I recently changed my favorite brand on my matchstic profile from apple to levis. I really love levis jeans. as I explain in my blurb, i think they are amazing at branding, but also their founder's vision to create the blue jean in the first place. something so tied to american culture came from a very small idea. (but i digress…)

I just got my new matchstic macbook pro, so for the day, i have a crush on apple again…

i have unwrapped quite a few notebooks, and desktops in my apple days, and even a few phones, and I am still blown away by how great, and simple their packaging is. it is both beautiful and effecient. this isn't the video of the new macbook pro, but it is about the only thing that could top my experience today!

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I am a huge fan of minimalism. Huge. And so when I see a brand such as Waitrose Fresh Herbs using such great design, it gets me excited.

It takes a strong brand to shed all the extras and display its core value. The beauty with this packaging is the fact that the product is on display. There isn't a picture of basil printed on the plastic that looks better than the actual basil in the bag.

Also for those of us, not exactly versed in the world of cooking, the packaging gives you an idea of how each herb is best used. Brilliant.

"Branding at best builds from within." I love to see a strong brand drive strong design.

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I heard a great quote from one of our own here at the matchstic house. Justin and I were chatting about how our Identity work is more than just a logo to plop on an ad. He said it best, "Brands are an unbreakable force".

I love saying it that way.

Brands are more than just an Identity and supporting design surrounding it. As many authors smarter than me have noted (folks like Marty Neumeier), brands are also about your culture, your tone, your office space, what the dress-code/non-code is…on and on. Looking at it this way, all these elements should tie together, work together, and be based on and around the same foundation.

Its a challenge for all of us, its a charge, and ultimately its a force to be rekoned with when done right. Like Justin said – it is an unbreakable force.

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As I was watching the election coverage on Tuesday night one thing absolutely baffled me. It wasn't the voter turnout numbers, stories of long lines at the polls, or the results. It was why CNN thought it was a good use of their time and money to take 3 weeks to build a tent with 35 Hi-Def cameras so they could "Beam In" a "Hologram" of a news correspondent into the CNN studio. See the video below…

The technology itself is impressive, but it served no purpose and was actually quite distracting. I've watched the clip numerous times and still can't recall one fact about what was reported, because the whole time I was distracted by the "hologram".

Brands live by the same rules. The strongest brands stand on their own and don't need or let flashy new technology or other extras get in the way and distract from their core message. A strong brand is simple concise and above all communicates clearly with the viewer.

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The Word For You Today is the leader in personalized devotionals.  They publish 14 million devotionals each year in 20 different languages.

Recently they came to Matchstic with a need to speak to a younger generation.

Blake and I were attending the Catalyst Conference last month and ran into Chris Campbell and got some of this thoughts on the effectiveness of the new brand.

The Word For You Today from matchstic on Vimeo.

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Political persuasions aside, if the presidential candidates were brands, which did you buy? I suppose you would say ‘the one I felt had the best plan' or ‘the one that believed the same things as me.' How did you know which candidate suited you?

Each candidate wanted you to think of a word phrase when you thought of them. The best brands speak with one, clear and consistent voice. They make sure you know what they stand for. Staying on message is a brand's mantra. What were the candidates messages? Change, Maverick, Hope, Country First, Bush. A brand's message must be memorable and be repeated by all who represent it.

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In less that one week, the newest member of our creative team will officially start.

We are extremely excited to have Alvin Diec on board for several reasons. First off, he is amazingly talented. You can check his work out for your self at www.alvindiec.com. What first caught my eye was his ability to design a remarkable identity, and not just visually (even though they all are visually awesome) they also communicate unique core distinctions for each brand. Second, his committed attitude towards excellence and integrity. Those two core values are huge around here, and to hear him already living to those standards makes him a natural fit. Finally, he has an awesome mohawk. Game. Set. Match.

Here are more little tid-bits about Alvin:

• He was born in Louisiana and graduated from the University of Florida (which means we have almost all SEC alma-maters covered here)
• He went to the Portfolio Center before dominating work in the Atlanta area for over two years
• He reads Fortune, The Economist, Bon Appetit, Paste, Pitchfork, Car and Driver and the J.Crew catalog
• He dreams of making the perfect espresso and traveling to Paris, Japan, Scandinavia, and Singapore
• He finds the good in most everything (except Alvin and the Chipmunks)
• If he could have any super power it would be the ability to "CTRL/ CMD + Z" (undo shortcut) in real life.
• Wants to make Matchstic a better place.

So, help me welcome Alvin and his mohawk, but more importantly help me welcome his talent and drive for excellence.

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Well, our 4th Carv-O-rama came to a close on Fri afternoon. Early polling showed Gordon Shumway as the leading candidate, and while voting was tight between Alf and E.T., the final result was a come-behind win from E.T. | www.carvorama.com.

The 3 "non-creatives" were at the bottom of the pack (is anyone surprised?), with only Justin's dark horse – Ziggy Stardust – falling into last place.

So we can deduce one thing from this year's contest – people love small, odd-looking, aliens who crash landed on our planet, had endearing relationships with children, were obsessed with eating mankind's food, and learned to speak English. Next year I'm doing an Ewok.

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