The Gran Gala Shakedown is a promotional site looking to find the next signature Gran Gala cocktail. Bartenders and mixologists are encouraged submit their own unique concoction. From there, drinks are liked, shared, mixed, tasted, and judged to determine the winner. The grand prize is $5,000 and a feature on the soon-to-be-launched Gran Gala main site. Stay tuned!
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T-Mobile's launch of the first Garmin-built Android™ device encouraged us to revert to a time when excitement about travel was as pure and real as the families of that same era. Everything from the illustration style to the colors and texture to the tone of voice was influenced by 1950s America.
Come by our studio at SW 1st/Taylor in Portland to check out our new outdoor gallery. We'll be adding a box of 3D glasses for the crazy 3D window (come in and ask for a pair for the time being). Also, prints of the artwork will be on sale soon in the studio store and/or online.
They've been unleashed! Browse, rate, download, print and share your favorite Grabba Beast or start by building your own at http://grabbabeast.com!
Music by Portland's own Red Fang.
From 2000–2008 we were known as Lakonic, “The Silent Creative Partner.” We were primarily a digital creative and production agency that worked exclusively with many of the world’s leading advertising agencies.
Despite our adamant position to work quietly behind-the-scenes, we grew year-over-year through word-of-mouth. Eventually, I made the decision to open an ancillary “lifestyle communications” division, called — you guessed it! — Tangible Worldwide, to support both a broader multidisciplinary offering and the growing direct-to-client interest.
To shift from an invisible interactive/technology shop into a full-service agency in a horrible economy wasn’t an easy feat. But, within a year, we opened a second office, added staff to support the growing offering and client base, and officially said goodbye to Lakonic, rolling it into Tangible. Besides a mention in the local paper, we did this all in typical Lakonic fashion: without much fanfare.
Today we are releasing two self-promotion utilities that embrace a total philosophical shift from our legacy Lakonic days. The purpose of this site is to be completely transparent. The non-invisible sort of transparent. We invite you to celebrate or debate our work and perspectives, learn more about the agency, including bios of every employee, freelancer, vendor or partner, and enjoy a daily dose of web finds that inspire our team. You can even help us define who we are as an agency.
For me, the most exciting aspect of this site is the ability to show off the portfolio of work we’ve developed in such a short period, and to be able to share it with the public for the first time. The second is to announce our new franchise, Grabba Beast. I could go on and on about both, but it is probably best that you explore for yourself.
Enjoy. And, please, tell us what you think!
Merrick, Founding Partner
Despite our adamant position to work quietly behind-the-scenes, we grew year-over-year through word-of-mouth. Eventually, I made the decision to open an ancillary “lifestyle communications” division, called — you guessed it! — Tangible Worldwide, to support both a broader multidisciplinary offering and the growing direct-to-client interest.
To shift from an invisible interactive/technology shop into a full-service agency in a horrible economy wasn’t an easy feat. But, within a year, we opened a second office, added staff to support the growing offering and client base, and officially said goodbye to Lakonic, rolling it into Tangible. Besides a mention in the local paper, we did this all in typical Lakonic fashion: without much fanfare.
Today we are releasing two self-promotion utilities that embrace a total philosophical shift from our legacy Lakonic days. The purpose of this site is to be completely transparent. The non-invisible sort of transparent. We invite you to celebrate or debate our work and perspectives, learn more about the agency, including bios of every employee, freelancer, vendor or partner, and enjoy a daily dose of web finds that inspire our team. You can even help us define who we are as an agency.
For me, the most exciting aspect of this site is the ability to show off the portfolio of work we’ve developed in such a short period, and to be able to share it with the public for the first time. The second is to announce our new franchise, Grabba Beast. I could go on and on about both, but it is probably best that you explore for yourself.
Enjoy. And, please, tell us what you think!
Merrick, Founding Partner
After changing our name from Lakonic to Tangible Worldwide, we decided to take our new name literally and create a business card that would make the guys from American Psycho want to join together to slay each one of us out of jealousy. Our goals for the cards were to: make an immediate impression; reiterate our name by creating tangible texture and level differences; and, evidently, create a self-defense mechanism in the event that we needed an emergency throwing star. This last goal would have been helpful had the American Psycho people attacked.
We chose to use two sheets of 140 lb linen cover stock. Our wordmark was letterpressed on one sheet, while the contact information was offset printed on the other. The two sheets were then duplexed together and cut, which inadvertently (although until now we claimed that this was done on-purpose) created a beveled edge.
They were thick. You could only carry two, at most, in a wallet; eight in a traditional leather business card holder. And they both weighed/cost more than those fancy aluminum, dye cut cards. Every employee received at least 100 of them.
Sadly, like most business cards, they were almost a total waste. Developers don't give out cards. Account executives pretty much deal with the same handful of people every day. And art directors give them out like candy… to their designer friends. A few people were successful in using them to impress the opposite sex. At least two long-term relationships were forged by way of this card.
Time went on and we continued to hire new faces in Chicago and our new Portland office. We decided against reprinting these cards. Instead, we decided to rethink how everyone uses (or could use) business cards.
NEW GOALS: MAINTAIN COOL FACTOR, REDUCE COST, ELIMINATE EXCESSIVE WASTE
We're still a design studio at heart, so we wanted to have a clever, well-designed card. The idea of a low-run, handcrafted card soon came to mind. The handmade look would create a unique texture for every card, and the personalization capability would allow the team to leave a real personal impression. As a byproduct, considering each card would take some time to create, the process would also train them to give away cards to people only when needed and to avoid making unnecessary cards.
We still wanted to convey the "Tangible" idea, so we again opted to use a letterpress process. Our friends at Studio On Fire used a recycled 130 lb cover stock to strike a shell print on the back of just 2,000 cards. The front was left blank—with the exception of the opposite impression left by the letterpress strikes—and shipped back to us to complete the process.
Using the new icon system from our updated identity package (seen throughout this site), we created 40 stamps, and a stamp for each employee's name and contact information. The cost of the stamps ranged from $2.00 for the icons, and $8.00 per name for non-bulk orders. This means we can continue to create new names and icons at a fraction of the cost of even a generic, digital business card printing service.
What would you do if you were surrounded by 120' of southeast-facing, store-level windows that allow blinding light and a constant stream of curious (or frightening, depending on the hour) people to peer into a sometimes highly-confidential workspace? The obvious answer is to invest in blinds. We, however, decided to cover our windows with irreverent pieces of art.
SASQUATCH
Like our cards, Pitchfork’s card eliminates the excessive waste created by most companies that buy hundreds of often unused cards for new employees by default.
The front of the card takes is printed as a shell, containing a set of dotted lines and the company logo. The back showcases one of 4 images.
Each employee is given an inexpensive stamp containing their name, title, and contact information. Certain employees — in sales, for instance — can pre-stamp a pile of cards they can access on the fly. Others, who rarely give out cards, can stamp only a few to have just in case. Both can make new cards as needed.
The shells remain in an open-to-use stack for everyone's use. When the pile runs out, we will reprint the shell cards.
We created a bunch of different header graphics for Pitchfork's site. These graphics will rotate in to help anchor the site when the letterboard advertising unit isn't in use.
credit bio
Colby Nichols, Senior Creative
Office: Portland Office
Phone: +1 503 575 9758
Email: colbyn(keyfield)tangibleww[delimit]com
LinkedIn: http://bit.ly/d5G8Fk
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/colbynichols
Twitter: @jolbyandfriends
Website: http://www.jolbyandfriends.com
Birthday: March 25
Pet: Niko, Meaty & Gucci
Diet: Coffee, beer, chicken sandwiches and crackers.
Posts/Credits: 27
Credits
Merrick
CEO, Chief Creative Officer
Kim Shafer
Creative Director
Bill Galusha
Producer
Currey Dorris
COO
Jake Elliott
Senior Developer
Josh Kenyon
Lead Creative
Colby Nichols
Senior Creative
Daran Redenbaugh
Senior Creative
Sharon Stotler
Account Supervisor
Paul Anders
Senior Creative