NEW STANDARD CREATIVE AGENCY

HOLY CRAP!

Thu, 31 May 2012 13:36:07 -0400

Well, we’ve been trying to wait till everything was finished, but we just can’t hold it in anymore! We’ve moved!!

From now on, New Standard Creative Agency is located downtown, in the historic Polar Wave Ice & Fuel Building in Benton Park!

Pictures of our new space, our surrounding sister businesses, and some interesting facts about this historic building soon to follow.

Also, keep your eyes out for a new look for New Standard— coming very soon!

Cheers! - Steve Thurman, Executive Director, and Kyle Johnson, Creative Director

Design is Simple— That’s Why it is so Hard. Design...

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:15:08 -0400

Design is Simple— That’s Why it is so Hard. Design by New Standard Creative Agency.

PERFORMANCE VIDEOS || JOE BANUA

Tue, 27 Mar 2012 14:13:00 -0400

Our friend and client Joe Banua came to us early in March with a project that we were really excited about. As a friend and client, we had heard and seen Joe’s musical skills many a time. Fresh off of his success on American Idol in all but the final Hollywood round, Joe decided to enter a competition to open for a favorite musician of his, Dave Barnes, and was required to submit videos of him performing covers of Dave Barnes hits. After the jump: See the vids, and learn a little more about the project.

The competition, hosted by TopBlip, was comprised of brackets, and the winners of each bracket would then be pitted against another bracket winner, and so on and so forth, until there was only one left. Audience votes counted for 1/3 of the total vote in each round, TopBlip getting another 1/3, and the final 1/3 went to Dave Barnes himself. Joe made it through every round with flying colors, not only winning audience votes, but TopBlip’s vote and Dave Barnes’ vote as well in every round.

As we said, the competition required the contestant to submit performance videos. And while most contestants submitted handi-cam videos in black and white, we wanted the voters to see the Joe that shows up to perform— The charismatic, impressive, and talented musician.

The first video, a cover of a Dave Barnes song mashed up with Bruno Mars’ “When I See Your Face”. We shot the video inside Shock City Studios, where New Standard now calls home, and recorded the audio and video at the same time— This way, the audience could appreciate a live, acoustic set, but still have entertaining visuals. Here it is:

Joe Banua - Until I see your face Cover from New Standard Creative Agency on Vimeo.

The video was a smashing success, garnering Joe enough votes to automatically put him through the next round.

Next, we decided to show off a more fun side of Joe— and this time, we filmed him against the gorgeous backdrop that is the famous Washington Avenue. Again recording sound live, we created a video that would have easily worked as a traditional music video, but was all the more impressive in that it was not. Take a look at Joe’s cover of Crazyboutya below.

Joe Banua - Crazyboutya (Dave Barnes Cover) from New Standard Creative Agency on Vimeo.

Again, Joe sailed through this round, with sterling reviews, and again, was given a bye. So now it was time for the final round. Joe decided that he wanted to perform a ballad, and settled on Dave Barnes’ When a Heart Breaks. We returned again to Shock City to film Joe against a beautiful studio background, and to show off the gorgeous Kawai piano that also calls Shock City home.

Joe Banua - When a Heart Breaks (Dave Barnes Cover) from New Standard Creative Agency on Vimeo.

It came down to the final two, and Joe unfortunately lost by under one hundred votes. That said, throughout the competition, both supporters and non-supporters alike were commenting about the high quality of Joe’s music, and the high quality of his videos. The surprise victory of his opponent actually caused quite an uproar among fans on both sides of the win, and proved once again that Joe may not have won the final round, but won many new fans, and of course, some kick-ass videos!

Thanks again to Shock City Studios for the use of their amazing space, and beautiful piano. Check them out here.

We've Moved!

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 13:15:00 -0500

Hello all!

Sorry we haven’t updated in a while— we’ve been busy moving into our new offices!

New Standard Creative Agency can now be found at 2200 Gravois Avenue in downtown St. Louis!

We will be posting more as time goes on, and will be posting pictures of our new space soon! Until then, just keep checking back.

Cheers.

-Kyle

AUTUMN PHOTO SHOOT || NEW STANDARD CREATIVE AGENCY

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 15:28:52 -0500

We know it hasn’t been autumn for a couple months, but with the weather here in St. Louis wildly oscillating between 70 and sunny and 16 and snowing, we felt like it was an appropriate time to post our Autumn Photoshoot. Y’know, for some normalcy. So, check out some of our favorites, and a little description of the day after the jump!

A couple months ago (late autumn), We decided that it was so beautiful in a couple different locations that our employees tend to frequent, that we couldn’t help but wonder… how could we photograph these places in a way that goes beyond basic model/landscape photography? So, we grabbed a friend of ours who has done a bit of modeling, and threw together the shoot. We decided to take a minimal crew, and minimal equipment, in order to keep the shoot spontaneous and free feeling. All shots below are original works, and are all locations found in St. Louis, Missouri, and the surrounding county, including Creve Coeur Lake, STLCC-Wildwood, and Des Peres Park. We decided to try and showcase both the model, and the landscape, by using a very specific color palette that either completely broke from the scenery, or was incredibly similar to it. As you will see, the photos turned out splendidly. We also chose to keep our editing of the work minimal, to stay in line with the idea of minimal crew.

We would like to thank St. Louis Community College- Wildwood Campus, for allowing us to shoot part of our project in their Prairie Trail.

We would also like to thank our model, Alyssa, for taking time to be a part of this project.

If you like the work, please let us know! Comments and questions are encouraged.

To learn more about our Photography Services, please visit our Photography Services page.

nprfreshair: Today is National Penguin Awareness Day, according...

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:20:01 -0500

nprfreshair:

Today is National Penguin Awareness Day, according to this website listening bizarre holidays. I just wanted to make sure all of you were aware. Carry on.

[Related: Edelstein’s review of March of the Penguins]

WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST HUMAN MEMORY?

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 11:56:50 -0500

“Cutting my finger on hospital blinds in the maternity ward, and then having to be rushed to the emergency room. I was almost four.” - Kyle Johnson

“A dream from when I was two. Apples were falling on my head.” - Steve Thurman

FLIGHT AND FEATHERS || JANUARY CURATOR POST

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 17:03:00 -0500

Here it is! Our first ever Curator Post! Feel free to check out the images after the jump, curated by our Production Designer/Art Department Head Kyle J. Johnson. Here is what Kyle has to say about Flight and Feathers:

“The urge to fly may be the most human trait that exists. No one in existence has ever looked at a bird soaring in the skies and thought “oh, that looks okay.” No one has yearned to stay planted on the ground, when the hawk screams high above. I think that feather envy is also a common human trait. As mammals, we cannot grow feathers, and so instead we tie them in our hair, or wear them as imagery, or feather our hair, and so on. We just want to touch the magic that is flight and feathers. So keeping the universal urge in mind, take a look at this collection of interesting art/media.”

“We will start the collection with a short film by Luke Randall. Luke Randall’s short film Reach shows us that the urge to fly may be not only a human urge, but a universal urge, shared by all minds, souls, and existences.”

“This illustration from the mid-late 1800’s caught my eye as a quirky look at something between scientific and fantastic.”

“Alex Gross is one of my absolute favorite painters. This piece, Shokei, from 2004, shows us that flight comes with risk.”

“Andy Gilmore’s crow is a beautiful combination of mediums, and to me, shows the fleshiness of the bird.”

“Taking a step in a more folk art direction, this fairy assemblage is an interesting perspective on flight in relation to fairy tales, and like Andy Gilmore’s crow, brings in an organic quality with wood.”

“With a script, director, and performances that basically guaranteed this film an Oscar or two, Black Swan is the perfect example of the human obsession with flight, and free movement. This image is also a little more film noir than most of the production images we have seen used in the marketing of the film, and I like that.”

“Now this is for all of the Harry Potter fans out there. As a HP fan myself, I am always interested in the variations on the movie and book imagery. This variation, in many ways encapsulates the feeling that you are being watched. And in many ways, because of the dark nature of the Dementors, this image to me represents not only flight, but more so the aberration of flight, the horrid emptiness of weightless floating.”

“This is a much more whimsical approach to weightlessness. The sheer absurdity of the size of the dragon’s body compared to the size of its wings brings a humor to it that takes the image out of the realm of menacing. I would see an image in this style working well in a children’s book.”

“This blouse is a gorgeous example of how feathers, used almost as a graphic pattern, create intense visual interest. Plus, since I often include beaded strands with feathers on them in my own paintings, this blouse is especially intriguing to me.”

“This photograph from Greg Kadel is very enchanting to me. It reminds me of the mysticism that often accompanies flight, feathers, motion, and in many ways the spirituality that is inherent in all of these things.”

“Hugo Simberg’s Wounded Angel is a great example of how modern art has pulled certain figures off their pedestals. You would never see this kind of imagery, of an angel depending on children of men for assistance, at any point in the Renaissance, or really, any point before the mid 1800s.”

“James Jean is one of those artist whose work I cannot look it without feeling intensely jealous. His brushwork, his imagery, his color choices… His paintings are everything a painting should be. I love the bizarre quality of a cluster of wings with a body getting ready, making itself pretty. The figure here also seems to be contemplating its own existence, and seems unaware that it is being watched by the viewer. This is a private moment.”

“Jeannette Oerleman’s Pelican has a lot of visual references going. The photograph is shot in a very “in studio style”, which is not a common nature photography theme. There is almost this question of whether or not the pelican is stuffed, or if that oily looking water is merely sculpted plastic instead of a perfectly captured wave of suds.”

“These two images that i have posted here from Jorge Miguel. Both images are from his De Cabeza series, and are some of the most interesting portraits i have seen in a very, very long time. I think they show two sides of the human relationship with birds: our relationship with them as prey, and our relationship with them as role models. We take advantage of them, and then we envy them… it’s a complex relationship.”

“I discovered this piece from Juan Weiss while i was searching for a new background for my iPad. His gouache, costumed child makes me smile every time i see it, because, to me, it is a hopeful image. The child is not jaded by the world, and still can dream of being a bird.”

“If there is one artist from this entire post that you should walk away knowing about, it is Kate MccGwire. Her work is the kind of work that, for me, opened up an entirely new process of thought about shape and materials. Serpentine and feathered, spilling open, but tightly looped. It is so contradictory in theory, but so perfectly matched in reality.”

“So many times, artists, designers, and filmmakers look to other artists, designers, and filmmakers for visual inspiration. I think sometimes we forget to look at the worlds first, and in my opinion, best artist, designer and filmmaker: Mother Earth. This bird, called a Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, is unlike any bird i have ever seen in my backyard, and is a symphony of color.”

“This image plays again with the similarities of flight and dance that i think are unavoidable.”

“This piece from Nicoletta Ceccoli is just so beautiful to me. It is dark, parts are expressively painted, others are sharp, and it makes you think about the ideas and urges that sometime stay caged within us.”

“This is a photograph that shows a usually ignored type of peacock feather, used in large quantity. I love the luscious shades of greens and blues that present themselves. I always strive, in design, and in production, to bring in organic elements, and use them in subtle ways. i feel like this is exactly the type of thing i would look for and put into a production i am working on, provided the scene called for it.”

“I am in love with this illustration from Ruel Pascual. I love the ominous tone that it evokes, even though both characters are seemingly innocent, and playing a game. I get the feeling that the owl knows something that we don’t know, as viewers, and that the boy doesn’t know it either. I imagine he is grinning at a dark secret, or that he is expecting the viewer, whereas the boy is just turning to discover us.”

“Again, coming back to the idea that Mother Nature does the best design work, this variety of Rufous Hummingbird is splendorous in its color, its feathers positively sparkle.”

“This owl tattoo from Scotty Munster is a perfect example of how we can humanize animals, and yet still stay so alienated from them. You again get the idea that owl knows something you do not. I love the owl’s hands in this image, as well as the leaking tea cup. A gorgeous chest tattoo, to be certain.”

“This image is one by Sir Mitchell, an awesome artist from Los Angeles. I think this image is a prime example of how even with the use of limited colors (i.e., only white, red, black, and some minor variations on these), you can create a stunning and vibrant image.”

“This image comes to us from Russia (or so I have been told)… It is part of a sculpture park. I see this representing a couple different things… i see mountains, i see technology… but i also see wings. I see wings made of concrete. Something about that contradiction is really appealing to me.”

“This is Stolas. Stolas, according to the Ars Goetia, and of course, Wikipedia, is a Prince of Hell. He teaches astronomy, as well as the knowledge of poisonous plants, herbs, and precious stones. This version of Stolas (a crowned owl with long legs) is drawn by Collin De Plancy.”

“This is one of the most intriguing images on this list to me. I do not know the artist, but dearly would like to. His/her artistic method is a complete mystery to me, but the image looks like a mixture of paint and sculpture, and then photographed… It is stunning and bizarre.” KNOW THE ARTIST? Respond to this post with the correct artist, and win 30% off a Design Service from New Standard!

“Here is another piece of work where the artist, again, eludes me. But i absolutely love the action inherent in the painting. Is it the most stunning technical painting? No, but that is not what is important. You can feel this painting, in all of its bizarre, tribal qualities.”

“Our final image comes to us from Wilhelm Staehle, an artist who is both bizarre and darkly comic in his collage work. In the series this image comes from, Silhouette Masterpiece Theatre, the silhouette inspires us to fill it in, while the text fleshes out the meaning, and in some ways helps us create the picture.”

Did you like the post? Let us know! Visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

If you know of any artist shown here but not explicitly credited, please let us know.

Introducing... "Curator Posts" and TinEye!

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:13:33 -0500

Hello All!

I am happy to introduce to you a new kind of post for us here at NS… The Curator Post!

Because i spend far too much time on the internet, looking at cool pictures, and wasting time in the office *cough* I mean…. “researching current design trends”… I want to share what i have found. All images will have been gathered via the internet(s), and although i cannot always provide links… i will provide you with my secret weapon… TinEye.

TinEye is a reverse search engine for images. All you do is upload an image, and then, TinEye finds similar images on the web. It doesn’t necessarily tell you who has done the work, but it will give you locations of the image on the internet, which makes finding its origin much more manageable.

Either way, get ready! Some cool images are coming your way…

-Kyle

invado: Dec 03 2011: Miasma by grmblshi on Flickr.

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 12:00:07 -0500

invado:

Dec 03 2011: Miasma by grmblshi on Flickr.

A Great Review (STM Photography Business Card)

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 16:47:00 -0400

It has been quite a while since we (I) have posted anything, and for that I apologize. I plan on updating more often now, and will be bringing you the latest news. But before we discuss the wonderful things that have happened in the past 5 months, let me share with you a great review we received from a business card client. He wrote up a paragraph or two that we are happy to share with you, and were honored to receive. You will find it below. -Kyle Johnson, Production Designer/Art Department Head

“My name is Steven Travis Magnum. Hence the STM in STM-photography [sic]. I began taking an interest in photography in the late 90’s using my father’s 1972 Olympus OM-1 that he used as a fighter pilot in Viet Nam. As i entered college at the University of West Florida, I was introduced to Digital Photography and grew an affinity for the medium. From then on being able to show my art to others as I saw the world around me through a lens was what I was going to do for the rest of my life. After graduation i spent time in Los Angeles California shooting party photos and the occasional headshot for actors until i moved to Brooklyn, New York. While living in Brooklyn i feverishly looked for work and found sanctuary with Sephora, New York. I was an event and website photographer for them and still fly up 3 times a year to shoot fashion week and larger events even though I live in the emerald coast of Florida and started STM-PHOTOGRAPHY [sic]. My company now shoots weddings, beach portraits, family portraits, and any commercial work that people can throw at us. I came to New Stand[ard] Creative because i needed a company that could give me the highest quality business cards to make the statement that my company only gives you the best. We like to go above and beyond what the status quo tells us we should do. Ever since I received my business cards from New Standard, I have seen a dramatic increase in bookings and I owe most of that to catching people off guard with a beautifully designed card. Its [sic] not just the design of the card though, it’s the feel, the texture, and durability of the card that makes someone hold onto it and go to the website.”

Something that a lot of people don’t realize is that part of the reason you don’t get a lot of business from a regular economy business card is that they are often so flimsy, that they are easily shoved into a pocket and then damaged by wandering hands and other pocket bound objects. As Mr. Magnum points out, the thickness of our cards, as well as the beautiful and sensual texture, create a card that is not only impressive, but durable. I personally have tested the durability of our cards, and i can carry my cards in my pocket without a card holder, and still feel confident in handing one to someone. Now, i prefer a card holder, and i suggest using one, but knowing that my cards can stand up to some wear give me confidence that i will not have to worry about them. All New Standard Creative Agency employees have a card made from our silk stock— we would not sell something we wouldn’t use ourselves.

If this post has interested you in some of our cards, take a look at our order form and gallery here, and here respectively.

If you are interested in New Standard designing a business card or logo for you, then go to our website!

Write the code BLOGPOST15 into the “coupon codes” section at checkout to receive 15% off your business card design!*

Also, to learn more about STM Photography, go to www.stm-photography.com.

-Kyle Johnson, Production Designer/ Art Department Head

*offer expires 10/01/2011

Walk It Off is a gorgeous, and stunning track from Angus &...

Wed, 09 Mar 2011 12:21:00 -0500

Walk It Off is a gorgeous, and stunning track from Angus & Julia Stone’s album Down The Way. Buy it. Buy it now. Seriously, the entire album is is good. I have the deluxe two disc album. Easily one of the best albums i have listened to in the past year.

Vote For Our Talenthouse/Anne Klein Logo Redesign!

Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:37:16 -0500

Vote For Our Talenthouse/Anne Klein Logo Redesign!:

We are all very proud of this new logo. Please help us make it happen! Voting starts on March 4th. you can use the 3.ly address above, or the actual address, http://www.talenthouse.com/creativeinvites/preview/itastepaint/182.

THE 3.LY ADDRESS IS CASE SENSITIVE. So, don’t go tYpInG iT lIkE tHiS. Kthxbai.

I was introduced to this song a few years ago by a dear friend....

Wed, 23 Feb 2011 17:35:00 -0500

I was introduced to this song a few years ago by a dear friend. It’s catchy, and I always find myself humming it. It is from the album More Adventurous.

The Wonderful Artwork of Henry Schreiber

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 21:32:00 -0500

The Wonderful Artwork of Henry Schreiber:

Henry Schreiber does some work that is not only stunning in it’s quality, but surprising in it’s size. He has a new show debuting in March. Go check out his paintings, and add him via @henryschreiber on twitter.

http://www.newstandardagency.com

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 20:25:44 -0500

http://www.newstandardagency.com:

We are New Standard Creative Agency, we have come to earth to bring you amazing media, business identity, event production, and consultation services!

All is Love is from the Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack.

Tue, 22 Feb 2011 19:20:00 -0500

All is Love is from the Where The Wild Things Are soundtrack.