We have a few exciting projects taking shape across France and Germany, while still finding time to record a great conversation with Keith Taperell, who fittingly describes himself as a “poacher turned gamekeeper”.
With James visiting London from Amsterdam, we also spent a squeezed in a day exploring retail spaces before heading to the V&A East Storehouse and The Music Is Black: A British Story.
More than the music itself, it was the flyers, photography, objects and props that stayed with us. They instantly transported us back to nights spent in London’s music scene, reminding us how powerful physical artefacts can be in telling stories and unlocking memories.
That idea carries through Russell’s latest article as his brand strategy series draws towards a close. He explores how manifestos, elevator pitches, profiles, origin stories and other storytelling assets all need to work together to create a clear, consistent voice people can remember.
Elsewhere this week, we’re looking at David Carson’s Swatch release, Martyn’s return with Music For Existing, Eastern Brick’s Kaneda bike and Middlesbrough Art Week’s newly announced programme.
Unorthodox Blend
UBA156 - Beyond the Brand Story
Russell’s brand strategy series is coming to a close, and this week’s article ties together the many benefits storytelling can bring to a brand.
Manifestos, elevator pitches, profiles, origin stories and other storytelling assets all play different roles, but they need to sit together. Done well, they offer a clear and consistent communication style that helps people understand what the brand is, what it believes and why it matters.
Weaving storytelling assets into your brand strategy is not just useful. It is where the strategy starts to become more visible, practical and memorable.
Conversations
UBC060 Keith Taperell
Keith Taperell is a brand strategist, consultant, collaborator and industry connector whose career has taken him through some of the world’s most iconic fashion and footwear brands.
More recently, he has spent over six years working within the music industry, joining the dots between music, fashion and sport, and helping to bring some of their most interesting brand collaborations to life.
Our conversation considers the changing ways we consume culture: the accessibility and freedom of moving between genres and communities, but also the depth, effort and sense of belonging that can be lost along the way. We also ponder how fleeting cultural moments can become more enduring.
Inspirations
CARSON TIME
CARSON TIME is the latest release in Swatch’s Destination Art series, with each watch built for a specific city in collaboration with a local artist.
This one is a tribute to New York from David Carson, whose work for Beach Culture, Bikini and Ray Gun in the 1990s brought a whole new approach to type and page design.
Carson broke with traditional layout systems in a way that inspired a whole generation of students and young designers. Legibility was not always the point. The collages, found paper, printed ephemera and blurred photographs mattered as much for what they made you feel as for what they allowed you to read.
Martyn - Music For Existing
Dutch producer Martyn returns with Music For Existing, a new release that moves through jazz, electronic music and broken-beat influences.
Known for his ability to shift between genres without losing his own sense of rhythm and space, Martyn continues to explore the edges between club music, live instrumentation and more atmospheric forms of listening.
Eastern Brick builds the Kaneda bike
Meet the Kaneda bike from Akira LEGO won’t touch it, apparently too violent, so Eastern Brick is building it themselves.
At 2,200 pieces, 50cm nose to tail and 1:5 scale, it is built for anyone who has ever wanted that red streak and chrome sitting on their shelf.
If you have any inspirations that you’d like featured on UB, then please share them with us.
News from our friends
Middlesbrough Art Week
Our friends at The Auxiliary, who we’ve been supporting on their brand strategy, have just announced an exciting programme for this year’s festival.
Highlights include an Industrial Coast gig with Headless Horseman inside The Auxiliary, alongside a performance by Daisy Dickinson in a former mechanic’s garage.
Under the theme An Island of Neighbours, MAW26 explores what it means to be open, connected and actively involved in the cultural life of our communities.
The festival invites people to meet artists, make work, share ideas and discover the remarkable creative talent that exists across Teesside.
This year’s line-up includes Jeremy Deller, Larry Achiampong, Sky Hopinka, Morag Myerscough, Andy Holden and Catherine Bertola, with many more artists bringing exhibitions, performances and installations to unexpected spaces across the region.
Work with us
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