>Happy October. We've played some tricks with the First Tuesday look this month. Much thanks to Lyric and David for the treat. Enjoy this month's combination of balance, experience and rhythm.

>I tend to go overboard at times.

Some people approach life with moderation, but my passion for living gets me deeply involved in wherever my focus lands. It could be a new branding project, a concert, a dinner party, operational processes to improve our studio. My modus operandi results in total immersion, and could be one of the secrets to my success. But I’m finding the need for balance.

>Seeking a balanced life is nothing new; it’s been the subject of philosophers, theologists, therapists and acrobats for centuries. But although I try to consciously achieve balance, it comes naturally when I feel relaxed. The truth for me is that balance isn’t something I have to do, it’s the simple result of the way that I am.

Physical balance requires both relaxation and skill. Gymnasts know that their best performances happen when their training becomes subconscious, and their actions become effortless. Balance is something you do, and don't do, at the same time. If that sounds impossible, then it requires a new way of understand what's possible in the first place.

For now, I’m still learning to walk that tightrope. It might be a bit precarious, but the unobstructed view of everything around me is spectacular.

Happy First Tuesday. Happy Fall.

//Jamie

>Your online lifestyle is changing your offline life.

The explosion of social-media communications, combined with mobile technology, has created extraordinary circumstance that are impacting how we make our choices. As you consider your brand, it is particularly important to be aware of what’s going on, and make sense of the new mindset that is prevalent, especially among millennials.

Life at the pace of now.

Digital communications provide a level immediacy that’s never before been available. New pervasive, easy-to-use, widely adopted apps have enabled everyone to become a broadcaster. Within my social circles, I get immediate access to what’s going in the new digital world. In many ways, it’s brings us closer together by sharing the experiences we have in daily life: a picture, a place, an event. Will it eliminate the need to interact with these same people face to face?

Consider the release of movies on videotape. At that time, theater owners were concerned that with the ability for people to have more convenient access to films, going out to a movie was going to be obsolete. Why go the the theater when you can view it at home? But with the subsequent technological improvements to DVD and now streaming, it clear that people still want to go out to see movies. Popcorn. Curtain. Audience. These are part of the offline experience that cannot be duplicated any other way.

It’s all a matter of time.

There’s a fundamental constraint on this system: time. While the options are increasing, our time isn’t. Yes, ease of access is helping us be more efficient so we can do a little more with the time we have. But as the options increase, both online and offline, we are forced to make a choice. It’s simply not possible to do it all. And this is what brings us to branding.

Given our time constraints and need for digital-analog balance, consumers need ways to simplify the selection process. Branding provides a framework for clearly expressing your story through visual and experiential communications. When a great brand resonates with you, it’s usually the result of how you feel about it— your experience of the brand. Engineering a predictable feeling is the core of the branding process.

By understanding the interconnection between digital and analog experiences, the role of brands are becoming clear. Branding is more understood as a valuable tool for building value, and enabling consumers to discover, experience and love what they choose.

Where are we heading? I see increased demand for experiential brands that help provide balance by taking us into craft and culture. Like watching YouTube, our experiences in shopping, dining and hanging-out need to provide that same sense of discovery and surprise.

Next month we'll explore the role of retail in terms of these concepts. Until then, enjoy something pumpkin spiced— this year's choices for that experience have also expanded.

An eclectic collection of 58 apartment buildings in New York City, Kings & Queens is a portfolio owned byLeFrak Organization. For their 2015 marketing efforts, FLUX Branding was engaged to find a unifying theme and visual language that represented the whole collection.

After a briefIgnite Session to uncover the unique principles that differential these buildings, we discovered the true fascination was in the 19 neighborhoods that people who live there call home. By celebrating the pride in the places people call home, where were able to develop a playful and artisanal design that quickly engages the market and positions the collection.

Singing Songstress | Writer | Dreamer | Magicmaker | Artist | All Love