Slow brands.

I just watched a fantastic little documentary on the men (it's always been and still is men) who paints the murals on walls in New York. I'm fascinated by the patience and love these men convey when performing the artistic masterpieces on walls high above the hustle and bustle of the city.

Slow brands, like slow food, is a fantastic way of displaying and devouring a brand. The murals are taken over by quicker methods, like printed vinyl, but they are still there.

Film by Malcolm Murray. Concept: Mother NY. Production Co: Mekanis.

Up there.

Another gadget.

I recently wrote about how to avoid buying unnecessary gadgets. Well, I recently made a trip to the Big Apple and guess what, I've bought THE completely unnecessary gadget: the iPad (or maxiPad as it is called by some). They're not yet on the market here in Sweden and I couldn't resist buying the upsized version of the iPhone.

It started the day after my arrival. I visited the 24/7 Apple Store on fifth avenue and quickly found out the new 3G version would be released at the end of the week and so decided to wait. The day after the release I went back. In store after store (there are four around Manhattan) they were sold out. Both versions. And after much discussion with the Apple people I decided not to buy the 3G version after all since nobody could promise it would work in Europe. Now I just had to find a place where they weren't sold out. The day same day I was scheduled for departure I found my iPad. In the store on fifth avenue where my search had started a week earlier.

After returning home yesterday we have now been introduced and slowly getting to know one another. The problem right now is how to buy apps since it doesn't connect to the Swedish iTunes. But after mirroring my iPhone apps, at least I've got started with Spotify and a few necessities.

So, here she is:

Place branding: South Orange, New Jersey

If you would have asked me in the late nineties what I thought about New Jersey, the answer would have been: "I don't". I was living in New York at the time, and New Jersey was a black hole. Crossing the Hudson river was something you did only when homesickness struck and you took the free bus to Ikea, to eat Swedish meatballs and watch the Scandinavian Airlines planes lift and land at Newark Airport.

Manhattan was the place to be. Williamsburg, Brooklyn, was slowly starting to wake up and attract artist souls, like my my photographer friends, but walking there at night was still an adventure. My base was the Spanish Harlem, which also made New Yorkers frown and ask how on earth I could live there, and if it wasn't really dangerous. 105th between 5th avenue and Lexington still left a lot to wish for, but you couldn't beat the location right next to one of the nicest little parks in the Park (Central Park that is).

But New Jersey (or New Joycey as it was sometimes referred to)… Later on it became Soprano land, but then all we thought about in connection to it was house wifes and conservatives.

Yesterday I arrived in Newark airport. Luckily, I might add, considering the volcano ash adventure. I took a cab to South Orange, NJ. My friends from back in the nineties live there today. So much has changed. New Jersey still sports the image of a lesser brother to New York, but there are parts, like South Orange, with a completely modified brand image.

In South Orange you find the New Yorkers who wanted to continue their free minded New York lives and still start a family. The people caring for community gardens and organic food. People of mixed backgrounds, still working on Manhattan.

I've only just arrived but I'm looking forward to find out more and add some pics. For now, see the link.

A brand new decade.

Over the past months (it's been almost nine months since my last brand confession) I've gone through a brand crisis, asking myself what good brands really do in the greater scheme of things. Can brands make the world a better place? Can they help stop climate change? My questions led me to take an indefinite break in writing.

During this time the world has continued on its own. Social media exploded. The climate debate is getting louder. I don't think there are really clear answers to my questions, but I've decided to break the brand break. Below are five brands that are doing their bit in changing the world.

1) Avaaz is a "global web movement with a simple democratic mission: to close the gap between the world we have, and the world most people want".

2) TOMS shoes is saving the world by giving a way one pair of shoes for every pair sold.

3) Aspen design summit gathered top executives in search for solving global challenges.

4) Cop 15 (15th United Nations Climate Change Conference) failed to create a world wide contract of CO2 emission decrease, but succeeded in raising climate awareness among people all over the world.

5) Creatables is a small Swedish design firm started by an engineer. They design products from industrial waste materials.

6) In November this year, AIGA and Winterhouse Institute organized the Aspen Design Summit, who brought together some 60 top executives (Tim Brown, CEO of IDEO was one of them) with the aim of solving large social problems by applying design thinking.

I wish you all a brand new decade!

Time to move back to NYC?

There are more reasons to love New York than the fact that there is strong support for the new president. In February, my favorite brand, British Orla Kiely, is launching their new collection for Target.

From beautiful place mats, storage boxes and serving ware to a fabulous 50's apron, the collection makes me question ever leaving the Big Apple. I even heard rumors of the opening of a brand store, but so far I haven't had that confirmed. Anybody know if they've opened yet?



My favourites are the place mats and the apron…