Disposable work leads to disposable brands.

We have everything. we really do. Every now & then when I'm able to step outside of the guy that's me and take a gander around (like that Vincent Vega Meme from Pulp Fiction), I realize how fortunate we are. We are the most affluent humans in the history of our planet. In a moments notice we can welcome the London symphony orchestra into our living room and after one song we can kick them out & bring in the Vienna Philharmonic one. Cheerio! We've got food from all corners of the earth & the Tech to preserve it. Triscuits, Nordic smoked salmon & avocado at 3am? easy. An internet to communicate with anyone, anywhere in the world, immediately. We are living at the pinnacle of our consumer culture.

Desire. Buy. Consume. Discard & repeat. Unfortunately, most brands in our fast moving world are part of that cycle. I get it, I've been working on brands for 20 years across 3 continents & the pressure to pump out work, reacting to an economy that's constantly in flux is universal. Budgets. Deadlines. Layoffs. It's the aforementioned cycle that inevitably gives birth to thinking & work that was meant to be disposed of before it even existed.

One of my favourite brands is Monocle and I love it for many reasons. Whether it's the expertly curated Monocle 24 station or their smart & craft-centric collaborations. Their cafés & bespoke series of global retail outlets that are all unique experiences. To their vast array of publications. All from a Magazine.

Monocle Magazine changed the idea of what a magazine was. Disposable. We goto newsstands, pick up a mag, it lays about our pad in Rabat, comes with us to the office in WanChai, we pull it out for a quick read on the Tube, we bury our face in it in the Swiss Senator Lounge in Geneva to escape unwanted interactions. And when we're done, we toss it away. Sayonara!

Except Monocle Magazine.

The brilliance of the thinking behind the publication, is that it was designed to stay alive. One of the early products they created shortly after the conception of the Magazine, was a bookshelf custom made to the Magazine specs. An in-direct nudge that what you're reading is meant to be kept, displayed & cherished, in stark contrast to Every. Single. Other magazine out there. Currently you can acquire the custom string x monocle Oak shelf online.

Thinking in a non-disposable fashion, led Monocle from being a mere Magazine to becoming a media, retail & product empire.

Think about that.

It's that type of thinking, attention to detail & an appreciation for the value of craft that leads to ideas, work, projects, objects & experiences that continue to live on. Brands that value themselves & what they stand for should embrace creatives, artists & craft to create something of value that is designed to last and be cherished by people that love & keep the brand alive.

Let's create things that add value to brands & our world.

Things that live.