The Denver Egotist

The Tuesday Rant: You're Not Artists, You're Not Poets

Volume 2 In a Series By Felix

Before anyone starts throwing darts my way, I’d like to point out that I’m including myself in that statement. It’s not that the point of this rant is to put anyone down. I’m not saying that the ad industry is not full of talented people (ouch, double negative there… but I’m leaving it in). Far from it. We’re a bunch of creative folks when we’re allowed to be. But at the end of the day, we are not the artists, poets and writers that some of us claim to be. And there’s a reason for that.

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2 days ago / Comment [6] / Link

The Dark Knight: Full Review

There have been many Batman stories told in different types of media in the past 50 years. From the old radio shows to the 1943 serials, 1966 TV series comedy and the late 90s ultimate betrayal of the character ice skating around… coming full circle to the better then you would expect reboot with Christian Bale in 2005. None have come closer to envisioning The Batman as told from the story lines of “The Dark Victory” or “The Killing Joke”, than this one.

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2 days ago / Comment [1] / Link

Feedback's Must-See Concerts: Week of July 21

MONDAY, JULY 21, 2008
At the Gates
w/ Darkest Hour, Municipal Waste, Toxic Holocaust
Venue: Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom – 7:00 PM

WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2008
Russian Circles
w/ Eyes Caught Fire, Only Thunder
Venue: The Black Sheep – 8:00 PM

THURSDAY, JULY 24, 2008
Ghost Buffalo
w/ Only Thunder, The Singularity and Hunter Dragon
Venue: 3 Kings Tavern – 8:00 PM

SATURDAY, JULY 26, 2008
Pinhead Circus (Reunion Show)
w/ Sleeper Horse, Eyes & Ears, Whiskey Kiss
Venue: The Marquis Theater – 7:30 PM

2 days ago / Comment [5] / Link

Beer Review: Gonzo Imperial Porter

By Josh Mishell from Flying Dog Brewery

GONZO VS. GONZO

“We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. I remember saying something like, “I feel a bit lightheaded; maybe you should drive . . .“And suddenly there was a terrible roar all around us and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats, all swooping and screeching and diving around the car, which was going about 100 miles an hour with the top down to Las Vegas.”

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5 days ago / Comment / Link

LiV's Feist Show Review

Anyone else see Feist at the Fillmore on Tuesday night? Holy wow. Extraordinary. Honestly, I didn’t expect such a powerful show from her, but what a voice & what a performance.

“This is the song that plays in the background when [such-and-such] is happening in the movie of your life,” she’d say. Talk about romancing the crowd. She was plain in appearance, though her vocals filled the room with soul.

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6 days ago / Comment [2] / Link

Wednesday Lunch Poll #9

Design Competitions, Good Or Bad?

This isn’t a new conversation on The Denver Egotist, but we feel it’s an important one, so we want you to chime in. If you think they’re OK, we want to know why. Likewise on why not – pipe in on why you’re opposed to them. When is it an acceptable approach for getting a logo and when isn’t it? Is it acceptable to solicit posters or TV spots through a competition? Do we need to draw a line to protect our profession? If so where and how?

We have our own opinions here at The Egotist. We want to hear yours.

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8 days ago / Comment [6] / Link

The Tuesday Rant: Where are the Words?

Volume 1 In a Series By Felix

Back in 1998 I remember seeing a screensaver running across the Mac displays at BBH, London. It was a simple phrase – “Words are a barrier to communication.” Nice, punchy, very BBH, but there was one slight, ironic problem – if words are such a barrier to communication, why was the message written as a sentence? Is it because trying to say that with pictures or symbols would take some serious effort? And the skills of a cunning Art Director?

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9 days ago / Comment [9] / Link

Gone in 30 Seconds

By Jim Elkin

I remember being on this film set a few years ago and watching the 2nd assistant’s assistant drink a non fat 1/2 caf latte. Yeah, I know, everyone has an assistant. I remember watching him and thinking to myself, is this all really necessary. Do we really need all these people? What am I doing here and what’s the purpose of it all and also, I can’t believe they made my non fat sugar free chai without my extra super foamy topping. Darn it! But, I digress. The truth is I know that you don’t need 50 people to make a TV commercial. Surprised? Amazed? Want another latte? How about a cookie?

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10 days ago / Comment [6] / Link

Beer Review: Boulder Beer Hazed and Infused

By Bill Hepp from New Belgium Brewing Company

Beer filters typically use diatomaceous earth (D.E.) for “filter aids.” These are the shells of single-celled organisms called diatoms. They are hollow and come in many exciting shapes and sizes. D.E. is great at capturing errant yeast cells and tiny particles of protein. The theory is “depth filtration”: Think of pouring muddy water through a screen that is first covered in a course layer of gravel, small rocks, then pebbles, and then course sand.

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13 days ago / Comment [1] / Link

Calling All In-House Folks: What Are You Up To?

Let us be the ones to admit we’re an industry which can be a bit myopic at times, focusing almost solely on the output of the agencies and design shops. Meanwhile there are plenty of extremely talented folks plugging away, out of the limelight, as in-house creatives.

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14 days ago / Comment [1] / Link

Illustrator Shaw Nielsen Rocks the SF Chronicle

Check out this fantastic illustration from Shaw Nielsen – one of our own right off The Egotist’s list of Recommended Talent. Under the eye of art director Dorothy Yule, he created this work for an article in the San Francisco Chronicle about a ghost writer who doesn’t have a problem with never getting credit, because he’s helping important people craft their message. In a billion years, we couldn’t illustrate this well.

76 days ago / / Link