Adventures In Design

The Logo Show focuses its pinpoint laser gaze on baseball's National League and its history of sports team branding. With a reach extending back well before desktop publishing and a future evolving before our eyes, America's favorite past time can offer a unique insight into the lasting principles behind an effective design. Dan Stiles, Billy Baumann, and Mark Brickey explore everything from the central branding of each team, to vintage to programs, to alternate mascots that seem to come out of left field in relation to a team's look. As we explore each National League franchise the boys discuss the effect technology has on design, the difficulty in simplicity, and what is next in a future with fewer design limitations. Hot spots and intentional wonkiness lead the way through a vibrant visual history that can make you a better designer today with expert tips and tricks from the logomark masters we have on the show.  

Talking Points

• The whipping boy of the design world. 
• Journeys-esque logos and the phat era Phil won't back down from. 
• Analyzing America's past time. 
• Historic branding, finials, and the intentional wonk. 
• The beauty in going for it in the age of refinement. 
• Mixing and matching Cubs branding.
• The "Can you draw this pirate?" Test that became a logo. 
• Does your logo need to represent the industry it's in?
• Simplify. Simplify. Simplify.
• Essential typographic finesse that the computer lets a lot of people skip over. 
• Put a circle on it.
• That glove that does the heavy lifting. 
• What are modern designers afraid of?
• Searching for a unique shape that makes a killer die cut sticker. 

Circle Of Trust Talking Points

• That baseball gray, Color Rush Football, and the rules of restrictions. 
• Mr. Redlegs vs. Mr. Met, fashionable mustaches, and sleeveless uniforms that are anything but the look of baseball. 
• Simplifying the National League logo and getting rid of its turkey feet topper. 
• Distilling a logo down to its essence and determining how much information is necessary. 
• How much should you dumb it down?
• Negative space and the type you forgot about. 
• Starting with one color before all the smoke and mirrors. 
• Going to grayscale to value check your work. 
• Deliberate complication to validate that your job as a designer and convey value. 
• NASA begins measuring tree canopies, the team of engineers involved with design and the International Space Station. 
• Bad guys with better designs. 
• Do the old rules still apply today?
• Aging out of design, new maximalism, and long lasting principles of design that transcend technology. 

Ben and Miranda are bringing you an all new Summer 2017 Special 2.0 Edition of Seasons Of the Snake. Why? Because men's fashion never sleeps and because it's finally time to announce the SOP 3.0 Grand Re-Re-Opening Party. Dive into an episode filled with the business behind looking good and how Snake Oil has filled out their larger storefront and brought in an expanded price point range. Later on, we get a look at some of the financial hurdles that come with running a business and determining how much of all that income is actually yours to spend. What about men's jewelry? What is the story behind 3sixteen? What in the hell is a sanitary belt? It's all here with Ben, Miranda, and Mark getting deeper and deeper into the rugged world of men's premium fashion.

Talking Points

• New Long Beach versus Old Long Beach. 
• Motorcycle piles, a Nocturnal Unicorn, and training at the VA. 
• Side Slit Jones, C Pockets, and Triangle Boy. 
• The story of 3sixteen. 
• Darning.
• Balancing data and design. 
• Winning the SuperBowl with RRL and its effect on SOP's customer base. 
• Expanding your price point range. 
• The Wallabee move and other fashion power moves. 
• Pant preferences. 

Circle Of Trust Talking Points

• Easing into the world of men's jewelry. 
• Overcoming your hideous troll nature and sanitary belts in fashion colors too!
• Metrics to the rescue. 
• Stocking the new Snake Oil with intuition and developing new organizational systems. 
• Responsibility, credit scores, and being penalized for owning a business. 
•  When does the profit come out of the system and what is yours?
• Buyer's remorse from two different perspectives. 
• The art of negotiation and power moves. 

All great things start out small. Rogue Territory took its first steps one pair of custom made jeans at a time and found its footing in taking that knowledge to the next organic step of ready to wear denim that took the world of premium men's fashion by storm. Karl and Leslie take us on an exploration to create what they love on their terms and let the organic demand dictate each step of the way. Rogue Territory is an expansive passion project for Karl and Leslie which now includes pants, trousers, button-ups, and a list of stockists whose love for the brand rivals their own. From pricing custom fabrics to working as a team, this interview lets you behind the scenes of a working classic brand that embodies the unchecked diligence and unbridled individuality synonymous with the mentality of its founders. Mark also sits down with Ben and Miranda of Snake Oil Provisions, a proud Rogue Territory stockist, about their perspectives on the brand, the common bond between creators, and the dream products they hope to see on shelves one day.

Talking Points

• The common bond of entrepreneurs, the flavor of the division of labor, and the niche of men's premium fashion and its rebirth.
• Getting your first fashionable Batsuit and showing people how things should fit.
• Developing the Working Classic style that defines Rogue Territory. 
• The design of the details. 
• Finding the whys, uncovering the intent, and editing out the filler. 
• Breaking down the pricing for quality. 
• Falling into fluidity and the unpredictability life throws at you. 
• High fives, communication, and some scary aspects of working with your significant other. 
• The practical things you should consider before you tell your boss to fuck off. 
• The marriage between the consumer needs and your needs. 

Circle Of Trust Talking Points

• Picking out the hundred hours you work and the support system that will keep you afloat. 
• What feels right, common sense, and typical business practices you throw out the window. 
• Starting a journey with regular guys that want the fit that works. 
• Basic Karl picks out what he needs next to define a brand and the story of Argentian Trouser program. 
• Avoiding crotch blowout, washing schedules for denim, and poetic ways to describe your raw denim. 
• The business side of custom made fabrics. 
• Building a distinct brand that innately draws the right customer. 
• Are trade shows right for your brand?
• A zero dollar marketing budget and sustaining engagement. 
• Indirectly and organically made in America.
• The ultimate sizing guide for Rogue Territory fits filled with the nuances and extra measurements every discerning customer needs. 

Get out the drum and start banging your hardest because Shop Talk is here. Mark, Billy, and Pants circle the wagons to discuss the launch of Aaron's capsule collection and how on-demand printing has opened up a whole new world of possibilities for an overworked designer. With quality at an all time high and fulfillment on your end a thing of the past, this cruel summer was a test for OKpants that he shares with us to help craft the shape of shops to come. Mark introduces an all new new segment that gets everyone sharing some hard earned truths that surround the free wheeling lifestyle of a creative. No matter how many drums you bang and no matter how many bosses you kill, the real question you need to ask yourself is... are you happy right now?

Talking Points

• Fourth Of July shenanigans
• OKpants.shop drops its first capsule collection.
• Delegation as a dictator and learning when to take a step back. 
• Rebranding the Secret Panel.
• The next steps for OKpants and keeping your store alive via print on demand. 
• Net Zero Inventory, pure profit, and the ability to effortlessly pivot. 
• What is the going rate for a cut of the profit is from On Demand printing? 
• Cloud life and tech support. 
• Please drunk dial us at 1.855.553.7563

Circle Of Trust Talking Points

• An unofficial cool from Billy. 
• Credit cards, credit scores, and staying on today's three-year rate. 
• Saving for retirement, getting ahead of the wealth accumulation game while you can, and overcoming shame. 
• A case for real degrees that get real careers. 
• Identity Theft, healthcare, and modern enslavement. 
• Are you happy right now?
• Elon breaks all the rules and the future of the automobile industry. 
• The design of the Tesla 3. 

TEAM CUYAHOGA MAN

Navigate through the colorful world of Camilla d'Errico as Huck Gee and Mark Brickey sit down with her for the next part of The Collection. With her unique style and vibrant palette Camilla has had her Italo-Canadian hands in everything from vinyl toys to socks to surrealist paintings that leap off the canvas. Split open rainbow heads and little button noses have paved the way for an empire of art that resonate with lifelong fans and new comers alike. One component that sets Camilla apart is how she sells her work and the multi-tier pricing that makes owning a piece from her collection an affordable venture at any budget level. Books, Skillshare classes, and countless Cons continually expand her reach and helps pave the way for new opportunities that will keep Camilla at the top of the game for a long time to come. There is so much to learn from an artist who finds a balance between the fun of creation and the business side of it all that keeps a career going so get ready to open those oversized Manga eyes even wider as The Collection interviews Camilla d'Errico.

Talking Points

• Hunting at festivals, awkward accents, and other Italian trivialities. 
• Overcoming teachers' expectations and making live art. 
• Budgeting your time for social media and letting the audience in on the process. 
• Minimums and price points in vinyl and the role of resin for modern makers. 
• International distribution, building your US Audience, and Canada's third world postal service. 
• Playing the Etsy game to grow your business and turning one painting into many sellable pieces. 
• Taking inspiration from yourself. 
• The Blank Show gets ramped up for a return. 
• Affordable price points at every level. 

Circle Of Trust Talking Points

• The long road to publication and what it takes to get to the printed page. 
• Beyond fruit bowl paintings and the why behind How To Books. 
• Staggered advances, royalty percentages, and the options of distribution. 
• The respect a fan base deserves as they follow on your journey. 
• Shady neighborhoods that Huck calls home and the wild older brother to Canada. 
• Camilla takes on more feminine Manga Skillshares. 
• Expanding your social media audience and outsmarting the algorithm. 
•  Video tips for Instagram. 

Featuring an all new introduction with Mark and David breaking down how this episode rose through the ranks to be one of the Best from 2017 (so far).

If there was only one name that could be included in the art history books to represent street art and youth culture at the turn of the century, Shepard Fairey would be it. From a few wheat pasted posters and a posse rallied around Andre The Giant, Shepard Fairey became a household name in a matter of years by sharing his punk rock ethics with the world and creating iconic imagery opposing the powers that be. The only problem is that fame comes at a cost on both a personal and professional level and this interview takes you behind the hype and inside the mind of a cultural icon who's been on both sides of the coin. From doing time to calls from the Commander In Chief himself to spearheading the next steps in social justice, Shepard Fairey's true story reveals a focused and humble creative using his influence to better the world he came from and the world he wants to live in. Mark opens the episode to get everyone in the proper perspective to understand the weight of first place and the struggle to convey your intentions when you're only trying to help.

Talking Points

• Being the guy going down in history books without ever thinking you even had a space in the art world.
• The freedom inside a whole new genre without any past expectations.
• Red toner leads the way to a unifying aesthetic and developing your arsenal of paper stock.
• Straddling the digital age and the limits of science.
• Speaking directly to your audience and the fear of getting too big.
• The outside inside strategy that can subvert the machinery you're trying to undo.
• Viral messages and a humble reminder about the responsibility behind creating socially responsible art.
• Evolving past the pole position of privilege.
• How does Shepard pick his battles?
• Celebrating the positive while critiquing the current political regime. 
• Building a toolset with your life's graphic and philosophical foundation. 
• The Obama Hope Poster project, being the antithesis of Bush, and risking your street cred to build a better world. 
• Low self esteem, other talented artists, and staying busy. 
• Balancing the risks of public art with the people who rely on you. 
• The AP Trial of the century. 
• No good deed goes unpunished, standing up for racial justice and equality, and a rainbow coalition. 
• Exploitive offers, donating to charities, and privileged problems. 
• Staying cool to people in the face of conjecture. 
•  The occasional legitimate piece of criticism. 
• Staying motivated and switching gears when you hit a creative wall. 
• Building a business with your wife and how Mark becomes Mark after he gets his first tough love from Amanda Fairey. 
• A couple firsts in Shepard's life. 

Featuring an all new introduction with Mark and David breaking down how this episode rose through the ranks to be one of the Best from 2017 (so far).

When you're the Global Creative Director of a brand pushing out twenty thousand products in a year odds are you have your head screwed on pretty straight. Paul Gaudio heads up this role at Adidas and he lets Mark into the Mothership for a look around at what it takes to stay at the forefront of popular culture for decades. From the infamous Shell Toes that started it all to the block spanning lines that form for a brand new pair of Yeezys, there is design, strategy, and unpredictability at every step of the process. Adidas sits at the delicately balanced crossroads of performance, fashion, and price point and it is Paul's job to oversee the brand's vision of why brought to life. The tie cutting, question asking corporate culture inside Adidas will surprise you with its "stay in beta" mentality that keeps them at the forefront of whats next as they poise to take over the largest sportswear market on the planet with Paul at the forefront of it all.

Talking Points

• Second hand shell toe and proper athletic shoes as an entry point. 
• The importance of influencers to bring the product out into the light. 
• Are the kids influencing one another or still listening to high level celebrities?
• Becoming a student of students. 
• Vampiric youth and holding onto to not growing up. 
• Cutting your tie so the boardroom reflects the cultural identity your company defines. 
• Tangibility in fashion and the "Shoes / Face / Shoes" filtration system. 
• Credibility, hype, and the risk of pushing things out of the nest. 
• Be where the consumer is. 
• The 360 degree, end to end statement as a brand and the team it takes to make that. 
• Modern advertising that still speaks to consumers and where they live. 
• Post Super Bowl Ad communication strategies that engage at a deeper level. 
• Keeping things consumable that hits you right between the eyes and the metrics behind it. 
• Behind "The Creator Brand."
• Is your brand asking questions or answering them?
• Stay in beta and start with why. 
• Helping people make the difference to stay relative. 
• The overlap of product design and fashion in athletic footwear. 
• Get off the shelf, align the approach, and don't close the box for your consumer. 
• Budgets and structure for over twenty thousand products built to a specific price point. 
• Embedding designers into the business to impact decisions early on in the process. 
• Where does the buck start and stop at Adidas?
• The creation process that mixes some new school and some old school production tactic. 
• Recommitting to the biggest market in footwear for the biggest return. 
• But what is digital sports?
• Leaving Adidas and coming back to it. 
• Start ups, a motorcycle mechanic, and following your passion. 
• The opportunity to change or fade away again. 
• A script for success that starts with culture and behavior. 
• Making a leap of faith back into what had defined you and constructing the right team that never felt too big. 
• Pivots, self awareness, and seeing the opportunity. 
• Do you even understand industrial design?
• Designing profitability into your product and banking on sheer volume. 

Featuring an all new introduction with Mark and David breaking down how this episode rose through the ranks to be one of the Best from 2017 (so far).

Spring is in the air and new beginnings are everywhere, including Snake Oil Provisions. Ben and Miranda have once again curated their store to keep you looking good and feeling good in the quality goods they stock. Ben and Mark debunk tee skirts, Skate Bettys, and the social media jerk offs who are dragging men's fashion through the mud with their endless quest for double taps. The phone lines open as well for some questions to get answered by the Cincinnati Sensation covering everything from selvage denim to budgeting for Snake Oil Provisions. In a bold move, we are offering this episode in it's entirety since the intended Circle Of Trust Content about city ordinances and SOP's recent legal debacle was too important to keep behind the pay wall. Enjoy this full episode filled with fashion, faux pas, and the fun only Ben can bring to your earholes.

Talking Points

• The perfect leather jacket, a fool's errand, and getting past feeling like you're in a costume.
• But can you pull it off?
• Rogue territory makes a power move in the world of denim. 
• Ounces of denim on a season to season basis. 
• Starchiness, dry cleaning, and blouse stacking. 
• Earl's Apparel debuts at Snake Oil with a price point that can't be beat. 
• Customization on the horizon?
• Big and tall brands available from the Snake and personally requesting sizes from Ben.
• Taking care of high end denim blouses. 
• Waiting for your Skate Betty to wear that Thrasher shirt. 
• Posers abound.
• Transcending social media metrics and people that are letting the content curate them. 
• What to do with hook ups.
• The keys to finding good denim and salvaging selvage. 
• Snake Oil on a budget and budgeting for Snake Oil. 
• The ethics behind buying cheap clothes. 
• Ditching fedoras, checking out of planet earth, and tee skirts. 
• Miranda steps in to lend an answer towards the quest for the perfect fitting women's tee.
• Drug busts that open doors... literally.
• Dream spots, bully tactics, and laughable offers.
• Lawyering up to end harassment.
• Bittersweet resolutions with acceptable financial terms.
• Armed guards, the smell of the sticky icky, and city ordinances written behind closed doors.
• Tiny victories and locations that literally fell out of the sky.
• The right thing to do versus the best thing to do. 
• Educating yourself on zoning laws, city council members, and what you should handle by yourself.
• Big business and the karma that we all hopes will come around.

Featuring an all new introduction with Mark and David breaking down how this episode rose through the ranks to be one of the Best from 2017 (so far).

Start Today - Music Business Inspiration Podcast

On the first episode of Start Today co-hosts Mark Brickey and Biggie breakdown the 1989 Gorilla Biscuits track “Start Today” and go line by line trying to fully understand the songs greater meaning and influences that it had on their lives. However, before we get to breaking down the walls of this inspiration, first Mark provides a rich audio documentary explaining the influences, origin and history of the short lived New York Hard Core super group the Gorilla Biscuits. 

Talking Points

• Controlling your temper, not blowing up like you used to and realizing work isn’t worth getting mad over. 
• Understanding that you’re never too old to hangout and the importance of finding your tribe. 
• Location, location, location, where you are plays a huge part in how you play. 
• Staying one step ahead of your current career and always planning for the next big thing. 
• Not just working hard, but working hard toward a focused life plan. 
• Procrastinating solves nothing, only creates more work. 
• There is no seniority in the arts, which leaves zero room for laziness. 
• The importance of movement, keeping moving to keep surviving. 
• Trusting your gut, you always know what’s right. 
• Put in the hours, it will always show in the work.
• The importance of saying sorry face to face. 
• Time is your enemy, friend and greatest love. 

Circle of Trust

Mark talks about his lessons learned from both the song Start Today and the creating the first podcast episode. As well as plays audio that didn’t make the final public cut. 

Featuring an all new introduction with Mark and David breaking down how this episode rose through the ranks to be one of the Best from 2017 (so far).

Welcome to the wild world of west coast nostalgia master Bob Smith. Cutting his teeth at Nike for over a decade, Bob thrived with their boundless resources and struggled through being micro managed for optimal efficiency. His creativity is contagious throughout this interview covering everything from aiming high to the allure of 21 Jump Street to fighting through motivational anxiety. Nothing can stop this California Transplant from gnashing his teeth at the world and forging ahead with his latest endeavor, OreCal Sportswear. Bob has taken his decades of experience and honed in on his passion to create an immersive, high quality experience told through apparel and we get to hear about how he accomplished just that. He knows how to play and he knows exactly what he wants to say so be sure you listen to a master at his craft.

Talking Points

• The difficult adjustment of Being dragged up to Oregon at ten years old. 
• Growing through difficulty and Sagmeister's take on happiness. 
• Los Angeles Nostalgia and all the special sorts of bat shit we hold onto. 
• The west coast story behind OreCal. 
• The insecurity of the creative mind coupled with the arrogance to know better. 
• Motivational anxiety.
• Unpacking definitions of the stressors that are holding you back. 
• Building a Nike store inside Nike with a small budget and some blind faith. 
• Regional ads, tapping into the zeitgeist, and losing the sexy core of the company. 
• Ratcheting up your presentation each time you do it until the powers that be get the message. 
• The problem solving part of design that isn't design at all and the crucial ability to execute. 
• A decade of working in a formative environment that can show you what works. 
• Making a souvenir of the story you're told and what makes you hold onto something. 
• The importance of "Fuck You Money."
• Blowing smoke up everyone's ass to keep an entire corporation on the same page. 
• Senior Troublemaker: Department of Office Confiscation. 
• The energy to innovate versus the energy to operate. 
• Feeling betrayed by Nike and bracing your ego for moving on. 
• Mid life creative crisis that might be linked to drop offs in testosterone.
• Templates and gray spaces in education and learning how to learn. 
• The triple crown in Shoe City. 
• Pouring your life's experience into OreCal and the fuel of curiosity. 
• Aim high, be smart, and slowly working your way to the front of the plane. 
• Where is the profitability?
• Developing sustainability in your brand while you go global with a brand based off two American states. 
• Growth arcs, spirit, and deliberately working the reoccurring patterns in your favor. 
• You know how to play, but what do you want to say?
• Taking The Grateful Dead approach to a brand. 
• Telling your story and the importance of narratives. 
• "Design is a good idea."
• Environments that give off great energy, compartmentalization, and overall management capabilities. 
• Is it better to not know who you're talking to?
• The benefit of meeting your peers and leaving your creative bubble. 
• Developing the intuition to know how many bells and whistles your product needs. 
• The devil in the details and the social cues we make off appearance. 
• Can't versus won't and observation versus judgement. 
• Neglecting the imagery that feeds into the experience. 
• Finding your identity on 21 Jump Street in a town without any punk rockers around. 
• Protecting your bat shit and making connections. 
• Microchoices that effect your entire life and waxing poetic on a spiderweb of choices. 
• Getting aggressive and keeping your mind tuned up to the challenge ahead of you.
• The Magic on the tape belongs to us.