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What doesn't kill us makes us stronger

Welcome to Idealog Weekly, the free email newsletter for New Zealand commercial creatives, entrepreneurs and anyone rich with ideas.

What doesn't kill us makes us stronger

From hairdresser to artist to fashion designer, Rebecca Herring’s journey has taken a lot of twists and turns. The catalyst for her ultimate career change? A major illness that saw her narrowly cheat death—and come out all the stronger for it. Today, she continues to do things her own way; Herring doesn’t do Fashion Week, and she produces all her garments before they're even shown to stockists. But as Amanda Cropp finds out, sticking to its guns is (and always has been) the key to Art Style’s success.

 

Marketing magic

The thing about advertising is that when it’s bad, it’s really bad. But every once in a while there comes along a clever, simple and almost universally appealing campaign—like the latest from Old Spice, which has the entire social media sphere abuzz. Interactivity was the key here; by taking audience questions from Twitter and answering them in a series of deadpan videos featuring actor and former NFL athlete Isaiah Mustafa, the company engaged with a whole new following in a matter of hours. Missed some of the good ones? Catch up on the @OldSpice page.

Best foot forward

Meet Rex. Otherwise known as the Robotic Exoskeleton, this Kiwi invention represents a new chapter in life for many people. Best described as a pair of robotic legs, it allows wheelchair-bound patients to stand up, walk, and even tackle stairs on their own. Founders Richard Little and Robert Irving know well the challenges faced by those in wheelchairs; both their mothers are wheelchair users and Irving has been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. They’re quick to point out that it's designed to complement, not replace, wheelchairs; it's suitable for those who can strap themselves in and control their movements using a joystick and control pad. The grand unveiling took place yesterday and sales are projected to start in New Zealand later this year.

Mouse revolution

The Swiftpoint doesn't look quite like any mouse we’ve ever encountered before—but that’s a good thing. Like all good inventions, it emerged from one of those there-must-be-a-better-way moments, when programmer (now company CEO) Grant Odgers grew tired of doing battle with a traditional computer mouse. The resulting product is both a design triumph and a cinch to use. It works anywhere your laptop does; its pen-like grip does away with cramps and means you can hold it while you type; and the advanced scrolling and zooming options won’t give you OOS. We wrote about The Swiftpoint in 2008, and this week the company announced it’s available for pre-orders.

If you’re not convinced yet, there's a special launch price and risk-free trial to make the choice a little easier.

 

Weapon of choice

Most directors strive for authentic-looking props when shooting a war movie—but not Clinton Jones, the brains behind Cardboard Warfare, a short film featuring some surprisingly realistic firefights in which all the weapons are made out of cardboard. He talks Wired through the effects process here, but for the full impact, be sure to watch the clip.

Beauty, school dropout

Murray Thom left school at 15 and was managing director at CBS Records New Zealand at 23—the youngest person in the office and running the joint. He went on to start Personalised Plates and has released a series of beautifully-presented, top-selling productions like Songbook, which went triple platinum. Last year in Idealog, Mark Roach described him like this:

“As goes with people who clearly love what they do, Thom doesn’t have a noticeable trace of cynicism from his long career in a famously cynical industry. But there lies the dichotomy of Thom. He’s in the business of music, and at the same time not just another cog in the music industry. He’s a marketing guru but simultaneously a wide-eyed music fan from the ’burbs who just likes putting out stuff he’s passionate about.”

So get your tickets to hear Thom speak at the next Creative Entrepreneurs meetup on August 4. It’s organised by the Auckland Chamber of Commerce, which describes the meetup like this: “Socialise over fine wine and canapés at an event designed especially for innovative, enthusiastic, creative entrepreneurs.” We’re there. Tickets are $37 for members and $47 for non-members; to register, email events@chamber.co.nz.

Wrap up your wheels

No lock? No problem. UK designer Kevin Scott's folding bicycle is solid enough to ride around on, but flexible enough to bend itself around the nearest lamppost, securing it from would-be thieves. The design won the 21-year-old student £500 at the New Designers exhibition in London this week and now he's looking for bike-loving backers with the cash to help turn his concept into a commercial reality.

Job of the week: Digital Account Director (Digital Account Director)

Wellington

* Digital / Design Agency

* Varied Work - Great Client List

* Full time or Part Time option

Our client is seeking a highly skilled Digital Account Director to join their small agency located in Wellington.

You will be digitally savvy and have excellent client servicing skills along with an aptitude for New Business.

This role will work very closely with the Digital Director and Creative Director, working across a variety of brands; therefore you will need to have proven experience in the digital space and have a passion for growing the client list in this area.

As this role will be leading interactive projects, you will be proficient in budgeting, timelines, creative briefs and of course working very closely with the team.

You will have prior experience working on small through to complex and lengthy projects alongside the fast turn around projects and enjoy both equally.

If you feel you have the right credentials for this role, please apply to Louise Lawton at Portfolio Recruitment - louise@portfoliorecruit.co.nz.

Appetite for destruction

We don't condone mindless destruction here at Idealog, but artist James Ford is genuinely in need of help in destroying his “cursed” Primera. Participants in Smash and Tag will get one minute to wreak havoc on the car; safety gear and certain tools will be provided, though you're welcome to bring your own. So if you've got some frustration to vent and happen to be in Wellington tomorrow, why not head along? You'd be doing him a favour, honestly.

The art of growth

The Deloitte Fast 50 is canvassing the landscape for businesses that have mastered the art of growth. Now in its tenth year, the index is an opportunity for businesses—large or small, public or private—to benchmark and celebrate their success. It honours innovation and the entrepreneurial spirit of those that make business growth look more like an art form than science. So if you've mastered the art of growth or know of a business that has, check out the 2010 Deloitte Fast 50.

In a galaxy far, far away

What would you do if Princess Leia sauntered up and sat down next to you on the subway? Comedy theatre group Improv Everywhere decided to find out. Commuters were treated to the sight of Stormtroopers marching aboard and carting poor Leia off to face Darth Vader, but what we'd really like to know is where we can get a copy of Galactic Rebellion For Dummies.

Hindsight is everything

A self-twirling spaghetti fork. Sauce dispensing chopsticks. So simple, so obvious—why didn't you ever think of it? Imagine the millions (or billions) that could have potentially been yours. The Huffington Post has compiled a list of 14 inventions (nine of which are food- or drink-related, incidentally) that you or I could have thought of, but didn't.

Quote of the week

"I don't follow fashion, I follow passion."

—Rebecca Herring charts her own course

Also in Idealog Weekly …

2010-09-10 12:43:26: Open door policy

2010-09-03 15:20:17: Our guide to global domination

2010-08-27 13:26:59: 128 pages of pure gold

2010-08-20 11:51:54: Total Semi-Permanent

2010-08-13 13:18:18: Life through a lens

2010-08-06 13:54:12: Pie in the sky

2010-07-29 12:38:14: Great ideas come in twos (or more)

2010-07-23 14:16:23: The bounce factor

2010-07-16 14:59:03: What doesn't kill us makes us stronger

2010-07-09 13:46:23: The future is now

2010-07-02 14:45:16: Sneaking around

2010-06-25 13:52:07: Making their mark

2010-06-18 14:18:59: From C-student to CEO

2010-06-11 12:59:50: Walking the talk

2010-06-04 12:06:56: Stars of the small screen

2010-05-28 13:27:44: A job well done

2010-05-21 11:38:39: Story of my life

2010-05-14 13:34:52: Where are the asteroids?

2010-05-07 15:03:09: Get your fancypants on

2010-04-30 14:44:05: Ready, aim, fire

2010-04-23 15:11:14: Lean machine

2010-04-16 13:38:34: It's better when it's free

2010-04-09 11:11:34: Good fortune

2010-04-01 13:47:45: Forward thinking

2010-03-26 14:58:28: Back to basics

2010-03-19 12:43:58: End of the road

2010-03-12 14:29:30: Under the sea

2010-03-05 14:32:56: Race to the bottom

2010-02-26 14:43:20: Small but mighty

2010-02-19 14:43:04: A taste of what's to come

2010-02-12 16:27:05: The case for saving science

2010-02-05 11:20:54: Betting on the bell curve

2010-01-29 11:43:43: Urban facelift

2010-01-22 12:46:42: Back to business

2009-12-18 12:32:14: An Idealog year

2009-12-11 11:32:17: Cultivating creativity

2009-12-04 12:41:50: Beating the data maze

2009-11-27 13:20:20: Into the wild

2009-11-20 12:09:59: Clever Kiwi

2009-11-13 15:24:34: Behind the scenes

2009-11-06 16:14:16: The garlic solution

2009-10-30 17:36:54: Man of the moment

2009-10-23 18:20:02: By the numbers

2009-10-16 16:18:27: Pavlova principles

2009-10-09 18:53:36: The secret of the songbook

2009-10-02 14:52:56: Free and easy

2009-09-25 14:58:12: What the world wants

2009-09-18 14:58:12: A slice of the pie

2009-09-11 16:16:54: Walking man

2009-09-06 22:39:01: A calmer kind of business

2009-08-28 16:14:07: We have issues

2009-08-21 14:15:49: Mincing about in waistcoats

2009-08-14 15:16:48: Wired on pop culture

2009-08-07 14:33:11: Trust is not a commodity

2009-07-31 14:05:29: Fuzzy logic

2009-07-24 12:44:11: Game of life

2009-07-17 15:07:41: Grape expectations

2009-07-10 15:55:03: Blade runners

2009-07-03 16:10:16: Free: another word for nothing left to lose

2009-06-26 17:29:25: Poorly pleased

2009-06-19 13:07:47: The giver

2009-06-12 15:09:07: Buggy on down

2009-06-05 13:15:14: Brand Cambo

2009-05-29 14:46:37: When the going gets tough, go proactive

2009-05-22 14:49:27: Bayerische Wasserstoffmotorenwerke

2009-05-15 13:37:38: Rugger blogger

2009-05-08 16:19:47: Get on our cloud

2009-05-01 14:23:55: Easy Tiger

2009-04-24 10:45:23: Tiki tacky

2009-04-17 15:41:21: The not-so-great indoors

2009-04-03 15:41:21: A site for sore eyes

2009-03-27 12:01:53: Dual control

2009-03-20 12:41:29: Worth their Alt

2009-03-13 11:40:07: Biofuels or bio-fools?

2009-03-06 13:06:03: It's electrifying

2009-02-27 12:05:00: Experience-rich and theory-poor

2009-02-20 08:34:12: It's a hundred-and-fourteen-pager

2009-02-13 10:17:02: Own your mistakes

2009-02-05 11:08:46: Rules—made to be broken

2009-01-30 12:13:46: Money: that's what I want

2008-12-05 12:15:14: Framed by the thousands

2008-11-28 11:53:12: Spank-branding novelty next week

2008-11-21 10:07:48: In the Loop

2008-11-14 12:30:00: Your good health

2008-11-07 15:29:37: Misfits of science

2008-10-31 00:00:00: No absence of colour

2008-10-24 12:55:16: Plain-speaking Peri

2008-10-17 15:17:07: Rebels with a cause

2008-10-10 14:53:35: Seoulipsism

2008-10-03 13:18:51: Fall seven times and stand up eight

2008-09-26 13:20:53: Don't label us

2008-09-19 14:37:12: Bloody Graham

2008-09-19 14:17:45: Dream proposition

2008-09-05 15:21:48: Taxi!!!

2008-08-29 11:24:08: Up-Skilling on Idealog TV

2008-08-22 13:16:57: 144 pages of pure pleasure, plus politics

2008-08-15 11:42:43: Wash down that Lovemark with a Steinie

2008-08-08 12:00:07: Strange journey

2008-08-01 15:17:10: SMElly and happy

2008-07-25 13:24:35: What a dive

2008-07-18 12:19:42: Softly and woolly does it

2008-07-11 11:59:13: The saviour from Timaru

2008-07-04 14:50:24: Last laugh

2008-06-27 10:56:38: King Kev

2008-06-20 12:20:14: Slow ART

2008-06-13 11:56:13: Killing two birds with methane

2008-06-06 11:41:39: A combine harvester

2008-05-30 11:55:00: Gold paint

2008-05-23 12:01:40: Rock, out

2008-05-16 10:44:03: Goodwill hunting

2008-05-09 11:53:04: No wine jokes please

2008-05-02 11:51:55: Who's bad?

2008-04-24 13:23:02: Succession success

2008-04-18 13:41:43: Out now or thereabouts

2008-04-11 12:52:49: Paint by numbers

2008-04-04 14:24:53: Reincarnated good

2008-03-28 15:26:16: Making it

2008-03-20 17:03:39: Knock three times

2008-03-14 12:31:52: The customer is always tight

2008-03-07 11:56:55: Beautiful words

2008-02-28 12:55:22: Goodnight, I'm off to work

2008-02-22 12:15:19: The art issue

2008-02-15 11:31:15: Straight to the top

2008-02-08 16:05:53: H for hot

2007-12-13 14:52:13: Nothing in common? Perfect

2007-12-06 12:50:32: Who needs a beer?

2007-11-30 12:37:37: Dirty secret goes public

2007-11-23 13:28:24: Don't speak

2007-11-16 17:01:13: Worthy work (and free beer)

2007-11-02 20:07:12: East meets best

2007-10-25 12:47:59: Raid the fridge

2007-10-19 09:18:05: Looking good

2007-10-13 10:20:34: Can't miss it

2007-10-05 12:55:52: Fresh meat delivery

2007-09-28 11:49:23: If the walls had eyes

2007-09-21 04:13:23: Phoenix rising

2007-09-15 04:32:01: Can we fix it? Yes we can

2007-09-06 19:00:00: Feats of social engineering

2007-08-31 09:01:09: Doesn't bite

2007-08-24 13:21:33: Telling us where to go

2007-08-16 23:00:00: Tomorrow time

2007-08-10 12:15:51: Going West

2007-08-03 12:35:31: How to ... be your business

2007-07-27 14:11:06: Freaky food

2007-07-20 15:05:00: Meet the neighbours

2007-07-12 12:16:19: Free Hollie

2007-07-06 09:03:58: Green queen

2007-06-29 08:59:24: The truth about youth

2007-06-21 16:03:33: Walk this way

2007-06-14 17:58:53: Times ten

2007-06-07 15:13:55: The ape woman needs a label

2007-06-01 08:51:45: Impossible is something

2007-05-25 14:53:52: Yeah, we're still here

2007-05-11 14:43:35: Trophy time

2007-05-03 15:49:14: Friends with the band

2007-04-23 23:00:00: Why worry?

2007-04-19 16:08:21: Done by the big jobs

2007-04-12 22:34:29: A rockin' good read

2007-04-05 13:54:05: No fear

2007-03-29 21:54:07: Out to pasture

2007-03-22 15:38:14: Hip-hop and The Human Touch

2007-03-15 14:27:49: Crazy Frog and Billy T

2007-03-10 01:00:00: The Benadryl edition

2007-03-01 14:30:53: We can be Xero

2007-02-22 17:17:14: Back on board

2006-12-15 12:34:29: Free beer

2006-12-08 11:09:40: December 8, 2006

2006-12-01 10:13:51: December 1, 2006

2006-11-24 13:38:37: November 24, 2006

2006-11-16 12:08:37: November 16, 2006

2006-11-09 12:13:04: November 9, 2006

2006-11-03 13:27:12: November 3, 2006

2006-10-26 13:39:26: October 26, 2006

2006-10-19 16:11:46: October 19, 2006

2006-10-12 17:31:36: October 12, 2006

2006-10-06 10:16:05: October 6, 2006

2006-09-28 16:19:29: September 28, 2006

2006-09-21 15:42:31: September 21, 2006

2006-09-14 13:56:38: September 14, 2006

2006-09-07 00:00:00: September 7, 2006

2006-08-31 00:00:00: August 31, 2006

2006-08-24 00:00:00: August 24, 2006

2006-08-17 00:00:00: August 17, 2006

2006-08-11 00:00:00: August 11, 2006

2006-08-03 00:00:00: August 3, 2006

2006-07-27 00:00:00: July 27, 2006

2006-07-21 00:00:00: July 21, 2006

2006-07-13 00:00:00: July 13, 2006

2006-07-06 00:00:00: July 6, 2006

2006-06-29 00:00:00: June 29, 2006

2006-06-22 00:00:00: June 22, 2006

2006-06-15 00:00:00: June 15, 2006

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