My brain is like the Ford factory. Part II: The process.

As promised, here is James Webb Young's outline of what idea-making looks like, exactly. He says, "...the production of ideas is just as definite a process as the production of Fords; that the production of ideas, too, runs on an assembly line..."

And this is what the assembly line looks like:

"First, the gathering of raw materials - both the materials of your immediate problem and the materials which come from a constant enrichment of your store of general knowledge. Second, the working over of these materials in your mind. Third, the incubating stage, where you let something beside the conscious mind do the work of synthesis. Fourth, the actual birth of the Idea - the 'Eureka! I have it!' stage. And fifth, the final shaping and development of the idea to practical usefulness."

Really? That's it?

He addresses scoffing of simplicity in his book: "...the formula is so simple to state that few who hear it really believe it in...while simple to state, it actually requires the hardest kind of intellectual work to follow, so that not all who accept it use it."

I want to be one who accepts and uses it. It seems the reward will be amply worth the work.

If you want to know more about each of the above stages, I highly encourage you to buy and/or read more about his book, A Technique for Producing Ideas.

Just Because Website | Launched!

Thanks to Jill and Lonnie at Just Because and Matt Johnson of Imagination Graphics, the Just Because website has been successfully launched! If you'd like to know what Just Because is like and how I came to work with them, read up on this previous post.

The Just Because ladies now have a website as hip as they are. They're even tweeting! If you visit the site, be sure to take note of the upcoming events and specials. I'm planning on trekking out to Newport, WA for the Who Let The Girls Out event next month. Anybody want to carpool? I can't wait! Last time was a blast.

Amy + Colin | Finally married!

Amy and I started working on her printed wedding pieces way back in September of last year. At the time, it seemed her and Colin's wedding day would never come. But, as always, time files and they're finally living with wedded bliss! They got married last month at Zenith Vineyard in the Willamette Valley, just northwest of Salem, Oregon. The event was classy and beautiful - just as planned.

We created the printed pieces (program seen above) with scrolls in bronze metallic and gorgeous script type with fabulous flourishes to convey what was to come. If you want to see the stunning photos of the wedding day, visit Soul Mates Photo's blog.

You can see their invites and things featured in this post from earlier this year.

Photo credit to Melissa Tomeoni of Soul Mates Photography.

Bakery D'Amour Gift Cards

The chosen design - Now you can gift the bakery experience to family and friends!

Some preliminary layouts

My brain is like the Ford factory.

According to James Webb Young, that is. The following excerpt is from the McGraw-Hill Advertising Classic, A Technique for Producing Ideas. I've found myself thinking of his theory over and over since I read the book last week. I think he's right.

"An idea, I thought, has some of that mysterious quality which romance lends to tales of the sudden appearance of the islands in the South Seas. There, according to ancient mariners, in spots where charts showed only deep blue sea, there would suddenly appear a lovely atoll above the surface of the waters. An air of magic hung above it. And so it is, I thought, with Ideas. They appear just as suddenly above the surface of the mind - and with that same air of magic and unaccountability.

But the scientist knows that the South Sea atoll is the work of countless, unseen coral builders, working below the surface of the sea.

And so I asked myself: 'Is an idea, too, like this? Is it only the final result of a long series of unseen idea-building processes which go on beneath the surface of the conscious mind?

'If so, can these processes be identified, so that they can consciously be followed and utilized? In short, can a formula or technique be developed in answer to the question: How do you get ideas?'

What I now propose to you is the result of a long-time pondering of these questions and of close observation of the work of idea-producing men with whom I have had associations.

This has brought me to the conclusion that the production of ideas is just as definite a process as the production of Fords; that the production of ideas, too, runs on an assembly line; that in this production the mind follows an operative technique which can be learned and controlled; and that its effective use is just as much a matter of practice in the technique as is the effective use of any tool."

I'll share his outline of the process later this week.

SNEAK PEEK! French Press Coffee Labels

Well, it's been a year since I started working with French Press. They've made quite a name for themselves in the Salem area and are ready to start looking as legitimate as they are....with official coffee bag labels. Their whole bean coffee blends come in (approx.) 1-pound bags. To date, they've used a large custom rubber stamp to indicate the dark, medium and light roasts (as seen in the background of this image). And it's worked well, but as they expand their whole bean blend selection (and offer online shopping in the near future), they will need a better way to market their beans. Enter: StudioM. Below are the first round comps I presented to the team earlier this week. We're working on a hybrid, so sit tight and you'll see the final design when it's done. The goal is to visually portray the fine craft and fabulous flavors French Press has to offer...and get the coffee to fly off the shop's shelves! There's no reason it shouldn't. It's really, really good.

Reina Style Consulting | Logo + Business Cards

Brianna Showell's day job is being a Footwear Product Line Manager at Nike at the World Headquarters Campus in Beaverton, Oregon where she orchestrates all sorts of amazing things (you may just be wearing a pair of shoes she helped bring into existence). On top of this, Brianna, who goes by 'Bari', just got her MBA from University of Oregon, Executive Program. But get this: She's always argued that she has no real marketable skills. Ha! I beg to differ.

She's more amazing than she realizes. Whether it's figuring out what works best for a particular body type, making the hippest trends work in everyday wear, rehabbing drab hand-me-downs into fab garments, shopping for the perfect black dress pants or assembling the ideal event ensemble, she's got it down. We've all known this about Bari for years. She's entertained the idea of creating a small side business out of her style skills, but always felt like it was something she should just do for fun. Finally (thank goodness!) one of her girlfriend scheduled a consulting session and refused to let Bari do it for free. "Oh, and by the way", she said, "I've already lined up like three other clients for you. So kick it in gear." (Love her!)

Bari took her seriously and really did kick it in gear. She decided to call her company Reina Style Consulting. Reina is her maiden name and means 'queen' in Spanish. How cool is that!? We developed a very regal logo and some pretty business cards last month and Michael, her husband is developing the Reina Style Consulting website as we speak.

I was at a ladies' event earlier this week and overhead someone say, "I just need someone to pick out my outfits for me." Of course I had to interject, "Bari just started a company doing just that! It's called Reina Style Consulting and she'll come to your house, go through your closet with you and lay out outfits for you to wear...and tell you what you should never wear again. And she'll tell you what works for your body type and make a little cheat sheet for you and shop with you and...and...and..." You get the picture. I heart Bari...and her very marketable style services.

Side note: If you were wondering, yes, this Brianna is the same as the baby shower Brianna. Her baby boy will be THE most stylish kid on the face of the planet.