don't be a doorknob.

Or do. I mean, what the hell?

And for the love of hummus and Christmas and everything good, maybe don't take everything I say so literally. Besides, we're talking hypothetical doorknobs anyway.

I'm feeling a little sentimental, so this go 'round we'll touch on inspiration and bliss. You want to love your brand, so when brainstorming, be sure to bring a few trinkets and baubles over from your private life into your design sessions. Is it a key? A snap shot? The saffron sash from the dress your Mother wore only on the most special of occasions?

Perhaps it's more of a feeling. If you're a linguist, it's a word. A musician, a song. Whatever it is, you'll know it when you see, hear, taste, smell... touch it. You'll identify with it. And that's exactly the ah-ha! moment we're looking for as we set out to create your brand identity.

For me, it's antique doorknobs, well loved paintbrushes, my 150 year old Chinese elm wood desk, my precious ebony and rose gold filigree Masonic ring... bits and pieces of mosaic glass, and my Grandma Chrissie's tattered Tiffany box.

"Heirloom," I've shared with our team. "When we create the new mark, I'd like it to look as though it's always, always been this way."

Perhaps this affinity stems from the fact that the agency is housed in a 120 year old year old Victorian home. Or, perhaps I set up shop here because I naturally identify with the structure. Either way, I must insist that the mark translates timelessly. I want to pass it down to my children, and to theirs too. I want it to be treated as though it were a treasure, because to me, even as an inkling, it already is.

I love my little company. From conception to development, OX & CO has been a true labor of love, but as the year turned, so did a page in my professional story. Though nowhere near a chapter's end, it's time to place emphasis on my personal passions. And yes, it's time to put my name on it, too. A. L. Neill Group is a division I've created to support fine artists. To offer not just great PR, but to curate for artists whose work I'm either already collecting, or intend to. You know, I got into this racket in the first place because I love working with truly gifted, creative folk. It would be my absolute pleasure to get the word out about the latest, the greatest, and the up-and-comers of the fine art world.

And believe me, I'll be lovin' every minute of it.