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<rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" version="2.0"><channel><atom:link rel="hub" href="http://tumblr.superfeedr.com/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"/><description>A multi-disciplined branding design principal at Metal with extensive experience in corporate branding, personal branding, print, annual report, web, social media, mobile, blog, content, monetization, ecommerce, and retail merchandise design. Obsessed with strategic entrepreneurial thinking with a clear understanding of branding, marketing and business strategies, my designs were published in top publications such as Graphis, CA, Print, How and Archive. I will share my favorite projects, interesting things on design, business, technology, inspiration, and social media marketing for big and small business here. 
©2011 Peat Jariya + Metal </description><title>Design @ Metal</title><generator>Tumblr (3.0; @peatjariya)</generator><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/</link><item><title>Lamps made from coffee grounds smell like fresh java
These...</title><description>&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4tlq9IDlU1r18q5no1_400.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m4tlq9IDlU1r18q5no2_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Lamps made from coffee grounds smell like fresh java&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;These mug-shaped fixtures are perfect for coffee lovers.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Some folks just can’t get out of bed until the scent of freshly brewed java comes wafting in from the kitchen, but &lt;a href="http://www.rlauri.com/decafe/decafe.html" target="_blank"&gt;Raúl Laurí&lt;/a&gt;’s Decafe fixtures achieve the same aromatic effect on their own, with or without the flip of a switch. The Spanish designer experimented for two years with various culinary techniques to perfect Decafe’s composite biodegradable material, a unique combination of coffee grounds and natural glue.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Efficient, low-temperature LEDs are used for illumination and emit just enough heat to intensify the smell, which is one of the strongest characteristics of the project. The pendants function with a standard power supply, but developing the intelligent electronics that operate the table models was a family affair; Laurí’s brother, David, created the exclusive system himself, which is integrated inside each individual unit. The light intensity changes depending on the tilt of the base, and it turns off in the upside-down position; this allows the user to interact with the lamp. The battery is long-life and quick charging and the pieces can easily withstand up to 100 degrees. The clever mug-like shape is achieved with a custom mold.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Laurí’s debut collection took home first prize at last month’s Salone Satellite exhibition in Milan, where young talent has the chance to display their work in a dedicated space at the fairgrounds.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/24052231418</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/24052231418</guid><pubDate>Wed, 30 May 2012 00:02:00 -0700</pubDate><category>product design</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>san francisco branding design firm</category></item><item><title>Philips improbable design-led turnaround</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m47b2grXGx1qlkas5.jpg"/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m47b2wqGqR1qlkas5.jpg"/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Anyone who blithely believes that the return on investment on design is self-evident needs to explain the decline of &lt;a href="http://www.usa.philips.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Philips&lt;/a&gt;. In the mid-Nineties, the electronics company boasted 650 designers on its books, more than Samsung at the time. Yet, since a high point in 2008, its stock value has halved. It was no surprise, then, when last year, on Sean Carney’s first day as Philips’s design chief, the CEO took him to one side and told him straight that he was less than convinced about the value of design. Here&amp;#8217;s how he made the turnaround possible.&lt;!-- more --&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;1. His diagnosis of the situation at Philips was that design could improve the company’s standing if it were better integrated with the business. In his words, design was too far removed from “the heat of the battle.” So he gave his design teams of 400-plus creatives the objective of “moving the needle” to help Philips win more business and improve its Net Promoter Score. He set about changing the CEO’s mind by connecting design to different parts of the business.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;2. Another initiative has been to loosen the ties of the design HQ in Eindhoven over the seven regional design studios. Not only are they closer to regional preferences and trends but are also better plugged into specialist technology and industry clusters. Carney is giving them more autonomy and coaxing them to take the lead in more initiatives.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;3. At an executional level, he has also relaxed Philips’s brand guidelines to be more sensitive to regional and category contexts. Effective design languages hit the sweet spot between engaging consumers, expressing brand values, and being aware of category conventions.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Carney now has a story to tell that should soften his CEO’s skepticism. Two years after launch, the Philips Fidelio range of music docks recently displaced Bose from top spot in the European market. This feat was achieved in a category that both Apple and Sony have failed in. It’s also safe to say that few consumers would have associated the Philips’ brand with audio credentials before the launch of the first model in 2010. However, the docks have picked up hi-fi and design awards, thanks to careful finishes and intuitive UI details. More importantly, it’s selling. And it may not be a one-hit wonder, having been joined recently by the retro L1 headphones, which have garnered good reviews.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/23275602085</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/23275602085</guid><pubDate>Thu, 17 May 2012 21:30:00 -0700</pubDate><category>san francisco branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>Branding</category></item><item><title>Starbucks store rebranding</title><description>&lt;p&gt;Located in the former vault of a historic bank on Rembrandtplein, the new shop will be a showcase for sustainable interior design and slow coffee brewing, with small-batch reserve coffees and Europe’s first-ever Clover, a high-end machine that brews one cup at a time. &lt;!-- more --&gt;But the most radical departure is in the aesthetic: the multilevel space is awash in recycled and local materials; walls are lined with antique Delft tiles, bicycle inner tubes, and wooden gingerbread molds; repurposed Dutch oak was used to make benches, tables, and the undulating ceiling relief consisting of 1,876 pieces of individually sawn blocks.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The Dutch-born Liz Muller, Starbucks concept design director, commissioned more than 35 artists and craftsmen to add their quirky touches to the 4,500-square-foot space. The designers took great care to retain some of the building’s original details, such as the 1920s marble floor and the vault’s exposed concrete. But while the design respects the bank’s architectural history, the store’s overall look approaches that of a theater, with the baristas visible from every vantage point of the multi-tiered spaces (which also cameo as stages for local bands, poetry readings, and other cultural events). The coffeehouse will also use social media to communicate relevant moments throughout the day&amp;#8212;for example, by sending out a tweet when warm cookies roll out of its in-house bakery. The concepts that go over well in Amsterdam will find their way to other stores across Europe. They may even filter into the highly individualized local concept stores that Starbucks has been stealthily opening in the United States, including one made from shipping containers outside of Seattle.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/22693952685</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/22693952685</guid><pubDate>Tue, 08 May 2012 19:28:00 -0700</pubDate><category>Branding</category><category>san francisco branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>xs</category></item><item><title>Starbucks Amsterdam - Reinventing the BrandA new coffeehouse in...</title><description>&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2k0iglyYf1r18q5no1_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2k0iglyYf1r18q5no2_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2k0iglyYf1r18q5no3_r1_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Starbucks Amsterdam - Reinventing the Brand&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;A new coffeehouse in Amsterdam will be the testing ground for ideas that will find their way to the rest of Europe.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Starbucks is known for its unwavering consistency, from its unoffensively homey store décor to its burnt-coffee smell. But this Thursday, the brand that normalized the $4 latte is opening an experimental concept store in Amsterdam that offers a glimpse of the Starbucks of the future—at least in Europe.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/22693458977</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/22693458977</guid><pubDate>Tue, 08 May 2012 19:21:00 -0700</pubDate><category>branding</category><category>branding design</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>san francisco branding design firm</category><category>xl</category></item><item><title>Emo: Hug stool
The weathered-teak construction of the Hug stool...</title><description>&lt;img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m34ljdOoVb1r18q5no1_400.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;h4&gt;Emo: Hug stool&lt;/h4&gt;
&lt;p&gt;The weathered-teak construction of the Hug stool adds a touch of rugged nature to interior environments. A colorful rope attached to the block facilitates moving the piece to another spot or from room to room. Measuring 12 inches square by 16½ inches high, Hug also can be a fun side table.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/22233136502</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/22233136502</guid><pubDate>Tue, 01 May 2012 18:27:38 -0700</pubDate><category>product design</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>san francisco branding design firm</category><category>xs</category></item><item><title>Dick Clark’s Flintstone house in Malibu, CA
Perched on...</title><description>&lt;img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2v5u0BAev1r18q5no1_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2v5u0BAev1r18q5no2_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2v5u0BAev1r18q5no3_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2v5u0BAev1r18q5no4_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Dick Clark’s Flintstone house in Malibu, CA&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Perched on some 23 acres atop a mountain overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the house even had the faux-Stone Age furniture to match: rough-hewn chairs with rawhide-style seat backs around a table that looks like an ice floe and kitchen fixtures that may or may not have been carved from a huge slab of sedimentary rock. The one-bedroom house went on the market earlier this year for $3.5 million.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/21902683999</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/21902683999</guid><pubDate>Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:08:00 -0700</pubDate><category>cool house</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>san francisco branding design firm</category></item><item><title>Check out new Starbucks store made out of shipping containers...</title><description>&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2k7gl1YpP1r18q5no1_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2k7gl1YpP1r18q5no2_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check out new Starbucks store made out of shipping containers outside of Seattle. What a brand designers and architects love to work for!&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/21688435336</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/21688435336</guid><pubDate>Mon, 23 Apr 2012 18:37:00 -0700</pubDate><category>Branding</category><category>Branding design</category><category>branding design firm</category><category>san francisco branding design firm</category><category>xs</category></item><item><title>McDonald concept store in Paris
In the battle between José Bové,...</title><description>&lt;img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2ka0jxjq81r18q5no1_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2ka0jxjq81r18q5no2_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;McDonald concept store in Paris&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;In the battle between José Bové, the French antiglobalism activist, and his bête noire, McDonald’s, there’s no question that the fast-food giant emerged victorious. Today, France has effectively declared its love for Le Big Mac, becoming the No. 2 McDonald’s consumer in the world. To be fair, McDo—as the French call it—has changed things up to woo discerning customers: It sources most of its ingredients from French farmers and recently introduced 130 McCafés featuring espresso and pastries (we’re talking &lt;em&gt;macarons&lt;/em&gt; here, not deep-fried apple pies). And now, it’s even classing up its interiors, with the help of Paris-based designer &lt;a href="http://www.patricknorguet.com/" target="_blank"&gt;Patrick Norguet&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/21532055702</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/21532055702</guid><pubDate>Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:35:00 -0700</pubDate><category>Branding design</category><category>branding design firm</category><category>san francisco branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category></item><item><title>From a dimly lit warehouse to $1 billion - The Instagram story</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2nlb47Oiv1qlkas5.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Past midnight, in a dimly lighted warehouse jutting into the San Francisco Bay, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger introduced something they had been working on for weeks: a photo-sharing iPhone application called Instagram. What happened next was crazier than they could have imagined.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;In a matter of hours, thousands downloaded it. The computer systems handling the photos kept crashing. Neither of them knew what to do. “Who’s, like, the smartest person I know who I can call up?” Mr. Systrom remembered thinking. He scrolled through his phone and found his man: Adam D’Angelo, a former chief technology officer at Facebook. They had met at a party seven years earlier, over beers in red plastic cups, at the Sigma Nu fraternity at Stanford University. That night in October 2010, Mr. D’Angelo became Instagram’s lifeline.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;!-- more --&gt;&lt;br/&gt;“Adam spent like 30 minutes on the phone with us,” Mr. Systrom recalled, “walking us through the basic things we needed to do to get back up.” Mr. Systrom, now 29, offered this as a parable for the roomful of would-be entrepreneurs who came to hear him talk at Stanford last spring: in the intensely competitive start-up scene here, success is as much about who you know as what you know. “Make sure to spend some time after the talk getting to know the people around you,” he told his audience. Those people, he might have added, might one day shape your destiny. They might one day press money into your palm. They might nudge you to quit your day job and gamble on a vague idea. This week, barely 18 months after that night in the warehouse, Instagram was scooped up by Facebook for $1 billion, turning Mr. Systrom, Mr. Krieger and several of their friends-turned-investors into multimillionaires.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The extraordinary success of Instagram is a tale about the culture of the Bay Area tech scene, driven by a tightly woven web of entrepreneurs and investors who nurture one another’s projects with money, advice and introductions to the right people. By and large, it is a network of young men, many who attended Stanford and had the attention of the world’s biggest venture capitalists before they even left campus. Among this set, risk-taking is regarded as a badge of honor. Ideas are disposable: if one doesn’t work, you quickly move on to another. Timing matters. You make your own luck. “There is some serendipity for entrepreneurs, but the people who are the rainmakers are the ones who entrepreneurs need to meet in order to make those connections that lead to success,” said Ted Zoller, a senior fellow at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation who studies economic development around entrepreneurship. “The social ties that you make are directly correlated to success.”&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;For Mr. Systrom, the connections forged at Stanford were crucial.&lt;br/&gt;Mr. D’Angelo, a 2006 graduate of the California Institute of Technology, helped him find engineers, set up databases and flesh out features. Soon after Instagram came out of the box, he put his money into it. So did Jack Dorsey, 35, a founder of Twitter; Mr. Systrom had been an intern at the company that became Twitter. A colleague at Google, where Mr. Systrom worked straight out of college, introduced him to Marc Andreessen, a venture capitalist who had already invested millions in Facebook. In the spring of 2010, even before Instagram was born, Mr. Andreessen wrote him a check for $250,000.&lt;br/&gt;The hothouse for many of these vital connections was a competitive work-study program for budding entrepreneurs called the Mayfield Fellowship Program. Mr. Systrom was a 2005 fellow; Mr. Krieger followed two years later. It was equally important in putting the two men in direct contact with new, hot start-ups in the Bay Area, along with venture capitalists looking to seed newer, hotter start-ups.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;“There’s ample opportunity to meet V.C.’s and make connections,” recalled Becky Neil, who was in the Mayfield program with Mr. Systrom in 2005. “We treat them as our peers.” (Mr. Systrom and Mr. Krieger declined to comment for this article, citing regulatory restrictions in advance of Facebook’s public offering.) Mr. Systrom grew up in a Boston suburb and attended the Middlesex School, a private academy in Concord, Mass., with 375 students and nearly that many acres.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;In 2002 he enrolled at Stanford, majoring in management science and engineering, a program created for those who wanted to be knee-deep in the business world. He joined the Sigma Nu fraternity, which, as Ms. Neil recalled, was known for its relatively tame parties, the kind that didn’t end with anyone being rushed to the hospital. They were promoted with music videos, some of which feature an impish Mr. Systrom.&lt;br/&gt;His peers recall Mr. Systrom as having an eye for photography and design, with class presentations that were among the most beautiful. He was naturally gregarious and also keen to be an entrepreneur. He briefly ran a Craigslist-type marketplace catering to Stanford students. As early as 2005, recalled one classmate, Alex Gurevich, Mr. Systrom had his eyes on mobile phones as the wave of the future.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Mr. Systrom wasn’t quite ready to break out on his own.&lt;br/&gt;After graduation, he went to work for Google in neighboring Mountain View. By the standards of his peers, it was considered a good and safe job, though not terribly cool. And he joined years after Google went public, which was too late to make a windfall. He lasted there less than three years and moved on to Nextstop, a travel recommendation site that was founded by former colleagues at Google and was eventually acquired by Facebook. But Mr. Systrom, as Mr. Gurevich recalled, was “antsy.” He had made enough investor contacts from his Stanford days, and by early 2010, he had a germ of a business idea.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;His big break, if there was one, came at a party at the Madrone Art Bar in January 2010, with a start-up called Hunch as the host. There he met Steve Anderson, 44, founder of Baseline Ventures and an experienced investor who had by then banked on Twitter. Mr. Systrom pulled out his iPhone and showed him something he was building, called Burbn after his liquor of choice. As Mr. Anderson recalled it, Mr. Systrom had a prototype and a vague idea. He wanted to build a service that let people share their location with friends, like the popular app Foursquare, with some photo tools attached to it. He was testing the prototype with friends.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;“We knew mobile was going to be important, and we knew there was an opportunity to create compelling experiences for mobile devices,” Mr. Anderson remembered of their initial conversations. “But we didn’t know a heck of a lot more than that.” Mr. Anderson worried about one thing: the echo chamber that can plague a one-person start-up. He suggested that Mr. Systrom find a business partner. Mr. Systrom agreed. Within days, Mr. Anderson wired $250,000 to a newly hatched company, set up by a lawyer whom he had recommended to Mr. Systrom. Mr. Andreessen would soon add $250,000 from his firm. Mr. Systrom could then quit his day job.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;His search for a partner naturally led him to the Mayfield network and to Mr. Krieger, an immigrant from Brazil known as Mikey and, in Mr. Gurevich’s words, “a stud engineer.”&lt;br/&gt;Mr. Krieger brought different skills. He had majored in symbolic systems, an interdisciplinary program that blends coding with psychology, linguistics and philosophy. One of Mr. Krieger’s projects, as his professor Clifford Nass recalled, was to design a computer interface to gauge human emotion. “He clearly was very interested and thoughtful about psychology,” Mr. Nass said. “You see that in Instagram. It’s not a technology triumph. It’s a design and psychology triumph.”&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The two men began working out of Dogpatch Labs, housed in an old pier, with fishing nets on the walls and long tables that functioned as shared office space for aspiring tech companies. Julian Green, who briefly worked out of Dogpatch, recalled that the two men were unusually obsessed with design detail. Once, he said, they spent two hours perfecting the rounded corners of the app’s icons.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;One of the crucial lessons of Instagram is that its founders did not spend a lot of time fussing over their original idea. Soon after they started working together in March 2010, Mr. Krieger and Mr. Systrom decided that Burbn would not work. It had too many features. It was too close to what Foursquare was already doing. They quickly moved on — pivoted, in Silicon Valley jargon. They decided that photos, popular with Burbn users, would be front and center.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The release of the iPhone 4 gave them a perfect hook: it had a high-performing camera and could display higher-resolution images. Users could take a picture, tweak it, write a caption and send it out to the world. They gave it a new name: Instagram.&lt;br/&gt;“We renamed because we felt it better captured what you were doing — an instant telegram of sorts,” Mr. Systrom wrote on Quora, a question-and-answer site that his friend Mr. D’Angelo had started. “It also sounded camera-y.”&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The men worked into the wee hours on Oct. 6, 2010, to get Instagram up and running. At 4 a.m. Mr. Systrom wrote on his Twitter feed, “Well there goes that night of sleep.”&lt;br/&gt;Rob Abbott, one of the advisers at Dogpatch Labs, who was keeping them company that night, said, “I remember them just sitting side by side, phones all over the desk, and cans of Red Bull.”&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Instagram took off like a rocket, in part because Mr. Systrom had whipped up demand. As he explained in an interview with the Internet television network Revision3 in January, Mr. Systrom let some influential technology bloggers and contacts, like Mr. Dorsey of Twitter, try a test version of the app before its official release. Soon Mr. Dorsey was using it to send photos to his Twitter followers, and word spread. But the frenzy was as much blessing as curse. The heavy load prompted an all-night effort to switch to Amazon.com’s rent-a-server service, which made it easy to add capacity to keep up with growth.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Mr. Systrom and Mr. Krieger soon took to carrying MacBook Airs and wireless cards everywhere. If there were glitches, they could quickly get online and troubleshoot. “Which happened a lot, due to the influx of traffic,” Mr. Abbott said. From 25,000 users in the first 24 hours, Instagram grew to 300,000 by Week 3, and then into the tens of millions.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;With its quirky borders and filters that gave photos extra punch or a nostalgic glow, it tugged at heart and soul. Celebrities got on board, including the pop star Justin Bieber last July. On Twitter, he posted an Instagram photo of traffic in Los Angeles. Teenage girls screamed — and then checked out Instagram. An Android version of the app, released this month, brought in one million people in its first 24 hours.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The founders kept their team lean, adding just 11 people since the app’s initial release, including several Stanford graduates. Investors lined up at the door. Benchmark Capital, whose partners Mr. Systrom had met while in college, led an investment round of $7 million in February 2010. Mr. Dorsey and Mr. D’Angelo joined in. Last week came a second round of financing that valued the company at $500 million. Mr. Systrom told associates in recent months that he was not interested in selling.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Then Mark Zuckerberg called.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;When he and Mr. Systrom talked last Friday, Mr. Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief, was blunt: Facebook wanted to buy Instagram. Over the next 48 hours, the two companies hammered out the details for a $1 billion cash-and-stock deal, according to people with knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the discussions were private.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;To toast the occasion, Mr. Zuckerberg wrote a lengthy post on his personal Facebook page, calling the transaction an “important milestone” for the company, which has been eager to get a stronger foothold in mobile apps. The deal, and the speed with which it came together, implies that Mr. Zuckerberg saw Instagram’s meteoric rise as a potential threat, whether as a stand-alone service or in the hands of one of its rivals like Google or Twitter. A Facebook spokeswoman declined to comment.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Mr. Systrom did not end up beating Foursquare. As it happened, he and Dennis Crowley, one of Foursquare’s founders, grew up in neighboring towns in Massachusetts. Over Christmas break two years ago they met at a local pub. Last month they met up on a business trip to London, where they met the prime minister, and decided to take a short vacation to Scotland together, complete with Scotch tasting.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Mr. Systrom may have lost one connection in the deal: Mr. Dorsey of Twitter. His company, according to several people briefed on the matter, had expressed interest in buying Instagram in recent months. Mr. Dorsey once used Instagram daily to send photos to Twitter, but he has not been back since the deal was announced, perhaps a sign that he is not happy to see it in the hands of a competitor. A Twitter spokeswoman declined to comment.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The Instagram team showed up at Facebook this week, as documented by a Facebook vice president on — where else — Instagram. Whether Mr. Systrom will stay there for long is anyone’s guess. With a public offering imminent, there is the risk that Facebook may soon become what Google was — a safe place to be, but not terribly cool. And Mr. Systrom may again get antsy.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;em&gt;This story originally appeared in &lt;a href="http://www.newyorktimes.com" target="_blank"&gt;The New York Times&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;em&gt;By: Somini Sengupta, Nicole Perlroth, and Jenna Wortham&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/21355176306</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/21355176306</guid><pubDate>Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:58:46 -0700</pubDate><category>branding</category><category>branding design firm</category><category>san francisco branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>xs</category></item><item><title>Another angle on waffle. A new mold to make a Popsiwaffle.
Like...</title><description>&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2e86jOT0M1r18q5no1_400.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;Another angle on waffle. &lt;br/&gt;A new mold to make a Popsiwaffle.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/20997022966</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/20997022966</guid><pubDate>Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:03:53 -0700</pubDate><category>branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>xs</category></item><item><title>Ultra cool Japanese Starbucks storeThe store, by Kengo Kuma, is...</title><description>&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2ai1o6ghm1r18q5no1_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; starbucks store branding&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2ai1o6ghm1r18q5no4_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; starbucks store branding&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Ultra cool Japanese Starbucks store&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The store, by Kengo Kuma, is evidence that the coffee giant is becoming more aware of cultural differences. Starbucks recently commissioned starchitect &lt;a href="http://kkaa.co.jp/" target="_blank"&gt;Kengo Kuma&lt;/a&gt; to design an outpost in Dazaifu, a small city in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture, that, with walls covered in a matrix of wood planks, is a striking departure from the company’s typical interiors. Earlier this year, it opened an experimental shop in Amsterdam. And according to &lt;em&gt;The New York Times&lt;/em&gt;, Starbucks is investing millions in making over hundreds of its stores in France to appeal to coffee aficionados who favor the personalized atmosphere of cafés. The Starbucks in Dazaifu is an outgrowth of the architect’s fondness for natural materials. More than 2,000 wooden batons line the 2,260-square-foot shop, creating a loosely woven lattice that extends beyond the storefront’s edge. A few signs are the only outward indicators of the &lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/metalcc/www/branding1.html" title="metal branding portfolio" target="_blank"&gt;brand&lt;/a&gt;. According to Kengo Kuma and Associates, the design is meant to blend with the other buildings along the road to Dazaifu Tenmangu, Fukuoka’s most famous shrine, dedicated to the god of learning.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/20874681152</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/20874681152</guid><pubDate>Tue, 10 Apr 2012 17:46:00 -0700</pubDate><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>branding design firm</category><category>Branding design</category><category>Branding</category></item><item><title>A nice day of camping on the cliff. You should try it sometime....</title><description>&lt;img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m214hkErQ11r18q5no1_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;A nice day of camping on the cliff. &lt;br/&gt;You should try it sometime. May help firing up your &lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/metalcc/www/branding1.html" title="metal branding portfolio" target="_blank"&gt;creativity.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/20552814893</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/20552814893</guid><pubDate>Thu, 05 Apr 2012 16:12:00 -0700</pubDate><category>Branding design</category><category>branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category></item><item><title>Analyst says IPhone 5 was Steve Jobs’ last project;...</title><description>&lt;img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1kofiQq0L1r18q5no1_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; IPhone 5 concept photo&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m1kofiQq0L1r18q5no2_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; IPhone 5 concept photo&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt; &lt;p&gt;Analyst says IPhone 5 was Steve Jobs’ last project; expected to be released this summer. If the story that Jobs headed iPhone 5 production sticks (and we’re sure it will), the device is likely to reach iconic status by the time it’s released. We’ve also heard that the iPhone 5 will sport a completely overhaul and new design with full 4.6” display. Gonna be a knock out.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/20042442702</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/20042442702</guid><pubDate>Tue, 27 Mar 2012 19:07:00 -0700</pubDate><category>branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>xs</category></item><item><title>More traffic at Pinterest</title><description>&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pinterest Drives More Traffic Than Google+, YouTube and LinkedIn Combined&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href="http://pinterest.com" target="_blank"&gt;Pinterest&lt;/a&gt;, the darling digital pin board that’s turned the social media world upside down, is now a top traffic driver for brands. That’s a good sign marketers should get their strategies up to speed.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;You’re probably not surprised that 87% of Pinterest users are women. However, you may not realize that the site has a significant age range, with 80% of users fairly evenly distributed between 25 to 54. If you haven’t caught the Pinterest bug yet, be assured many others have. According to a &lt;a href="http://www.comscore.com/Press_Events/Press_Releases/2012/2/comScore_Media_Metrix_Ranks_Top_50_U.S._Web_Properties_for_January_2012" target="_blank"&gt;comScore&lt;/a&gt; report, it was the fastest standalone site in history to pass the 10 million users mark.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0dsxm1jey1qlkas5.jpg"/&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/19849960995</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/19849960995</guid><pubDate>Sat, 24 Mar 2012 12:59:00 -0700</pubDate><category>online marketing</category><category>Branding</category><category>branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>xs</category></item><item><title>Thought you might like to know that the book,...</title><description>&lt;img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m19iyf9BRl1r18q5no1_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;Thought you might like to know that the book, “Understanding Women” is now out in paperback.&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/19710521369</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/19710521369</guid><pubDate>Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:36:07 -0700</pubDate><category>xs</category><category>humor</category></item><item><title>Check this out. Dining Pod @ Soneva Kiri, Thailand</title><description>&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0unrwRQZh1r18q5no1_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;Check this out. &lt;br/&gt;Dining Pod @ Soneva Kiri, Thailand&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/19264734408</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/19264734408</guid><pubDate>Tue, 13 Mar 2012 17:52:44 -0700</pubDate><category>branding</category><category>Branding design</category><category>branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category></item><item><title>Freelancing is not easy.
Let’s get one thing straight:...</title><description>&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0dreas9KZ1r18q5no1_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Freelancing is not easy.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Let’s get one thing straight: Freelancing is not easy. While it  offers fantastic benefits — flexible hours, more control and creative  independence — there are still plenty of risks involved with striking  out on your own and running your own business. And while the economy  struggles to recover, freelancing poses pitfalls.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;According to the infographic above, compiled with information from &lt;a href="http://www.mastersdegree.net/" target="_blank"&gt;MastersDegree.net&lt;/a&gt;,  a surprising 80% of freelancers have dealt with a client who ultimately  didn’t pay for work that was completed. Average losses totaled $6,000 —  quite a hefty chunk of change to lose.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/18750963275</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/18750963275</guid><pubDate>Sun, 04 Mar 2012 13:55:00 -0800</pubDate><category>freelancing</category><category>marketing</category><category>san francisco branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>xs</category></item><item><title>A remote controlled book for BMW… designed by Sagmeister.</title><description>&lt;img src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m04xks2yrN1r18q5no1_250.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;A remote controlled book for BMW… designed by Sagmeister.&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/18476693707</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/18476693707</guid><pubDate>Tue, 28 Feb 2012 19:26:00 -0800</pubDate><category>branding</category><category>san francisco branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>xs</category></item><item><title>Personal branding is important for small business</title><description>&lt;p&gt;You’ve heard a million times that most small businesses fail after the first or second year. So what happens to an entrepreneur when their business is gone? The answer is that they are taken down with their company unless they’ve built their own brand simultaneously while operating their business. A personal brand can always be leveraged by an entrepreneur to regain momentum, capture attention and even start a new business faster than their previous one. &lt;!-- more --&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;Look at major entrepreneurs, such as Meg Whitman, Bill Gates, Tony Hsieh and Donald Trump. Even Carol Bartz, the former CEO of Yahoo!, built a strong brand before her departure. (Everyone knows who she is—for better or worse.) Bottom line, you’re familiar with them and they have a sense of credibility and prestige that you trust and respect. They’ve found ways to use their personality, showmanship and intelligence to their advantage. As an entrepreneur, you too need to build a &lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/metalcc/www/branding1.html" title="metal branding portfolio" target="_blank"&gt;brand&lt;/a&gt; if you want a long-term career as a business owner.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brand yourself to attract attention&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The media is always interested in hearing stories from entrepreneurs who are in different stages of business creation and development. From MSNBC to a small business blog, as an entrepreneur you can be a media source for a number of outlets across a variety of different media. In order to achieve this, you need to become an expert in something that relates to your company. For instance, if you start a social network for baby boomers, you can become a generational expert, or if you own a few McDonalds franchises, you can become a franchise expert. You can become an expert in any industry, with any type of business, and it will only work in your favor if you do.&lt;br/&gt;Any time you’re interviewed by the media, you will have the opportunity to cite your company. For instance, if you’re quoted in The Huffington Post, it might read “Jon Smith, CEO, XZY Company.” Therefore, when you receive press mentions, so will your company. The more you do this, the more well-known you will become, which will transfer to your company becoming more successful.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brand yourself by creating a website&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;When people go to search for you, what comes up? If you haven’t built a website for yourself, then other people will control your brand. If you receive negative press, it might appear first for your name in a Google search. You need to create a website under your full name (yourfullname.com) so that you know what people will find when they search for you and you can be proud of it. You would be surprised how many people search for my name as a way to learn more about my business. Give people multiple ways to learn about you and your company.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;Your website should promote and link back to your corporate website. It should have links to your social network profiles, a professional headshot, press links, articles you’ve written, a bio and depict you as an expert in your field. This way, if an event planner is interested in having you speak, or if someone is looking to interview you for a story, they have all the assets they need.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Brand yourself by associating with larger brands&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br/&gt;The best way to get famous is to align yourself to famous or better known brands. For your company, this means to partner with larger companies to deliver higher value to the end consumer. For yourself, this means to interview famous people in your industry, create an event and get successful keynote speakers, and network as hard as you can. Find ways where you can create meaningful two way relationships with successful people and always give first. By associating yourself with big brands, both you and your company will start to gain more attention, which will drive revenues.&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;br/&gt;by Dan Schawbel&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/18144730763</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/18144730763</guid><pubDate>Thu, 23 Feb 2012 12:50:42 -0800</pubDate><category>branding</category><category>branding design firm</category><category>san francisco branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>xs</category></item><item><title>Luminarie De Cagna by Cagna Illuminations @ Festival of Lights...</title><description>&lt;img src="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz91pipUIf1r18q5no1_500.jpg"/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;br/&gt;&lt;p&gt;Luminarie De Cagna by Cagna Illuminations @ Festival of Lights Ghent&lt;br/&gt;55,000 LEDs lit up a cathedral&lt;/p&gt;
&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;Like&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;my facebook page to read more and get new updates.&lt;a href="http://www.peatjariya.com/" title="design@metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Design @ Metal&lt;/a&gt; is about design, business, technology, social media, inspiration.&lt;a href="http://www.metal.cc/" title="metal" target="_blank"&gt;&lt;br/&gt; Metal&lt;/a&gt; is a &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;strategic &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;multidisciplined design firm in beautiful San Francisco.&lt;br/&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="http://www.facebook.com/Metal.designfirm" title="Metal Facebook page" target="_blank"&gt;like&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="http://www.twitter.com/peatjariya" title="peat jariya" target="_blank"&gt;follow&lt;/a&gt; | &lt;a href="mailto:peat@metal.cc" title="hire me" target="_blank"&gt;hire&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description><link>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/17841803347</link><guid>http://www.peatjariya.com/post/17841803347</guid><pubDate>Sat, 18 Feb 2012 13:14:26 -0800</pubDate><category>Branding design</category><category>branding design firm</category><category>san francisco design firm</category><category>san francisco branding design firm</category></item></channel></rss>

