Highway to Hale

Image Credit; Wools

You might have noticed I didn’t post any new content last week…not even a #followfriday. The reason? The Social Situation blog is going under a bit of construction.

I am not positive when I will return to posting here, but I know it will be soon and there will be a new look and feel when I do.

During the hiatus, I will be writing new content that will exceed the expectations you have built about this site and designing a new style to reflect the changes you will see happening in my life.

As a bit of a teaser, the changes include not being unemployed any longer.

In the meantime, go ahead and connect with me on Twitter. I’ve also been updating my Tumblr page quite a bit and you can find consistently updated (but less extensive) content there.

As always, I’d love to connect on LinkedIn – and you might even catch some interesting tidbits there about my future.

Finally, I still advocate that you start following each of the people in this section of Social Situation. They are all very helpful in their own way.

Thank you for your continued support, and I will talk to you all very soon.

- Scott

Look at that, it is already Friday again. Time for another round of #followfriday. I know you’re busy, so I’ll keep it quick with only a couple recommendations this week. You know the drill – I think you should get over to Twitter and start following the people I recommend because I find them interesting, helpful, entertaining, and/or friendly.

The following two recommendations are artists with extensive knowledge and interest in brand development and management.

My first recommendation this week is long overdue. I would never even consider putting @m_scott_hay in a box reserved simply for artists. If you are into art or branding, you need to check out Mr. Hay’s portfolio – The Silent Migration. Michael was just picked up by ADwërks a couple weeks ago, and they made a great choice. I had the pleasure of talking with Michael at the last Sioux Falls tweetup and it was easy to see that he understands the possibilities of a strong brand in the social media age. I wish I had more time to talk with him, but I assure you there is no shortage of engagement to be found while following @m_scott_hay on Twitter.

My second recommendation finds himself in the Social Situation for the second time this week. As his internship comes to a close today, @ajosborn is on the market once again. Any company would benefit from Andrew’s abilities. Not only is he bilingual, but his interests and skills are a perfect mashup of creative graphic design based in traditional fine arts, strong brand development, business savvy, and a willingness to try anything. Andrew’s portfolio is as diverse as his skills and includes screen prints, photography, illustrations, poster designs and creative package constructions. His curiosity has led to immense learning in a plethora of subjects and not even lacking a computer has stopped Andrew from engaging in social media.

Have fun checking out these portfolios and then follow them to strike up some conversation about the visual and business aspects of building a strong brand that can thrive in the age of social media.

Happy Friday – have a great weekend.

Muse-ic : When MUSIC inspires ART

Above is a poster designed by a friend of mine – Andrew Osborn (@ajosborn). Just out of school, Andrew scored an internship at Fresh Produce (a little advertising agency on the prairie) in Sioux Falls, SD. As the story goes, Fresh Produce put together a team of qualified interns to work as a fully-functioning ad team within the walls of Fresh Produce. The team was called Famous For Meats. They were tasked with “creating buzz by taking fresh ideas and letting them marinate, ensuring that the product is as juicy and hearty as possible”. Throughout the summer, Andrew and the rest of the “Meatheads” pitched design work and gained extensive experience as interns out on their own (you can see and read about some of the work at the FFM link above).

As their final project at Fresh Produce for the summer, the Meatheads concepted, planned, organized, and promoted an art show at the IPSO Gallery. They titled the show Muse-ic: When MUSIC inspires ART. The Meatheads charged local painters, sculptors, drawers, illustrators and installation artists with picking a piece of music from a determined list from which they could draw inspiration for a piece of art. Essentially, “Muse-ic is rooted in the constant dialogue between visual arts and music” – Andrew Osborn. You can listen to more about the show and hear a little bit from the artists involved on this RockGarden Tour Podcast in which Fresh Produce turned the wheel over to the Famous For Meats interns.

The technical information (time, date, location) is on the poster above, and you should really check it out and talk to the artists and interns about the entire process if you are in the area.

What do you think about this kind of internship? Obviously Fresh Produce trusted their interns to maintain their reputation and produce solid work. Furthermore, the interns got great real-world experience including pitching and dealing with client needs. On the other hand, there was not a whole lot of mentoring going on as internships are often known for. Famous For Meats was implementing full projects at lower wages. At times, they were even finding their own work.

I think it is a fine idea. As far as I know, the interns loved it and Fresh Produce didn’t seem to take any issues with the interns.