Mies Bands...Realized

So I finally placed an order for the bands; 1000 grey silicon wristband sporting the phrase "What Would Mies Do." It was scary. Putting up $1000 not knowing what the outcome would be. Perhaps I'll enlighten you with some questions that ran through my head:

What if the bands are a scam and they just steel my credit card number?
What if the bands are crappy and break easily?
What if nobody likes the ideas?
What if there is a sudden movement to ban bands?
What if they spell everything wrong?

Scary, but they arrived safely and correctly, the color was just a little off but that's rather minor. The fact that they arrived early and individually packaged made up for it. One the bands were in we started planning where to sell and how to sell. I made ads and the Mies Society compiled a list of events where we could sell bands. In addition, I met with the Architecture College Board of Directors to pitch my idea and to see if they would allow me to visit their firms in the fall to sell bands. I think it went well. Our first event, IIT Open House, sold around 100 bands which was nice. I made spreadsheet to track all sales and placement if bands. Rem Koolhaas was given one and wore it on campus, that made my day. To know that a product I developed made it onto the wrist of one of the worlds most famous architects; it's a nice feeling.

Mies Ad II

Less is More. The message is simple and bold. The pointilated profile gives an interesting viewpoint, as if Mies is looking at the words. IIt is also inspiring. The idea behind the pointilation is to play off the restoration of Crown Hall. As if to say, When Crown Hall is restored, so will Mies' image. I am currently working on some adds that will incorporate Crown Hall into the ad.

Mies Ad I

This ad I designed to go inside a display that would accompany the Mies Society Bands. I like this ad because it is bold, yet has a sense of humor. It shows Mies as a relaxed figure with a boldness added by the text font. Also, the fact that he is wearing a Mies band kind of plays off the heading. The question is What Would Mies Do? Would he buy a band? The picture answers yes, yes he would, and he would be damn proud of it. The display will most likely be placed in a high traffic convenience shop location. When someone is in line waiting for the a coffee or a bagel, they might look at a sign for 5-10 seconds. So the ad needs to be short, interesting, and to the point. It answers what the product is, where the money goes, and how much it costs. Simply and with interest.

New Venture

I'm taking a temporary break from the whole Marc and Ty's scheme for a little while to work on an independent project. Currently I am working with the Mies van der Rohe Society to bring a line of products to the public. So far we are just working on a wristband, like "Armstrong", but with the saying "What Would Mies Do?" It's a clever rebirth of 2 past trends that will hopefully strike a cord with many local architects.
It all started one night while I was working at Crown Hall trying to get my drawing done for the next day and someone walked by with an "Armstrong" bracelet on. I started thinking about the trend and remembered how popular the "WWJD" bands were in middle school. It was about 2:00 AM and I laughed to myself and thought "What would Mies Do? Would he keep drafting, or would he just quit and go home?" I decided it had potential so the following weekend I started studying how much it would cost to make the bands. After determining it was possible I figured I needed help, so I E-mailed the director of marketing at the Mies Society and set up a meeting for the following Monday.
It was the first meeting I ever had to attend on my own. I've been to meeting before but always had someone there by my side to help me out. Needless to say I was nervous. I started thinking my idea wasn't really good and what if I wasn't prepared. I talked to my family a lot and they helped calm me down and prepare me for my meeting. I printed up analysis sheets and a meeting agenda so that I would know what to say at the meeting. The meeting went great. Justine, the marketing director, made me feel comfortable and made my first meeting a great experience. She loved the idea and she has thinking about an entire line of "WWMD" merchandise. We are reconvening next week to discuss our options and where to go from here.

Current Ideas:
Mies face Cufflinks
Mies face Tie Tack
Mies face drawn Tie