W+K PORTLAND

Be a literary omnivore

What’s Wordstock without some charming videos? Nothing. That’s what. Here’s WK12’s take on how delicious words are. And also an incredible pun from the pun factory.

Introducing 12.6

12 year 6 began a few weeks ago. Today the agency officially had the chance to say hello.








We'll share more 12.6 information in the coming weeks. Stay tuned.

Rebranding America

W+K 12 was approached by Paper Magazine to contribute to the design annual in a piece called "homesweethome."

THE BRIEF:
From: Kim Hastreiter
Subject: Rebranding America
Date: March 16, 2009 4:54:26 PM EDT
To: Alex Bogusky, Dan Wieden, Ivan Chermayeff, Kevin Roberts, Andy Spade, Shepard Fairey, Ron English, Peter Buchanan-Smith, Steve Powers, Chris Johanson, Jonathan Horowitz, Mike Mills, Geoff McFetridge, Bruce High Quality Foundation, Alex Kalman

Hello! I'm a great fan of yours so I wanted to approach you about participating in a piece I am producing for my annual Design issue of the magazine (themed "homesweethome"). I felt compelled to include you in this piece as you are truly some of my personal favorite fearless creative communicators.

As the times we are living in are so radical, I think radical ideas are needed to help save our proverbial asses and to create a new path forward into what I like to call the "new normal". The best part of being in deep shit is that with it comes a unique opportunity for progressive thinking because the status quo is desperate. I thought it appropriate to dedicate the issue to home, and so the subject of one piece I am producing is about our homeland: The U.S. of A.

I have chosen a stellar list of my favorite mavericks (you are one!) and invited you all to create a visual page -- as if it was an ad -- for America. HOW WOULD YOU REBRAND AMERICA??? (we certainly need it desperately!) How would you make people love us again? How would you change our brand image? Our perception abroad? How could you project our future to our citizens? If America had a new ad campaign, what would it look like? I will run the portfolio of these "Ads for America" as the editorial well in the May issue of PAPER.

I know you are big cheeses, and yes, super busy, but I really hope you are inspired to contribute something that will then inspire others. To me this is an opportunity to share with our readers some amazing ideas from the best thinkers I know of using our pages. Can you (or your team) come up with something for this issue?

With Admiration,

K

Paper Magazine's Rebranding of America. W+K12, a creative school based in Portland, Oregon, is an experiment launched by design agency Wieden+Kennedy -- its designers, writers and strategic thinkers collaborate on client projects under the guidance of managing director Byron Oshiro and creative directors Tyler Whisnand and Hal Curtis. W+K12 seeks to discover different ways to create together, while serving as a laboratory for the advertising industry's best practices and newest thinking. This amazing artistic collective is named W+K12 because it selects twelve new, talented members every twelve months. (Special thanks to Wieden + Kennedy executive creative director Susan Hoffman.) "America is a forever-young country, branding and rebranding itself incessantly. This is no country for old ad people to re-imagine -- that is best accomplished by the youngest hearts and minds. And that is why we turned to W+K12. They did not disappoint."

Stuart Elliot of the new York Times gives a perspective on the Rebranding of America.

New York Times article by Stuart Elliot.

12 on the 14th

Sick and tired of being sick and tired of looking for that hot minx or that smoldering stud that will sweep you off your feet. Or at least make a mess of your bathroom in the morning? No need to lament those days gone past when you still had a full head of hair or your tookus was still ripe and supple. WK12 has come to the rescue to save you from any Valentine tragedy. Below are 18 cards of Valentine joy. Suss out a twelver and use them wisely. Every little bit helps.

W+K12 seeks Year 6

WK12 is an experiment. It's a school, a mini ad agency, and an idea factory.


We're housed in Wieden+Kennedy's Portland headquarters. We do real work with real clients, but we also have time to do art projects, make films, and go on adventures. In WK12 we learn to solve problems.

Show us what you can do.
Send portfolios, CDs, DVDs, websites, blogs... anything that you write, design, make, and create - it just has to fit into a 9"x12" envelope and get here by January 30, 2009.

for more info visit: wk12.com

Hope to hear from you soon!
Love, WK12

Wordstock: Chairs have feelings too.

Another great spot by WK12.

Wordstock is an annual festival of books, writers, and storytelling in Portland, Oregon. To date it has hosted over 550 writers, who have read and performed for nearly 55,000 people at past festivals. Wordstock features ten author stages, a book fair with over 150 exhibitors, a special children’s area and children’s literature stage, a series of workshops for writers and for K-12 teachers, a special broadcast of Live Wire!, the popular public radio variety show, featuring writers from the festival, and more. Although it only began in 2005, Wordstock is already the largest celebration of literature and literacy in the Pacific Northwest, and is one of the largest festivals of its kind in the nation.

Here is a shot of the out-of-home signage at Powell's.
For more information visit wordstockfestival.com

12 Takes Flight

Take a look at the stuff that 12 just finished for the Evergreen Space and Aviation Museum.

Atilla the Sulcata Tortoise

Patrick's pet tortoise lives at W+K and has turned into a camera whore.

More 12 awesomeness

Turtles are good pets because they can't run away.

Say hello to the newest member of 12.




We're pretty sure he doesn't miss his old home.