If you’re a faithful blog reader, you know that we here at R29 love music. When art and music combine, what could be better?

Merging our love of music with our love of summer art installations, check out New York City’s latest. It’s called, “Play Me, I’m Yours” by Luke Jerram. Basically, 60 refurbished pianos have been installed in public areas throughout the city for impromptu playing. Normally, one would need a street musician license to play in public, but for the time being, music will freely reign in the city air.

In order to give the project legs, a social networking site of sorts has been created for people to post their own photos and videos of the piano playing. It’s a great idea to change up the scenery on people’s everyday commutes, to spark conversation, and to encourage artistic development and expression.

At the end of the display, all the pianos will be donated to local schools and groups throughout the community. Good cause!

Going to NYC any time soon? Plunk out a few notes for us on one of these pianos.

How does music inspire your day? Let us know in the comments.

As a graphic designer, I am constantly looking for ways to improve my craft. I feel like the drive to further a career is crucial to any profession, but it’s especially true for one that changes and evolves as quickly as visual communication does. Being almost three years removed from college has left me in the precarious position of having to now go out and be incredibly ambitious with my learning. No longer is my education structured and pre-determined.

Because of this sometimes daunting responsibility, I thoroughly enjoy the various design conferences I’ve had the joy of attending in the past year or so. Granted, they have the dangerous potential of being nothing more than shallow “inspiration,” or rather, a thousand dollar pep-talk. But with the right mindset, design conferences can bring you closer with your peers, show you what is happening in the design world, and – among much more – maybe you’ll learn a thing or two.

All that being said, I had the joy of attending the Brand New Conference a couple weeks ago in New York City. This conference was a bit different than the last two I attended (AIGA in Memphis, and HOW in Denver) in both its structure and its content. As the title (and the website which the name is from) reveal, this conference was all about branding. Not only was this a  fresh contrast to the “big-picture thinking” of other conferences, the topic was one of the least discussed aspects of my education. That’s not to say that I don’t understand branding, but the anecdotes and processes vary so much from designer to designer that it creates an interesting dialog throughout the course of the day.

The morning began with Michael Johnson from Johnson Banks in London and then moved to Michael Lejeune representing the Metro Design Studio (LA’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority). The two Michael’s had different perspectives due to the nature of the work they had done, but you could see the same passion for communication excellence in each. Lejeune covered the process of rejuvenating a tired and oft-forgotten brand over the course of years — an excellent reminder that great brands aren’t built over the course of a few days or weeks. The Metro brand is a living, breathing, evolving creature. He demonstrated the crucial understanding of anticipating where the brand would be going in the future without overlooking the reality of addressing the current design problems facing the organization — a valuable consideration when looking at branding from a 30,000ft perspective.

To complete the Michael filled morning, Michael Bierut joined Paula Scher for a sit down chat with Armin Vit (the event organizer and curator extraordinaire at Brand New/Under Consideration). These two, and the rest of Pentagram, are no strangers to branding. Their insight goes back years and spans about as many industries as possible. I could sit and listen to them tell stories all day, but oddly enough, the one thing that stood out to me the most was that – as designers – they don’t have it any easier than we do when it comes to selling the work they create. I suppose I had it in my head that clients go to Pentagram to have Pentagram create whatever it is they’re going to create. But, unless we’re just hearing the horror stories, they work through the same hurdles and challenges as design firms a fraction of their size.

Contrasting the big NYC personality and style of Pentagram was Christian Helms from the Decoder Ring Design Concern. I found it interesting that Christian was once one of Michael’s interns because I definitely see the disciple and strategic aesthetic that makes Michael so great. It’s just manifested differently. Not sure if this was intentional, but it really spoke to the idea that we can all find “our place” doing the work we are passionate about – even though it may be stylistically different than our peers.

After a quick slice of New York ‘za (which was incredible), we headed back to the auditorium to hear Tom Dorresteijn from Studio Dumbar and then Connie Birdsall from Lippincott. Again we heard the varied perspectives and approaches to branding that were all reflected in different executions but were fundamentally similar. Connie spoke to the reality of the often struggles through big-business branding while Tom painted sweeping mental landscapes of beautiful, conceptual projects.

After that, Armin sat down with Jordan Crane and Karl Heiselman from Wolff Olins. An interesting setup, for sure, considering the recent reactions in regards to the London Olympics and AOL logos. Poised and confident, they provided a lot of insight into their thought process behind the execution of those brands and more. It’s exponentially interesting to see their take on how a brand can be a shifting and ever changing object. It lends itself to being constantly compelling regardless of the application.

Erik Spiekermann finished up the conference in a way that only Erik Spiekermann can. Full of personality and Bravado, Erik led the attendees through his process and the importance of a good typeface within a brand. It was interesting to see that in Spiekermann’s world, a custom typeface can be the brand. It can sometimes represent the company better than a mark ever could.

(It’s worth noting that I tweeted the good memorable bits from the conference to the @rule29 Twitter account. You can also see everyone’s tweets by following the #BNConf hashtag.)

At the end of the day I didn’t leave especially fired up to design more brands. And I was thankful for that. I took away so much insight to both consider and evaluate regarding the way I go about branding that it was almost overwhelming. The conference wasn’t so much a rally-cry as it was a look behind the curtain of some of the world’s best branding firms. I didn’t leave with things to do or try. Rather, I have things to think about. Things to consider.

And now, almost two weeks removed from the event, I am still thinking about those concepts and processes that were discussed, which, I suppose, brings me to my “big idea.” This post is just as much about the importance of attending design conferences, workshops, talks, outings, happy hours, etc… as it is about the specific event I attended. These events only solidify the culture and network that designers are naturally wired to embrace. New friends are made, and old friendships are rejuvenated. Fresh perspectives are shared while tired and trite memes are beaten and buried. Speakers provide an glimpse at perhaps something new or perhaps merely expanding on a common theme. Regardless of it’s nature, you leave with something (hopefully many things) – and you’re a better designer for it. I know I am.

Anyone else head to NYC for the conference, or have been to a different one recently?

(As an aside, I’ll be at my alma matter this Saturday (the 20th) for Seek – a great student organized one-day conference at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. It’s only $35 if you sign up online. And don’t be fooled, just because it’s the capital of corn doesn’t mean there won’t be some great speakers. Among others, Kevin McConkey from Grip Design and our very own Justin Ahrens will be speaking. To wrap it all up, Eddie Opara from Pentagram will be delivering the keynote. Hope to see you there!)

As I walking into the airport last night, I was quickly reminded of a special event from just a few weeks earlier. I was on my way to NYC for a camp that I had been planning for months, with individuals I had never met before, and in a location I had never been. We had all come together for one goal: to bring the experience of (Bikram) yoga to a group of veterans. What came out of that weekend surpassed our wildest expectations and, I can safely say, was a life changing experience for me personally.

This camp was sponsored by Team Red, White & Blue, an organization that Rule29 has had the wonderful opportunity to not only work alongside over the past few years, but also GIVE back to. (In fact we just launched their new site!) We’re huge supporters of Team RWB’s mission – to enrich the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity. The camp was a prime example of their efforts to further this mission. It took place between Sept 22nd–24th with over 30 veterans and civilians attending from 10 states – one even coming as far as Germany. For some this was their first experience with yoga and/or Bikram yoga, which was the foundational style of the camp. During this 3-day camp, attendees participated in workshops, classes and a variety of social activities with fellow veteran and local community members. We had over a dozen instructors including renowned Rajashree Choudhury, the Founder and President of USA Yoga who assisted her husband, Bikram Choudhury, in creating the highly successful Teacher Training Program.

The most amazing part of this experience was the collection of stories that were told throughout the weekend. In fact, the story of the camp’s origin is quite interesting in and of itself, but one for another time. Barry Peterson (a Bikram yoga instructor, West Point grad, and veteran), the amazing Jane and Jake Kartsch (owners of Bikram Yoga Bronx), and I had been going back and forth for months working on how we can create an impactful event. That Friday evening, we all met each other for the first time. Barry had flown in from Reno. Nikki (another Bikram yoga instructor), JJ Star (filmmaker) and myself flew in from Chicago. Soon, camp attendees started to trickle in, followed by lots of hugging. That’s when it really hit me. This weekend wasn’t just about yoga, it was about bringing people together. A few observations stood out to me as I watched this group of veterans meet and interact for the first time. One, I realized that how easy it is to pass a veteran on the street, yet have no understanding of what they’ve done for our country. Two, it’s obvious that veterans come from a strong community of brothers and sisters who have served together.

For some, this loss of community is one of the more difficult aspects of civilian life to cope with. For example, Kathy (LTC, Retired) had lost her sight back in 2008 due to an explosion. On her way to the camp was asked why she joined the Army as opposed to staying stateside to raise a family. She, along with so many other vets that weekend, had to explain her story to those who just can’t understand why they would give up so much and put themselves into very difficult environments. She joined because she loved her country—she longed to serve and give back. Because of this, she jumps at any opportunity to be among like-minded individuals.

In the yoga room, we had siblings and friends, civilians and vets, new and experienced yogis all coming together to take a step towards a healthier lifestyle. One of the beautiful things about Bikram yoga is the consistency it provides. You can go to any Bikram studio in the world and it’s the same 26 postures done in the same order. The class is silent except for the steady dialogue of the teacher. It provides a sense of unity with everyone in the room and at the same time allows for an internal focus as you practice. That internal focus can be one of the hardest parts especially for someone who might have PTSD. The camp created an environment that was accommodating to attendees overcoming this type of internal struggle. Veterans could pull from the support of those around them, knowing that they were not alone in dealing with symptoms of PTSD. Once you overcome one class, you know that you can go back and do it again.

Since the camp was an introduction to Bikram yoga, the first class was quite an eye-opener. With thirty people filling an already heated room, the experience is bound to be intense. Bikram yoga is about pushing yourself both mentally and physically while listening to your body. You don’t modify from the practice, you do what your body can and slowly push yourself to improve. On the second day, there were concerns about attending class again. I remember Barry saying how the camp was a special opportunity—a safe place. When everyone returns home, exceptions won’t be made for these veterans. The camp and its staff were there to provide an opportunity to allow its attendees to overcome personal obstacles. The choice was one’s own whether or not to continue. The staff was not going to force anyone, only provide an opportunity.

Everyone stayed and took the class that evening. When it was over, words could not describe the sense of happiness and accomplishment that carried through the rest of the camp. I can’t wait until the next camp. That weekend was proof that this was just a small step in the right direction and I feel so honored that Team RWB was able to provide this opportunity for me to be a part of it. Many lives were changed, including my own.