…to people who are driven by a purpose beyond making money.
And who believe in the power of creativity.
We help them:
- Find and define their purpose,.
- Find their tribe,
- Find their unique story
- Find new, more compelling ways to tell their story,
- Find their future.
- Inspire their team.
We connect them with their tribes by transforming mere messages into powerful experiences through art — something emotional, inspirational, engaging, helpful, and worth sharing.
Above all, we inspire them to see things differently, think differently, and do things differently so they can be what only they can be.
And, as a result, make a unique difference for good in the world.
As a great man once said:
“However much we would like communications to be a science – because life would be simpler that way –the fact is it is not.
It is a subtle, ever-changing art, defying formalization, flowering on freshness and withering on imitation; where what was effective one day, for that very reason will not be effective the next, because it has lost the maximum impact of originality.
Finding out what to say is the beginning of the communications process. How you say it makes people look and listen and believe. And if you are not successful at that you have wasted all the work and intelligence and skill that went into discovering what you should say.
It’s not just what you say that stirs people, it’s the way that you say it.”
-Bill Bernbach
Gordon Hochhalter
head of all creation at art of it
creative consultant, speaker, writer,
purveyor of fine, inspiring experiences
I can hear him now.
“My friend, making a difference in the world beats the heck out of making a world of money.”
He said it all the time. To anyone who would listen.
But it took me a long time to learn that lesson. A long time spent making a lot of money for a lot of other people. Consulting with and creating branding and integrated communications for more than a hundred different clients.
My introduction to the world of creative aerialists and contortionist began when I decided to be a copywriter. It was a great way to learn how to overcome the gravity of conventions. And therefore see things from a different perspective.
But I quickly discovered that I couldn’t write well without first visualizing an idea.
That turned me into a writer/art director. Which was a pretty cool thing to be.
Except for one little glitch.
Nobody else thought that way. You were either a word person or a visual person. And so, I didn’t fit into the organizational silos and hierarchy of any traditional advertising agency on the face of the earth.
I would later come to understand that,
“These days you can create your own job, your own space, if you have a little talent and you’re brave enough to try.”
But back then, I responded by seeking solace on the client side with creative stints at Armstrong World Industries and RR Donnelley.
Twenty years later, I joined a design firm called Mobium. And together with a bunch of other scurvy revolutionaries, blew it up.
Proving, once again, that,
“Every act of creativity is first an act of destruction.”
What rose from these particular ashes was one of the first integrated marketing firms. But this one had a unique purpose. It was dedicated to redefining business branding. And in the process, creating a place where really smart people could concentrate on ideas instead of internal politics, departments, walls and turf.
I enjoyed all the reframing and reinventing so much I did it three more times. Reinventing Mobium as a integrated branding firm, then a change management branding firm and finally as a transformative branding firm.
As a result, Mobium was named one of the top three agencies in the country by Crain’s BtoB Magazine for five consecutive years.
And I was fortunate enough to be recognized by the publication’s Who’s Who in Business Marketing each year.
On several other occasions, the Business Marketing Association named Mobium Agency of the Year and Creative Team of the Year.
After all that creative destruction and rebuilding, I retired from Mobium.
But I couldn’t find anything worth blowing up this time.
So I started from scratch.
The idea was to make some good in the world instead of making a bunch of money for a bunch of corporations. And do it by inspiring people who want to change things.
But most important, do it armed with a new way of thinking about connecting with people in this message-saturated age.
Because, in case you haven’t noticed,
So I scratched up Art Of It. A creative consultancy dedicated to inspiring cause-driven people to create movements that change the world.
Along the way I discovered that,
“Empathy is what separates remarkable creative work from the simply serviceable.”
That little discovery earned my work more than 450 creative awards from the likes of the One Show, Clio, Art Directors Club, Addy, Andy, New York Festivals, ProComm, Telly, CEBA, B2, BtoB Best, International Titan, and Ace Awards.
Some of it can even be found in The Library of Congress, The AIGA Design Archives, and The University of Chicago Library.
And you can find me puncturing the status quo by consulting, writing, and speaking. I’ve authored seven little books and many articles in industry publications. They say I’ll blog at the drop of a hat. Heck, I don’t even need a hat to drop.
Because,
“In this day and age, we’re all publishers. Whether we like it or not.”
I’m also fond of polluting the minds of the young as a guest lecturer at the University of Chicago, Loyola University, DePaul University, University of Iowa and Northwestern University.
Who’s Who has recognized my unique ability to take credit for other people’s work by awarding me their lifetime achievement award.
But I’m most proud of being named as one of their top artists.
If you can relate to any of this little story, I’d like to talk with you.
Or you can get all the sloppy, stirring, heart-warming detail on LinkedIn
But only if you are living a life of absolute boredom and lonely solitude. Otherwise, you can make much better use of your time.
