You know it when you see it. Simple and powerful visual messages that have a connectedness. A relationship between sight and sound, color and shape. And together, these relationships pack a powerful punch and can leave a lasting impression.

In creativity, it seems, that everything has been done at least once. It’s like making music, there is the occasional breakout artist that can push music into new dimensions, but mostly it’s about pulling together sounds and riffs that are borrowed from past exposure. Now think about art, design and advertising. The toolkit is endless. It’s not necessarily about cutting one thing that is completely new, rather the opportunity is to pull together ideas and concepts in new, fresh and exciting ways. Think about the original iPod campaign. What do you remember more, the silhouette of the dancers or the eclectic music track. Both powerful ideas, but when combined stood for something even greater.

The challenge I continue pursue at Modern Climate is to push this concept across the entire delivery team. The combination of words, sounds, images and motion can now be mixed with technology and user experience design. With every project comes an opportunity to do something new and different, you just have to know where to look.

And this brings me to the deer image on this blog post. I was in Deer park, WI last weekend for my wife’s Grandparents 65th anniversary. We were in the local community center enjoying casserole and buttered buns when I spotted the deer. It was on a wood paneled wall surrounded by local trinkets and postings of cattle auctions. Upon closer inspection I discovered it was done completely in cross-stitch, typically reserved for clever “Home Sweet Home” and “God Bless This House” adornments. With the smell of potatoes & ham in the air, the warmth of “real” wood paneling, and the beautiful hand work of the cross stitch, I found myself in the eye of the perfect storm.