Inspiration, Ponderings Inspiration, Ponderings

Weekend Web Guide

Just in case there's a moment this weekend where you actually want to spend time at your computer - you know - glued to it like it's a weekday- here's a short list of some of my favorite sites.For honest, entertaining and helpful relationship advice whether you're single or dating, check out The Date Report from HowAboutWe.

For gift ideas, fashion and all around regular inspiration for women, check out my favorite blog Cup of Jo by Joanna Goddard.

For a regular dose of creative inspiration, add Visual News to your RSS reader.

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Brand Experience, Inspiration Brand Experience, Inspiration

Trend Series: Caffeine Culture

This is the first of what I hope will be a regular series where I explore trends that I've captured mostly through my iPhone.

As you may know from following my Instagram feed and reading my blog, I have a love / hate relationship with caffeine. Mostly love, of course. Starbucks was one of the first companies to develop a brand around coffee, modeling their in store experience after sophisticated European cafés. But with the saturation of Starbucks, the last few years have seen a distinct 180 shift from the Starbucks aesthetic. Perhaps due to the sea of chain restaurants, plastic, disposable and mass produced everything, we're desperately seeking more permanence. Growing coffee companies like Stumptown and Kaffe 1668 use the dim lighting of incandescent bare light bulbs, candles and mason jars to hark back to a time where the General Store dominated, long before mass production and globalization. But with the added conveniences of wifi and elegance of a Dwell-worthy spread. Patrons are reminded of the craftsmanship, personal touch and ritual that goes into caffeine consumption through porcelain cups and latté art. Baristas have become artists, identifying themselves by wearing the uniform of newsboy caps, vests and the occasional bright red lipstick to remind customers that they are part of the creative class.

In New York, the four dollar cup of coffee has held its ground despite our stagnant economy. Perhaps we use this perfectly poured cup of coffee to escape the realities of our fast moving world, filled with constant email pings and chatter of always being busy? Ironically this escapism is often ruined by the compulsion to document and share our coffee experiences through social media channels like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.

In the last few years, it seems that Brooklynites are nearly obsessed with this pre World War II lifestyle. Can you spot some examples?

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Banana Republic meets Virgin America

It's always good to take note of how other industries work through the creative and strategic process. This video is a perfect example. Virgin America teamed up with Banana Republic to refresh Virgin America's 4+ year old uniforms. In the video, we see the strategic thinking behind the process. The design team is given the task to create within a very specific set of parameters - uniforms that are stylish, comfortable, instantly recognizable as the Virgin America brand and are modern but classic enough to remain relevant years from now. They also need to factor in how the wearer will experience the outfit going through security or how the outfit will look on various body types. And through all this, need to make sure the outfits retain some of Banana Republic's character. Naturally, there were post-its involved.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdI-XBgJLqE&w=560&h=315]

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