Needmore Notes
Annie Leibovitz in Portland
We are looking forward to joining our friend at Literary Arts this evening for a talk by Annie Leibovitz. Annie has an incredible talent for capturing epic stories in her provocative photographs. Who doesn’t remember this image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, taken hours before his death, or the famous picture of a nude, pregnant Demi Moore?
This past week, Annie’s work with the Queen was documented in the PBS series Monarchy (which I’ll freely admit an unnatural fascination with).
Take a peek at Annie behind the scenes shooting her image of Queen Elizabeth.
I love how she asks if she can shoot the Queen atop a white horse in the middle of the palace and, when that is shot down, convinces her to take off her crown for most of the shoot.
If you were lucky enough to score tickets to tonight’s sold out event, keep an eye out for us and say hello!
No More Growing Pains
Last year, we went away on our inaugural Needmore partner summit, now a yearly December event at the Grand Lodge, and came away with the unanticipated goal of not growing the business at all over the year. Instead, we decided to focus on a small number of projects we were passionate about and focus on each opportunity to create a remarkable website. Must have been something in the water!
Without the pressure to produce more, we were focused and inspired throughout the year and even carved out time to head overseas and soak in design inspiration. Funny thing happened over the year, though – while we were focusing on staying lean and creative, we actually did end up growing the business more than we had originally anticipated. This growth happened organically and was easier to absorb into our routine.
This year, with our December summit just around the corner, we are again talking about the benefit of not growing the business over the course of next year. We’ve noticed the benefit to the quality of our sites and to our personal work/life balance as positives in this focus.
Entermodal: Treats and Sample Sale!
Entermodal is having their annual Sample Sale (prices 50 to 70% off retail), along with some warm winter drinks and treats tonight from 4-8pm. Since last year, they have released 2 larger collections, so this year’s sample selection will be fairly expansive: wallets, flip cases, messenger bags, women’s bags (I can’t quite bear to call them purses) and even some new doctor’s bags that are part of their travel collection. If not for a purchase of your own, stop in for a peak at their new, Spring 09 collection!
We also enjoyed Entermodal’s write-up in a modern bag search by Portland’s own makool loves you. Our vote is squarely with Entermodal!
Needmore Studio for Lease
We are in the process of relocating our home and studio and are looking for a loving occupant for our current studio – a classic, beautiful, newly renovated office space in the historic Olympic Mills Commerce Center (see recent write-up of building)! We’ve had a fabulous time here; this is a nice building with lots of interesting and creative folks. The space gets great light in the morning and the window has a nice view of a common area.
Location: 107 SE Washington, Suite 265 Portland Oregon 97214 (view map)
Download flyer to hear more (or keep reading).
What Change Looks Like
A visual tour through how the press reported Barack Obama’s US election victory in this historic election.
Get Naked
We just wrapped up production on our submission for Do Something for a Cause, a calendar fundraiser featuring Portland media/tech folks baring their flesh to bring community awareness and raise funds for local charities and educational groups. This year’s recipients include p:ear and girls inc, among others. I know they are still looking for a couple more participants and sponsors, so please do let them know if you’d be interested in helping out!
Although the calendars aren’t up until 2010, you can pre-order now.
Amy Tavern Trunk Show
Amy Tavern is returning to Portland tonight for a trunk show at Seaplane from 7 to 10 pm (learn more). Amy has been a client of Neemore’s for the last few years and, in that time, we have become rabid collectors of her work. We’re looking forward to seeing new steel and gold pieces (as well as one of a kinds) tonight!
We’ll be Right Back
We’ll be out of the studio today through Tuesday, October 21st. In the meantime, take a gander of what we’ve been up to lately.
And, although we’ll be sad to miss the event, do consider stopping by this Friday’s opening of Saraveza - home of American craft beers, Belgian ales and delicious traditional Cornish pasties. Yum! We had a blast working on a simple one-page website for them over the last week and are looking forward to a visit on our return.
The Stumptown Redesign, Part Three
This is day three of writing about our experiences redesigning the Stumptown Coffee Roasters website. This is a description of “round two” of our site mockups, and some of the thought process behind them.
The Stumptown Redesign, Part Two
This is day two of writing about our experiences redesigning the Stumptown Coffee Roasters website. This is a description of “round one” of our site mockups, and some of the thought process behind them.
