Friday, March 9, 2007

pre trip questions

I am expecting, more than anything, to learn a huge amount from this trip. I hope that I will gain insight into the design world that will influence my future in regards both to my professional and personal life. I have never been to New York, so I am excited beyond words to see the city for the first time and explore it from the perspective that this class offers. I feel like we have a great group of people going that will make this trip even more fun. I am most excited to visit Pentagram Designs and Paper Magazine.

West coast design is is what defines cities like Los Angeles. It is seen everywhere, whether you're driving (or trying to) on one of the freeways or visiting one of the many musuems, you can't help but be caught up in it. West coast design is defined by its laid back demeanor and progressive approach that is a result of its relatively new existence in the design world. The entertainment industry relies heavily on west coast design as does the thriving consumer culture that supports it. The society has such an investment in these as well as in the thriving music industry that people become, as a result, heavily invested in the design world as well. It is a culture all its own that impacts almost all aspects of our day-today lives, something not much else has the capacity to do.

Ogilvy and Mather was founded in 1948 by David Ogilvy who has been called the "Father of Advertising." The company established itself in the 1960's by building brands through advertising. Today their main focus remains brands as they themselves declare on their web site that they are "an agency defined by its devotion to brands." They help build "enduring brands that that live as part of consumers' lives and command their loyalty and confidence" through a approach called 360 Degree Brand Stewardship. The approach works at "creating attention-getting messages that make a promise consistent and true to the brand's image and identity. And guiding actions, both big and small, that deliver on that brand promise. To every audience that brand has. At every brand intersection point. At all times." The brands that Ogilvy and Mather have helped to command such loyalty include such household names as Dove Soap (the campaign positioning is still being used 50 years after its creation and Dove now out sells every other soap), Rolls Royce, Shell, American Express, Barbie, Maxwell House, IBM and Kodak, to name only a few. Ogilvy now has almost 500 offices in 160 cities and is one of the largest marketing communications networks in the world.

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