#ToastMasters EVERY SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS MUST OFFER CUSTOMERS SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT OR A LTTLE EXTRA TO STAND OUT FROM THE COMPETITION. So, in the city of Riga, Latvia (sandwiched between Estonia and Lithuania), there is a fitness club that offers #WineYoga on Saturdays. After a few sips of Merlot or Chardonnay that Dolphin Pose will be a cinch. #Cheers #Marketing #Yoga #Exercise #HealthClubs #bci4graphics
#QualityControl I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS DUMB MISTAKE WAS MADE BUT SOMEBODY AT The Recording Academy ( #GrammyAwards) NEED TO FIX THIS MESS FAST! Here is the link in question: https://lnkd.in/eht8pUr #RespectMsMills #BadForBrand #StephanieMills #bci4graphics
#Inclusive SAD. SHOCKING. PATHETIC. HISTORIC. Since its 107 years of existence Condé Nast's Vanity Fair magazine has never commissioned a Black photographer to shoot its cover -- until now. His name is #DarioCalmese. Mr. Calmese describes his cover concept as “a re-creation of the #LouisAgassiz slave portraits taken in the 1800s — the back, the welts ...” #VanityFair #BlackCreatives #bci4graphics
SO, HERE’S THE ANSWER TO MY #FlashbackFridayQuestion (Drum roll, please) It’s “C”. Brooklyn Nets Shooting guard #ImanShumpert’s Mom L’Tanya Shumpert was my boss when I worked as a Fabric Painter when I attended The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. #bci4graphics #GrphicDesign
#MiltonGlaser, the creative genius behind the I ❤️ NY logo, has died. He was 91-years-old. Milton’s iconic logo, created for FREE in 1977, helped to elevate #NewYorkCity's crime and grime brand into something more endearing and tourist-friendly. Milton was also part of the creative team that founded New York Magazine. #bci4graphics #Branding
#BlackLivesMatter NASCAR has done more to support #BubbaWallace in the last 48 hours than the National Football League (NFL) has done to support #ColinKaepernick in the past 4 years. By taking a strong, decisive and principled stand against racism they can expect to see a significant increase in #BrandAwareness, television viewership, branded merchandise sales, and a generous bump in venue attendance. #WinWin #BrandAid #bci4graphics
THIS #Juneteenth LET’S CELEBRATE CANADA’S “COLORED HOCKEY LEAGUE”. Founded in Nova Scotia in 1895, the league was formed by the sons and grandsons of escaped slaves, whose innovative athleticism helped create hockey as we know it today. #NHL #Hockey #Canada #BlackLivesMatter #bci4graphics
#HOOPLA LORD OF THE RINGS: National Basketball Association (NBA) players will have the option to wear a “Oura Smart Ring” that can detect COVID-19 symptoms while training at Walt Disney World Resort in City of Orlando. The Oura ring promises to forecast symptoms up to 3 days in advance with 90% accuracy. #NBA #bci4graphics #Disney #Orlando
#BlackLivesMatter HISTORY IN THE MAKING: Curators from the African American History and Culture Museum, the American History Museum, and the Anacostia Community Museum were on the ground in D.C. on Wednesday, June 10th, but did not collect any protest signage or potential artifacts --yet. Wisely, they are simply observing and building relationships with people on the ground in preparation for potential collecting. #bci4graphics
VERY COOL: The Chicago Academy for the Arts head of school Jason Patera and his staff members surprised all graduating seniors at their homes, even those students living in Indiana. #community #chicago #bci4graphics
#OldSchoolGenius THE MASTER OF LIGHT AND SHADOW, VICTOR SKREBNESKI, PASSED AWAY ON APRIL 4th IN HIS BELOVED CHICAGO DUE TO CANCER. HE WAS 90 YEARS OLD. I first met Skrebneski during my freshman year at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago when he directed the fashion department’s end of year fundraising gala called “Live & In Color”. It was an exciting break-neck-speed production that was as precise as it was glamorous. #ChicagoRoyalty #bci4graphics
#BeautyBeforeAge AT 85, DAME JUDI DENCH IS THE OLDEST PERSON TO GRACE THE COVER OF British Vogue. What a brilliant idea! Like the retail industry, the publishing industry is dying fast and it will take bold, out-of-the-box creativity to prolong its life. Retail and publishing brands must create "events" and "fresh exciting content" for customers to engage and consume. #BritishVogue #bci4graphics
#DontJudgeMe! THE LAWYERS HAVE SPOKEN: JUDGE KNOCKS DOWN National Basketball Association (NBA) SUPERSTAR KAWHI LEONARD’S CLAIM THAT Nike STOLE COPYRIGHT OF HIS ‘KLAW’ LOGO. U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman ruled that the logo Nike designers helped create with Leonard marked an “independent piece of intellectual property’’ that was distinct from the original sketch Leonard initially conceived and shared with Nike. #bci4graphics
#NBAhoopDreaming HOOPLA Logo Premium Tee. To shop: https://lnkd.in/ekY8TXq #bci4graphics
#BrandTakeDown IF YOUR FANBASE HATES YOUR NEW LOGO IT'S TIME TO PAUSE AND GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD. Maybe the timing was bad. With the rest of the sports world effectively shut down, the Los Angeles Rams decided that it was a good time to launch their rebranded logo. They were wrong. #bci4graphics #NFL #LArams
#NewDealNewBrandNewDay KIARI KENDRELL CEPHUS A.K.A. OFFSET (Migos front man, Cardi B’s husband, one of the dudes riding on a Big Wheel in the Sprite commercial) INKS DEAL WITH United Talent Agency FOLLOWING HIS ViacomCBS “NCIS” ACTING DEBUT. The rapper has signed a deal for worldwide representation in all areas covered by UTA’s portfolio of business units such as music, digital talent, eSports, and more. How this will impact his Migos gig remains to be seen. The group Migos is consists of his cousin Quavo and his cousin once-removed Takeoff #NCIS #ShowBiz #bci4graphics
#RestInStyle A TRULY SUCCESSFUL BRAND HAS THE PERSONALITY, STYLE, VALUES AND HEART OF ITS CREATOR INFUSED INTO THE DNA OF THE PRODUCTS OR SERVICES IT PROVIDES. The groundbreaking model, restaurateur and lifestyle guru Barbara “B.” Smith, known to many as “the black Martha Stewart”, has died after suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s disease, her family announced on Sunday. She was 70. #CureAlzheimer #bci4graphics #branding
#BrandsGoneWild STREET FASHION BRAND SUPREME UNRELEASED $8.00 OREO COOKIES ARE RESELLING FOR THOUSANDS ON eBay. I know climate change is raging and Democracy, as we know it, is under siege but this is a thing. #branding #bci4graphics
#BeMine SEEING HOW IT'S VALENTINE'S WEEK AND WHAT NOT -- HERE ARE SOME BUSINESS HOOK-UPS THAT WILL IMPACT THE MARKETS: Leidos + L3 Harris, and T-Mobile + Sprint. New branding strategies TBA. #Mergers #Branding #bci4graphics
#BeyWatch LOVE THAT BRANDING FROM POPEYE'S! Beyoncé's highly-anticipated Ivy Park brand collaboration with Adidas sportswear bears a striking resemblance to the Popeye's chicken employee uniform branding. What do you think? #bci4graphics
R.I.P. KOBE BRYANT. A UNIQUE, MULTI-TALENTED Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences OSCAR WINNER WHOSE TRANSFORMATIVE POWERS CHANGED THE WAY National Basketball Association (NBA) PLAYERS, NBA TEAMS, AND CITY’S MARKET AND PACKAGE BASKETBALL AS AN ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCT. He leaves behind an incredible legacy, not only in the NBA, but in Major League Soccer , youth sports communities, film and television production, corporate sponsorship business models, and numerous sports-related brands such as BODYARMOR SuperDrink. #TheKobeLegacy #bci4graphics
#GrammySwag A BIG CONGRATS TO MY FRIEND, COLLEAGUE, SAIC CLASSMATE AND THE HARDEST WORKING WOMAN IN THE ART BIZ, PAIGE SUMMERS, ON HAVING HER FRIEDA COLLECTION GIFT CARDS FEATURED IN THE 62nd GRAMMY AWARDS SWAG BAG. There will be a gift lounge for the presenters and performers during the weekend festivities. Hollywood entertainers will not only have the opportunity to win a coveted award during the Sunday, January 26th ceremony at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, but they also will have the chance to receive a gift bag valued at over $30,000. #Grammys #TheFriedaCollection #bci4graphics
RISK MANAGEMENT: There may come a time when some decisions will be made for you. #bci4graphics
#TheOopsFactor A TYPO MAY NEVER COST YOU THE GOVERNOR'S RACE, BUT, WHAT IF IT COST YOU YOUR JOB? A quality Branding professional is still your best value in leveraging your marketing resources. #bci4graphics #CheapStakes
#WinningBrand LEWIS HAMILTON WINS FRENCH GRAND PRIX AND SCORES YET ANOTHER VICTORY FOR BRAND SPONSOR MERCEDES BENZ. Hamilton’s passion to not just win, but to win well, has had a crushing effect on his rivals this season. #bci4graphics
MARYLAND'S LARGO TOWN CENTER HAS A NEW OWNER. Bethesda-based Finmarc Management Inc. (FMI) has acquired the 280,000-square-foot Prince George’s County shopping mall for approximately $44 million. FMI stated that Largo Town Center retailers can expect a “dramatic influx of new shoppers” when the University of Maryland Regional Medical Center opens nearby in a few years. #retail #shopping #BCi4Graphics
R.I.P. BARBARA PROCTOR. PIONEER. TRAILBLAZER. GAME-CHANGER. IN 1970 SHE FOUNDED THE FIRST ADVERTISING AGENCY OWNED BY AN AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMAN. President Reagan cited her achievements in his 1984 State of the Union address. The Harvard Business School called Barbara Proctor “the first woman in the United States to open an agency specializing in advertising to the black community.” It was fun and exciting working as a model in Chicago for mass-market consumer companies such as Coca-Cola and Sears (see ad at left) I often crossed paths with the creative team from Proctor & Gardner. #AdHistory #bci4graphics
THE CREDIT CARD FORMERLY KNOWN AS MASTERCARD. The company is removing the word Mastercard from the pair of interlocking red and yellow circles where it has resided for more than five decades. Now, Mastercard Inc. will be joining a small elite group of brands like Nike, Target and Apple that rely on an image and not a name in most marketing content #branding #marketing #bci4graphics .
#BestFaceForward CONGRATS TO "BLACK PANTHER" AND "CREED" ACTOR MICHAEL B. JORDAN FOR BEING SELECTED AS THE NEW FACE FOR COACH'S SPRING 2019 GLOBAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN. This significant fashion brand refresh is the first time that a man has landed such a role. #bci4graphics #marketing #branding
#Yikes FIRST, DEFENSE SECRETARY MATTIS RESIGNS, AND NOW THIS! No, this is not a drill people! THIS is the new official logo for the U.S Department of Defense. I'll give you a moment to process this. Federal contractors adjust your marketing materials accordingly. #bci4graphics
#DoTheMath Michelle Obama's memoir "Becoming" tops U.S. book charts – with nine copies sold per second. #Marketing #Publishing #bci4graphics
THINGS ARE GOING WELL AT WORK FOR LEBRON SO FAR. He scored 44 points to pass Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain on the All-Time Scoring list. The new Lakers star now has the fifth-most points in NBA history. #WellDone #bci4graphics
SaveTheDate A NEW EXHIBITION IN CHICAGO: African American Designers in Chicago: Art, Commerce and the Politics of Race, at the Chicago Cultural Center October 27, 2018 - March 3, 2019. Featuring more than 50 design works, it highlights prominent black artists who worked between 1900 and 1980 in graphic design, editorial and product design, billboard ads, and created the first black-founded ad agency. #AmericanDesign #EarlyBlackCreatives #bci4graphics
#StrikeUpTheBrand IN CHICAGO'S SUPER-CROWDED MAYORAL RACE DOES IT HELP OR HURT TO HAVE HIGH-VOLTAGE BRANDS - WHO YOU, BY THE WAY, HAVE NO CONTROL OVER - ENDORSE YOU, BUT UPSTAGE YOUR OWN PERSONAL BRAND? Chicago mayoral candidate Amara Enyia will find out. #branding #ChicagoPolitics #bci4graphics
#SaveTheDate I JUST COMPLETED THE FINAL ARTWORK FOR A HOLIDAY CONCERT OF HOPE. The Benefit Performance will provide food, shelter and medical and mental health support for the homeless children in Bolivia. Tickets on Sale Soon! #AHolidayConcertOfHope #BCi4graphics
#BrandStrong COLIN KAEPERNICK BECOMES THE FACE OF NIKE'S "JUST DO IT" CAMPAIGN. Colin was a quarterback in the NFL for six years. He stirred national debate by taking a knee while the anthem was played before games during the 2016 season, to draw attention to police killings of African Americans and other issues. #BelieveInSomething #BCi4graphics
#FreeFood NABISCO ANIMALS CRACKERS CHANGE DESIGN AFTER PRESSURE FROM PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Barnum’s Animals Crackers’ new package design features a lion, elephant, giraffe, gorilla and zebra roaming free in a African-like paradise. Frankly, I’d rather see a wild animal in a cage rather than roaming around the parking lot at Trader Joe’s but, hey, that’s just me. #Branding #bci4graphics
#HooplaYouth I BELIEVE CHILDREN REALLY ARE THE FUTURE. HOOPLA Tee in Black: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FNF39YG HOOPLA Tee in White: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07GDJSWMD #bci4graphics
R.I.P. KOFI ANNAN: FORMER UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL HAS DIED. A proud Ghanaian who served as secretary general between 1997 and 2006. He was 80. #unitednations #BCi4graphics
#OhBeyYourArt THANKS TO BEYONCÉ, 23-YEAR-OLD TYLER MITCHELL WILL MAKE HISTORY AS THE FIRST BLACK PHOTOGRAPHER TO SHOOT THE COVER OF VOGUE MAGAZINE IN IT'S 126-YEAR-OLD HISTORY FOR THE SEPTEMBER 2018 ISSUE. Bey will have complete artistic control for the photo shoot and selected the talented young photographer and filmmaker. Tyler is an Atlanta native and an alumnus of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. hashtag #PowerForGood #bci4graphics.com