The Blend, Mar 23

 

People are sharing good stuff all the time. Things that make us smarter, think more creatively and encourage us to push ourselves just a little bit harder. When we find these things, we put them in The Blend and share them with you.

Here’s some good stuff from good thinkers to start the week…

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Whether it’s a house of brands or a branded house, the most important thing to understand is the full brand relationship spectrum.

Sometimes, success comes very late in life. Japanese artist, Katsushika Hokusai, didn’t create his masterpiece, ‘The Great Wave,” until he was 75. Here’s how it went viral.

If you want to be inspired read this brilliantly written piece on advice for young writers. (And life.)

If you want to read about the fall of the hipster brand, check out the decline of American Apparel and Urban Outfitters.

If you’re looking for some great content, here are three notable things to spend time with…

… this #DesignInTech Report will be welcomed by anyone who believes in the power of design.

… this video of the first and final frames of 55 films, side by side, will be welcomed by all types of storytellers.

… and this cut down of The Medium Is The Message into an animated video will be welcomed by all types of media thinkers.

Seeking team collaboration ideas? Here’s a collection of methods and activities you could do from Hyper Island. Everything is tailored by group size and time frame.

Ever think about what a secret really is? This guy should know: “One way to think of a secret is as dark matter — this stuff that makes up 90%-95% of what’s in the universe but that we can’t see, we can’t sense. The only way we know it’s there is how it affects the behavior of other objects.”

A thought-provoking post about how the copyright decision surrounding the hit “Blurred Lines” might be bad for the future of music, and beyond.

Hard to disagree with Mr. Steel: advertising has to be distinctive enough to stand out and be noticed, yet relevant and motivating enough to get results.

And finally…

Don’t always try to face an entrenched opinion head-on, get upstream and change the context.

Here’s to a productive, creative and thought-filled week. And if you find something that belongs in The Blend, please let @JohnDrake know.