This past Thursday some friends and I headed over to Octane Coffee over on the west side of town to check out their Thursday Night Throwdown (TNT). In this weekly event, anyone (usually trained baristas) can pay a small fee to compete in a "latte art" competition. All the entry money is collected in a pot which goes to the winner at the end of the night.

It was mesmerizing to see the beautifully fresh, hot creations sitting at the top of those cups. A photo is taken birds-eye-view of the resulting product and projected on a big screen. The latte is then presented to three judges who score it based criteria such as infusion of color, symmetry and use of space. Octane is serious about their coffee. (For the record, Gern correctly called scores and placing on 95% of the entries).

What made it interesting to me is seeing design principles executed in an entirely different medium than the usual print and web formats we're used to. It was really refreshing to see the amount of talent and craft behind something that we often take for granted because of our routine, ho-hum treks to Starbucks each morning.

As every profession has become automated, assembly-lined and watered down, it gives you a new found (or rekindled) appreciation for the "people who give a damn." In our world where for each product or service there are a dozen competitors, it's those with true talent and who put their pride and heart into what they do that ultimately stand out from the rest.

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