It’s a little late to be writing this after Thanksgiving. But I know you’ve all been waiting patiently to hear from me. So here it is and you can thank me later.

It’s my team. Ahhh…so sweet…and a little vain!

Sorry bout that, but for real I couldn’t imagine a better group of guys to work with and for everyday. It’s just fun. I’ve been a part of it for a while now. It’s chemistry has changed at times and some days are better than others but the heart has always stayed the same. And that’s what I’m thankful for the most. Problems are easier to solve when it doesn’t matter who gets credit for the answer. Individually we are all talented but together we’re brilliant.

Now, brilliance is only a pretty word without brilliant companies to work for. And we work for some great ones. Particularly I’m thankful for Booster. They were the first client I got to work with at Matchstic four years ago and they’re still with us. The Boosterthon Fun Run provides funding to elementary schools through a two week program where kids get pledges for what’s called the Fun Run. During the program each day the Booster team promotes fitness, education, and character. In the end, the kids help their school’s while learning how to dream big, stand up and lead. They’re an example of how vital an internal culture is to the life of a brand. Each Booster employee is a role model for each other and an inspiration to the kids at each school. For me though they are a true passionate brand. One we get the pleasure to ignite year after year. Thanks fellas.

When I think about what I’m thankful for this year, I think about the courage of those around me in the face of uncertainty. Courage to dive in, to face lingering doubts, to engage.

I think about the courage of our clients to risk change for the sake of accomplishing their vision & dreams. The courage to start something new in a struggling economy. The courage to understand themselves more deeply & communicate more clearly.

I think about the courage of several folks – Larry Bolden, Ross Gott, Melinda Hemphill, & many more we work with – who have the courage to speak up when others would be silent.

I think about Blake and Craig, who have the courage to make big changes with immediacy, whenever & wherever good ideas surface.

I think about my wife, who courageously came to Atlanta with me to follow a dream, even when it risked turning our world upside down.

I’m thankful that courage keeps showing up in the lives of those around me – impacting my world, their own, and many more.

According to Thomas Friedman, The World is Flat. By now, we’ve gotten used to globalization and the commoditizing of all things related to production — it can all be accessed by anyone from anywhere. The creative industry is not safe from this, as we’ve seen from the huge shift toward cheap photography, cheap printing, and cheap design.

Yet, despite all of that, we are still able to survive. Talented photographers are still in high demand. Bands still commission posters printed by hand. And thankfully, there are people out there who value their business enough to let us brand them.

I am thankful for the one thing we have that can’t be outsourced or dumbed down: imagination. (Mr. Friedman is also thankful for this — read his Op-Ed piece about how the U.S. still has a chance to own the 21st century.) He writes:

“What your citizens imagine now matters more than ever because they can act on their own imaginations farther, faster, deeper and cheaper than ever before — as individuals. In such a world, societies that can nurture people with the ability to imagine and spin off new ideas will thrive. The Apple iPod may be made in China, but it was dreamed up in America, and that’s where most of the profits go. America — with its open, free, no-limits, immigrant-friendly society — is still the world’s greatest dream machine.”

Imagination is what separates the best from the rest. A good imagination is difficult to replicate, and inspiring when executed well. (Heck, imagination can even reverse the effects of outsourcing and bring production back to the U.S., as American Apparel has proven.)

I am thankful for all the folks we’ve worked with, those who have believed that design is more than pushing buttons and turning knobs. Those who put their stock in our ability to imagine.

As we continue our week of giving thanks, today I want to bring to light to a group of people that never get any credit for any success at Matchstic but play an integral part.

Andy Leonard and Collin Rector.  Andy and Collin are from Accel Financial Services and spend a lot of time and energy makings sure that the Matchstic finances are in order.  Knowing that they are looking out for us and keeping the foundation solid keeps me sleeping well at night.  Andy and Collin, thank you from all of us.

Scott Armstrong.  Scott is the pastor at City Church Eastside and acts as office chaplain for us.  When business gets busy, Scott is always there to remind us that we’re not just here to have a job, but we’re a part of a much larger story. Scott, thank you from all of us.

Jim Doggett.  Jim (or just “Doggett” as we call him) founded Avalaunch.  Doggett works with us to assess a potential employee’s fit into our culture as well as takes us through training to make sure that we’re maximizing our effectiveness as a group.  Jim, thank you from all of us.

Alina Wheeler. Alina is the author of Designing Brand Identity and has been a generous advisor to us as we continue to improve our processes and overall vision of branding.  Alina, thank you from all of us.

Accelerators.  I’m a part of an entrepreneur group called Accelerator facilitated by David Cummings and the folks at EO.  We have quarterly learning days and monthly accountability groups and it’s so wonderful to walk through this journey with fellow entrepreneurs at my side constantly sharing wisdom and advice. Thank you to all of my Accelerator buddies and mentors, you know who you are.

Spike Jones.  Spike works at Brains on Fire, a fellow Identity company that also works in word of mouth marketing. Spike is a kindred spirit, and always doing what he can to further success at Matchstic.  Spike, thank you from all of us.

Brittany Thoms. Brittany runs See.Spark.Go. and handles public relations for the Matchstic brand.  She is always learning new ways to tell the Matchstic story and push us to create more magic.  Without her, our story is not the same.  Brittany, thank you from all of us.

Jeff Nelson.  Jeff runs New Images Janitorial and has the ever-important job of keeping the Matchstic house clean week to week.  Jeff, you have one of the most important jobs of all and we know that a clean house means a clean reputation when folks visit us. Jeff, thank you from all of us.

This week we will be featuring a blog series called “Giving Thanks”. We want to highlight some of the incredible things we are privileged and thankful to have.

I’ll be kicking off the series with a feature of our first ever client, Sixthman.

Sixthman is an affinity travel company that creates unique experiences by bringing together like-minded people in exclusive, interactive and intimate environments. They harness the power of community by embracing pioneering spirits and creating authentic connections between artists and fans.

I have hordes of thanksgiving for them for several reasons.

For one, the founder Andy Levine is one of the driving forces that brought me to Atlanta several years ago and has been a great friend and inspiration to me ever since.

Mostly, I’m thankful for the rich passion dwelling behind each Sixthman Brand. The guests, artists, and even innocent bystanders are consistently amazed by every Sixthman Experience. If you’ve never experienced a Sixthman event, you should. Their moto and tagline is pretty appropriate as they passionately pursue what it means to Live Loud.

So, To the Sixthman team, pull up a chair, grab a hand, and we’ll say thanks to you for a great year.

Below is a sample platter of work we’ve produced for Sixthman this year:

I heard an interesting story about The Varsity this weekend. The Varsity’s a famous local fast food restaurant in the heart of Atlanta. Apparently when the Olympics were here in ‘96 The Varsity made a commemorative pin for tourists to buy. They decided to showcase their world famous onion rings in the design as a subtle reference to the Olympic rings. The Olympic committee saw it as trademark infringement and told The Varsity to stop selling them immediately. Ten year old Asian gymnasts…no big deal. But onion rings that look like olympic rings…no way.

Of course, not all of the pins were confiscated since some had already been sold. Because of the scandal and scarcity the pins became quite valuable. What originally sold for $5 is now $500 on eBay. Not to mention all the local publicity The Varsity received over the story. This may be a stretch but it made me think how valuable “mistakes” can be. All collectables are this way, their “imperfections” make them more valuable. It’s better when things don’t go according to plan. When they don’t fit the mold. We like for there to be a story. It’s more interesting, more meaningful, more worth telling about, more valuable.

Refresh the world. A truly BIG idea. And who could do it better than Coke?

Throughout the years they’ve grown, tried, succeeded, and failed in numerous ways – and through it all – stayed remarkably focused as a brand.

This kind of focus is not a decision on whether to grow or not grow. Rather, its a decision on *where* to grow. Once any brand – big or small – starts seeing success and new opportunities flow their way, every new venture becomes both an opportunity to diversify and monetize as well as dilute and devalue.

How to grow may be one of the biggest challenges of any successful, growing brand.

With over 3,000 products in 200 countries, everything Coke produces – from Fanta to Hi-C – is all focused on one big idea…Refresh the world. And this focus has led Coke to some $130B in value and a realized leadership position in brand recognition.

In a recent article on Coke VP of Design David Butler, Fast Company noted that even in a downturn Coke has seen their numbers move up and to the right. “Case volume was up 4% for the second quarter and profits were better than expected, based on strong sales in China and India. And in 2008, the Coca-Cola company’s market share was 42.7%, compared to PepsiCo’s 30.8%, according to Beverage Digest. On the brand level, Coke’s share rose to 17.3% from 17.2% in the carbonated soft-drink category in 2008, while Pepsi’s fell to 10.3% from 10.7% a year earlier.”

“…As life gets visually noisier, brands that dial back to their core essence stand out by contrast.”

Coke does this with style and Focus, rigid where it needs to be, while always allowing room to grow.

Life is complicated. But at least it doesn’t have to look that way. Such is the beauty of graphic design — specifically information graphics. Wikipedia tells us:

Information graphics or infographics are visual representations of information, data or knowledge. These graphics are used where complex information needs to be explained quickly and clearly.

It seems that there’s been somewhat of an infographics renaissance lately, headed by popular sites like Information is Beautiful, innovative publications such as GOOD, and even online tools to track your own life.

The weather’s been really nice, so I’ve enjoyed riding my bike to work as much as possible. I could go on and on about the saving the earth, well-shaped calves and a healthy heart amongst the many benefits of biking, but chances are you’ll either be confused, bored, or asleep by the end. Instead, let’s see how biking a short distance just three days a week can get me a bunch of free beer.

So there you have it. Something that can be difficult or boring to explain through words can oftentimes be simple and clear when set in a pretty graphic. It can even show how to turn a few miles of peddling into a delicious free beverage. Cheers.

I’m a big fan of NASA. Growing up I had dreams of floating around in a zero gravity room trying to catch popcorn kernels in my mouth like Pacman scurrying across the board. More recently I’m a fan because of their example of vision and purpose.

In the Kennedy era, NASA had a grand vision, “To put a man on the moon by the end of the sixties”. It wasn’t about building a better rocket, but actually getting it to the moon, landing it, and bringing it back home safely. The rocket was just the means to the end.

Branding should be the same. The rocket is your brand. Its just a means to the end; a means to your ambitious goal. Sometimes we spend too much time building the rocket and not enough time figuring out how to get it off the ground.

The art of launching a new brand is a crucial, and often over-looked, part to the branding process. Here are two ways to go about a lunch:

1. Mega Launch- An overnight overhaul and grand celebration of the new brand. If its a re-brand project, replacing all signage, communications, and marketing touch-points all at once. If its a new brand, coordinating a large event with fan fare and declaration of meaning. This is a complex, highly managed, and ambitious task, but it avoids brand confusion and ensures clarity.

2. Strategic Rollout- A smooth transition of old to new, phasing in the new touch-points with care and consideration. This process is more practical for smaller organizations, but can also transfer familiarity for an established brand (like the transition from Cingular to AT&T, as seen below)

Some other important points for a launch:

1. The most important audience is the company’s employees. The internal launch is imperative.
2. Regardless of scope and budget a comprehensive communications plan is crucial
3. Make a moment. Create a buzz and seize this as a marketing opportunity. Timing is everything.

So what’s more important? Building the rocket or launching the rocket?

I found out that Chrysler (now owned by FIAT) is planning to separate out it’s Ram truck line to be its own independent brand. Much like Jeep is to Chrysler, soon you won’t be calling it a Dodge Ram but just “Ram.” The strategy is to establish Ram as the sportsman’s truck. They figure Ford and Chevy are both positioning their trucks as “work trucks” so they ought to take a different angle. Turns out that’s what most Ram owners use them for anyways. Things like towing Sea-Doo’s, ATV’s, canoes, etc.

This could be the start of a different strategy to take on automotive brand architecture. Ford, Chevy, Toyota, etc. have all sorts of models under one brand name. Yes they have Lincoln, Buick, etc. for the higher end models but under one brand name you’ll have cars, SUV’s and trucks. This move on Chrysler’s part would give its truck line perceived independence. Much like Jeep is their SUV brand, RAM will be their truck brand. Perhaps Dodge could be their muscle/sports car brand and Chrysler their luxury vehicle brand.

I don’t quite know all the pros/cons of this approach but having seen the way Jeep can be successful selling only SUV’s, maybe it will work. If anything it’s a good protective strategy. Like a diversified portfolio, when one industry (brand) goes south, the others will hopefully stand strong. So when Chrysler says it wants to make bicycles, their idiocy wont be attributed to the brand value of a Jeep, or Ram.