MindPunch

I was going through some old personal photos today and came across two pics from a NYC trip I did with my good friend Chad Jarnagin a few years ago – must have been ’06 or ’07.  Chad got a LOT of shopping done (LOL) and we both were very inspired by the sites N tastes as well as the downtime to talk and hang.

You never know when “the creative” will strike so I made sure to have my digital camera with me.  Chad struck some poses with the amazing NY elements behind him.  It’s hard not to take a good pic in the Big Apple but got two I love.  Chad actually ended up using one for his site.

I should also mention that Chad is a talented musical artist and worship leader. His vocals make him a FACE MELTER! He’s working on an EP and you can be part of it by clicking here. The songs and talent contributing to this project will be well worth your investment – something you can totally be proud of contributing to. If you haven’t heard of Kickstarter, it’s pretty ingenious. Independent creatives can raise funds for their projects, allowing fans and investors be part of the project. This Kickstarter project is time sensitive so act now if you feel moved to.

Do you realize the similarities between iconic career artists and strong corporate brands? Many of the best selling artists of all time had or have a strong brand. They KNOW who they are and brand themselves accordingly. Of course their success isn’t 100% due to their branding but it does play a major role.

In this age of information overload, I believe that strong branding plays an even greater role in the success of career artists. Branding isn’t just a strong logo, it starts there but continues all the way down to what and how you tweet.

I know there are many of you out there saying “WHAT ABOUT THE MUSIC?”. Music IS a powerful force that can’t be underestimated. However, if only 10 people hear that song it never has a chance of doing what songs are meant to do – bring people together, fuel change, stir the pot.

There are many components that have to align for reaching the masses and continuing to reach them successfully. History has proven however that branding has, and I believe always will, play a major role in making a successful career artist.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Today, 1.11.11 is the long awaited release of the very talented Country Duo Steel Magnolia.
I was fortunate to work with them designing the CD package. While Meg is quite beautiful and talented, Josh is extremely creative to boot. His mind is ALWAYS going! Josh and I collaborated well and really tried to create a CD layout that was a little more out of the ordinary. The center spread presents a surprise and I can’t describe it in words really.  I guess you’ll have to go buy a copy to see for yourself!

I was really happy with it as was their record label Big MachineRecords.

You’ll notice from their twitter account that their lucky number is 11. I predict a long career and hope I get to collaborate with them many more times. I am wishing them all the best on this day of many ones.

To see more CD and packaging design take look here.