Travis Price, Architect, Philosopher, Educator

We are working with architect Travis Price to promote his new book The Archaeology of Tomorrow, published by California publisher Insight Editions, and to position Price as a noted national speaker. Our strategy has been to leverage the book's publication to expand Price's reputation as a lecturer to create new venues for speaker events. To control costs, we conceived, wrote, oversaw, and continue to manage www.archaeologyoftomorrow.com a website designed to function as an electronic press kit to promote the book and upcoming speaking engagements. Events secured to date include upcoming lectures at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the National Building Museum, The Explorers' Club, The Urban Land Institute, The Telluride Film Festival, The AIA/NY, The National Geographic Society, and The Aspen Institute. Editorial coverage includes The Washington Post, The New York Times, Metropolitan Home, and AIA Magazine.

We worked with Gavin Benjamin, a designer based in New York and Pittsburgh, and his 718: line, to craft his message, develop his packaging, and do mini-launches of his furniture line nationally and in the Pittsburgh market, tying media releases to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF) and the launch of new lines. A one-man start-up with limited capital, we collaborated with Gavin to create a low budget package with fresh appeal and a media plan that would expand in scope as the company grew.

ICFF 2001-

We worked with Gavin to secure and off-site event at Auto, bringing in Bombay Sapphire as liquor sponsor for the event. Media coverage included a profile in the 2001design issue of City Magazine distributed during the magazine's ICFF-sponsored events, and, in Pittsburgh, event and feature coverage in the homes & gardens section of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette Shady Ave. Magazine.

ICFF 2002-

We secured a six-page spread in the 2002 spring design issue of City, a product profile in Clear Magazine's design issue, and inclusion in a Washington Post feature on innovative table designs.

ICFF 2003-

We positioned Gavin as a lead exhibitor at Downtown at the Chelsea Hotel, a hip alternative trade show running concurrent with ICFF and focusing on emerging designers from the States and abroad.  We brought him on board as a designer for Tissage du Monde to showcase his design talent and build market and manufacturer exposure in different media. Coverage included ID Magazine's ICFF Picks, Interior Design Spring Market tabloid (furniture and rugs), V, inclusion in an 8- page Interior Design feature on rugs and carpets, ICFF pick, washingtonpost.com.

rug design by stephen watkins

design by ripe

Tissage du Monde

Tissage du Monde, a new company producing and importing Tibetan carpets from Nepal, approached us for business development, marketing, and a branding plan that would separate them from their competitors and introduce their product to the trade and to consumers. Involved from name inception onward, we worked with the graphic designer to develop their visual message while we conceived and developed the defining identity of bringing together a diverse group of prominent designers from different cultures and design fields, including fashion, furniture, and interiors to create contemporary interpretations of this age-old tradition of rug-making. We researched and approached such designers as London-based fashion designer Shirin Guild, French furniture designer Douglas Mont, and British graphic designer Peter Saville, Madrid-based interior designer Daniela Gray, and New York-based interior designer Stephen Watkins, all of whom are now designing Tissage collections.   We researched and approached Dutch product designers Marcel Wanders and Hella Jongerius, and jewelry designer Itazu, traveling to The Netherlands with a Tissage principal for initial meetings. Tissage is now in negotiations with these designers. Press coverage includes two features in Interior Design, V, ID, The Washington Post, washingtonpost.com, and Where.

MOD DECOR

Mod Decor, a contemporary home furnishings store in Gaithersburg, MD, approached us about repackaging their identity and re-launching the store. Through interviews with Nidhi Gupta,one of the store's owners and the personality that would be put forth to media and public, her love of color and the origins of that passion in her childhood in Northern India emerged as a key element in her story. Together we decided that fuchsia, the unusual color choice for a favorite aunt's wedding dress, should be the store's signature color, defining the physical space as well as the visual and verbal identity. The store was repainted with accent walls in fuchsia. We brought on board a visual merchandiser to refocus and edit merchandise display.The graphic designer we brought in was asked to develop logo and collateral materials that would reinforce the store description I had written (attached here for your review) and capture the sense of energy and play that define Nidhi's design esthetic. We developed the tagline "Life by Design" for the logo. The collateral materials, bright white paper with fuchsia logo and fuchsia back, were delivered to the press in a bright white folder. When opened, the package glows, perfectly conveying the spirit of "masti" the intoxication with life that defines Nidhi's style. Placements include Elle Décor, Washington Post Sunday Source, washingtonpost.com, Washington Business Journal.

Hotel George

In November 2001, responding to 9/11's impact on travel to Washington, DC, we worked with the Hotel George, to produce Destination DC Design, a four-day FAM trip focusing on style and design-driven businesses in Washington. Our goal was to show an upbeat side of DC to new audiences while positioning The Hotel George as Washington's first and premier boutique hotel. We brought in as sponsors eighteen downtown restaurants, theaters, spas, museums, and design. We scheduled "Design Matters," Vega's ongoing series of designer events, to coincide with Destination DC Design. We launched the FAM (and Vega's event) on Penn Quarter's Third Thursday, the monthly evening celebration of art and design organized by the Downtown Arts Committee that attracts record crowds from the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area to revitalized downtown DC. Targeted press included style, design, shelter, and travel publications. Represented publications included: City Magazine, Dwell, ABC News Travel Detective, The  New York Post, Arrive, The Delta Shuttle Sheet, The Washington Post Style section, Washington Entertains, The Boston Globe, The World & I, and Wine Spectator.