The Starving Artist – Crossroads Café

In lieu of the new semester and its fresh meat freshmen, we’ll be starting a new series on our blog called “The Starving Artist,” featuring various gems scattered about our beautiful city. Places where you can think, brainstorm, chit-chat, but most importantly, a place for you to get some grub.

This month’s feature is Crossroads Café, one of many enterprises founded by the Delancey Street Foundation.

Crossroads Café

There isn’t anything particularly different about Crossroads Café at first glance. It’s a spacious, order-at-the-register type of establishment with a wraparound patio to enjoy the sunnier side of San Francisco. Inside, the café houses a number of hand-carved bookshelves lined with literature from all over. The food is home made, a term you don’t hear too often these days and the coffee selection features some of the finest specialty beans from around the world. But if you’re too busy catching up on the latest with your lunch-buddy you just might miss the best part about this place: The People.

Crossroads Café is more than just a place to grab a bite, but a training school of the Delancey Street Foundation, the country’s largest and most acclaimed self-help residential educational center for people who are looking to rebuild their lives. With a family-like mentality, Delancey Street Foundation has used places like Crossroads Café to help individuals who have hit rock bottom, from substance abuse to crime and poverty. Residents of Delancey Street stay a minimum of 2 years while the average resident remains almost 4 years – drug, alcohol, and crime-free, using their time to receive their GED and learning valuable skills to allow them to live successfully in the mainstream of society. All proceeds after product costs go directly to the house to feed and clothe the residents, and to their education.

There’s a certain air of good humor and friendliness that permeates throughout Crossroads Café upon learning this information. This isn’t your posh, free-range-organic-we-grow-our-own-chickens-in-the-backyard, type of café that seems to be so prevalent throughout the city. It’s the authenticity without the pretentious attitude, and it’s the neighborly gesture without the intention of well, anything at all. It’s simply good food, good people, and one great café that certainly sticks true to its name.

Crossroads Café is located on 699 Delancey Street, San Francisco, CA.

Sandra is a Senior at the Academy of Art School of Advertising, follow @sandrawhyhong

Filed under: San Francisco , Academy of Art University, cafe, crossroads cafe, lunch spot, San Francisco, School of Advertising

Tuan in Vietnam, Part 2 (Motorcycle ride through memory lane)

I wrote a draft to follow my last blog post, trying to make good on my promise to report on Christmas, New Year, burglary, and malaria in Vietnam. Here’s an unedited excerpt:

“Christmas, or Noel, as people here likes to call it, is evolving. Fifteen years ago, Noel was a time in December when the heat went on vacation. Today, it is a business opportunity. Every cafe….”

Nonetheless, I won’t edit or post the draft. But I don’t feel bad for letting down my readers, because I suspect I’m my only reader. Instead, I hope to capture your eyes with this video of Vietnam as you scroll through this blog.

Tuan is a copywriting student at the Academy, follow him in real life or on twitter @copytuan.

Filed under: Uncategorized , Student life

Let It Rain

As we fatefully say goodbye to the few remaining, rain sodden days of winter vacation, we delightfully welcome the spring semester with open arms, and a couple fresh faces.

2009 has left us as swift as it came, only to prove once more that time truly does fly when you’re having fun. The Advertising department had an unprecedented amount of speakers last semester, and we’re only getting started. Being a student of Advertising in a city like San Francisco has its perks, from rubbing elbows with some of the most influential leaders in the industry, to being a part of such great events as the Planning-ness Conference held this past October.

We’ve been fortunate enough to have the likes of Gareth Kay, and Patrick Coyne among many other great speakers grace (autograph) the halls of 60 Federal. So here begs the question, who is next? We think that question might best be answered by two infamous figures that the Academy is now happy to call, the new directors of the School of Advertising: Ellen Shakespeare and Roland Young.

If you haven’t heard it from the grapevine already, the School of Advertising is proud to announce the introduction of two new co-directors to lead our department. Roland Young, formerly at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena has now assumed the role of co-director at the Academy of Art University, School of Advertising. There’s a trail of praise following Roland Young where he goes. It could be from his days of designing album covers for Capitol Records, or his teaching methods echoing all the way over from Taiwan. Whatever it is, with awards from the Art Directors Club (Los Angeles & New York), AIGA, as well as Clio and Grammy Awards all under his belt, we predict a strict whipping is sure to take place. Don’t believe us? See for yourself.

Ellen Shakespeare, also formerly at the Art Center College of Design is an accomplished and impeccably articulate writer and speaker. She has worked with agencies including the Bomb Factory, Goodby Silverstein & Partners, Ogilvy & Mather, along with a client list long enough to lose your attention span. Both Shakespeare and Young are coming to the Academy with more accolades and experience than we’ve ever had the pleasure of learning under. Needless to say it’s a true privilege to have them here, and we’re teeming with excitement for the work to begin.

Students interested in hearing the plans of our new Co-Directors are invited to join an intimate discussion with both Shakespeare and Young at 60 Federal, Room 505 on Thursday, January 28, 3:00pm.

AND as if that wasn’t enough news to begin with, just wait ‘til you see the building.

Sandra is a Senior at the Academy of Art School of Advertising, follow @sandrawhyhong

Filed under: Events, School related

Tuan in Vietnam, Part 1 (Empathy Needed at LAX)

I missed my flight to Vietnam by 12 hours. When a flight is listed as 12:05AM Tuesday, it’s actually late Monday night, not noon the day of. The only other flight to Vietnam was out of Los Angeles, 5 days later.

The trip from SF to LA was pleasant. The trip from LA to Vietnam was not. If you’re a foreigner (or at least look like one), you’ll be treated poorly at LAX. TSA agents speak English, but some visitors don’t. Repeating instructions with attitude won’t help. TSA agents should be required to travel to foreign countries to learn much needed empathy. Just a thought.

I stayed in Saigon only 1 night before I had leave to make it in time for Christmas in my hometown, Da Nang. I was supposed to meet with a copywriter from Grey Vietnam and an account executive from Y&R Vietnam for coffee in Saigon. I had to postponed the only industry contacts I had there. Bad start for someone who wants to work in Vietnam someday.

Next time, I’ll update with Christmas, New Year, burglary, and malaria in Vietnam.

Tuan is a Copywriting Grad Student at the Academy of Art School of Advertising, follow @copytuan

Filed under: Uncategorized , Student life

Best of the 2000s

Have a look see:

Adweek’s Best of the 00’s

Filed under: Uncategorized

The average American consumes 34 gigs of who-knows-what daily.

I take special interest in this story because it involves my undergrad school, UC San Diego, and because I think someone in advertising will eventually tweet about it. Accompanying the tweet is likely a line about “breaking through the clutter.”

Background

I’ll quote the original article to save us both the pain of a summary.

A report published Wednesday by the University of California, San Diego, calculates that American households collectively consumed 3.6 zettabytes of information in 2008..FULL NYT ARTICLE HERE

What kind of information?

The study measures bytes and words but does not differentiate between which bytes and which words. It converts everything to bytes and aggregates them to arrive at 34 gigs of information. But what kind of information? Under its measurement, “I have a dream” and “I can haz cheezeburger?” are counted as equal information. I think this report, much like the information it measures, is superficial and I don’t think we can draw any conclusions from it yet.

At 66 kilobytes, this cartoon is smaller than my blog post. Yet it contains more information about what I think of the study. This discrepancy is why I think bytes are poor measures of information.

Tuan is a Copywriting Grad Student at the Academy of Art School of Advertising, follow @copytuan

Filed under: Arts & Culture, Ideas, Industry news

Brand Nation

Here’s a brand to consider: the entire country of China. It’s a brand that’s been struggling with image problems for decades, and has a target demographic that consists of just about everyone in the world. In this instance, the problem at hand is the fact that people only see China as a manufacturer of cheap goods, not ideas. Does advertising work when re-branding an entire nation? For outside countries to see China differently, China must actively change before our eyes. Real change; socially, economically, diplomatically, all of the above. And this is all in and itself advertising.

A good example of this is the 2008 Beijing Olympics. From the construction of the sporting facilities up to the dazzling opening ceremony, China seized the opportunity to position itself as a global force to be reckoned with. Sure, being in the spotlight brought out a lot of demons, namely China’s human rights issues, but sometimes the bad comes with the good. The Beijing Olympics was a product, PR event, marketing, and TV spot all rolled into one. It was part of a campaign to slowly re-brand an entire nation.

Yet, in the realm of world brands, another country is dealing with image problems: the United States of America. Once the team captain of the entire world, America has issues with its uncertain economy, foreign policy, among other hot topics. The Obama administration is trying to restore faith in a name that’s been tarnished by the previous administration. It’s a huge branding problem that could be remedied with this unique selling proposition: American ingenuity. Innovation has always put American products at the top of their respectable markets. In this ailing economy, we must believe that this is a time for big ideas. Unfortunately, we don’t. But let’s stay positive, and change this brand one innovation at a time.

Derek is a Copywriting Student at the Academy of Art University School of Advertising.

Filed under: Uncategorized

Agencies Abroad

Good day.

I wanted to share a video that a friend of mine sent to me after a conversation we had about the differences between European and American advertisements. The video below is for the American Company Wrangler and was made by the French firm Fred & Farid. They believe in ads as cultural endeavors. I read an article by the founders Frédéric Raillard & Farid Mokart, click here to read at your leisure:

http://www.adweek.com/aw/content_display/special-reports/30-anniversary/articles/e3ibfc872c5b952c69be2fed4266e320576?pn=2

While reading, I was intrigued by how balanced their perspective was on the differences between advertising in the world of the United States and that of, as they like to call it, the United States of Europe. America’s goal they say is “to write great new classical ads.” Whereas the United States of Europe seeks “to find great new genres of ads, a brand posture never explored before.” View the ad and see if you can identify the natural European smoothness that I felt when I viewed it.

Title: Stop thinking
Agency : FRED & FARID, PARIS
Brand: Wrangler Director: Yannis Rachid
Chief Creative Officer: Fred/Farid
Executive Creative Director: Fred/Farid

In Europe, ad land is playful and its boundaries are open whereas America’s rule-following background halts it from reaching its true creative Mecca. However, both have great strengths and achievements on their resume. If you mixed the two, you would have the perfect blend of
American dedication and European vigor thus creating new planets of possibilities. Why not shake hands on it. Put it there Europe.

Yvannia is a Senior Student Planner at the Academy of Art School of Advertising. Follow Fun @inFiveWords

Filed under: Advertising & Branding, Arts & Culture

Gov Goes Viral

The Defense Department’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has created a viral social experiment to study me, you and everyone we know.

Filed under: Competitions, Guerilla, Ideas, Viral

The Digital Experience

FEED: The Razorfish Digital Brand Experience Report 2009 Key Findings

View more presentations from Razorfish Marketing.

Filed under: Advertising & Branding