JabrWoky - Following the white rabbit since...

The Art of Melting Ideas

Guess the right combo of energy and fire required to melt and liberate a frozen idea is called imagination.
From Mervyn Kurlansky's book 'Masters of the 20th Century: The Icograda Design Hall of Fame'. Quote by fellow graphic designer David Bernstein.

India Dreamin'

Everybody and anybody out there seems to be set to get their fortunes made on the (not-so-new)dream called India. According to this New York Times article.

On a recent visit to India I had clicked this snap while stuck in traffic on a monsoon day in Kozhikode, Kerala. Somehow the private passenger bus had the words 'dreams' on it. Typically the private operated public buses have their own real names (usually the name of the children of the owner of the bus). This one though was called 'Dreams'. And reading through the NY Times article, adman Suhel Seth's comment seem to fit in well with the image and the sentiment of the times:

"India is like the 'proverbial bus' in today's business world. No one knows where it is going, no one knows whether there is space on it for them - but no one wants to miss that bus."

A Lifetime's Synthesis of Content & Form

The One Show pays tribute to the legendary graphic designer Paul Rand.

"Without content there is no form; without form there is no content."

Final word of advice from Paul:

"Don't try to be original, try to be good."

Mood of the Times

Lynette Web succinctly captures the mood of the times - from the fast changing world of media and communications brought about by digitization and globalization to the effects it brings about on brands, markets and people. As Darwin said "It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but rather the one most responsive to change."

And talking about changes, I've completed a year in McCann and it's time to embrace some change. There has been some management changes, two major business wins and not to mention the small moves to new desks and stuff within. Looking back, it's been a fantastic year sinking in the McCann way of doing things and slowly but surely getting my own point-of-view out and gaining some respect.

One year is over and out. We have gained a good footing in the scheme of things. So moving on into the second year it is time to infuse, as Brian Eno says, some africa into the scheme of things here.

Walking into office yesterday, on my first anniversary here, wearing the rasta T-shirt seems like a good enough start to the year ahead. Ignore what he's smoking of course. We're not in Amsterdam. We're in good old Singapore.

Outdoing Ourselves

The greatest of human endeavors always starts with that childish drive in us to prove our friends (or enemies) wrong.

[via John Maeda]

Vacation, Perfection & Interestingness

Couple of useful sound bites stumbled on in the past few weeks.
On vacation:

On perfection:

On Interestingness:
   

(Fonts generated via FontSelf)

The Future Looks Good

"If the future is China, we'll all be eating a lot better."
- Anthony Bourdain (heard on a TV promo)
So we can presume it to be as exciting as this.

And Then God Created Warriors

According to Frank Miller in 300

50/50

“Creative people are 50% ego and 50% insecurity.” 

- Lee Clow (Chief Creative Officer - TBWA Worldwide)

While the rest of the ad world was in Cannes showing off their creative egos, Lee was in LA giving this brilliant interview to Ad Age's Bob Garfield.

Read / Heard

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