Our ‘Creative That Works’ for April is all about Colossal Media, a company that takes an imaginative approach to outdoor media and advertising. If you live in or have visited New York, chances are you’ve seen one of their works of art. For the past fifteen years, they’ve been creating hand-painted murals featuring some of the most engaging and innovative out-of-home advertising that we’ve ever seen. We were stoked when a few weeks ago, they invited our team to their workshop in Brooklyn to hear their story and get a first-hand peek into their creative process.

Reimagining Out-of-Home Creative, One Wall at a Time

Creative Company: Colossal Media

The concept for Colossal Media was formulated over a couple of beers in the backyard of founders Paul and Adrian. At the time, Paul was a painter and Adrian was busy running Mass Appeal Magazine. They had a crazy dream to take a process that had long since lost its public allure and form a company that could do things bigger and better than ever. Their initial vision to embrace paint over print as an advertising medium inspired the conception of Colossal.
At the start, they worked with mainly alcohol and video game clients, as these were the companies who were hoping to develop a grittier aesthetic. Colossal has since aided in the transformation of paint being an outdated artistic tool to a highly sought-after medium in the industry. Today they are working with luxury brands, including Gucci and Chanel.

Over the years, they have expanded from an office in a garage to operating their own custom-built shop in East Williamsburg, along with another active space in Los Angeles. Now with a portfolio of over 120 different walls in 7 core markets, Colossal has made quite the name for themselves and the brands they’re painting.
While today they’re thriving more than ever, they had to overcome some initial challenges when they first arrived on the scene. “The biggest hurdle was convincing people we could actually paint artwork the way they wanted it to be painted. Brands will partner with a celebrity and that face has to look exactly as it would in print. Over the years our team has proven again and again that we can do that exactly,” says Natalie Kunstadter, Creative Director at Colossal.

And paint wasn’t exactly the advertising method of choice at the time of Colossal’s inception. “Paint became less of a common medium in advertising with the rise in popularity of vinyl printing, which was much easier and cheaper. With less painters in the workforce, the quality of the product in the industry was going down, so we had to establish ourselves as a highly skilled team to keep campaigns looking the same (or better) than work from different vendors,” says Nicholas Cummins, the VP of Real Estate Acquisitions at Colossal Media.
Cummins recalls an article posted in The New York Times back in 2004, where a television network had stated that although they admired Colossal’s work, they weren’t sure if they could trust them to paint a realistic face for one of their campaigns. Flash forward to last year, and Colossal was mentioned in The New York Times yet again for executing a flawless photo-realistic mural of Kendrick Lamar’s face in a Spotify campaign. Safe to say they have proven themselves as the industry expert.

Colossal is also unconventional in the way they train their artists. Each painter has to go through a rigorous apprenticeship program, in which they learn about the specific tools, how to work in the shop, how to consolidate and mix paint and more – all before the paintbrush touches the wall. They are unique because they allow anyone, no matter their background, to enter the apprenticeship program. Kunstadter conveyed that this was necessary to build a robust team, “there’s really no talent pool from us to pull from. There are a couple painters out there in the world who do this already and we try to find them, but we’re creating our own industry here.”
As CO OPers, we were particularly interested in the way that Colossal utilizes space and real estate in an innovative way to portray a brand message. “From a real estate perspective, outdoor advertising is really place-oriented and you have to have a highly visible, highly unique location; especially if you want to sell it as a premium product and distinguish yourself from other vendors,” says Cummins. “We’re always looking to make new partnerships with developers. We work with some of the largest and smallest landlords in the country because even though we are a national company, we have a very local focus. Most vendors sell walls based on zip code. We’re looking for spots with cultural significance so our clients can reach the exact type of demographic they’re looking for.” We’re definitely hoping to partner with Colossal for on one of our real estate or hospitality activations.

As their hand-painted campaigns continue to gain popular support and attention, we wish nothing but the best for these rockstar creatives.

Check out some photos from our tour below:

Every May, the retail real estate industry descends upon Las Vegas for the International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) RECon conference. As a destination brand company, our team attends each year to network, connect with clients and attend fabulous parties with the biggest and best companies in the real estate industry.

This year was the most impressive conference yet. Booths lined the tradeshow floor, all with one objective: to stand out among the masses. While many turned to the latest and greatest technology to draw a crowd, others took much more traditional approaches in order to break the mold. For this month’s Creative That Works, we’d like to round up some of the top trends and most innovative activations we saw at RECon 2019.

Best Creative Activations at ICSC

Activations from: 2019 ICSC RECon Conference

Sugar Rush
It’s no surprise that after a long day of networking (and late night out the day before), you find yourself needing an afternoon pick-me-up in the form of sugar. Many booths offer sweet treats, but Washington Prime provided a fully stocked candy bar from Ohio-based confectionary, Shelby’s Sugary Shop. Equipped with individual plastic bags, guests of the booth could fill up with their favorites. We liked that instead of just offering something grab and go, this activation requires a bit more engagement and personalization.

Via Instagram (@ICSC and @WashingtonPrimeGroup)

Immersive
2019 was definitely the year of immersive experiences. From a Tesla Model 3 that you could get into to pop-up homes that make you feel like you’re far from a convention center, this year’s trade show upped the ante on human engagement. A crowd standout was definitely Candytopia’s massive pit of marshmallows. At first glance you just see a massive pile of what appears to be packing peanuts. However, as you get closer, you realize that the real estate developers in their navy suits are actually wading through a pit of fluffy marshmallows. This activation was a perfect combination of creativity and comic relief.

Via @thecanytopia Instagram

Fun & Games
Who says that networking needs to be a traditional exchange standing at a high-top table? Washington Prime impressed us again with The Yard; an interactive gaming area modeled after their signature activation for their portfolio of properties. Decked out with branded corn hole boards, musical instruments and more, this booth was certainly one that we didn’t want to leave. Similar to the Candytopia activation, we really enjoyed booths that disrupt the typical and pushed the attendees out of their comfort zones.

Art  
So many companies pulled out the creative stops this year. We saw art in the form of amazing interior design, light installations and photography. One that stood out to our team was DJM’s subtle yet flawlessly executed “Where People Thrive” wall. This black and white illustration wrapped the entire DJM booth and we admired how well it captured the ethos of their brand.

Finally, two other art activations that stood out were created by none other than Washington Prime (the guys killed it)! On the interior of their booth, they showcased a vibrant gallery wall that you couldn’t help but spend a few minutes staring at.

Via @washingtonprimegroup Instagram

Washington Prime’s most creative and impressive activation had to go to their live mural located on the outside of their booth. Tradeshow attendees were able to watch a mural get painted in real-time. The name and theme of the mural was “Making our Mark on the Retail Canvas,” and we can absolutely say, we couldn’t agree more.

Via @washingtonprimegroup Instagram

As a company that specializes in branding, we love to see businesses taking the initiative to rebrand. Revivifying a brand’s image can achieve a number of things, from reflecting internal change and growth, to altering an existing consumer base and rising above competition. Whether drastic modifications have been made within your industry, or you just want to stay relevant amongst a sea of flashy logos, rebranding seems to be the most viable solution.

We’ve had a busy few months here at CO OP but that doesn’t mean we haven’t noticed all of the companies out there who have rebranded this summer (especially since some of them are platforms that we use here in the office). This special summer edition of ‘Creative That Works’ is all about featuring a few of the rebrands that have caught our eye this season.

Basecamp

As avid Basecamp users, we couldn’t help but notice that the smiley green mountain has been swapped for a more simplistic, clean logo. We think this fresh iteration gives the brand and logo a more grown up, refined persona.

Divvy

Divvy, a business budgeting app that we also use here at CO OP, has upgraded their look as well. They’ve gone for a more abstract black and white design. Both Divvy and Basecamp seem to be shifting from a demeanor that is borderline ‘too friendly’ to one that targets the polished professionals that utilize their platforms the most.

DocuSign

Yet another rebrand that aims for modesty, DocuSign’s logo no longer has the frivolous ‘handwritten’ aspect to the typeface. The new logo is uncluttered and gives the brand a more contemporary feel. This rebrand reminds us that as brand recognition increases, the need to visually illustrate what a company is or does within the logo itself becomes less and less necessary.

Snapchat

Snapchat has been bold this summer… The new application icon features their signature ghost shaped logo outlined in a thick, bold line. As brands start to lose their initial attraction, sometimes the best way to retain loyal followers is to ensure the brand doesn’t go unnoticed. Users definitely won’t miss this new icon when they unlock their screens.

Honorable Mention

‘Starbucks Creative Expression’

While this isn’t a new logo or rebrand, we wanted to give a special ‘Creative That Works’ shout out to Starbucks, who have created the ‘Starbucks Creative Expression’ website this summer. This site acts as a platform for the company to showcase their brand guidelines and be more transparent about their creative process overall. Bravo, Starbucks. Check it out and get a peek at their full brand guidelines here.

These are just some of the many rebrands that have been launched this summer. We’re looking forward to seeing plenty of others and inspiring new creative this fall.

As a leading destination brand company, we are constantly expanding our realm of destination expertise and trying to stay on top of trends- whether it be modular housing, new hospitality concepts, or the boom of cannabis. We had a chat with the founders of InnDica, Rick and Monique Fitzgerald, to hear their thoughts on the evolving cannabis industry and cannabis branding itself. InnDica is an online travel resource that is helping to shape and unite the cannabis community.

It’s an exciting time for the cannabis industry. What are your thoughts on the industry from a branding perspective?
Although there are many creative opportunities in the cannabis space there are just as many hurdles when developing a cannabis brand. Regulations are strict and ever-changing and limit marketing opportunities. You have to stay up on compliance and be ready to pivot with any change in regs. These restrictions should only challenge the industry to find more creative solutions. 

Is there any brand in the cannabis space you feel is leading the pack from a brand perspective? How so?
Lowell Farms is one of the leading cannabis brands and one of my personal favorites. They have beautiful branding that is carried across their entire business, from products to services. They’ve always found creative ways to engage with their current and future clients all while maintaining strict compliance to the cannabis regulations. They’ve been able to create a buzz on their social networks and host regular private events for their customers and fellow brands to gather and learn more about them. They have also diversified their offerings significantly; starting as a cannabis product they are now opening the first cannabis café in the United States, located in West Hollywood, CA.

Do you think anything in the industry can be improved? If so, what and how?
Diversity, communication and education are lacking in the cannabis space. There are so many folks running toward the “green rush” without doing much, if any, investigation on the history and current issues surrounding this space. Social equity, expungement, gender equality are all extremely important but barely touched upon by many in the industry.

Do you have any predictions about the future of the industry and what this will mean for cannabis brands? 
I think the Federal Government will decriminalize cannabis in the next few years but it will come with significant changes in regulations. Cannabis brands and services need to be involved in the legislation process for any and all regulations at the local and state levels. This will help guide federal legislation when it’s finally being drafted. Otherwise we’re completely at the mercy of the folks that enact these regulations.

In what ways do you view cannabis as a destination/what ways do you think the cannabis industry can use physical space to its advantage?
The cannabis industry is ripe with tourism and travel destination opportunities. Everything from cannabis-friendly lodging and lounges to dispensary and grow tours. Platforms like ours, inndica.com, are emerging as a resource for cannabis enthusiasts to find their next cannabis friendly destination and activities. There are many existing businesses and services incorporating cannabis into their business model. Cannabis tourism is trending now as more and more people travel to explore this emerging wellness movement. It isn’t necessarily about having a cannabis vacation, I believe it’s more important to be able to incorporate cannabis into our lifestyle, including travel and leisure.

Rick Fitzgerald and his wife Monique, founders of InnDica.

This month we wanted to share an incredible exhibition that our team attended called ‘Beyond the Streets,’ located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Heritage Equity Partners and Rubenstein Partners, who were working on the commercial space at 25 Kent Avenue, collaborated with ‘Beyond the Streets‘ to create an activation that would attract tenants who are true to the culture of Williamsburg. We’re always looking for new and creative ways to activate the destinations and places we brand, so we decided to check it out.
The exhibition itself is a tribute to ‘society’s most pervasive mark makers and rule breakers,’ displaying work from over 120 unique artists. Viewing the collection of graffiti and street art was an immersive and intriguing experience for all of us. Photos from the exhibition can be viewed below.

Taking It to the Streets

Creative Exhibit: Beyond the Streets

Art Direction/Lead Curator: Roger Gastman
Producer: Ian Mazie / Pressure Point Creative
Co-Creators: Evan Pricco, David CHINO Villorente,
Sacha Jenkins SHR

Seventeen Years In

CO OP just celebrated its seventeenth year in business. I remember CO OP on day one. The Le Pain Quotidien office in Soho. We’ve grown up, as they say.
For most of our time in business, we’ve been an East Coast company. Our work has been based in the major metropolitan areas on the Atlantic: New York, Boston, and Washington DC. It’s been wonderful – lot of great clients and exciting growth.
About three years ago, CO OP began working with clients in other cities across the country – Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. The idea was to export our strategic creative thinking into specialized destination branding – to help them grow and maximize their potential. We spent a great deal of time in these cities forming relationships, growing businesses, and increasing value for our clients. And like most New Yorkers, we had to break our habit of seeing NYC as the center of the world. We did.

The Leap

With expansion comes more time with clients and the demands of local needs. We realized it was time to open a new office in a new market, and Los Angeles made the most sense for CO OP. The city is growing, it’s sophisticated and trend-setting, and the market is strong. I see the opportunity on the West Coast, specifically in the real estate and destination sphere. The diversity of people, the innovation in business, and the openness to creating brands that get people excited make this a perfect fit for us. We can apply our thinking, our approach, and our model to really drive difference in this market. 
I was also excited to move here because of the lifestyle change. Connecticut commutes to NYC and Northeastern winters were becoming too much. My family and I needed a real difference in our lives. So we took the chance, packed our stuff and left this July. What a change it’s been! Spending more time together, increasing our health and activity, and the overall California vibe are exciting for the family and me. And we won’t miss the snow (except when we drive there from sunny 70 LA).

Making It Work

With the expansion of our NYC team last year, we’ve built an office that is smart, creative, and can expand on its own. This allowed me to come to LA with a couple of key people to pioneer a new opportunity. In one leap, we’ve been able to make CO OP that much more capable. 
In opening the office, it was important to me to have a curated leadership team I trusted. They had to understand what CO OP does on a day-to-day basis and bring their expertise to the West Coast. Sean Phillips, our SVP of Client Development, came out from New York last spring. He’s been with me for six years and understands the business development process exceptionally well. His hospitality background and client services perspective makes him the ideal person to set up the right relationships. Plus he’s spent the last three years learning and participating in the West Coast market. He gets it. Being able to bring on Ian Lewis Campbell as our Creative Director is really exciting. Ian is a left/right brain hybrid. He’s been with CO OP for over five years and has helped define our processes and thinking as a company. I’m excited to partner with both of them and the LA team that surround us.

I See Cranes Everywhere

Finally, we’ve developed a way of making brands over the last seventeen years that benefits clients on a daily basis. It creates value. We make a difference. The reason we’ve been in business for this long is because our strategic creative process works. It’s the reason ambitious firms in real estate, hospitality, and destination come to us again and again. 
The strength of the California and West Coast market is undeniable. People are excited here. The residential and commercial real estate markets are booming to fill demand. I see cranes and construction everywhere. That translates to real opportunity for brands to differentiate themselves in this city and on this entire coast. I believe what we’ve learned and practiced for seventeen years can be expanded on the “best” coast to help companies grow. We’ll do what we’ve always done, help inspire business and create value, but do it with a West Coast vibe. 
-Jim Moran, Founder and CEO

Boo! For our ‘Creative That Works’ this month, we figured we would get into the spooky spirit and explore some of this season’s best Halloween themed creative work and activations. Here are a few we thought were executed so well, it was almost scary.

Booking.com‘s The Addams Family Mansion Brooklyn

Credit to: Booking.com and MGM Studios
You rang? Booking.com and MGM Studios are making it possible to stay in the Addams Family Mansion with this immersive brand activation, just in time to celebrate Halloween and the release of the new Addams Family film. This real life replica of the supernatural mansion can actually be found in a townhouse in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. The whole place is filled with on brand decor in the quintessential creepy family fashion.

View this post on Instagram

Creepy, Kooky, and apparently in…Brooklyn? At least for Halloween Weekend, the Addams Family Mansion is on the market thanks to @bookingcom who turned a 19th Century Clinton Hill walk up into Gomez and Morticia's famed house of horrors . Would you sleep in a bed with a guillotine headboard? by @diannamcd

A post shared by Adweek (@adweek) on Oct 30, 2019 at 10:13am PDT

Retail Apocalypse “Zombies Are Back”

Credit: Luke Tinari and Team
Luke Tinari has brought new (undead) life to the empty aisles of the old ‘Toys R US’ location in Flushing to create a spine-chilling, interactive zombie experience. We love it because it demonstrates successfully utilizing an abandoned retail space that could have gone to waste if it was not activated properly. Tickets to the haunted attraction can be found here.

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A little sneak peak to see how our friends are doing in the SWAMP area www.zombiesrback.com for more info #zombiesRback #ZombiesaReback #hauntedhouse #besthaunt #nycnightlife #queens #zombies #zombiehouse

A post shared by ZombiesRBack (@zombiesrback) on Oct 23, 2019 at 12:58pm PDT

L’Émouleur Halloween Campaign

Credit to: Dentsu Aegis Network and L’Émouleur, lames japonaises d’exception
L’Émouleur, lames japonaises d’exception, a shop that specializes in Japanese-style specialty knives, decided to pay homage to their biggest fans in their new ad..Iconic horror movie characters.

‘Hellvetica’ Font

Credit to: Zack Roif and Matthew Woodward
Designed as an ironic twist to the timeless ‘Helvetica’ font, this eerie typeface can give anything a demonic look. You can download it here for all of your sinister design needs.

Like most companies, here at the CO OP, our team has gone completely remote over the past eighteen months. A few years ago, we could have never expected this change in work environment and culture. While we are slowly beginning to resume certain in-person interactions, we were pleasantly surprised by the expansion opportunities as a result of working remotely. Previously, frequent travel was commonplace to view new locations and meet clients. Starting last March, these trips came to a standstill and the shift to online meetings has become a part of our everyday hustle.

It is clear that COVID will continue to change the ways of many industries. Our team is especially interested as to how the pandemic will affect the real-estate and hospitality industries. The “Pandemic Pivot” is a trend that is touching all asset classes. We’re seeing commercial buildings turning residential, hotels converting to office space and luxury condos transitioning to extended-stay apartments. These are exciting times that spark creativity and sometimes concern. Let’s dive into these various adaptations and take a look at if these changes will be long-lasting.

Many people have turned a section of their home into an office space in response to the work-from-home surge. As one can guess, this has greatly impacted leased office spaces as tenants no longer require their amenities. In order to keep these leasing companies afloat, office spaces are now being converted into residential units. Though the layout of these previous office spaces may not be ideal for living spaces, this unforeseen pivot has turned out to be an effective solution for both lessor and lessee.

In another sector, hotels are doing just the opposite. With the downturn of travel and vacations, hotels are struggling to get people in the door. One hotel adapting to this change would be the Hotel Figueroa in Downtown Los Angeles. In an attempt to navigate business through the pandemic, management has turned its rooms to office spaces for individuals and small businesses to rent. Though it may seem unusual, one benefit is that hotel rooms typically come standard with a desk, free-WiFi and a coffee maker – making them a suitable office space.

Other hotels have had the same idea but have decided to go for a more simplistic approach. For example, the Marriott launched a new program called the Marriott Bonvoy Work Anywhere platform. This program offers three packages; a day pass, stay pass or play pass. The main difference between a hotel room and an office would be the bed. Because removal and relocation of beds would be time consuming and costly, instead of changing their rooms to offices, they are hosting events in order to promote the two-for-one deal of these spaces. A Day pass allows for room access from 6:00AM to 6:00PM. Rentable office space with a bed…by the pass. What could possibly go wrong?

A more familiar conversion, condominiums to apartments, has become much more popular during and following the pandemic as well. Because luxury condos have become harder to market and sell, owners are making the switch to long-stay apartments. This shift can be largely attributed to the housing market rising rapidly as well as the lack of funds on the consumer side to facilitate larger purchases. Since apartments don’t require the financial and personal commitment, we can understand why previous condo dwellers may see apartments as the more viable option. 

As COVID slowly makes its way out and becomes less prevalent in the world as we know it, its lasting impacts will be noticeable for many years to come. With shifts in the commercial and residential real estate markets comes new ideas, thoughts and experiences that will continue to push boundaries. We look forward to learning, adapting and overcoming in order to Make Brands Work.

Over the past few years, we’ve kept our eyes on the growth of real estate in Seattle. Known as the city of tech, the real estate market in this area has been dominated by high-rise office towers and impressive residential properties. Amazon and Microsoft are largely responsible, but other industries are making their presence known in this high-prized location. 

The life science industry in Seattle is booming now more than ever. Just this year, $2.7 Billion in funding was brought to Seattle from life science alone. It is no surprise that life science would make their way into Seattle with the emphasis on technology and AI. The Gates Foundation and Allen Center have served as valued hotspots for innovation and implementation. Not only this, but the state of Washington has given many grants and initiatives to support startups in this industry within the last decade. 

When comparing Seattle to similar cities on the West Coast, both lab space and the cost of living are significantly lower. With this in mind, many large firms like Alexandria Real Estate Equities and BioMed are expanding their reach within Seattle. Alexandria’s latest investment, a $200 Million property in Bothell, Washington, has further exploded this growth.

Right outside of Seattle, real estate development is thriving. A few months back, Duke Realty bought The Cubes at DuPont, a $1.6 Million square foot industrial property near Tacoma, Washington. Duke also bought a distribution center in Kent, Washington with a square footage of 64K in addition to a 12.2 acre plot where another facility is in the works. These properties will continue to expand the real estate market in Seattle and the surrounding area. 

Seattle has become a hub for many industries. This has led CO OP to the area in search of branding opportunities that are distinct and imaginative. Understanding the culture and aura of this city has further drawn us in. We cannot wait to share our upcoming projects in the beautiful city of Seattle.