Observations from a mostly retired but still fully functioning advertising mind
By Doug deGrood
About a year ago on LinkedIn, I shared a logo redesign my daughter Gigi and I did for the Killebrew-Thomson Memorial, a word-class golf fundraiser in Sun Valley, ID (and now Minneapolis) that has raised millions of dollars for leukemia and cancer research since 1977.
Back in winter of 2022, Hannah Stauts, their executive director, happened[Read More]
Observations from a mostly retired but still fully functioning advertising mind
This latest missive falls under the category of “This is going to hurt me more than it hurts you,” because it involves a beloved one-time employer of mine, who shall remain nameless.
Below is their recent job posting for an art director:
JOB RESPONSIBILITIES The person in this role must be able to concept and create visual asse[Read More]
Observations from a mostly retired but still fully functioning advertising mind
As an aspiring trumpeter growing up in the early 1980s, I learned firsthand the value of hero worship. Back then, every trumpeter I know, myself included, wanted to play like Maynard Ferguson. Maynard was renowned for his nosebleed-inducing high notes. Hitting a ‘double-G’ became every teenage trumpeter’s goal. I would attempt to play along w[Read More]
Observations from a mostly retired but still fully functioning advertising mind
My original headline for this latest missive was going to be: Body (Copy) Discovered in Edina Family’s Bedroom Closet. After all, who doesn’t love a good murder mystery? Spoiler alert: there’s no murder involved here, but there is an element of death. More to come.
How it all started: Last week, some wire shelving in one of our basement bedroom clo[Read More]
“James,” John Cevette said to me, “the timing is off. Let's take a moment and examine why this latest edit isn't working.”
He chose a compact disc from the rack and placed it in the player (yes, this was the mid-nineties). He played a classical piece. It had a build and a reprieve, another build and reprieve, and, finally, the crescendo and resolution. This example was to convey that the same principles applied in the timing of the edit for the TV ad the agency was producing.<[Read More]
Observations from a mostly retired but still fully functioning advertising mind
In the Washington Irving story, Rip Van Winkle, ol’ Rip goes to sleep after imbibing a powerful alcoholic beverage, only to awaken 20 years later to find the world changed beyond recognition.
I just had an eerily similar experience. I was asleep, so to speak, not for 20 years, but for three years. My slumber was also liquor-induced. You see, I left the ad [Read More]
FREE BEER. NO ASSHOLES. It’s a phrase Shineboxers know well and use often.
Partly because it’s punchy and memorable. Sprinkled with logos, pathos, and ethos. (The Greeks would’ve loved it.) Mostly, however, because it’s one of our core values.
And it’s taken seriously.
FBNA is more than rotating beer taps and zero tolerance for micro aggression. “It’s literal, but also figurative,” Shinebox Founder & Visionary Randy Larson ex[Read More]
Company culture spans well beyond snacks and beer on tap. For us, in the creative field, the culture can really be defined by the work we do, and who we work with. To us, it takes a lot of courage to remove a client who causes strife. This scratches the surface on it's all tied together.
A note from a co-founder Last year, I wrote about managing my mental health and the toll the pandemic had taken on me. The outpouring of support was[Read More]
