TED Talks: Paul Bennett

For those in the design, technology, and entertainment industry (and really, any other field), TED Talks are a great resource for discovery. Typically around 15-25 minutes in length, these lectures feature speakers who are front runners in their field--and they are packed with great information that not only gets you thinking, but desiring to better yourself within your line of work.

Below is great TED video to leave you with on a Friday afternoon, with a talk by IDEO's creative director Paul Bennett, who discusses the importance of solving individual's needs in order to solve corporate needs--which ultimately means taking on the end-user's point of view.

Cabinet Trends for 2013

This year, during the International Builder's Show in Las Vegas, the hottest trends for kitchen cabinets were announced...and let me tell you, gone are the days of ho-hum cabinetry! With so many custom options and configurations available in today's market, kitchen designs are more elaborate and connected to the overall flow of the home. Open floor plans are now placing kitchens, which used to be located away from the main part of the home, at the forefront--forcing homeowners to outfit them in a manner fitting of their new importance in the home. Below is a run down of trends to watch for in kitchen cabinetry this year...

Colors: 

• Darker, furniture-like finishes
• Pure White
• Avoid middle finishes, such as natural oak

European Style Cabinets: 

• Hidden hinges
• Soft close doors and drawers
• Frameless cabinet construction
• Full overlay doors and drawer fronts

Cabinets with glass doors:

• Allow homeowners to showcase fine china and stemware
• Help keep a kitchen organized by helping occupants to see what is being stored in each cabinet
  

Popular Styles: 

• French Country: rich in personality and warmth
  
  
• Contemporary: mostly available in white, chrome, and bold colors, these cabinets are classical with a touch of modern.
  
  
• Shaker Style: simple, clean lines that work well with numerous types of decor
  

sources: one . two . three . four

The Wilson House

I recently came across this video on the Wilson House, the private residence of Wilsonart founder Ralph Wilson Sr. and his family. Although plastic laminate was a popular counter top material in the 1950s when the house was built, many of the applications and building techniques seen throughout the home predate those used by the laminate industry by several years.

Take a few minutes to check out the video below, as this house pioneered a large number of standards that are commonplace in the plastic laminate industry today. And be sure to check out the great article that accompanies the video on Wilsonart's website here, for a little more insight on how the industry has developed from the 1950s-today.


sources: one

Advanced Cabinet Systems Expands National Reach With New Casework Dealer

Marion, Indiana—Advanced Cabinet Systems (ACS), a manufacturer of Division 12 Plastic Laminate Casework and Retail Store Fixtures, has expanded their dealer network by signing The Braley Company as their latest dealer of Division 12 casework in the Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama Markets. Darryl Braley, Founder and President of The Braley Company, had over 20 years experience in the plastic laminate casework industry when he established The Braley Company in 1995. Located in Harrison Tennessee, The Braley Company specializes in selling casework in the healthcare, educational, and industrial industries.

 

In 2011, ACS changed their business model to focus on manufacturing quality casegoods and developing a dealer network to sell their products. “ACS has an aggressiveness and drive that their competition lacks,” says Kelly Cooke, Vice President of The Braley Company.  ACS succeeded in surpassing its bid goal by more than 50% in 2012 alone. This shift is primarily attributed to the ACS dealer expansions. “I’m excited to take the quality products ACS manufactures to the southeast market. ACS is committed company that stands behind their product, which is important to us,” says Cooke.

 

ACS has developed an extensive casework dealer network since 2011. Their dealers include Harry J. Kloeppel & Associates, Inc. representing ACS in the Indiana and Illinois territories, Glover Equipment to handle Maryland, Delaware, and Washington D.C. , The Barfield Group to represent Florida, Smith & Schaefer to represent ACS in Michigan, Ohio, western Pennsylvania, and Kentucky, m.LICCIARDELLO to represent eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey markets, and most recently The Braley Company representing Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama.

 

ACS is actively seeking out dealers in other regions as they continue to expand. If you’re interested in learning more about the ACS dealer program please contact Jay Higgins (jhiggins@jgbowers.com).

2013 Trend Watch

JWT, one of the most well-known marketing communication brands in the world, recently released their annual trend report: 100 Things to Watch in 2013.

If you want to see the list in its entirety, you can check out the report here. However, the firm did put together a short video that I wanted to share, which seems to be a quick overview of the 10 trends they believe are going to make the biggest impact.

Whether or not we will actually see these ideas go mainstream in the next year has yet to be seen, but I have to say, I find them to be pretty thought provoking. 

What do you think? Do you see these trends becoming reality in 2013?

Advanced Cabinet Systems on a Mission

Marion, Indiana—Advanced Cabinet Systems (ACS), a manufacturer of Division 12 Plastic Laminate Casework and Retail Store Fixtures, and JGBowers, Inc., their parent company, have developed a new company mission statement. Phil Bowers, President of JGBowers, Inc. and Advanced Cabinet Systems, worked closely with Whitney Bowers Christopher, Vice President of Compliance and Administration, to develop the new company core values. ACS has coined the term “Keep Calm and Change the Game,” a play off of the famous British “Keep Calm and Carry On” campaign from World War II. The term was used as a guideline to create the new mission statement.

 

The statement starts with the keep calm phrase and continues with the phrase “Consistently looking for better ways to advance our industry.” It was developed to empower employees and inspire different ways of thinking. “We wrote the mission statement to clearly define our company’s goals, standards, and expectations. ‘The facts’ are what we, and every employee here, will strive to live up to every day,” said Whitney Bowers Christopher.  The statement includes ten facts, each with a description. “I’m excited to have this in writing. Our mission statement truly reflects our company, our desire to change the game, and the method to achieve it,” added Phil Bowers.

View the mission statement in its entirety here. 

sources: one

Climbing out of a Creative Rut

Oh, the creative rut. Or maybe creative strangle-hold would more aptly describe one of these mental blocks. We've all been there at one time or another--when you really want, or rather NEED, to be on top of your creative game...and it's just.not.happening.

As a frequent sufferer of this epidemic, I started doing a little digging around the internet to see what other creative minds do to get their artistic juices flowing. I came across this great infographic by Brian Clark of Copyblogger, and wanted to share it with you...


Like this infographic? Get more content marketing tips from Copyblogger.


Do you ever fall into a creative rut? What do you do to help get the creativity flowing again?