Weekly Highlights
Highlight from this weeks articles, conversation and creative inspirations from Rosie Lee and our community. Opening the lid on topics, news and inspirations that affect our thinking and our work.
Like most other weeks, this week has been a rollercoaster week, with some great new relationship calls that were fun and inspirational, and sitting in the backroom figuring out some plans to celebrate Rosie Lee’s 25th anniversary next year.
Behind the scenes we’ve been reaching out to lots of our friends to take part in our new Q&As and have been overjoyed with the positive response from people, some great people appearing on those over the coming months.
We recorded a call with Louie from Peak Moods, which officially broke our record for the longest recording session. We’ll release the edit next week.
Unorthodox Blend
Article: UBA068 - Brands and community
From his graduate job at Proctor and Gamble, through to working with global brands, Russell reflects on how brands can build community - and why many fail along the way.
This week’s article on Unorthodox Blend “Brands and Community” delves into the notion of community, and explains how it goes beyond simple metrics and conversion rates.
Friends: Lucas Nanini
Entrepreneur and Innovator.
Our new strand of Q&A’s with our network of friends is shaping up brilliantly with thoughtful and insightful responses abound. This week we heard from Lucas Nanini, Co-Founder of Noleo Care and Head of Europe and Asia at The Good Face Project.
We met Lucas during lockdown through mutual friends, and we instantly sensed his warmth and generosity. He’s a deeply connected and thoughtful person, embodying the word "entrepreneur" in every sense.
Rosie Lee News
Art Direction: Punkt.
We were recently tasked with a brief, from our long-time collaborators Punkt. to create a suite of assets for their portfolio of products.
Tranquility, minimalism, functionality, efficiency and timeless designs epitomise the Brand's products and ethos and we wanted to encapsulate that with these images.
Project Case study coming soon.
Brand Strategy: SPX
After meeting with Chris Howell, the founder of SPX, we did a deep dive into the marketplace and agreed to develop a strong brand strategy as a platform for everything else to spring from.
Our Brands With Soul framework encouraged us to stay human-centric in everything we do, and to go really deep into beliefs and philosophy of the brand and its founders to shape a worldview that guides Purpose and Mission, defining values and ensuring consistency across touchpoints.
Inspirations
Wake The Tiger
During October half-term, I returned to Wake The Tiger (in Bristol) for a second time. The immersive environment offers a unique blend of storytelling, art and discovery, with every corner revealing new layers of detail. Wake The Tiger is an experience that invites you to engage with your surroundings in unexpected ways, exploring a world of creativity and imagination.
Where The Wild Things Are
The Denver Art Museum’s Where the Wild Things Are exhibit brings Maurice Sendak’s classic story to life in a way that reminds us how powerful imagination can be. Through original illustrations, sketches and rarely seen artworks, this exhibit dives into Sendak’s creative process and the vibrant world he crafted for Max and the Wild Things.
Stuart Semple’s Name Change to Anish Kapoor
In the latest twist of his decade-long feud with Anish Kapoor, artist Stuart Semple has legally changed his name to Anish Kapoor. Known for his relentless satire around Kapoor’s exclusive rights to Vantablack the “world’s blackest black”. Semple announced the change in a newsletter titled I’ve Just Changed My Name, saying, “Just to let you know, I legally changed my name to Anish Kapoor today. Hopefully, I can now get ahold of that Vantablack and share it with you all. Love, Anish.”
If you have any inspirations that you’d like featured on UB, then please share them with us.
News from our friends
The co-created journey behind Nothing’s New Phone (2a) Plus
Loving this direction from Nothing. We’ve been in conversation with them for a while now, and they’re taking a truly thoughtful approach that’s refreshing to see.
Co-creation is at the core of Nothing’s ethos. While the Phone (2a) Plus Community Edition is their largest community-led project to date, Nothing has been working alongside its community in everything from software development to governance. Last year, they even introduced a Community Board Observer, giving an elected community member a voice at Board of Directors meetings.
Work with us
Russell has re-launched his coaching sessions, which are aimed at founders, entrepreneurs and leaders who want to work on their own specific goals. Drawing from his vast experience of working with global brands for over 25 years, Russell has a wide range of experiences to draw on including Leadership, Thought Partnership, Organisation Design and Brand Strategy.
You can book here and enjoy an additional UB-exclusive discount by entering this code (UBCOACHME20) at the checkout , or grab one of Russell’s free consultation sessions to find our more.