Bespoke Oddities

When creating his fictional businesses, events, etc., Mr. Blend oft begins with a humorously absurd business concept.

Other times, he combines two disparate products or services in order to create a humorous and even playfully-macabre brand experience.

Sundry Examples

• Coffee shoppe and mortuary—without a doubt, two entities that should never exist within the same business model;

• A classic photo studio—something you’d come across in a mall or super center—but with a distinctive and cheeky brand experience;

• Hot-air balloon rides that twirl people around to the point of either falling out or vomiting;

• A barber-and-butcher shoppe that uses the same tools for either service; and

• A sanctuary for sea monsters that also boasts a restaurant with harmless sea creatures on the menu.

He develops the illustrations using either individual stock woodcut illustrations or, he overlays multiple woodcuts and modifies them in order to create a new composite illustration.

And when he promotes a new noncommissioned poster on LinkedIn or elsewhere, he writes copy that behaves as if the business, event, etc. was real (below).

. . .

“NEED A BOLD pick-you-up? Look no further than the Grim & Ghastly Coffee Shoppe & Mortuary™!

“There is nary another purveyor of roasted beans that can serve a delicious cup of caffeine whilst attending to a corpse in need of proper attire—and with the same pair of hands, no less.

“So, start your morning right or prepare for the end in style with Grim & Ghastly!"

In 2020, an established copyeditor discussed a novel idea with Mr. Blend, something special for her clients.

Challenge • Erika M. Weinert, aka The Werd Nerd, wanted to play a fun prank on her audience for April Fools’ Day. Although she is a fantastic copyeditor, she wasn’t sure how that could be used to fool her audience.

Solution • Mr. Blend proposed an illustrated blogge article on her website that shared a supposed email sent to her by a client, in response to her telling him she was quitting her job and joining the circus.

To give the experience an added bit of realism, Mr. Blend created a nom de plume under which he wrote said article.

But to add a productive element to the experience—once the prank was revealed later in the article—he suggested including a wee bit of copy that talked about her expertise as a professional copyeditor, coupled with a call-to-action that sent interested readers to her portfolio.

Although the writing and illustration exist in her blogge, Mr. Blend became intensely curious as to how it could have looked as a print piece, in a newsletter or quarterly booklet, perhaps. And that is where the exhibit image came from (he even sent her a print of the illustration, for display in her home office).

Note: the work was created under a previous freelance moniker.

. . .

“... IT WAS ALL more than I could have hoped for! I can't even begin to describe my jubilation when I gazed upon the finished products [writing & illustration] ...” ~ Erika Weinert, freelance copyeditor, The Werd Nerd

Frederik Hviid is a seasoned designer with over twenty-five years of experience in branding & visual design.

He’s worked with organizations such as National Geographic, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, and the American Retirement Association (ARA). But one thing he cannot claim is being a writer.

Challenge • Mr. Hviid wanted to better convey his design philosophy and breadth of expertise in his brand message—specifically, his moniker and mission statement.

Solution & Role • When Mr. Blend was presented with this challenge, he examined Mr. Hviid’s brand relative to his Viking ancestry.

• The unique spelling of his first name, coupled with his ancestry, allowed Mr. Blend to have some fun with the brand name. In this case, he crafted a short but dynamic moniker that made him sound exactly like what he is: a fearless conqueror (of bad design, not people).

• He then wrote a mission statement that infused a fearless Viking essence into Mr. Hviid’s design philosophy. The result was a small but impactful narrative that lets clients and employers alike know that Mr. Hviid is someone who charges into a challenge with the one and only objective of complete victory (no swords involved).

Note: Mr. Hviid developed the final typography and logo mark inspired by Mr. Blend’s brand name, mission statement, and his suggested rune-focused type direction (which was a modified version of BDRmono 2006 Regular).

. . .

“THIS IS SO unique! Certainly a way to standout from the crowd ...” ~ Frederik Hviid, freelance creative director

In 2022, the Women in Retirement Conference (WiRC) wanted to offer their 2023 registered attendees a giveaway designed to foster continued engagement leading up to the event.

So, Mr. Blend suggested packaging the giveaway as a golden-ticket event comparable to what was in the Tim Burton movie, Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. (He also wrote a flash-fiction backstory—below—for inclusion on the WiRC website.) Although the idea was eventually shelved, Mr. Blend was excited to have it considered by the conference team.

. . .

Wilhelmina Grimwald, Keeper of Golden Tickets

Wilhelmina is an odd but caring soul. Since her youth, Wilhelmina wanted to honor, in an extraordinary way, those who sought to improve the world in which they lived. People who empowered their communities and selves--determined individuals who simply refused to give up.

That is why she got into the golden-ticket business: to announce giveaways that are ushered in with beautifully brilliant pieces of shimmering paper destined for well-deserving folks.

When not handing out golden tickets, Wilhelmina enjoys nibbling on magical confections whilst sitting in the rain and dancing the waltz in puddles of chocolate ice cream.

. . .

“... HIS ABILITY TO write, edit, and storytell has made several beneficial contributions to the work we did together. And the success of each marketing campaign we brought to life was due in large part to his talent ...” ~ Chanel Brown, former marketing manager, ARA