How to match inner vision to outer purpose?

Emotions are power.
They change us, cleanse us and connect us.

In this changing season, we can let go of this idea of “mindsets” and instead we can activate our “feelings flow” a fluid deep look + feeling for the core of our intentions and emotional experiences. These days, everyone I know is riding this creative rocket.
 
Case in Point: Those earrings I am wearing are called “Correspondance” from the collection I co-designed that walked the runways of Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass and Mary McFadden in the 80’s.

The bubbly essence that inspired the design is a “Core-Respond-Dance.” The vibrance of the name speaks to the interconnected inspiration and emotional collaboration that I love and why I do what I do to enhance our clients’ creativity and power.
 
NEED SOME FEEL-YOUR-FLOW POWER TIPS? Have a look at 9 emotionally empowering intentions playing out at the core of the projects in our business these days. It’s what we are seeing, feeling, supporting, pitching, producing and empowering.
 
Mindsets, goals and strategic plans naturally flow from there.
 
I’d love to bring that power of togetherness and meaningful correspondence to your projects and business …Reply to this message and let’s talk about how my agency can support you with branding, creative, marketing and BOOM! POWER!

Poke this link here for my 9 MY FEEL-YOUR-FLOW-POWER TIPS!

Get your garden growing this minute, this quarter, this season!

Here’s what’s on our screens, desks, (sidewalks and hearts) to inspire you towards BRAND MAGIC…

VIDEO for a psychic medium;

SOCIAL MEDIA + MARKETING for the top Black documentary film center;

CONTENT for new tech digitizing physical treasures;

NEW PLATFORMS for a celebrity hair guru;

BOOK support for the memoir of a perfumer;

a COVER STORY for a former US Ambassador;

BRANDING + SITE for a film + TV producer duo and SLOW LUXURY creative collabs.

Quick notes on why we love these clients + projects… would love to hear your thoughts!

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#1 UP FIRST! VIDEO FOR A PSYCHIC MEDIUM!

We are creating Alaine Portner’s brand and site re-design including a series of six Q+A videos like this one here. Imagining your own video series upping your realms? I do indeed foresee your prosperous future when we co-create stellar VIDEOS for you!

#2 SOCIAL MEDIA + MARKETING FOR A NATIONAL TREASURE.

A Harlem-based nonprofit organization, Maysles Documentary Center, is committed to community, education, and documentary film, the center uses film making to amplify and expand under-represented artists and narratives, while empowering young filmmakers in creative self-expression, communicating ideas, and advocating needs.

We love doing their MARKETING + SITE work! Need that energy for your biz, cause or stylish self-expression? Let us help!

#3 WE LOVE TO MAXIMIZE CONTENT DIRECTION FOR NEW BRANDS.

Vaulted is a new idea which adds digital video and assets to tell stories about treasured objects, thereby increasing their value. Heirlooms, collectibles, antiques, even Grandma’s cookbook!

Yawning over NFTs? Vaulted is multi-dimensional tool connecting COMPELLING CONTENT … and most exciting … invites people and brands to weave sharable stories around what is most important to them.

#4 WE LOVE BUILDING NEW BRAND PLATFORMS, period!

A new BRAND platform for Marco Maranghello, who is top of his game as a celebrity hair stylist, film producer and philanthropist, is next level for the whole team! It’s like building a nest, a place to imagine and produce the structural support for creatives that in turn, gives wings to transformation.

You know that sounds poetic, and we say, “As it should be!”

#5 BOOK SUPPORT FOR THE MEMOIR OF A PERFUMER.

With an unusual talent for detailing the sensuality of her exotic travels from the secrets of the Far East to the deserts and gardens of Africa where she discovers scents, perfumer, Maria McElroy’s memoir is a fascinating project. We are crafting her BOOK PROPOSAL and EDITING THE BOOK. (while swooning.)

Her testimonial, “Jade, you have helped me immeasurably!” says it all.

#6 SOCIAL MEDIA AND PR FOR A GRAND GENT.

This COVER STORY placed for our client, the 95-year-young former Sr. US Diplomat, CIA agent, and son of the iconic Diana Vreeland, Freck Vreeland, shows how in love he is with life and wife, Sandra. A dapper world traveler, living in Rome, his 17K Instagram followers love his character, quotes and lifestyle, a world built by us.

Y’all know you have no time for the social platform action you need! Let us PR + SOCIAL you and your world of business.

#7 NEW VENTURES, NEW BRANDING AND NEW SITE.

Grateful to be on a 20-year journey with my dear friend, producer Kim Jackson, spanning from the Hamptons Film Festival in 2000-something to designing her logo and newest platform, Evotion Media. See her notable work on the new Evotion site we designed, here.

Cinematic dreams and visions of your next venture keeping you up at night? Let us BUILD YOUR BRAND, LOGO and WEBSITE so you can get some restful sleep!

#8 DESIGN PROJECTS LEAPING IN OUR DREAMS.

We are passionate about the transformational aspects of people, places and brands.

#9 You Who? If you are a personality, brand or property that needs a boost and a bit of brand magic, let’s make your garden grow together!

Oh hi, hello friends, have some BELATED new year prezzies from me!

S’cuse me, I was just out here meditating under a tree, chatting with the full moon and glittering morning stars via my futurist-channeling headdress.

Finally! I was gifted a 2023 vision!

For this new year, we wish the brightest creativity and insight for you ~ our friends, network, clients, and co-creators ~ by sharing inspired GIFTS + PRESENCES via a sampling of nine favorite agency client projects that recently moved the stars.

But first,  with the light + green return to the earth, and while I kiss the sky, here’s my visionary 2023 gift for you.

We love being an answer to prayers!
Maybe yours?

I’m offering Y’ALL 2 gifts:

• A free 1-hour brand strategy call.

AND / OR

• Make an intro for our agency team and enjoy a 10% referral fee based on the project or retainer.

ARE YOU PERHAPS WONDERING…
What’s your passion and purpose?
How to handle all your marketing support needs that keep you awake at night?
How to dust off and refresh a dream or biz?
 
Our agency helps businesses scale up with creative + marketing agency services for luxury lifestyles, personalities, and wellness brands. Based in NYC, we offer stellar messaging and design at great prices, backed by 30 years of creating brand experiences for mass and niche brands.

Come, the light + highness beckon…

YOUR GIFTS.

From an hour strategy call to a full rebranding project, or even a referral or co-created vision …we’d love to learn more about you, read about our agency by clicking here:

OUR CAPABILITIES DECK

And Now, Drumroll…A Scroll of 9 of Our Favorite People + Projects Flying into 2023

*1 Alaine Portner Is a Powerful Psychic Presence

THE PRESENCE BEYOND

The accolades say it all about Alaine Portner, The Happy Medium, on our new branded site for this wise psychic medium. (And yes, it’s true, she’s my lil sister)

“Your site’s photos and videos are very “new age” misty. That just won’t do, since your vision is so clear,” I told her in that older sister vibe.

Sneak preview: We envisioned something more flowery + energetic, like Alaine’s personality, events, and revelations. She’s TV bound and her work around the world is growing.

YOUR GIFT.

Do we have the same kind of psychic vision as Alaine? A smidge sometimes!

We most definitely have a vision for brand stories. Videos are a special love. We’ve directed all sorts of powerful video stories, from a TV pilot during a Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week to an industry sustainability panel in the Highlands of Scotland to filming lifestyle for Europe’s CNN (n-tv), in Manhattan and the Hamptons.

See our Vimeo page of videos here.

What dream can we create with you?

*2 Freck Vreeland Is a Strategist.

A WARM PRESENCE.

Our favorite gentleman client, Freck Vreeland, a former US Ambassador and Diana Vreeland’s son, recently rocked his favorite Winter scarf in New York magazine.

He says, “I modeled my favorite scarf for @thestrategist. “Blue is my favorite color because it reminds me of the Majorelle blue of my beloved Marrakech. This was a Christmas gift from my godson, so it’s extra special.”

An intriguing cross between James Bond and Barack Obama, Diana’s son Freck is now a vibrant 95 elder with an equally fascinating life. He came to us to help with his branding, book proposal, social media, and promotion of his memoir.

We PR’d Freck, created his site, and zoomed his Instagram account from zero to 11.9K in just months (now 17K!) with posts on everything art, culture, Diana Vreeland, Cold War spies, and the doings of a pal of people like Jackie O, Mick Jagger, and Richard Branson.

Freck was also ordained a “Granfluencer,” the over-65 set that is thriving according to a recent New York Times story about a surprising set of stars that are having the time of their lives. Read more in this interview with Freck.

YOUR GIFT.

Want to happily be wrapped up with a new brand strategy and content, like a favorite, snuggly luxe scarf? See our work and get inspired here.

*3 DR. PEDRE COURTS THE INFLUENCERS CAMPAIGN

A HEALTHY PRESENCE.

In advance of the game-changing new book by “America’s Gut Doctor,” aka Dr. Pedre, The GutSMART Protocol, coming April 4, 2023, we are securing endorsements and brands for a gift box guaranteed to thrill influencers in the wellness and food worlds.

Our goal is to “wow!” with treats like delish gluten-free granola, master chef tools, surprises like a mini fermentation device, and of course, a hard copy of Dr. Pedre’s new book. We hope to teach people Dr. Pedre’s GutSMART habits with the contents of the Influencer Box.

YOUR GIFT.

How to win over influencers on social and journalists in media? We’ve created exciting gifts to entice endorsement for over 20 years, be it the perfect PR pitch at the right moment to hand-delivered, precious Dior sunglasses in a box of all things delicious and French. See our award-winning creative work here.

*4 Robin Wilson Is A Wellness Brand Powerhouse

A CLEAN PRESENCE.

We were honored recently to be consulting and securing events for Robin Wilson, founder of CLEAN DESIGN HOME®, focused on the allergen-aware lifestyle. Her company is now a global lifestyle brand, sold at retailers like Macy’s and the UK-based NEXT, plus a growing list of hospitality brands.

A wellness industry pioneer since 2000, Robin was named to INC magazine’s “Top 100 Female Founders” list (2020) and speaks regularly at conferences and industry events.

For a Victoria’s Secret Black History Month employee event, we secured her spot on their panel on resilience, which will reach thousands of employees.

Even Cosmopolitan magazine raves that Robin’s bedding has the best luxury sheets, here.

YOUR GIFT.

Who here needs a biz boost? Consulting, coaching, marketing, and PR’ing is the wellness solution for you and your biz! Hit reply to this email and let’s connect!

*5 IONX IS FIBER MADE FROM METEORS TO HEAL AND INCREASE PERFORMANCE.

A SPACE-AGE PRESENCE.

Our success running the PR in NYC for a global launch of Speedo’s Olympic-winning Fastskin full-bodysuits, with famed Olympian Michael Phelps and teammates (as seen above in our Vanity Fair placement) turned out to reverb in 2022.

Incredibly, on a first call with the inventor of IONX — an ionized performance and prevention fiber — the start-up founder told me how he worked on Speedo’s Fastskin and admired the PR campaign… wow. What a coincidence, I was doing the PR for that!

Today we’re on the team, conceptualizing the branding, site, collateral, and PR for IONX.

YOUR GIFT.

Got Olympic-sized branding or PR desires? We can make you a winner, speedo!  Subscribe on the Ionx page to keep ahead with this winning brand!

*6 YUM! WE HUGELY GREW NUTRITIONIST JESS CORDING’S SOCIAL.

A HEALTHY PRESENCE EXPANDS.

Content, content, content.

More, more, more.

Better, better, better.

Isn’t this what everyone wants for 2023?

We are happy to report that we grew the social media for health expert Jess Cording in 2022, with an 82% increase over 2021.

You’ve seen Jess’s advice in Forbes, Prevention, Fitness, Shape, MindBodyGreen, and even on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. She is a registered dietitian, integrative nutrition health coach, podcaster, and writer with a passion for helping others simplify their wellness routine.

Did we gift her more exposure? Yes. More time for her to write her book? Yes!

YOUR GIFT.

Are you desiring more, more, more time + social media?

Oh, and more content creation, too?

We can be your gift in 2023, see our social media work here.

*7 EVOTION MEDIA FLOATS A NEW LOGO.

A VERY MOVING CINEMATIC PRESENCE.

Admiring the power of our agency symbol, film producer, Kim Jackson came to us for a major logo for her new venture, Evotion, where storytelling meets the evolution of emotion. With a request for a tight turn around we dove into those emo waters!

Thus the “e” met a watery feel with bubbles and movement, something that clearly evoked transformation in an alchemical way. Thus also the gold. Moving transformation through phenomenal film for a shift to our reality.

Peep Kim Jackson’s most recent film, a New York Times Critic’s Pick, “Down with The King,” about a rapper (played by Freddie Gibbs) who settles in the wilderness for inspiration.

YOUR GIFT.

Are you logo-adjacent?

When my agency designs a logo, we follow a desire to bring forth the love, the essence of a personality or a brand in its simplest most engaging form. It should grab attention and slowly reveal its messages.

Head to this post on “thejadedress.com” where you can have a look at some of the diverse, inspired, evocative, and moving logos we’ve designed, plus the stories behind our ecstatic logo design experiences.

*8 YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUESTED AT AN EXCLUSIVE LUXURY RETREAT.

A LUXURY PRESENCE.

With travel restricted, the Pandemic was the perfect time to conceptualize, write, and design the identity and sales brochure for our client, Luxe Club Retreats. This European-based concierge offers custom, global, and ultra-luxury healing experiences from private yacht sunbathing to out-of-this-world spaceship voyages.

YOUR GIFT.

Do you lust for full-scale CREATIVE that travels and speaks to a global audience? Our luxury experiences range from work with mass brands like American Express; heritage brands like Prada and Dior: and luxury design industry groups like Wein Products of Vienna, Austria, and Textiles Scotland.

Oh, and did we mention successes created for global wellness brands and luxury hotels?

Have a peek at projects here!

*9 O’TIS THE PRESENCE OF OTIS UPON A LOTUS.

A GOD-LIKE DOGGO PRESENCE.

O’tis so amusing to capture characters, I love to illustrate the LOVE in all kinds of funny beings.

Meet Otis the dog. Meet O’tis upon a Lotus.

Otis is a Hoodle, a husky and standard poodle mix, a massive, magical dog with one tiny quizzical white eye who oversees my friend Betty’s incredible shop, Hawk + Floret, in the river town of Frenchtown, NJ. (just named the best small town for shopping in the country in USA Today‘s 10 Best Reader’s Choice travel awards.)

So many people love Otis that Betty and I conceived and created Otis greeting cards for holidays, birthdays, and this everyday useful greeting: Otis on a Lotus.

Otis isn’t online, he’s old-fashioned. DM his mom @hawkfloret on Instagram to buy his cards. Om Shanti!

YOUR GIFT.

Are you praying for designs that will send you to Nirvana?

Meditating for custom Illustrations to match your genius and transcend time?

Yes, we do that.

Do Visit Our Little Design Shop for Art, our Coloring Book + T-Shirts at The Jade Dress Shop.

full circle friends. what are you dreaming about for 2023? let’s create together!

We are a full-service agency with clients in North and South America and Europe.

Why not let our 30+ years of serving up creative for pop-culture and luxury lifestyle clients, work for you? We love to consistently create meaning, story and creative together with clients that connects and energizes our lives.

See our newest brand book of services here!

Openings. In the fascinating sensory energy explore that is Feng Shui, doors and windows represent voices. These openings between spaces and moments are like the voices, ours or others, that alter our paths. Doors are voices of authority or parents, while windows are the voices of creativity or children. Openings are the go-between, the energy that connects us.

Holiday openings in NYC are a heady mix of the voices and vibration of miracles, tradition and gifts…all hailed within a space of joy we share for the possibilities of a new year approaching.

One of my favorite traditions every year is Holiday House, a designer showhouse that warms up the soul for the holidays, like the soft, bright lights of a destination in a wintery night. In previous years, I’ve compared it to the board game of Clue, with a wish or story in every room, this year the 2022 Designer Showhouse event is a study in contrasts with one penthouse apartment splashed with eclectic designs and the other showcasing the nuances of neutral design.

Open until Dec. 11, at The Kent, a 30-story luxury residential tower on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, each room enjoys what must be the hugest windows and the most incredible views of the skyline, East River and Central Park! Hello creative voices!

One for the heart: 14 exuberant years in, the event proceeds help raise critical funds for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF). Founder, creative director and breast cancer survivor, Iris Dankner, co-chairs Amy Lau and Jean Shafiroff, (who always wins the best-dressed award!), seen here with Iris and Patti Carpenter. The evening was presented by Extell and CL Investment Group, along with the many, many contributing design and resource names, plus Benjamin Moore, ready to celebrate with their pink hue color for 2023, Raspberry Blush.

As is our custom, we share with you 9 TRENDS WE LOVED FROM GIFTED VOICES …Plus, a little Feng Shui-inspired commentary, peppered with a dash of numerology and chakras, following our 9 Stars Passport, our GPS system for life, a Design Sync of our Bodies, our Spaces, our World.

Did you think chakra energy centers were just in our bodies? Oh no! Come, let’s explore more!

TREND 1. EXUBERANT POEMS

 Designer: Alison Rose x Roche Bobois, alisonroseny.com

At the root and foundation of any home is the magnetic gathering spot ~ at Holiday House it’s where the bar is. The Grand Salon.

It’s my favorite room this year. People gathered at the watering holes, one, a crazy quilt, harem island of acid-trippy patterns and an exuberant, violet caterpillar couch by Roche Bobois, capped with a captivating neon green photo of a series of doors.

Transitory, ancient and modern at the same time, quixotic Chinese calligraphy graffiti splashed across one wall like a Basquiat, a collaboration between Alison Rose and Rachel Thicks. It felt like an unearthed  poem. Is it surprising that Alison’s earliest memories are of spending her formative years in the pioneering workspace of her mother at New York City’s Museum of Natural History, a place where dramatic vignettes inspire fantastical, detailed environments?

WHY IT WORKS. Intention. Root. Grounding. Community. Family. Where it all begins is via our first chakra in our body and yes, public and private spaces have that energy center too. Honoring these recharge rooms with an intriguing mix of ancient tradition and comfort plus the energy of EXUBERANT POEMS hits the spot!

TREND 2. HEALING HALLWAYS

 Designer: Aamir Khandwala

The hallways that connect the room worlds at Holiday House turn into a labyrinth of galleries. I loved the undulating red carpet that softened the trek in the “Winter Solstice” gallery, by Aamir Khandwala, where giant crystals and vast sparkly interstellar photographs of Aurora Borealis inspired.

Designer: Katie Brandt Interiors, katiebrandtinteriors.com

In another hallway, designed by Kate Brand Interiors, grouped abstract black and white graphic explorations meet a star spotted rug underfoot. The essence of energy movement through simple graphic boldness and contrasting relationships function like a clarifying shot of caffeine or green juice. Attention held!

WHY IT WORKS. The second chakra is about crystalline, earthy connects of desire and passion. The basic ego transactions of life between self and others, like money, sex, fears and hopes. Imagine creating HEALING HALLWAYS that remind you to steady your breath and connect to the cosmos!

TREND 3. A MEDITERRANEAN MEET IN THE MIDDLE

Designer: A-List Interiors, alistinteriors.com

Pop into the “Roman Holiday” room and suddenly you are in Italy with all the classic richness and elegance that inspires the legendary Italian beauty and ingenuity.

From the scenic mural wallpaper of gentle massive trees to tiny details like lush coffee-table books, all an invitation to a centering slowdown.

WHY IT WORKS. The third chakra, at the core of a home or our bodies, is the earthy energy of the middle, heath and vibrancy, like a sun. It’s the light, where we center, process and merge. A MEDITERRANEAN MEET IN THE MIDDLE is a bright centering trend, perfect to incorporate in any space for a heal, like a sunny atrium in Rome, the classic focal point of a home.

TREND 4. THINK PINK

Designer: Zimmerman. Wearer: Honorary Chair Jean Shafiroff. 

An extraordinary dress might launch a thousand ships or inspire a cause… behold philanthropist, Jean Shafiroff, who consistently graces red carpets in elegant and eclectic couture.

Her layered, transparent sheer pink fluff dress with tiny, dangling pink crystals by Zimmerman captivated and captured the buoyant hope brought by the work of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

WHY IT WORKS. The fourth chakra represents the heart, mentors and travel, all expansive pursuits of joy. The symbolism of THINK PINK is a call to soften, nurture, and celebrate our capacity for vulnerability, healing and love.

TREND 5. SOFT VOICES

Designer: Elsa Soyars, “Gatsby 2022,” elsasoyars.com

Soft n’ Sexy. Soaring the heights of the penthouse master bedroom entitled “Gatsby 2022,” is a gold and beige Fromental wall covering of undefinable, yet lyrical organic forms. It creates a perfect balancing and grounding mood between the massive floor to ceiling windows. The sand tones made this wild-color girl both sleepy and excited…which is what bedrooms are for.

Designer: K.A. Murphy, “Into The Wild” kamurphyinteriors.com

The Cocoon of the Baby’s Room. Nursery wallpaper from Phillip Jefferies with textural embroidered swans floating and diving through lil fluffy clouds inspired the whole “Into The Wild” room and suited the contemplative window view of the wild city well. Protective animal spirits populated the room, I especially loved the animal baskets in this nurturing cubby hole, guardians of story time.

WHY IT WORKS. The 5^th chakra is the voice and our higher, expanded creative expressions. With all the vocal clamoring in the public square these days, we all need the remedy of SOFT VOICES.

TREND 6. REFLECTIVE DIMENSIONS

 Designer:  Alison Rose x Roche Bobois

Again with Grand Salon? Yes, a reflective on dimension. Yes, because the most exciting square footage in Holiday House showcased a painting on the wall in conversation with an extraordinary 6-foot flower arrangement that could have been a dragon or a sea creature. The glass dining table offered a dreamy reflective pool conversation between the art and the organic beauty. It was fluid and inter-dimensional. A slow luxury trend to support our evolving perspective on the world post-COVID and crazy.

WHY IT WORKS. Chakra six is the third eye, the beyond-3D-duality that inspires in yoga and in Feng Shui, in short it is “wisdom.”  Designing with light and reflection elicits a wise contemplative, be-here-now, in the moment soothe with REFLECTIVE DIMENSIONS.

TREND 7. TRANSFORMING COLLABS

 Designer: Cynthia Rowley x Parete paretewalls.com

This collab unfolded a multi-hued sensoria “butterfly sanctuary in the sky, harnessing the power of nature and color to set hearts aflutter.”

The charm of millions of butterflies flit-flitting about on the walls and a telescope to spot migrating Monarchs outside (yes they love NYC too) transformed this room to a butterfly cocoon commune.

Deemed the pioneer of “surf-leisure” by Vogue, Cynthia Rowley’s signature wetsuits and neoprene swimwear are displayed in an adjoining closet. Her garments are made with recycled materials and green technology, so the result is a gentler impact on butterfly and human habitat. The promise of A TRANSFORMING COLLAB, indeed.

WHY IT WORKS. The seventh chakra is transformation, which is so elemental to life, that someone, somewhere, somehow invented a caterpillar / cocoon / butterfly magic.

TREND 8. TINY HOUSE/TINY OFFICE

 Designer: KRID Studio, kridstudio.com

Got an extra empty closet? No I didn’t think so. But if you did, it could be turned into a tiny office!

The key is expansive details, like the live feed, huge high-definition computer screen that functions like a window via a video camera mounted on the terrace. Glass of champagne, also necessary for a tiny office!

WHY IT WORKS. Chakra eight is all about career, life path and destiny. A TINY HOUSE/TINY OFFICE with an expansive view suits the NYC spirit and those with too many closets.

TREND 9. TERRACE PASSIONS

Designer: ML Interiors  “A Love Letter to NY” minalisanin.com

The ninth chakra is all about relationship. 

I happened to catch two people actually doing that relating thing, see the lady in the jade green dress with the orb on the left magnetize towards the green pants man on the right underneath the twilight above a diamond city.

Design-wise, the terrace heart beats came from sculptural large furniture perfect for cuddling, like an adult playland. Swervy orange loop chairs for all kinds of fun by Tupelo whispered my name and the name of my secret lover for a big bear hug.

Love notes were scattered about, including the Sarah N Co. moss art wall, festooned with a pink ribbon.

WHY IT WORKS. Playfulness is the number 1 most important quality in any relationship. Don’t you agree?

Speaking of fun relationships, we wish you joyful holidays!

***

Holiday House NYC’s Fall 2022 Designer Showhouse event will run through December 11^th with general admission tickets priced at $40. Tickets can be purchased here.

Founded by interior designer and breast cancer survivor Iris Dankner in 2008, Holiday House is an interior design showhouse in which top interior designers and lifestyle brands can showcase their talent. All proceeds from Holiday House events benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. You can learn more about Holiday House by visiting their website at www.holidayhousenyc.com

The event sponsors included Nash Stone Group, M. Daddio, Inc. Builders, Exequor Wellness, Fabricut, Phillip Jeffries, New York’s Little Elves, Roche Bobois, Kirsch, Benjamin Moore, Ann Gish, Parete, Top Hat Home Services, Tito’s Vodka, Royal Botania, Modernist Cuisine, FJ Hakimian, Studio Greytak, Neil Kerman Gallery, Frette, Stark Carpet, AJ Madison and John Lyle. Media Partners included Modern Luxury Manhattan, Hamptons Real Estate Showcase, and Park Magazine.

***

Learn more about our agency here.

Creative for Luxury Brands + Superstars.

Our agency helps pop culture, personality, and luxury lifestyle clients maximize their creative capital and amp up their identity + adventure + style.

We are known for lifting our clients’ dreams up 9 +++ notches with creative direction and services, design, product development, events + experiences that thrill.

 ***

Facebook: @holidayhousedesignshow

Instagram: @holidayhousedesigns

Twitter: @holidayhouseny

Photos by Jade Dressler, unless otherwise noted.

hello fall, hi friends, how’s it going? No, I am not announcing my new gig as the latest home shopping TV host with my GOD monogram bed and bath collection…the towels are just a logo folly of mine.

What is really NEW is ALL this fruiting and seeding this time of year, it gets me so high! You too?
To celebrate all …, I am back today with agency news + inspiring creative, this edition is all about the keys to the Universe: logos, logos, logos!

What’s the seasonal connect? Plants and logos both hold the seeds of their creation as a coded message.

From tiny white raspberries found at the farmer’s market to the waving roadside blue purple chicory (closed by noon, thank you!) at the forest’s edge, or to the soft translucent seeds of steamed yellow and green squash…this endless cycle of creativity on display…I’m drinking it all in.

In my world of creative branding, a logo is like a seed for a brand bursting with new ideas. It literally holds the dreams of a founder, a company and the tribe that buys into it. Deeper still, I connect brand logos with the definition of the seed word, Logos: “the word of God or the eternal and unchanging truth present from the time of creation, available to every individual who seeks it.”

Whoa, that’s BIG! When my agency designs a logo, we follow a desire to bring forth the love, the essence of a personality or a brand in its simplest most engaging form. It should grab attention and slowly reveal its messages. Like the wrapture of God’s very own towel after a shower;-)

Have a look this month at 9 logos we’ve designed through the lens of our berry tasty seasonal newsletter theme ~ THE JUICY FRUIT, THE NEW SEED, and THE ABUNDANT HARVEST ~ to share inspired logos, culture tips and the stories behind some super fruity ecstatic logo design experiences with you. 

#1   Oh! Yes! Our Own Agency Logo

THE JUICY FRUIT.
Everyone asks us about our logo.

THE NEW SEEDS.
What is it? What was the inspiration?
Literally seeing a “3” sideways led to the aha moment. The 3^rd volume of BUDDHA by anime master Osamu Tezuka had a large number “3” on it, and when seen on my bookshelf sideways, well, ENLIGHTENMENT! There it was plain as day for me to see things DIFFERENTLY.

The logo captures and symbolizes what I believe in, that the ever-present third option beyond duality, beyond the usual and that search for true inspiration. Balance and creative morphing, thrilling and head turning all at once.
Sure, if you see a winged bird, two magnets or a white, comical animal head in a heart shape, yes…go with it!

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST.
Talk about fresh vision, brilliantly turning one medium into another, like Walt Disney, the master of Anime, Father of Manga, Osamu Teszuka turned children’s cartoons into high art. See more here.

Yes, he invented both Astro Boy and Kimba The White Lion if you are a child of the 70’s like me.
If you want to know what else we animate, see our new Brand Book with beaucoup of our creative services.

#2   Evotion Media Floats a New Logo

THE JUICY FRUIT.
Admiring the power of our agency symbol, film producer, Kim Jackson came to us for a major logo for her new venture, Evotion, where storytelling meets the evolution of emotion. With a request for a tight turn around we dove into those emo waters!

THE NEW SEEDS.
Thus the “e” met a watery feel with bubbles and movement, something that clearly evoked transformation in an alchemical way. Thus also the gold. Moving transformation through phenomenal film reels (or Klimt’s nouveau tableaus ) for a shift to our reality.

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST.
Learn more about Kim Jackson and her most recent film, a New York Times Critic’s Pick, “Down with The King” about a rapper (played by Freddie Gibbs) who settles in the wilderness for inspiration. More here.

#3   The Logo at Legendary DJ Kool Herc’s Fingertips, at the Birth of Hip Hop, Gets a Makeover

THE JUICY FRUIT.
Gemini turntables were the seed from which the fruit of hip-hop emerged, famously manned by the originator DJ Kool Herc at summer block parties in the Bronx in the 70’s.

THE NEW SEEDS.
By the time I arrived in the year 2000 as the new corporate Marketing Director over seeing creative at Gemini, the DJ equipment company was international and their 1970’s logo needed a serious refresh. Music originated with turntables was huge and huge. Honoring the logo’s origins we decided to solidify the font, previously striped, to underscore its icon status and adding its own turntable. The final design by our art director, Alvaro Montagna.

By 2000 the image of a turntable was well known and the forward-looking, energetic “G” above the solid Gemini made the logo contemporary and visionary.

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST.
Learn more about Kool Herc, here.
And in a recent surprise, in today’s version of digging in the crates, I unearthed the 2013 Netflix documentary, “Sample This”, the story of “the greatest breakbeat of all time,” according to Questlove of The Roots. The flick chronicles the recording of what became the heartbeat of rap…tribal drum beats, which traveled to transformation by the hip-hop innovators in the South Bronx.

“Pioneering DJ Kool Herc put both “Bongo Rock” and “Apache” to good use, switching back and forth between two copies, extending the drum break indefinitely and driving the crowd wild at block parties and apartment building rec rooms. “That was the pinnacle of the party,” says hip hop artist Grandmaster Caz. “When Apache came on, your hat went on backwards and you got it in.”

#4   Take Time to Smell the Flowers

THE JUICY FRUIT.
All hail flowers and the feels. Can you hear Neil Young wail right about now?
This logo invites a gentle, nostalgic botanical connect.
Like the miracle of all flowers, it asks us to slow down, smell the roses and savor the details.

THE NEW SEEDS.
This Au Natural logo was drawn (by me!) in woodcut style which became the actual carved wood shop sign of Hawk + Floret, a shop of curiosities, antiques, hand-made beauties and an awe of nature in the tiny river town (where I have lived and loved) of Frenchtown, New Jersey.

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST. This year, USA Today named Frenchtown, The Best Small Town for Shopping. Seek out “Betty’s store,” owned by my friend, Betty-Bains Saum, officially known as Hawk + Floret is at 40 Bridge Street in Frenchtown and  @hawkfloret on IG.

Another Frenchtown resident, the botanically-oriented author-mother of “Eat, Pray, Love,” Elizabeth Gilbert gives a must-see interview on creativity, chatting here with Marie Forleo.

#5   An Oasis in the Desert, Rich with Making Brands Magical

THE JUICY FRUIT.
Let’s jet now across the US. Our brand and graphic designers hail from The Land of Enchantment, New Mexico, which is now also The Land of Space Exploration and so of course two of their many great logos are full of that energetic magic.  

THE NEW SEEDS.
A sense of place and dynamic, fun action is the message of the Taos Scooters‘ logo. A photo of a Vespa inspired a translation to the wood block style that adds on the charm. The Zia Pueblo sun symbol establishes a sense of place and the rays help emphasize the adventure of the scooter whoosh!  

The Digerati Design logo updates the visual language of early tech design and conveys the speed of light that drives our digital desires. “The starry pixel dust (magic) emulates particles of digital energy flow,” says Barbara, the graphic artist from inside her sagebrush-surrounded, round Navajo hogan-style home she built with her husband, Ron Davis, the notable 60’s abstract painter. Peek for more, here.  

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST.
Thankfully the abstract made earthy is not just specific to bohemian enclaves like New Mexico! The magic is in the visual connect and emotional communication. Learn more about the musical Taos magic of Carol, the other half of Digerati Design, together known as the Pixel Gals, here.

#6   How To Catch a Bigger Fish

THE JUICY FRUIT.
As Marketing and Creative Director for Blue Fish, a pioneer in organic cotton clothing and a uniquely hand-block printed collection with 400 wholesale accounts and five retail stores, I art directed everything from catalogs, ads, stores, prints and, products from gifts to clothing and retail stores.

And yet, the logo was always block printed, not sleek!
However, by the time the collection was sold to Nordstrom, it was time to up-level the logo.

THE NEW SEEDS.
We kept the seed design feeling of being “curiously hand-rendered” and added a bit of polish which worked on everything from clothing labels to retail store signs.

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST.
What was once a seed, a creative folly begun in a garage in the 90’s, became an earthy community to rival anything Portland did. Did early use of organic cotton save some nature for the good of the world? We hope!  

Thus our harvest gift for you is an interview with two of our fave slow fashion and design seekers, Céline Semaan of Slow Factory, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing climate justice and social equity. She invented the term fashion activism! Listen to her interview by Spencer Bailey of “The Slow Down” podcast, here.

#7   Slow Luxury Means A Slow + Delicious Discovery

THE JUICY FRUIT.
We will dream, sketch, and even hand-sew in the creative process to elicit a logo design that sings!

THE NEW SEED.
My journey with my own brand, Slow Luxury, a collaborative design platform, is a case in point. While we originally set up Slow Luxury as consultants and advocates for sustainable Slow Luxury practices  in the industry and with clients, I realized that the most inspiring version of Slow Luxury is REALLY all about a slow deep dive into the luxury of OURSELVES. As we create non-toxic, sustainable lives of beauty, we heal ourselves and the planet at the same time.  

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST.
In any situation, if we see humor, honoring and acts of kindness vs. panic, fear, disconnect, or depression, well then these small acts of kindness to self and others…these are the real “luxuries” available to all.

Slow Luxury? Here.
The logo? Still slowly pondering!

#8   Celebrity Stilettos Meet Some Hot Sneaker Love

THE JUICY FRUIT.
Who among us is not obsessed with shoes? We invented the event and the logo for a celebrity shoe auction to benefit City Harvest, a vibrant org. feeding hungry New Yorkers each season. Our client was The Bubbly, a blog on the best champagne and other luxury pursuits in Tribeca.

THE NEW SEEDS.
Hosted by red carpet shoe expert Miss Meghan and attended by Olympians, industry heads and shoe lovers came to bid on signed collectibles from Reese Witherspoon; Carson Kressley; Star Jones; Amanda Beard; Swizz Beatz; Russell Simmons; P.Diddy and originals from Jimmy Choo and Gucci. New York magazine covered.

THE ABUNDANT HARVEST. 
The logo illustrated the bubbly of the Bubbly plus the stilettos and sneakers …and most importantly fed the hungry.   
And now, years later, after the pandemic, shoes are suspect! We love Earthing … going barefoot on dark loamy forest soils, sandy beaches, even my wood floors connect me to stress-less, a good night’s sleep and more vitality. Now that’s bubbly!

#9   Wellness Design for Bodies, Brands and Public Spaces

THE JUICY FRUIT.
Is it a quote balloon, comma, a playful face, a number 9 or an “aha” epiphany?

This logo is all that and a way to convey the 9 Star Passport, my wholly original system of discovery that aligns the energy and flow of our body chakras with our PRIVATE or PUBLIC spaces, and even to BRANDS. It maps the way to design and live more creatively in our bodies, our spaces, and our WORLD.
Yes it’s a bit Feng Shui 9.0, gone all multi-dimensional!

The three applications of the 9 Star Passport have their own logo expressions!

THE NEW SEEDS. This system, a GPS for life is a design sync, a map of our Bodies, our Spaces, our World. To visually convey and distinguish its applications, we designed symbols to act as navigational offerings on the site. THE ABUNDANT HARVEST. By now, you must be feeling inspired … I love to indulge my follies for deep healing and creativity and share the bounty with you!

full circle friends. it’s harvest time, let’s create together! let’s logo dance or …

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