy feely in here and i'm going to
ask you guys to do a little bit of
thinking about yourselves Who am I I'm a
guy who wants to make people stop and
look for me it's about getting a
response that connection and getting a
response for people is really important
to me I don't care if the response is so
much positive or negative what I want is
that connection and emotional connection
so at the core that's really who I am
and he set me up by saying I'm currently
on the director of the in-house creative
team at Merck I've worked their teams of
just under 70 people so it's quite large
in-house game we we do everything we
cover the gap I've worked for companies
like KGB which is my career Mulligan I'd
like to do that when / rd I spent a
little bit of time at r/ga I spent a
bunch of years at oxygen Media I don't
know if any of you guys know oxygen the
television network I've spent a ton of
time there I had my own company for a
while doing signage and custom painting
and murals was a fine art you know
education that I got was was hanging out
in that area I worked for Panasonic and
currently aside from my day job I go
home and I'm my wife's step-in Fetchit
creative guy and tech guy so this
conference is about profound change
right you're hearing everybody speak
about this change and I believe that
corporations really need this change
right now and as designers we're on the
hook we need to prepare ourselves for
this change and we need to get in touch
with with who we are and what we have to
offer so that we can be the catalyst to
really Drive this change and what I want
everybody to get in touch with today
you're going to i'm going to say some
things over and over it needs to come
from an authentic place and and we can't
have inhibitions you know titan we've
got to rid ourselves of
stuff in order to do this I believe you
have to start with getting some profound
insight it starts with profoundly
knowing who you are s designer and going
beneath the superficial in the obvious
right a lot of design you know can
especially in the entertainment industry
can be really superficial I'm going to
show you some of that I'm guilty of a
lot of it but as a community we need to
be able to drive this change and we need
to know each one of us needs to know
what do we bring to the table so as a
community when we hit this table that we
always say we want to see what do we
bring it's horrible they complain about
not being at the table but worse when
you get to the table and you're not
bringing anything because you're really
not sure what your about or what's
profoundly there for you so what we want
to do is help make corporation and help
take corporations to this emotional
connection for the rest of humanity
right it's kind of base is a big like
lofty idea that I have going on here but
companies that that use communication as
a tool to move people on an emotional
level the companies that are going to
stand down right and we think about
Apple think about the emotional
connection people have but I can't go
anywhere without this you know when
Steve Jobs past I was sitting at my
computer and I looked around I had my my
laptop here and I had my iphone
connected and my iPad connected I looked
over at my g5 and my multiple I pods and
I was just like oh my gosh you know like
I can't do anything with that first up
there's a company that's made an
emotional connection
people not all companies are ready for
this but they need they really need it
and we need to prepare ourselves so that
we can move companies in this direction
we need to be this catalyst you know the
catalyst for this movement and we need
to take branding and identity to this
new level of emotional connection right
there's there's so much branding and
identity that's going on out there
that's nice and it looks wonderful but
but is it making that emotional
connection and that's what I'm going to
challenge everybody to get in touch with
so how do we do this with words blah
blah blah blah blah no right so words
are not going to accomplish this change
there's there's no way no one trusts
words anymore not the words of leaders
right or world leaders or executives or
politicians and gosh that's for sure
look at what's happening in Egypt does
anybody believe what anybody is saying
over there I mean really look at what's
happening here does does anybody believe
what our leaders are saying you know
about jobs I don't that's stimulus
package anybody feeling stimulated you
know no so so it's just a bunch of blah
blah blah blah blah right so what can we
do as designers well I say in design we
trust we have an opportunity to use
design to make this emotional but more
important more importantly but in
connection with that emotional it's a
trusted connection right so words don't
trust the words so as designers we need
to bring this together in a way that we
have an emotional and a trusted
connection you heard a Rick talk about
it in the creative group little video in
the beginning we need to think that we
have to think global multicultural right
so we have the power as designer to
think multicultural to think global so
what has to happen well this conference
is about shit
your perspective right you've heard
people staying talking about pivot and
shifting and all the stuff I'm going to
suggest that you start by shifting the
perspective on yourself and we need to
make this shift so that we can become
critical players we can't just sit back
right we can't just sit around and hang
out and wait for this change to happen
and then jump on board if you sit back
and wait we're doomed I mean we are we
are doomed as a creative industry we
can't just glide through this right we
know what's going to invite us to the
table so we need to be the ones to
initiate this now how are we going to do
this so what needs to happen possibility
we need to expand this every one of us
me and everyone in this room at this
conference I think we need to expand our
realm of possibility to do this we need
to know who we are as a designer so we
know what to listen for right part of
this is about growing these giant ears
today you can't just be a better
listener you need to connect the
listening to who you are so you can
identify with these opportunities that
allow authentic expression i'm going to
show you like how what's there for me
and how i did that when we can make this
connection i mean this is what makes us
love what we do right you know how many
designers take what they do I don't
think we get into this industry because
we hate it and it's what our dad wanted
us to do we get into a because we love
it right there may be some of you some
lawyers out there that are the doctors
or accountants that do it because their
dad wants me to do it but not us right
we're different we're different type of
crap so in order to expand your realm
for success you got to get rid of that
story that we all have right get rid of
that story of what you can what you
can't do it totally limits so let's get
rid of that and let's listen for
possibilities even if you don't think
you can do it or know how to do it I
want you to listen right because that
story inside your head of what I can't
do that
this will never be able to do that all
it doesn't stop you it completely stops
you I'll challenge every one of you to
just listen for that and be aware when
it's going on it's going to go on I
still do it everybody does it you know I
can't do this I can't do that legal will
never let this go through just listen
for it and know it's there and then
figure out how do I get past this right
we all have infinite potential there's a
voice that voice I'm talking about
inside of ism it wants us to the great
and you need to believe this right so
the same voice that tell me you can
there's also that voice in all of us as
artists designers creators that that
wants us to be great you all know this
voice right it's the voice in your head
right now it's probably saying something
like you know this guy's folded I should
have gone to that other session this is
that voice just get aware of it and
listen to what it said to you well it's
going to start with asking yourself some
questions right I want you all to start
asking yourself some questions figure
out the family who are you as a designer
some questions that might you might ask
yourself why did I get into this field
of design what am i doing with design
maybe most importantly what's the common
thread in all of my work and you know
what's been there for me since I was a
kid you know why do I love this love
this so do I about this as you ask
yourself you know these questions I told
Andy I was asking myself a bunch of
questions this morning it's going to
help you understand who you ask who you
are as a designer so that you'll know
what to listen for as you go forward so
what I want to do I'm going to take you
all that happy place it's a good place
to go I want you to you need to know in
who you are and what you should be
listening to it so I want to do a quick
little exercise with everybody I want
you to think about you know who you are
as an artist
designer and please do me a favor don't
over complicate this because we do you
will and we all do this don't
overcomplicate it when you think like a
kid this is going to be an exercise if
it's art speak exercise and you know
well I always want to dramatically
capture the essence of my subject by
using you know shadows and texture to
capture the essence of their you no
emotion no it's not that think like a
kid for a few minutes right so I know
this is going to be weird but I ask you
to close your eyes I know it's weirdest
or strangers and you're thinking like
don't steal my iPad I'm going to watch
and make sure that no one like you know
lift your iPad and runs out the room so
if you close your eyes are don't but it
would at least go through this with me
right so take a deep breath right right
there you are you took that deep breath
and ask yourself Who am oh and if these
artistic sense think about that Who am I
and what are the first things that come
to mind you know and and if nothing
that's okay because you just need to get
in touch with what makes you tick all
right go back think about this your your
kid go back to your your first creative
memory nap picking up a crayon or a
paintbrush or you know dressing up your
doll and tissues or something silly
whatever it was think about liking it
what was that first creative moment that
you remember liking it was created and
you liked it that good right think about
this like a kid not like an adult
alright and I'm going to ask you what
were you trying to accomplish in that
moment you know did you want to make
people laugh did you want them to use
their imagination what was there for it
all right you have your eyes closed
please open them so a short little
exercise right just to see what's there
what's going on you know in here a lot
of its up here right that's where our
voice isn't as crazy nonsense but I'm
talking about more in here in your core
where is this coming from for me I'll
tell you exactly doing this exercise
what I get out of it for me is about
wanting to make people stop and look
purrty so I think like a kid I go back
to this story the fifth grade story i'll
share with you in art class of fifth
grade we had to draw a picture of a shoe
so okay great draw a picture of a shoe
and i knew that you know we were going
to draw this picture we were you know
we're going to cut it out of
construction paper it's going to get in
the bulletin board out in the hallway
you've all seen this in grammar schools
right so i take my shoe off and I put it
on my desk and I'm drawing and I'm
thinking to myself this is going to be
the best shoe ever you know when people
see this shoe up on that bulletin board
outside they're going to stop and look
at it and go wow look at that shoe all
right so I mean this is what's there for
me and I look around the room and I
realize I'm the only idiot with their
shoe on my desk you know like like what
are people drawing from memory or like
you know
I don't know what if she looks like
without looking at it right that's how
important this was to me that's how
important it was for me so when I go
back this is you know fifth grade
probably the earliest moment when I
remember approaching my work in a way
that I wanted to make people stop and
look fast forward you know to today I'm
operating the same way you know
everything that I do I want to make
people stop and look I want to think
about what that thing is that i put up
on the wall or in their hands if i fail
to make that emotional connection i am
not happy right so how many days is a
designer you go through life being
unhappy what I'm going to suggest is
that you're missing what score you're
not in touch with what score and when
you get in touch with that and realize
what's been there for you since if
braving you drew that picture of the
shoe you're going to make some
advancement so what this allows me to do
being in touch with my core it allows me
to approach my job in a way that it's
okay to get fired and I've spoken to
handy about this the Rings you're going
to love me or they are going to me and I
try to make decisions based on security
safe design is no way to make people
stop and look right so if I'm really
safe I'm not going to get people to stop
and look no way it's going to be stuff
that people walk right past I told Andy
a story of how I believe so much in fire
me that I've actually told people to
fire me and and they did they I couldn't
believe it my god it really inspired me
now
but i believe so strongly in what I was
doing and what I was saying that if it
was a disconnect the people that were
were you know my bosses at the time
where people I were communicating to you
know I couldn't do it I couldn't go on
that way ok so I'm going to show you
some stuff into little retrospective and
I'm going to fight all you guys to do
this with me I went back and just took a
look at things throughout my life things
that were actually handy on my computer
as well to try to see okay well what are
we doing in all of my work to make
people stop it a little bit guess there
really a common thread there so what I'm
going to show you this isn't good work
it's not bad work some of it doesn't
even look like work but it's just stuff
that I identified when I was going
through this retrospective design what
was I doing make people stop and look so
I'm going to go through a few and i'll
stop at a couple and explain that's the
car I drove I mean that's ridiculous
right when I was 17 I wanted people to
look stop and look like look at look at
what i did is back when i was learning
about advertising a lot of people to
stop and look down look how small the
product is there you can hardly see it
right so i was trying to make people
stop and look at something else this so
this is a drawing i did very emotional
touching drawing to me up sad drawing
right and what I'm trying to do is
connect with people's emotions this is a
dilla stration it's about deforestation
I wanted to hit people in a way that
they were like my god that's awful I
wanted a negative reaction this is just
dramatic you know contrast they
contrasted I could have done a picture
of any type of animal here any type of
dog or wolf I wanted one that was like
really pissed off because
you know this is an etching I that's
going to get attention it can make
someone stop and looking at what the
hell is wrong why is that thing doing
that here's one where I wanted people to
get lost in some detail you know wanted
them to really look at every dot what is
this like that's crazy you know like
that's obsessive compulsive right there
this one is just a poster for Arab and I
was in an offense they'll still do play
an event get people to stop and look a
little bit differently that one's kind
of hard to explain is more this
environmental deforestation like- tree
bleeding thing okay how do you make
people look at a watermelon do something
different do something weird right how
do you make them look at a tractor these
are dumb digital paintings that i've
done so to find you know perspective or
a way to shift stuff right the shit to
get people to look at things that's kind
of crazy writes a friend of mine okay
this I'm going to stop and talk about
this one for a second this was really so
me and it's so made because this was an
ad that was in advertising age so this
is I was working at oxygen media and I
don't know if anybody reads advertising
age as you flip through those pages in
advertising age it's a bunch of you know
network NBC HBO you know you have cable
networks and broadcast you know networks
everybody's in their advertising their
shows here's our shows and they're nice
and then fine and you know they're nice
and safe because they want you to spend
money on the shows right they want you
to put your advertising dollars against
those shows so it's usually the cast of
people you know standing there like well
you know lid and it's beautiful said you
know character from the show I didn't
want that you mean knowing who I am I
want to
flip the page be like whoa like what the
hell is that you know so i didn't use
people from any of our shows that were
people i used a cartoon and i use like
the one of the most ridiculous you know
stills that i could find at the cartoon
because that's going to make people stop
you know and the eye-popping programming
sort of helps the message get across
right there are other things i've done
just with words that that make people
stop some images right these are sexy
images so there's always different ways
that i use whether it's detail or
emotion or or sometimes you know humor
to get people to stop and look big bold
in-your-face a little bit of cleavage
going on that one this one I really
sisters so funny to me you guys know
Janice Dickinson I love the I love the
copier she got her boobs lives and
business cards done and then a picture
of Janice and notice the boobs are not
in the picture right this is some
playful fun and some personality coming
three some people smoking and drinking
you know absolutely fabulous on it you
guys are where that show a little bit of
a rock star stuff going on and you know
Monique's fat chance right i mean just a
play on words there's just too good
right here's a girl grabbing her boobs
this happens to be about public
breastfeeding right so I'm doing
everything I can to make people stop and
look it's a women's network so a bunch
of guys oiled down with their shirts off
that's going to make some people stop
and look right and Oprah makes just
about anybody stop and look and when
she's giving away money or a massage or
something like that people are going to
stop and look a little bit longer what's
she saying a little bit of Ellen just
getting some personality and energy and
emotions flying show me your butts you
know like I'm trying to do things that
are not typical and things that are a
little risky and things that I may get
yelled at for or things that they may
say you have to take that down we
can't put that up on the site or
whatever it may be do things that are
that are going to make people stop and
look you know here's Janice Dickinson
again I mean it's just beautiful like
people are going to stop and look at
those long legs ashanti you know it's
it's really easy to make rock stars look
good and and you know these people that
are on television look good it's easy to
make them stop and look I'm going to
play a little bit with Merck and show
you how my gosh it was petrified how to
make people stop and look going to a
pharma company but I think I've made it
happen I want to talk about this one
real quick this is when I said get word
that story of what you can and can't do
this is like one of the best examples i
have of not letting anything stop me so
in the television world there's
something called the up front where the
ad sales team goes out and sells
advertising before these showing up
early in the year right they get all
their money up front so they can we met
our quota well what they did in the
beginning of the year when i did this is
they pull their budget right that no
money left they need to communicate to
people that we're going to be coming
around and we're going to be talking
about these shows and we're going to be
at your office but they blew their
budget to have no way to communicate
this so I said you know here's my big
giant ears I still have no money and
what do we need to do where it's okay we
had these standings in the office so I
grabbed them all and I ran I said I got
a camera got I got the cameras to come
on come with me we ran out this is in
new york and i hailed a cab and I said
just let them eat a run I need to do a
shoot the cabbies looking at me what the
hell are you doing and people are
standing around like looking at me like
what the hell are you doing because I'm
stuffing Ellen you know
the woman in the blue there that's she
had a special sue johanson a sex show
that we did and everyone's going to stop
and look it over and we had but the ab
fab girls that was post work upon the
top of the cab there but this was one of
those things where there's no budget
there was no time but it didn't stop me
and we came up with something that
actually worked i was able to put into
the hands of the ad sales team so they
had a way to communicate this stuff when
we did it be a email so it didn't cost
anything right so when you hear someone
going what we need to do we have no
money you can't be like well you're shit
out of luck you have to figure out a way
to do it right don't let that story in
your head stop you so the next thing to
show you it's a video it's real quick I
went to work for our GA for a little
while and okay so now you guys know
what's in it what's in court for me is
making people stop and look imagine what
happened to me when I go to our GA in
the first project that we're working on
is this campaign for abaya and a piece
of the campaign is in Times Square have
a look at this
try to listen I don't wanna feel like
that
this
sister
so wow I put RG a boy the first thing is
make Times Square stop and look it's
like wow that's okay awesome you know
right right on my sweet spot when you
understand who you are you have to grow
up in John and ears you're going to
listen for all these opportunities so
what's really important is you have to
wait you really have to wait so like
just just being a a better listener
isn't good enough you have to tap into
what's deep inside of your core and
what's always been there for you this is
going today this is so important this is
what's going to alive to demonstrate
what are you know what design can do it
a little business forward because it's
going to move business forward because
it's really really bad deep inside for
you you're going to make it happen it's
not going to be this surface stuff right
so get it get it profound understanding
of who you are so that your your deep
you get deep right don't write up on
that surface so we need to be very
receptive to listening and this is
what's going to set you all apart okay
so there's a bunch of people out there
in the design world that are just you
know they're listening to what someone
to tell him to do you're going to need
to be an incredible listener and the
listening has to coincide with waiting
and waiting for opportunities
opportunities that you see is a way to
demonstrate how using design is going to
set your organization apart right not
just you know listening for what does
that thing what does it do okay we all
live in that world we have to deal with
that but as you're living in that world
dealing giant ears men groan and really
start to listen I told Andy one day that
I don't say no too often but on the
other side of that I don't say yes to
everything right and that's really
important I said yes to the right things
that are
allow me to grow and a lot of times I
say yes the things that make me really
uncomfortable right I wouldn't be in the
job that I have today if I didn't put
myself in a position of being
uncomfortable I was really comfortable
doing the other thing I was doing and I
said yes it's something because they had
this giant set of ears on listening for
opportunity wasn't comfortable but being
in an uncomfortable space is going to
allow you to grow and we all need to
listen like that think about hmm do that
what is that you know the guy with a
double rainbow what does that mean right
so I wanted to bring you through this is
this is the story of the work that you
see sitting on the chairs I was asked
one day can you put a logo in the lobby
the question at the time I was the
creative director working on a at merck
working on a project that was the the
intranet so it was all of this stuff you
know that the internal website and I
really didn't have a team that I have a
team of designers to work with I was
trying to build more were supposed to be
building one but this was early on
someone comes to me and says can you
from logo in the lobby we've got this
releasing a couple floors in this
Microsoft building down in Charlotte and
it's all Microsoft so we want people
when they come up to the floor and they
get out of the elevator see a merc logo
so they know where they are and maybe
maybe put a few pictures up right as we
were and they were emptying out
everything Microsoft from the space so
which is there space and maybe you keep
pictures and I said gosh I logo logo in
the lobby really now what I'm thinking
immediately is yesterday put a logo the
lobby but that's not what Marcus is back
right Merc is way bigger
in the lobby what Merck is about is
saving lives of changing the world you
know in a nutshell it's really what it's
about and in animals lives too that's
about changing the world to have you
show that not with the dog logo that's
for sure so I have to figure out this
problem that I really made an emotional
connection that was going to help the
company resonate with people that's what
our job is right how do we make that
emotional connection to the company and
what somebody's asking us to do so that
we can really have something resonate
with people so if it doesn't resonate
with people who the heck is going to
resonate with them and what good is it
right it's just it's just you know
another design project so I said all
right you want picture to the wall maybe
a logo in the lobby let me go around
mark and see what like it seems like a
facilities child in some ways because I
walked around and this is the art you
know that you see in corporate America
right you guys familiar with this stuff
and you've seen like you know why I want
that tree in my officer I don't know
you've all seen these I don't know I
wait and see the lights but these are
like those aspirational tight posters
you know about teamwork and I don't know
there's one kid sitting on some rocks I
don't even know what that's
communicating and what I love is like
they shifted the pictures right their
artistic input there this is one of my
favorites I finally came across an art
that I felt was cool and actually looked
good so I went over to look at it and
you can't
that's amazing right this is one of the
guys that this is Gary who works on my
team and I said please stand here please
I have to make this point this is some
of the best work that I actually have
come across at Marie really beautiful
photography and they you know
symmetrically lined it up which is a
good start but there's like nothing
there there's no emotional connection I
don't understand what Mark is by looking
at this stuff so I said okay there's
something more that we have to do we
have to tell a story right this is
really about story time is what we all
do this is part of you know why we're in
this business right we need more than a
logo in some random corporate art we
need a story to pull people in and a
story so folks can make a connection an
emotional connection of murder this
Charlotte office they were asking me to
put a logo in the lobby the folks that
we're working there these were all like
back office business transaction things
you know procure-to-pay and record the
report and like all these corporate
words that people did you know back
office stuff right okay so what I was
thinking is what's this company's
mission and how can we get people to
understand that right here's a little
sign up if you don't know what your
company's mission is go look it up and
use that as your compass for your
story-telling that's going to guide you
down the right path of communication and
how to get people emotionally connected
so I recognize that I had an opportunity
to make a greater connection between the
company and the people that work there
and I said okay what do I have to do i'm
going to show you know how this company
saves lives how it is trying to change
the world from a philanthropic level
what are we doing out there to support
you know these third world nations and
stop disease I didn't really know
exactly how to manifest it and in my ego
certainly didn't drive the yes so when I
said can you put a logo in the lobby I
wasn't like oh
see this unbelievable stuff that I'm
going to do for you it wasn't my ego
that you're on the yes it was it was
about this vision I had it was about
knowing myself first of all knowing but
I won't make people stop and look and
then having this vision up well how can
I tie the company's vision and people
together so I needed to start to build
some trust right because I've got this
big idea now and I've got some
executives that have asked for logo and
I've got a completely different idea so
I need to start to build some trust
around this storytelling and I started
to present themes to these executives I
said well you know we've got this robust
library of thousands of pictures that
talk about you know Merck from like a
hundred years ago is it that kind of
cool and they're like that's cool so
we've got these pictures of you know
these products from you know a hundred
years ago and advertising and all of
these really cool scientific images this
stuff is actually what scientists are
looking at under the microscope when
they're you know developing these
compounds and making medicines we've got
to know photographers at merck we
actually you know connect the camera to
the microscope in and take shots of this
stuff knows what this looks like you the
people in contour to pay have no idea
what this looks like right this is some
manufacturing stuff when you look at
what goes on in manufacturing plants
it's like you know outer space you know
this weird stuff happening and this is
the connection I want to can make with
people I want them to see what's going
on in the environment how's Merck
supporting that what are we doing you
know to educate kids what are we doing
that then you know support countries
that just have disease that have no
money to even pay for medication what
are we doing so as I was selling these
themes and they were buying it I'm like
wow it's just going well building with
trust by name I would go okay great
great let me go back and work some bad
so let me come back and say okay well
these themes we talked about here's what
I want to put them in the space okay so
logo in the lobby and it's not some
pictures on the wall it's a story and
it's a story about Merck and it's a
story that as you
through the space you're going to go
down one path and have some historical
manufacturing and you're going to turn
the other way and get modern
manufacturing and as you walk through
the space you're going to become
connected to this company who it is what
it does and then you're going to make a
connection of why you're there and the
importance of your job of making sure
you know record to report actually
happens whatever the heck that means
that you're actually making a connection
you know there's HR transactions going
on in these offices and I wanted them to
understand you know the people that were
in the manufacturing plants to
scientists the doctors something they
don't see every day I want them to make
this connection so now i'm getting the
executives that kind of by in like oh
yeah this sounds like it's pretty good
so it's okay let me go away will do do a
little bit of work Lester what that
looks like so that I would come back
know how well you can see this they
didn't understand the size that I want
this is big right this is like in a 20
feet long and 10 feet high so I'd say oh
we're thinking about you know the
timeline the history of American
timeline all these milestones wouldn't
it be great you know for people to get
an understanding of the company and the
impact that it's had and we put a person
there so they could see you know how big
I was really talking about and then I
would show I'm like okay and you're
Darth Vader looks like a front that
won't I know how well you can see it but
you know part of what one of my tactics
and building trust is using some humor
Jayne Miller actually spoke about it
yesterday when she she mentioned is it's
a good tactic right we can't be totally
serious all the time you know we want to
be strategic and want to be at that
table we want to be talking to the
executives and the marketing folks and
you know really be able to articulate
and represent ourselves well but you
know I still have a need to be silly and
it actually works and it's fun you know
okay so make them stop and look so they
got an idea
what I wanted to do so I took this idea
and I wrangled and I knew that I was
going to be able to really set this hub
apart from other locations at Merck into
this thinking you know I'm going to
transform Burke that wasn't it i wanted
to this thinking that I've got an
opportunity to make people stop and look
right i mean it's truly what's there for
me I knew I'd be able to demonstrate how
art can solve business problems and how
we be able to expand the corporate
identity to like a different you know
that using different ways and it to
visualize this stuff this is who I am
this is what I do well so i'm going to
show you some of the process you know
what this kind of looks like a lot of
what you're going to see is from dublin
ireland i think it's the cover of that
magazine GD USA's one of the shops from
from Dublin Ireland I'm going to walk
you through and show you what some of
this stuff looks like so when travelling
to Dublin Ireland first thing you do is
drink take a lot of Guinness I have to
say in Dublin part of the process
beginning of the process is getting
blueprints in understanding this space
right we can't tell the story in a space
unless you know the space where people
are going to be walking and how they're
going to be walking so we would get the
blueprints I would go to Ireland let's
say and or any of these sites we've had
people going to Singapore all over the
world walking through space and figuring
out how are we going to tell the story
and we would take pictures of the walls
you see this is this is the very
beginning but the beautiful thing about
this Dublin project we were in at the
beginning right this doesn't get any
more been getting than this the floors
aren't even put in there's no ceiling
but we were in the space walking through
a trying to figure everything out and
then we had more Guinness
if you guys has anybody ever been to
Ireland anybody yeah so try hanging out
at Ireland with people that are like
building the place these are liking
other contractors I want to take you out
for a beer after work whoa whoa I can't
hang with their ten beers in and I'm on
like my second beer it's pretty amazing
okay so back in the states we go back to
the states this is a drawing from an
architect so we collaborated and and you
talk about how the design team of the
future who they're going to be
collaborating with there's going to be a
lot more connection you know
intercompany connection we collaborated
with you know the engineers the people
of building the space the architect my
interior designer so that my design team
had they had a voice they had to see the
table right we knew every texture we
chose the the floor we chose know the
colors the textures that you'll see on
here like the the the furniture has like
a little orange privacy screen in there
and as the architect would share this
stuff as their original decisions about
furniture and whatever else big giant
ears was something for opportunities
well let's change out you know the
fabric that's that's in those privacy
screens like let's print something
custom on it this is what it looks like
you know figuring up figuring out the
story so this is one of my designers and
we're looking at the floor plan we're
saying okay well as you walk in you know
what some typical
you know what story are we telling and
this is this is like literally how we
work we've got a wall we put stuff up on
there and we talked about it and we we
try to visualize going through the space
and what story you want to tell and how
do we want to leave people what you know
when they come into that space your
competitive space what do we want them
in them so then when we have all this
figured out we go and do the design work
and come up with this is an installation
guy it's like one of the most crazy
detail things that we do and the reason
is because there's no margin for error
in singapore or dublin it's not like you
can just run down the street and get
this thing reprinted or or refabricated
so we get really really really detailed
on everything that we do and here's what
something like that looks like when it's
put up on a wall so that looks cool
right and and I love it but what's even
cooler about it is we put these little
plaques up throughout the space so when
people walk past something like this
they can stop and read it and get an
understanding of what it is the
background is blue background is
actually an aids perlier's right so this
is what scientists are looking at
anything microscope and we're trying to
figure out a way how to communicate that
to employees to let them know we're
actually working on you know like aids
medications right these circles are
patron dishes so these are growths in
Petri dishes and you know we're taking
photos of this stuff and we're making
art out making murals and this think
this is like 30 feet long going down a
wall right so it's storytelling through
this space we've actually reused that in
multiple spaces so this is what the
result looks like when we collaborate
with architects the designers you know
the interior designers we're making sure
that every color everything that's on
the wall is actually incorporated with
the color palette the way it needs to so
there's a good example I don't know how
well you can see the lights blinding me
but there's no mistake the blue and
orange match the
you know on the wall there we had our
hand in everything it's that type of
collaboration that's the design team of
the future it's really working with
everybody that that is involved in a
project seamlessly this purple wall we
stopped in one second talk about its
purple wall no one wanted me to put this
purple wallet no one I told them here's
the image I want to put this wall I want
to do floors ceiling like wall-to-wall
this big purple thing everyone was like
oh gosh it's going to be horrible and
one of the things that I usually gage is
the more people don't want something
they're reacting that I'm getting a
reaction right now I'm getting reaction
this is what what I want people to give
me a reaction the more they were like no
that's way too purple even my own
designers on my team we're like
shouldn't we like you that purple and I
was like no no no trust me we'll put it
up if no one likes it will take it down
and I'll foot the bill will my team will
you know out of our budget will pay to
redo it we put it up and everybody loved
it you know we put a couch in some
tables in there I swear as soon as there
was a couch there people that couldn't
wait to go sit by the purple walls
amazing them to watch happen you might
recognize some of this Coppertone stuff
this copper tones we actually did a
couple floors in a building for the
consumer care group of all types of work
like this they asked us one day to put a
poster up there one of the poster on the
wall so you want one the poster how
about something like this right and part
of my job is really selling doing a lot
of selling for the week so that we have
the opportunity to communicate so where
am I taking this I'm taking this to a
crazy place and I'm growing these giant
ears and listening for opportunities and
I'm pitching ideas that people are like
like why would we do that I'm going to
show you a little video I'm going to
talk through it so hopefully it's not
too loud I'm going to talk through it
but the idea is about this is in our
consumer care building the idea is about
bringing the consumers environment into
the office space right so some of the
brands are like claridon
the shoals you notan acting like all
these different consumer products right
you probably all familiar with them so I
pitch to the vice president of consumer
care this idea i'm going to show you i'm
going to talk through this and it may
stop it we built a set and a little bit
we built this three sets actually and
what I was pitching was if you want
something you know to resonate with
people when they walk into the consumer
care building why don't we build the
environment that the products are for
writing the space right so could you
imagine a VP look the look on his face
but I'm suggesting my footing grass in
the lobby of the building and not just
grasp but you know what does the lobby
of a corporate building it's like a
couple of beautiful black chairs leather
chairs a couple of tables and a phone
and I'm going to get rid of all that
stuff that communicates nothing it's not
going to make people stop and look or
get engaged in a brand in any way what's
going to be really cool and make people
get engaged enough a brand experience is
creating a park seat and grass and you
know park bench so that people make a
connection with clarity or with any of
these other drugs that were selling over
the counters so how far is this gone
it's gone far it's gone all over the
world we're doing stuff in states New
Jersey and in that Charlotte North
Carolina and Memphis Tennessee we're
doing things I mean India Morocco Dublin
I'm going to go to roll we haven't we
haven't done that one yet that one's on
the it's in the queue if you will so
here's here's what's spreading right
this communication is spreading around
the world and just like Rick said in the
beginning we need to think globally
right we need to think about how do we
make an impact not just in this little
world that we go to our desk see today
but what are we doing at that desk to
communicate on a global scale so when
you grow this set of giant ears you need
to put your filter on it right know when
to say yes and when you know what to say
is set it right so I said yes there's
something that at the time was kind of
impossible because I didn't have I
couldn't do it myself and I didn't have
the staff to do it but when I made the
decision to do this the amazing thing
that happened is resources and people
who could really catch this vision I was
throwing an articulating they showed up
it was amazing so I kind of grew into
this yes right like I said make yourself
uncomfortable and then grow into it so
here's a little bit of free advice turn
the mundane into opportunities right
listen to these listen these mundane
tasks in-house designers we always get
right listen for these mundane things
and try to turn them into opportunities
what's really great is not lucky but
he'll be watching right it's a chance to
kind of live in to the radar and as soon
as you're flying under the radar and
you're in touch with who you are and you
know what you're trying to get at this
is going to be the project that's going
to be really authentic right you're
going to make a connection be able to
really communicate and don't let fear
stop you right fear is killer get rid of
that story I had no idea how it's going
to get these projects done but I knew I
would get it done somehow right and the
money and the resources showed up and I
didn't let that stuff inhibit Lee just
somehow it showed up and you really have
to trust them that so what's your role
as an artist or designer what do you
what do you want to do you want to be
told what to do you want to listen for
opportunities to pound some
opportunities you can run with the
authentic and your expression what I'm
here to suggest today is that you don't
wait don't wait to be told what the
doula it's way way too short thank you
you