REACTOR FYI (for your inspiration)

Move over corner office, how about REACTOR-on-the-go?

Our orange crew has never looked so blue!

Two years ago, as REACTOR Design Studio relocated our studio to the present day World Headquarters of Awesome location on Grand Boulevard, we had no way to predict that our new address would land us directly on the path of one of Kansas City’s largest parades and city-wide celebrations in history. 

When the Kansas City Royals became the victorious 2015 World Champions we were beaming with pride for all things Royals, Kansas City and blue! As our late-night cheers and neighborhood fireworks ended, one monumental fact became obvious to us: our front door was scheduled to be smack dab on the route for the Royals’ World Series Victory Parade! With our pride bursting to an entirely new level, we geared up for the parade to make its way to our front entrance. 

We started at our front façade. In need of some blue swag, we were able to design a one-of-a-kind congratulatory outdoor banner and have it produced in less than 8 hours thanks to a neighboring business. Before the parade started that wonderful Tuesday morning, our banner was in place for our Royals team and all of Kansas City to see our immense pride.

Next, we did what any #foreverroyal fan would do - we went to the roof! With one of the best views on the block, we created an EPIC time-lapse video of the history-making parade and joyous fans (which now has 3,900 views and counting on Facebook!) and took time to catch up with the Kansas City Business Journal. 

While the parade marched in front of our welcoming and enthusiastic orange entryway, we were able to witness the greatest celebration we’ve ever seen, hear the roar of thousands of fans, feel the energetic buzz fill up the downtown region and most importantly - cheer for our hometown World Series Champions!

When you scroll through our Facebook timeline or blog history, you’ll see we’ve always been big fans of the Royals around here. During the Royals’ season, we came to work donning our blue pride as often as possible. We watched the games over lunch, shared photos on social media and even went to the games together a time or two! Having this opportunity to celebrate our Royals’ victory with 800,000 of our closest friends and fans at our front door is a moment in Kansas City history we will never forget. Thank you, Kansas City Royals, for a sensational season. 

Now, check out the parade from some of our best angles!

If you haven’t heard yet, our October First Friday show is around the corner - October 2nd to be exact! In the midst of all the planning and excitement, we caught up with our featured October First Friday artist, Buddy Hanson, to get an in-depth look into his artistic motivation and style. Keep reading to get to know Buddy!

Q: How did you find your mantra – the philosophy of “discovery in art” – and how does it translate to your art pieces, the musical instruments?

A: It's not really a philosophy. It's just something I noticed about the creative process itself and how that works for me personally. 

Noam Chomsky describes the heart of science and exploration as "the joy of discovery." It's an idea that resonates with me personally and professionally because it is "the joy of discovery" which keeps me moving forward, working through one design project to the next. I have a voyeuristic personality. Art and design is a fantastic vehicle for learning and each project offers something new. I enjoy musical instruments because unlike a piece of traditional gallery art (a painting, drawing, installation, etc.) an instrument is a form of interactive art, which means you are allowed to interact and play with it. I have a playful personality so this makes sense. Normally, when you visit an art gallery or museum you're not allowed to touch the art. So I love the idea of inviting the visitor into the work and encouraging them to physically interact with the art. I also enjoy the small and subtle discoveries I make throughout each new project. There is a lot to learn and explore in the world of interactivity and musical instrument design, and the history is also quite interesting, especially from a design perspective. 

Q: When you create these beautiful musical instruments, do you envision them being used for a genre of music or being played in a particular style?

A: No, I don't envision my instruments being used for a specific genre. 

However, I would love to see my designs help artists/musicians to break free from the musical norm. Historically, musical instruments are designed to be unique to you. It's like your signature or fingerprint, it's an extension of you and your imagination. Here's a little quote from Ryan Cross (bassist) in, Being In the World.

"For me, connecting to my instrument, being connected to myself. I have to be connected here. I have to be in touch with myself. Myself meaning the instrument becomes you. So you're in touch with this [bass]. I started playing the instrument and it felt like it had a character of its own. The sound directed me where to go and it felt like I was better when I was playing the instrument." 

A musical instrument is not just a tool but an extension of your mind, heart and imagination. It is a means of communication and expression, and I enjoy building that bridge between mind and matter. Rethink the design of an instrument and you just might open up the possibility of new sounds, new mechanisms, new music, new communication and other forms of expression. That is what I am ultimately interested in - finding new ways for artists and musicians to communicate through innovations of instrument design, and nurturing those bridges.

Q: What are these kalimbas? They look so cool!

A: The kalimba is related to the mbira and is sometimes called a "thumb piano.” I learned about them in Africa. They are sold by street vendors and are often made of scrap metal and wood. They have a melodic tone which I find very relaxing, intoxicating, addictive and almost therapeutic. Africa was quite inspiring and building kalimbas in my workshop is a small wink and nod to my friends in Kenya. I also started building kalimbas because it is a environmentally friendly solution to recycle scrap material in my workshop, which is a normal bi-product of my larger electric bass projects.

Q: Have your experiences abroad ever had influence over any part of your design process or the instruments themselves?

Yes. All of my trips abroad have made a significant impact on my work. Music is a truly universal language and in many parts of the world music is used on a daily basis as a form of social and cultural power. It's always quite inspiring to visit people in other cultures and parts of the world, which motivates me to be a better designer and a better person.

Q: Is there an instrument out there that you haven’t made yet but want to conquer?

A: Absolutely. Right now, I'm building electric bass guitars and kalimbas, but yesterday I was working on drum kits. I have big plans for future projects. Next instruments on the list are electric kalimbas, monochords and zither harps. At some point down the road I'd like to tackle an instrument I recently discovered called a "hurdy gurdy.” It looks like a violin with a keyboard but sounds more like a bag pipe. Exploring new instruments is all part of the plan and there are some exciting new projects coming down the pipeline. Stay tuned.

Q: Finally, where is your favorite place to grab some tacos?

A: Fuzzy's Taco Shop (Wornall Road, near I-435). I couldn't write this fast enough - we love Fuzzy's!

Keep up with our October First Friday show, “Strings and Keys: Showcase of B.Hanson Instrument & Image Design” on our events page! To see more of Buddy’s work, visit B.Hanson Instrument & Image Design. 

We are thrilled to announce our October First Friday Show, “Strings & Keys: Showcase of B.Hanson Instrument & Image Design” featuring KC based artist, Buddy Hanson.

Designer, artist and photographer Buddy Hanson will share his interactive art with the Crossroads community! Hanson’s handcrafted musical instruments will be displayed to encourage viewers to interact and explore the art with their senses and highlight the creative process.

Get acquainted with Buddy’s art at B.Hanson Instrument & Image Design! 

Guess what else we have? 

FOOD! For our October First Friday Show, The Bochi Food Truck will be parked in front of our studio, just for your indulgence! Check out their selection and what they’re all about, right here. 

As you may know, our September #FFKC show, Trials, Many Kinds, is quickly approaching. We’re very excited to see what AWESOME drawings Jeran has in-store for us. We did a quick Q&A, so you can get to know him and his process better:

Q: Tell us a little more about how you got started with drawing. A: I really got into drawing when I was in middle school. I was interested in becoming an animator or designing characters for animated movies. I just loved doing it and kept drawing. After college I kept drawing, mostly illustrations, but didn't have a direction. Dylan Mortimer got me thinking about fine art and what I could bring to that world. Once I got into the challenge of making relevant contemporary work – I loved it. You really have no boundaries other than the ones you create and you can always change those as you go. The work is a lot of fun.  

Q: Your main tools are pencil, pen and sharpie. How have you used them to develop your unique style? A: Drawing is arguably the oldest art form, so originality was a must to bring something relevant into a contemporary art context. I started using just black pen like an artist who inks comic books, but after a while I felt like I was borrowing the comic look too much so I started pulling out forms that were my own and doing pieces based on those. That’s where the knots originated. I started flattening them out using finer pens and then adding color. I realized color added real depth and I could layer or tint the work with different shades.

I once swore I would only do black and white, now I can't imagine going back. My old black and white drawings look unfinished to me now.

Q: All of your drawings are very bold and have an almost 3D aesthetic. To what do you attribute this? A: Artists that have the ability to create depth in drawing are always an inspiration to me. It could be a tattoo with a lot of pop to it or an etching from hundreds of years ago that has perfect perspective. I really enjoy work that pushes the boundary of "flatness" in drawing. In reaction to those artists, I try to push depth or a 3D look in my work. I feel like it gives the piece a dynamic feel, like you could grab a part of the form. It’s a challenge for me to create depth. I always want to push the media as far as I can and it really draws people into the piece.

Q: You've done some pretty awesome drawings on everything from paper to cars. What's your favorite creation so far? A: I don't know if I have a favorite. The Ducati was probably the highest on the cool factor, but I have two drawings of skulls and daisies. One of them is 80 inches tall and 120 inches long and the other is 60 inches tall and 160 inches long pencil on drawing boards. They are the most ambitious pieces I’ve done so far and they are probably my favorites.

Q: Last, but not least, what's your favorite place to grab tacos? A: If I want authentic street style I go to Taquero Dos De Oros in Martin City, and if I want greasy, but wonderful, I go to Fuzzy's.

Can you believe it’s already August? Time is flying by at the studio. This week our new marketing and business development intern started. Meet Moira Cozad:

Q: How do you pronounce your name? A: It’s pronounced My-Rah. I like to joke that my mom got carried away....

Q: Where are you from? A: I grew up here in the Northland. I’ve lived out in Maryville, here in Westport and now I’m in Kansas. 

Q: What’s your favorite KC hangout? A: The Foundry in Westport! They’ve got great drinks, good beer pretzels and I like to goof off on the dance floor.

Q: Do you have a hidden talent? A: It’s not very hidden, but I play the violin. I can play the 1812 Overture by memory.

Trials, Many Kinds by Jeran Avery

It’s that time again – our First Friday show is coming up September 4th to start your fall off right! We will be featuring Kansas City native artist, Jeran Avery. Here’s a little sneak peak of his mind-blowing line drawings...

Jeran does all of his drawings in pencil, pen or sharpie. He’s drawn masterpieces on everything from paper to motorcycles. Expect more eye-popping, EPIC creations to come!

Stay tuned to learn more about Jeran and his unique style. 

We were recently contacted by an editor from a Korean magazine, DESIGN, asking to feature some of our business cards in their Archive section on how designers create unique self-promotions.

Our pop-out, lenticular, and baseball card designs were depicted.

It’s crazy to have our designs (and Clifton and Chase’s faces) shared all the way around the world!

Having a brand that is fresh and up-to-date is an important factor to being successful in today’s markets. Here are 5 signs that you should look for that may signal it’s time for a change:

1. Lost connection with target audience

When your brand was first developed, a specific audience may have been targeted to give you a clear direction. It helped you to develop and implement tactics and strategies most effective to the brand. If the target audience is no longer responding to and interacting with the brand, you should consider changing your direction. Evaluate your audience’s wants and what resonates with them to create a new plan of action. A rebrand can return your brand to a state of relevance and desirability in your target audience’s eyes.

2. Focus has changed

Today’s markets are ever changing. Sometimes your brand’s focus can change with them. There’s nothing wrong with that! Most brands are product or service specific. Diversification by adding products or services is often used to grow or benefit the business. It’s important for your brand to reflect your current business – so if your focus shifts or expands, shift your brand accordingly. This will ensure you are delivering a clear message and expressing the personality best suited for your audience.

3. Leadership transition

Leadership transitions can bring a multitude of changes. New leaders often bring new initiatives with them and a different way of doing things. The change can be as simple as a name or as complex as a mission statement. Even the way leadership is transitioned affects a brand. Whether it’s through succession planning or an unexpected change, transition can drive the brand in a different direction, which gives you a reason to re-evaluate your brand under the new leadership and make adjustments.

4. Approaching a milestone

Significant changes for your company may call for changes to the brand. Milestones are excellent checkpoints for you to keep your brand fresh and provide the perfect opportunity to brighten up your brand. Milestones create connection with and attract attention of your audience. If your organization is approaching a 10-, 25-, or 50-year anniversary you’re probably already planning a promotion of some sort. Take advantage of the opportunity! It can remind your audience how you have grown and where you are going. However, you must be careful when deciding your plan of action. It is crucial to find a balance between preserving history and modernizing to stay relevant.

5. Need to energize organization

Over time, it’s easy for your brand voice to become lost or so routine that it becomes boring. Revamping your brand is a great way to give your organization an energy boost. This will get your brand back on its feet and your team members motivated. Sometimes your brand just feels outdated or irrelevant. Taking a step back to refocus on what’s exciting and new with your brand may reveal opportunities to energize or invigorate the brand.

Choosing the approach best fit for your organization

Forever 21′s latest marketing stunt is EPIC to say the least!

The “Tried and True” campaign takes Instagram photos hashtagged with #F21ThreadScreen and turns them into real-life portraits using pixels made out of 6,400 spools of colored thread. 

It’s great to see a physical approach to marketing in today’s digital age. The unique campaign has already attracted enormous audience interaction since it began this morning. This mind blowing stunt gets two thumbs up from the REACTOR team. We already took a picture with the hashtag and are awaiting our recreation in thread!

It’s been a scorcher this week! We’ve been avoiding the outdoors at all costs. Here’s how the REACTO-team recommends beating the heat this summer: 

Chill in your awesome basement. 

A change of scenery at a nice and cool temperature (and maybe a quick nap on the couch) helps you get back into work mode.

Arcade break. 

A game of foosball or ski ball never hurt anyone.

Two words –  Delivery. Service.

No way we’re biking around the Crossroads in this weather. We have Jimmy John’s bookmarked and on speed dial. If only Taco Bell delivery service was in KC already...

Crank up your jams.

Clifton just returned form Copenhagen, Denmark, for the Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2015, where he was scouting for one of our clients, Mutual Musician’s Foundation International. During his trip he had the opportunity to stay with one of Copenhagen’s jazz community icons.

Henrik Wolsgaard-Iversen has had the privilege of meeting and befriending some of the best names in jazz history. Clifton asked Iversen more about how he got involved in jazz.

“I’m 77 years old now,” said Iversen. “It started in my childhood, my interest for this rhythmic music. I heard Edward Grieg, Norwegian composer. That got me started when I was five years old. Then my father, in the late 30′s, had records of Fats Waller, which were hard to come by at that time. I discovered the jazz feeling on these old records. I was fascinated by it. I related to the beat and to the rhythm. It grew on me and I always loved listening to all of it, from Duke Ellington to Charlie Parker. The improvisation, that’s what did it to me. These people were able to explain themselves by improvising. The jazz had a fire and I got interested in that. It has been my passion ever since...”

Iversen started as a journalist in small towns here and there, then worked his way up to editor at the Copenhagen paper, where he critiqued music and interviewed musicians.

“I made good contacts with the Americans who came here,” said Henrik. “Dexter Gordon, Bud Powell, Ben Webster...”

He eventually landed a job at a television station as head of satire, where he made even more connections.

“Whoever was in town, we covered it and made hours and hours of television,” he said.

Iversen has lived in his Copenhagen apartment for more than 50 years. He told stories of staying up all night, packed around the table in his apartment (where Clifton stayed) with some of the most legendary figures in jazz history. He reminisced about Teddy Wilson coming to his apartment after his gigs with a bottle of gin; about Dizzy Gillepsie calling him at four in the morning wanting to play poker, then arriving at his door 20 seconds later.

Iversen surrounded himself with musical talent. His wife was a singer from Minneapolis. Whenever jazz musicians were in town, she would cook for them.

“She has the greatest kitchen in Europe for soul food,” said Iversen, “They came here to eat around this table. Ernie Wilkins – he called her the ‘Charlie Parker of the kitchen.’ We befriended all of these people and they befriended us. It was a party that went on for 100 years. We had the greatest players in the world sitting around the table talking about music, so this place became sort of a nucleus for American musicians. If it was happening, it was here.”

Iversen continues to immerse himself in the jazz culture to this day. In 1976, after the death of Ben Webster, celebrated jazz saxophonist, Iversen helped launch the Ben Webster Foundation in Denmark under the signia of the Queen of Denmark. He has been the chairman for 25 years keeping the memory of Ben Webster alive and supporting the jazz community. 

REACTOR has a close relationship working with AC Printing, beginning nearly a decade ago. They literally bring our designs to life with their AWESOME printing products and services. We owe them quite a few cookies for dealing with our odd and complicated printing requests. We thought it was about time that you got to know one of our partners in crime. A member of the AC Printing team, Tim Whitmore, gave us the inside scoop:

Q: Tell us a little about how AC Printing got started.

A: Since 1973, AC printing has served customers large and small, throughout the country, with a broad range of printing, bindery and related marketing services. Our customers have access to the latest pre-press and production capabilities served up with a difference – the personal touch of a family-owned-and-operated business. 

Q: How is AC Printing different from other printing firms? A: I believe it’s a combination of unique digital and offset equipment, long term employees that know the job, and a desire by all of us to exceed your expectations!!

Q: AC Printing has printed everything from business cards to banners for us, what is your favorite project you’ve worked on with REACTOR? A: There all very unique and special, but the various editions of your Business cards have been fun. Your designs have always been challenging.

Q: You’ve been around us enough to know our taco obsession – what’s you’re favorite place to grab tacos? A: Without a doubt, El Camino Real, in Kansas City, Kansas. 

This week, part of the REACTOR team traveled to New Orleans for the National Charter Schools Conference 2015. Not only was this our fourth year creating the conference design and marketing, but this was also the second year we presented our Brand Impact Workshop at the conference and it was a big hit!

Some of our trip highlights:

Jumping right into the New Orleans culture

We got to ride on a float in a Mardi Gras style parade that was hosted by the conference! No better way to experience the New Orleans lifestyle than by throwing beads, cups and stuffed animals to thousands of onlookers from a real Mardi Gras float.

Our Brand Impact Workshop 

Evaluations haven’t gotten back to us yet, but several attendees commented that our Brand Impact Workshop was the highlight of their experience at the conference! Last year our workshop was the #1 rated session, so we’re very excited to see the rest of the feedback!

Seeing more than a year’s worth of work come to life

National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has been an awesome client for more than four years. We’ve worked closely with their team to create everything from the branding and theme to buttons, stickers and signage, making it one of the most dynamic and well-designed conferences in the country. It was very cool and satisfying to see our finished work all over the conference and New Orleans!

About halfway down one of Kansas City’s major boulevards, Grand Boulevard, you will find 1817 – also know as The World Headquarters of Awesome. Our cozy Crossroads studio of 1,813 square feet was first built in 1900. A lot can change in a more than a century. We did some digging and and came up with a quick timeline of history before REACTOR. There are some gaps in the history (from what we were able to find), but we like a little mystery!

(Photo taken in 1894 of the first asphalt paving of Grand)

1900 – Built

1920 – Jake Bresel Shoe Repair

1935 – Cords Kansas City Co

2000 – Reavis Wheel Co Auto Repair Shop

2008 – Kevin Sink Photography

2013-Present – REACTOR Design Studio

Then and now:

(Photo taken in 1940 for tax assessment) 

(Photo taken in 2015 with Clifton)

Works Cited:

Photos retrieved from Missouri Valley Special Collections, Kansas City Public Library, Kansas City, Missouri.

REACTOR is looking for a design intern for the Fall 2015 semester. Here’s a little teaser of what it’s like to work here from the current design intern, Ashley Kieffer:

Q: What is the first thing you do when you come in? A: Say good morning to everyone in the office, put my lunch in the refrigerator (delicious leftovers) and make myself a cup of tea.

Q: What are some of your daily responsibilities? A: I primarily work with Chase and Julie to create design work for clients. Specifically, I've worked on product packaging, website design, brochures, posters, social media graphics, rebranding campaigns and logo development--just a bit of everything! It's really great because I am actually producing work that goes out into the world. It's been a pretty awesome experience!

Q: What is something you've learned from your internship? A: So so much! One thing being that my experiences working directly with clients have reinforced the importance of designing with a purpose and a reason. The client might not initially understand the direction you chose, but if you have a reason for your design (connecting to the target audience and reinforcing their company values) then they tend to respect your design and opinion more.

Q: How has this internship helped you prepare for your future? A: I feel way more confident in my own work and talking about it to both the internal design team and to external clients. It's been wonderful getting to grow as a designer with the REACTOR team.