Ye Ol' DYNOMIGHTY Blog (since retired)

we've moved our blog!

2009-08-27T07:19:00.000-07:00

Please follow us at our NEW Blog location:
http://www.dynomighty.com/blog/

Cup & Saucer Mighty Wallet

2009-08-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

We've Moved Our Blog:
http://www.dynomighty.com/blog/

Every morning I ride my bike into work over the Manhattan Bridge and pass by the "Cup & Saucer" diner on Canal Street. The store has a striking appearance in Chinatown because it has such an authentic diner aesthetic with a sweeping view into the dinner from the street and even the store sign out front has a classic simple look.

On occasion I'll stop in at the window facing Canal street, pictured here (Photo by Tom Giebel),
and order a breakfast sandwich to take to work. That was when I first saw all the amazing menu that is printed in a grid of full color photos of all the great diner classics. The image was so striking that I asked the owner if I could use the design to make a Mighty Wallet. We worked out a deal right there over the counter and I took several menus with me to start working on the concept.

Back at the studio in Brooklyn I quickly folded up one of the menus in a 90 grid design but it was lacking the excitement that you got by looking at the entire menu, and it didn't imply that there were many many more great meals on the design. By simply turning the menu at a slight angle it implied that there was more around the corner and I added a bit of the menu copy to the front. They have some great menu items on there like "Giant Size Hamburgers" and for the inside credit card pocket I used an actual table check from the diner.

A few weeks later I stopped by and showed Jon the owner the design and he loved it. m

Dynomighty @ ICFF w Designboom & Stationary Shows

2009-07-01T20:08:00.001-07:00

We've Moved Our Blog:
http://www.dynomighty.com/blog/

Click to Goo Goo

Doing simultaneous trade shows @ ICFF w Designboom & The National Stationary show presents new challenges for Dynomighty Design but brings lots of great rewards and new friendships. Designboom is an online design blog that organizes "Design Marts" around the world at the most renound design trade shows and allows young designers to bring their products to a larger market. Its an excellent venue for testing a product and getting great feedback or for catapulting your product into the media limelight with great exposure to magazines and newspapers. Dynomighty Designs 3-Ring Binder Mighty Wallet was included in a review of the ICFF exhibition as a result of our participation. We had lots of Mighty Wallet fans come up and show off their wallets from 1 and 2 years of use.

Formats available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4)

Tags: icff, designboom, dynomighty, mighty wallet, bottle cap tripod, thinkofthe.com, stationary show, tyvek wallet

Double duty for Dynomighty @ 2 trade shows

2009-06-14T21:13:00.001-07:00

Click to Goo Goo

Dynomighty showed w Designboom @ ICFF and simultaneously did the National Stationary Show.

Formats available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4)

Tags: dynomighty design, designboom, new york, icff, small business, mighty wallet

Dynomighty in Designboom @ ICFF and Stationary Show

2009-06-14T20:35:00.001-07:00

Click to Goo Goo

Doing double duty at two major tradeshows is not for the light hearted. Added to that the fact that my wife and I just had our new born girl little more than a month earlier. Still we pulled it off, not without a lot of challenges.

Formats available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4)

Tags: dynomighty design, mighty wallet, small business, icff, designboom

Decorating Ideas: New Use for Plastic Bottles

2009-06-12T09:40:00.001-07:00

via pointclickhome.com

Outstretched arm photos are the problem
The Bottle Cap Tripod is the cure!
Only $10 at www.dynomighty.com (Free Shipping)

Posted via web from Terrence's posterous

designboom mart ICFF new york 2009: dynomighty design

2009-06-10T10:47:00.001-07:00

via designboom.com

During the ICFF we met lots of Happy Mighty Wallet users who came up to me and showed me their Mighty Wallet. This happy Dynomighty customer was sporting a Dot Matrix Pi wallet with one year of use!

It is the coolest thing to meet the Mighty Wallet users out there! Send in ur pics, or become a fan of "DYNOMIGHTY" on Facebook!

Posted via web from Terrence's posterous

Fun At the DesignBoom Mart: ICFF New York (Video) : TreeHugger

2009-06-10T09:52:00.001-07:00

via treehugger.com

The awesome folks at TreeHugger interviewed me during the ICFF (International Contemporary Furniture Fair) in New York. I was exhibiting as part of the Designboom section which features young designers introducing innovative products to the marketplace.

Designboom does these types of events at all of the most influential design trade shows around the world. I highly recommend trying to show your product with Designboom as you are exposed to many potential business contacts at a very low exhibition cost and you meet some really cool designers as well.

I'll be posting a video of our Designboom experience along with our simultaneous exhibit (at the same time) as part of the National Stationary Show. Sign up for updates at www.youtube.com/tkelleman

TreeHugger is a great resource for green ideas and green thinking - Also Highly recommended site for tips, tools and insights.

Posted via web from Terrence's posterous

Tyvek shorts

2009-05-26T11:42:00.000-07:00

Tyvek Shorts
Get your plastic skivvies ready for some Summer adventures

I'll tell you something I learned about plastic shorts; don't try to wear a size smaller than you actually wear or you might not be able to get them off without a fight! For most people the notion of wearing shorts made of the same material used to make Express Mail envelopes doesn't seem all that appealing. They are actually kinda nice (I'm wearing mine now) and if you wanna try some out than get yours fresh off the racks of American Apparel.

Made of Tyvek® (think house wrap, netflix dvd envelopes etc) these shorts are made from a "soft-structure" version of the material that can be quite comfortable and soft but perhaps a take little getting used to. Tyvek is made from thousands of super thin plastic fibers that interlock in non-woven random patterns making the material tear-resistant and water-resistant.

I love to see new products made of Tyvek® coming out in the mainstream market place. This funky paper-fabric-microfiber is infiltrating all areas of product development. From home wrap to express mail envelopes to clothing and in Dynomighty Design's own Mighty Wallets™, Mighty Totes™ and Mighty Tags™. But the truth is designers have been trying to come up with functional usages for this material for a long time.

It was in 2005 that I created my first wallet design made from a single sheet of Tyvek®. The unique use of materials combined with the funky graphics took people some time to get used to, but even today I'm still meeting people who are using the original Tyvek Wallet design.

I later synthesized the two formats (bi-fold and tri-fold) into one design with more storage areas and was still one single sheet of Tyvek®. The actual date of the redesign is April 16th 2007 just one day before my first daughter, Alice, was born.

Believe it or not Tyvek® shorts first came out in 1978! I found out about them when I got an online auction alert on a product called "Dipsters®" I had to check it out. I found these amazing swimming trunks made of Tyvek that were designed to be "disposable" (this was before the "Single use" descriptive). I was able to nab a few pairs of them online. Tim Knock (our Director of Sales and Marketing) and I have even threatened to wear them at trade shows if traffic was really slow. Thankfully we've never had to resort to such measures. Here they are in their original packaging.

Dipsters®
Re-usable and "disposable" swimming trunks made by Fabrication Enterprises, Irvington NY. Here are some shots of my flying Dipsters in my office. I've been wearing them all day today and I have to admit that they are quite comfortable, uh oh!

Hipster Dipsters
Now Tyvek shorts are making a full frontal re-introduction with American Apparel selling an all white version (apparently to go along w their Tyvek Jackets as well). It seems that more and more people are recognizing the incredible properties of this material and trying to utilize it in new ways.

Although I think its really cool to see new products made of Tyvek hitting the mainstream marketplace, I think that more needs to be done to increase the awareness of the recyclability of Tyvek and consumers need to have more options / choices for recycling it. At Dynomighty Design we are taking new initiatives to broaden this awareness and also provide new options for recycling of our own products. More on these advances as we make them public.

Subway Map Mighty Wallet NEW @ Dynomighty!

2009-05-01T13:47:00.001-07:00

Click to Goo Goo

Printed with the MTA map of the New York City subway system the Mighty Wallet is ready to go when you need it. No more searching for transfer info on the go the Subway Map Mighty Wallet has tons of information right at your fingertips. The Mighty Wallet is printed on the outside with over 80 subway stops in Manhattan and inside with key stops in Brooklyn and Queens. Made by Dynomighty Design from Brooklyn NY - this is a true New Yorker's necessity. The Mighty Wallet is NO paper wallet. The Mighty Wallet is printed on the same material used to make express mail envelopes. The super strong material is called Tyvek and it is made from 25% recycled plastic and is itself recyclable. The high-tech microfiber is super strong, tear-resistant lightweight and long lasting. The Mighty Wallet is virtually indestructible and water-resistant. The Mighty Wallet is actually lighter than water and its unique folded single sheet design means it has no parts or pieces that can be torn The folded design also allows the wallet to gradually release more storage capacity as needed actually adapting to your own personal storage needs. Add more and get more with the Mighty Wallet. The newly released licensed Subway Map Mighty Wallet is a must have for New York City strap hangers and big city fans alike. Available online at Dynomighty Dot com and at fine retailers near you. Check our store locator for a store near you.

Formats available: MPEG4 Video (.mp4)

How strong IS a Mighty Wallet?

2009-05-01T13:24:00.000-07:00

All the reviews are out there about how strong the Mighty Wallet really is but just in case you haven't been convinced yet here is the our latest demo where we hung Tim Knock, our Sales and Marketing Director from a single Air Mail Mighty Wallet with holes punched in the top and bottom.

I actually damaged our hole punch trying to make the holes to go through the wallet. That video is here: YouTube

Magnetic Ribbons for The Colbert Report

2009-04-30T17:17:00.000-07:00

I designed these Magnetic Ribbons for the Colbert Report in hopes that they would LOVE them and sell them on their website or even use them on air but I never heard anything back from them after sending in samples and emailing the show.

I had so much fun making them that I don't want them to just fade away on my hard drive so I'm posting them here for kicks.

Its obvious that the context of some of these has faded a little with time, like "Super Size My Freedom Fries!" but others have taken on a whole new meaning... "We're all indebted to Bush".

The U. Americanus one is a little obscure but That is the scientific name for the American Grizzly Bear (given Stephen's vehement resistance to all things Grizzly). I felt like we all got riled up like an angry grizzly and were subsequently duped into an unnecessary war in Iraq.

Dynomighty magnetic jewelry on HSN

2009-04-27T18:14:00.000-07:00

We are very proud to announce that Dynomighty Design's magnetic jewelry was the
best selling product of all the products featured on the MoMA (The Museum of Modern Art in New York) segments on HSN.

As a result five pieces of Dynomighty Design's magnetic jewelry have been selected for a 30 minute segment that will be broadcast LIVE on HSN tomorrow April 28th at 6:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. (EST). Check out the past segment by watching the video online on the HSN website. My friend and colleague Ashley White will be demonstrating the products again after doing such a great job during the previous segments so tune in and check out Dynomighty on HSN.

Find your local HSN channel: Click here to find your local HSN channel.

We are very excited by the opportunity to reach a nationwide audience with our jewelry and hope that this exposure further develops a consumer awareness of our patented jewelry designs. Many customers are building a grass roots enthusiasm for Dynomighty products which is slowly building into a national brand recognition.

Best wishes,

Terrence Kelleman
President/Designer
Dynomighty Design, Inc.

Summer Intern - Online Marketing

2009-04-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

Calling all candidates

Summer Internship – Online Marketing Opportunity

DYNOMIGHTY DESIGN, Inc.
18 Bridge Street Suite 4G
BROOKLYN, NY 11201

Dynomighty Design products are sold in Museum and Design Stores around the world with a global reach extending to 23 countries and over 600 stores in the US and Canada. We are growing quickly and looking for enthusiastic individuals to come and learn real-life work experiences in a supportive and collaborative environment.

We are seeking a Summer Intern who can take initiative and make independent decisions related to online marketing and work with us to develop an online marketing plan to launch this Summer. We will work with you develop implement and maintain an online marketing plan that creates new potential customers and broadens awareness of our brand and our e-commerce store. You will be free to develop, implement and manage this plan under the guidance of Terrence Kelleman, chief designer and owner of Dynomighty Design.

Dynomighty Design was one of the first companies to utilize online videos as a viral marketing campaign that has to date reached more than 3 million combined views of our videos. We are currently developing social networking sites and blogs to further broaden our customer outreach while maintaining traditional marketing and publicity techniques. Any proposals should take into consideration these new marketing channels and try to optimize their impact.

We are seeking an individual with personal initiative to make a proposal and manage its impact in a real-world scenario. This is an incredibly valuable experience that builds a strong resume for future job opportunities. Candidates who will most benefit from this experience will have a good understanding of online marketing but who need real life work experience to bolster their portfolio. This is an ideal position for someone to learn from the inside what its like working for a small product design company with global potential.

We have a vibrant creative environment that encourages interaction and participation at all levels of the design process. We have an incredible client base and a developing product line that is quickly going global. This is a great opportunity to get real-world hands-on experience in a small growing company that could serve as a defining professional experience for your resume.

Terrence Kelleman
Designer/Owner

GENERAL REQUIREMENTS:

When submitting your resume, please include your professional skills, computer experience, familiarity with the following applications and preferred dates for the internship.

Software experience (Please rate from 1 to 10 – one being beginner, ten master)

( ) HTML editor (dreamweaver or other)
( ) Web based email clients
( ) Photo Shop
( ) FTP software

Any additional software experience related to the Online Marketing Internship:

(Please list)

Experience with working on both Platforms is preferred.

Hours are 9:30 to 5:30 3 days a week, one weekend day required for direct marketing campaign.

(Do Not Call the number on the site)

Emmylou Joy Kelleman

2009-04-09T14:36:00.001-07:00

Emmylou Joy Kelleman entered the world today at 15:57 into the loving arms of her Mom and Dad!

Introducing the Subway Map Mighty Wallet

2009-04-07T12:44:00.000-07:00

Introducing The Subway Map Mighty Wallet
by Dynomighty Design

The Mighty Wallet™ is tear-resistant, water-resistant, expandable and recyclable.

The Subway Map Mighty Wallet is printed with the licensed graphics of the MTA and is not only functional for quick transfer info on the go but it also adds a level of stealth that safeguards your valuables from theft. Mighty Wallets have actually evaded theft in real life situations through their uncommon stealthy design(1).

The Mighty Wallet is made from the same material used to make express mail envelopes, only it utilizes a thicker grade for even stronger durability. The material is called Tyvek® and the secret to its strength is that it is made from thousands of thin interlocking microfibers each 50 times thinner than a human hair. Even though it feels and looks like paper the material is so strong we suspended our Sales Director from the ceiling using a single Mighty Wallet(2).

The tear-resistant material is reinforced by an ingenious folded design that is made with a single sheet of Tyvek. Noticing that most traditional wallets tear along their stitching, the designer Terrence Kelleman, has created a wallet without stitching that is very thin, durable and expandable. The folded design also allows the Mighty Wallet to automatically increase its storage capacity as you fill it. The Mighty Wallet instantly adapts to meet your personal storage needs and if you remove the contents of your wallet it will get thin again(3).
The Mighty Wallet is made from 25% recycled material such as milk and water bottles and can actually be recycled after its long life(4). The Mighty Wallet is water and stain resistant and can actually float on water. The durability of the wallet can last several years and after months of use will gradually wear into a classic vintage look.

The Subway Map Mighty Wallet

Retail: $15.00

Available at:
www.dynomighty.com

Mighty Twitter

2009-03-28T15:44:00.001-07:00

Following my stray observations and daily ramblings has never been easier...
www.twitter.com/dynomighty

THE Place to get the latest updates on our new arrival... our daughter is due any day now.

Dezign gone BAd

2009-03-27T10:28:00.001-07:00

Sometimes when we try to make things better...
I don't like making fun of other designs but I just couldn't help but notice that when you put your fingers in the cut outs you actually can't use the sponge best. Its funny how we follow ideas to their end even though we don't stop to think about the 'feel' of the design - how it feels in your hand, how it grows lives and ages with use.

World Trade Center Memorial Proposal

2009-03-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

This is a sketch of a Memorial I had for the World Trade Center in New York. I had this idea well before the current memorial designer posted theirs. This is documented with a post from Metropolis Magazine that was posted 1n 2002.

My offices used to be not far from the WTC and I had a frequent exposure to the buildings although they became backdrop to the busy city they were constant reminders of where you were. Like beacons in a big city that gave you your position in a city that is lacking in any horizon lines.

It seemed to me that amongst the latest proposals No one had given much thought to the idea of reflecting on our tragic losses from that day, except for preserving
The foot prints of the buildings themselves. My proposal would incorporate the "footprints" of the two buildings and provide a place of reflection that could be accessible to the public at all times from above ground. (The original ground level of the WTC).

At ground level would be the place for a public garden. At the location of each building there would be a four-sided waterfall in the same dimensions of the original buildings. Water would descend down over glass panels that would be supported from underground. From underground you could look up through the glass walls and through the waterfalls to see the names of the victims from each building etched in the glass.

It seemed to me that elements to healing and recovery were missing from many of the first proposals. In my design I have tried to reference the magnitude of the tragic events from that day while creating a space of reflection for people to come and visit and meditate. I also want to imply a transcendent capacity for human beings to overcome this tragedy by looking up to the names etched in the glass as the waters pass them over and your gaze is drawn up to the sky above where the towers once stood.

Please share this design with others.

Eco-friendly products at the CAMEX Show

2009-03-17T18:26:00.000-07:00

We are constantly trying to find new markets for dynomighty products and CAMEX is the trade show of the College stores across the US. This was our first time exhibiting with this group of vendors and we had no idea what to expect.

The trade show consisted of every vendor imaginable who could have anything and everything to do with campus life. Every kind of product was there and what was so different from any other show is that the college store buyer is VERY different from any buyer we've come across. Often times buyers make buying decisions as part of a group rather than one individual or store owner.

The good news is we rocked the show! Even though our initial sales we're not phenomenal we still had a strong showing (for a first time show) and we had an incredible response from several colleges who said there was a buzz going on amongst buyers about our products. So hopefully we will seeing some orders coming in well after the show itself.

We met a lot of incredible people at the show who taught us a lot about how the CAMEX show works, about licensing with colleges and who also shed light on many new opportunities for our products that we had not considered before. Special thanks to Brian, Dick, Sam, Spud and Lisa.

During the show I also took the opportunity to walk around to see the other exhibitors to see what kinds of eco-friendly products people were working on and found many interesting vendors and I interviewed two for the blog; ecousable and The Leakey Collection.

ecousable are makers of a series of products designed to reduce the amount of plastic bottles dumped into our landfills every year. A staggering 60 million bottles a DAY end up in a landfill. Their stainless steel bottles are 100% recyclable and the unique series of filtered water bottles actually purify your water right in the bottle. Check out this demo by Aaron from ecousable:

Another great product comes from a booth that was just a few rows away from us and which I bought several pieces for my mom. Jill and Kristen gave me a quick presentation of The Leakey Collection and their beautiful pieces and explained how the sales of these items help support and sustain the Maasai in Africa by "building their entire company around the Maasai culture instead of changing it". See this quick introduction to the products now:

NYC Subway Map Mighty Wallet (coming Mar 30, 2009)

2009-03-14T09:45:00.000-07:00

Hole punch bent by Mighty Wallet

2009-03-11T20:11:00.000-07:00

Couldn't have said it better myself!

2009-03-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

NOTHING feels as great as getting a great email from a customer or fan of Dynomighty Design but then along comes some seriously dedicated enthusiasts of the mighty revolution and we have to say "Hats off" to the fabulous support our Mighty Wallets have received from QTJOEL and the boys at WTFoodge dot com. Check out the video and if you wanna zip ahead to the sweet spot I'd suggest somewhere around minute 5 when the old leather wallet gets the boot!

Also worth a closer look is the amazing site of Vat19.com who are reinventing online retail in amazing new ways, and which I have to say impress even me with the fantastic representation of the Mighty Wallet. A MUST SEE:

mighty daddy

2009-02-26T18:33:00.000-08:00

This is my little girl. At times its hard to imagine that only a few years ago I was living a completely different lifestyle and now I'm a daddy, a husband, a business owner and showing A LOT MORE GREY HAIR because of it.

Its such an incredible experience being a father, there is NO WAY it can be summarized for this blog. It is something that transforms you fundamentally and entirely. It doesn't happen all at once when you bring your baby home for the first time, it happens gradually. With each passing day you gain a new perspective on life that takes shape in new ways all the time.

Sometimes the changes shock you and sometimes they make you laugh. Sometimes its hard to admit to them because they just make you feel old.

We are now awaiting our second daughter and making all the preparations for her at home in our apartment. It is incredible to imagine that we will have another daughter. Our lives will change again in all sorts of new directions and I'm strapping on the seat belt this time. Here we GO!

The POOL Trade Show in Las Vegas

2009-02-18T17:29:00.000-08:00

This was our second time exhibiting at The POOL Trade Show (a show of young and emerging designers held twice a year in Las Vegas) and we really love showing here. Being in a mix of young entrepreneurs is so inspiring and mixed with the wild Vegas scenes it really makes for a memorable show, just stay away from the craps table!

To my great relief and satisfaction we actually met our sales goals for this show despite the economy (or perhaps because of it). We have been so fortunate to have a well priced design product that is still economically priced and is just catching a wave of awareness in the consumer market place. Buyers are now on the look out for great lower priced items and I'm hoping many new stores we sold to this February will come back and order with us again this Fall.

We also got a lot of great feedback from buyers who purchased from us in the Fall and were back to place reorders. There is nothing better for me than to hear from a buyer about how their customers just loved the products and were bringing other customers into their store after showing off their purchases.

Despite the good vibes and being in the coolest show on the circuit you could still see and feel the effects of the economy on Las Vegas. Even in our cab ride to the convention center with our Sales and Marketing Director, Tim Knock, the driver was recounting how at so many trade shows in Vegas that ridership is down from 30 fares a day to around 22.

Tim has been with Dynomighty since January of 2008 and has been doing an absolute phenomenal job in many aspects of the business. I am so pleased to have Tim on board and can foresee a long a fruitful relationship as Dynomighty grows. More on our successful Sales and Marketing Director in further posts, but for now back to the show!

The POOL trade show is a very hip mix of the latest independent brands that are trying to stake a claim to a larger audience with exposure to many of the fashion and accessories buyers in the US and many Asian buyers as well. Our last show here was just this past Fall and despite some disastrous events which kept us from receiving much of our product for the show we still managed to have a good show.

No one knows where the economy is headed in the months ahead but Dynomighty will keep on producing good green design products at a low cost and hopefully we will be lucky enough to keep on working our butts off to bring it to you. Thanks for supporting our small company!

OBEY v. The Associated Press

2009-02-09T19:52:00.000-08:00

Artist Shepard Fairey who illustrated the ubiquitous portrait of Obama that was freely used on buttons, shirts, signs and banners gave of his artistic creation for free download and usage.

I myself used the image to create buttons of Obama that I gave out in the streets of New York on the night of his victory. In my brief 13 year history in NYC it was a moment that stands alone. The night was ELECTRIC. There was a sense of unity and brotherhood that I have never felt before in a city as diverse as New York.

Fairey's artistic contribution was just one of many contributions to the movement that filled the visual landscape in the weeks and days leading up to Obama's election. There was a sense of generosity and a belief that our common purpose was more important than our personal gain that lead to so many acts of generosity during the election. This unique out pouring of creative inputs was something to celebrate until recently.

The Associated Press has sought financial compensation from Fairey for having referencing an image of an A.P. Photographer (who now questions weather he was even under contract with the A.P. at the time) as the source for his artistic creation. The NY Times article about the action is here.

This legal harassment from the A.P. is far beneath it and I was shocked to find out that the A.P. is just another bastion of the legal paranoia that exists in the US. Fairey with the advice of his lawyers has decided to preemptively counter sue after receiving demands for financial compensation from the AP for using the image of their AP Photographer Mannie Garcia.

I'm rooting for Fairey and hope he gets a fair and decent hearing. The rights of artists have to be protected! We have to protect the freedom of artists to create. The creative act must be protected and defended as vigorously as any right we hold dear as Americans.

If you would like to write the A.P. to ask them why they would want to threaten artistic creation in the US, you can write them here: info@ap.org.

Warning : Griping biz owner

2009-02-09T18:46:00.000-08:00

The reality of inventing a product, establishing a business and developing it over years and years into a successful business is something that takes an incredible amount of energy, focus and creativity.

It has taken nearly 7 years of hard work to get here. That's seven years staying up working nights without going out, working late at the office on a Friday, and even up late adding a new entry to the blog... (hell there is even something I call office camping that is called for when a big deadline is looming = like last night).

Some days I'll work so hard that later when I get home I realize I'm starving because I never stopped to eat lunch at work. It got to the point that my employees would sometimes ask me if I've had lunch, and my wife would email me to remind me to have lunch. It sounds entirely crazy writing it out here but its true (however it is not something I recommend doing).

Its to the point that I nearly never see any of my old friends except for on facebook and it does make me call into question at times what is this all for? I don't have an answer. I just keep slugging away because I believe we can make it, and hopefully we will but the other night watching the tube, I saw this quote "For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life?".

When I started Dynomighty I HAD NO IDEA I was about to create a company that would become such a serious responsibility. I was simply looking for a way out of the 9-to-5 trap that I found myself in. I was sick of struggling as an artist in NYC, sick of squeezing by from paycheck to paycheck and I wanted to break free from the tight financial constraints of living in the city.

Today the business has weathered many storms and we have survived to fight another day heading into a new year with such concerning economic indicators happening on almost a bi-weekly basis. We keep fighting and planning and imagining new ways to stay competitive, improve our products and their value and ways to do better for the stores who buy and sell our stuff.

Its endless actually. There is always something you could be doing to help the business but you also have to find a balance and not lose sight of why you started in the first place. I hope we will get there one day. I'm very confident that we will. I am optimistic about the growing attention of our products in the media.

It seems that the "Mighty Wallet" trend is just about to make a major break through and the possibility for us to achieve a greater level of success would finally mean some much needed upgrades at the office. But the reality is that times are tough, lots of storefronts here in the East Village are closing or are up for rent. The effects of the financial markets are mounting quickly in the daily lives of many New Yorkers.

This just might be the hardest season we have had to face, yet we are maintaining our orders and maintaining our customers. We keep growing because of our great customers who love our products and go out and tell their friends about us. That is the hidden force behind the success of our products, our customers and the recommendations they make to their friends.

Is your wallet Mighty?

2009-02-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

In the past week the Mighty Wallet was posted on Boing Boing and also have been in several chats related to other products posted on Boing Boing which seems to tell me that we are really starting to create a buzz for the Mighty Wallet!

I love getting mail from people who have purchased the Mighty Wallet. Its so great to get that direct feedback. Sometimes I people have some pretty amazing Mighty Wallet stories. I'll try to post a few here in the weeks to come.

One of my favorite stories came from a roommate of mine, musician Kid Congo Powers who wrote to me with a true story from his band mate about a night when his Mighty Wallet saved him from getting his wallet stolen.

Here is my email from Kid.

================================

August 13, 2008 at 11:20am -"Hi Terrence. Hope all is well. I was just rehearsing with Andrew, here in DC, and he pulled out his wallet and it was the Airmail wallet. I said "I know the designer".

He said to pass on a message that he was mugged and had his Laptop stolen and when the muggers said "give me your wallet" he pulled out the Airmail "envelope" and said "I only have this letter from my grandmother in my pocket" and they let him go...

He said that he was grateful that the design saved him from having his wallet stolen. It was a present from his girlfriend. I thought you'd like to hear that. best, Kid"

================================

What a great story and it has the added advantage of being true!

I know that there are a lot of Mighty Wallet stories out there. In the next weeks I'll be posting other great stories so if you have one that you'd like to share, please send it along.

New York International Gift Fair

2009-01-29T21:09:00.000-08:00

We have been so surprised and so happy with the response that our buyers have had to our products. Despite a rough sales environment we managed to have a good show and our hopes and optimism for the Spring is reinvigorated.

Tonight I just discovered a post about our Mighty Wallets on Boing Boing Gadget which is so cool to see the wallets getting this type of exposure. At the show I had been telling the buyers that we were creating a new trend in wallet designs with the Mighty Wallet and now (just after returning the rental truck after unloading our booth) the confirmation comes from Boing Boing. Check out the post and add your own comments to the discussion.

The discussion on Boing Boing is one I want to flush out in detail as there is so much I want to say about recycling, ecology, consumerism and more but right now i'm fading fast after all that moving. I will try to write more in the days to come... and post some pics from the show.

Tomorrow marks the Retail climate for 09

2009-01-24T19:33:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the last night before our big NYIGF (New York International Gift Fair) where we take many or most of the wholesale orders for our products for a 6 month period. There are also 3 other major shows we are represented in going on at the same time, in Paris, London and in Toronto.

We are looking very good for the show with a beautiful booth and some exciting new Mighty Wallet styles (NYC Subway Map) that will generate a lot of attention in the months to come.

This year we sought out an environmentally friendly printer right here in Brooklyn, and we couldn't be happier with the results. Rolling Press helped us in a pinch put out the best catalog we've ever produced. Hats off the the team at Rolling Press! Thanks for helping us get 2009 off with the best catalog ever with the most environmentally responsible catalog we've ever made.

One big question on everyone's mind is how will the buyers respond to the bad economic forecasts? A lot of designers and manufacturers who normally exhibit next to our booth are not exhibiting this year. We will just have to wait and see but we have done everything to make sure our products are in the best position for success despite all the doom and gloom.

Where most people see a bleak outlook I see an opportunity. No matter what the outcome at the end of this show I know we have done our best to position ourselves for success and I can only hope that the retail gift market in general is not totally spooked by the less than average holiday sales. I am looking ahead with optimism not because I think this economy will rebound in a matter of months but because I always look at the opportunities that a situation presents and try to stay focused on the that better place around the bend.

Dream baby dream

2009-01-21T20:42:00.000-08:00

MAN ON WIRE

2009-01-14T18:05:00.000-08:00

Last night I was watching "Man on wire" - the movie about Phillipe Petit who working with a gorilla team of riggers was able to string a cable across the expanse between the two World Trade Center buildings in Lower Manhattan and perform a tight wire walk above new york. The simplicity of the story doesn't attract big box office movie goers but it deceivingly masks the real thrills and excitement that encompass the incredible struggles and obstacles overcome by one man and his friends to realize a dream here on earth, or at least 110 stories above it.

I highly recommend seeing this movie. I had heard of Phillipe Petit after 911. After all the smoke had finally cleared from the Lower East Side (which took months) and the documentaries began to come out there were several videos of Monsieur Petit's action that gave me some perspective into the mind of this seemingly merry prankster, but now I've seen something far more profound in this act.

It calls attention to an important part of life itself, that nothing of any significance in life is ever just handed to you, it takes will, force, patience, perseverance and DREAMS. For many people life poses no questions and seeks no answers, it just rumbles along at a slumbering pace with seasonal repetition, but for others (for the Artists, visionaries, and dreamers) their struggle is something that demands an exact focus and concentration. When you are compelled to achieve something great, when you are really living your life to its fullest and pushing the boundaries of what you are capable of you are truly walking a high wire.

This analogy struck a deep cord in me. Inscribed into the walls of Museum of Man in Paris facing the Eiffel tower there is a saying that has a similar resonance in me:
"Each person is created as they breath,
without knowing it.
But the artist feels himself created
and his act engages his entire being"

Man on wire awakens you to the beauty that art can achieve. It serenely illustrates our own fragility while defying it in a simple graceful act of beauty. I was shaken with emotion watching this movie and recognized that the dream still lives in me to achieve this kind of art.

Building a better wallet, The Tyvek Wallet - Part 3

2009-01-06T18:31:00.001-08:00

I can't even remember how many times I have found myself in a situation that seemed impossible to overcome while running this business but somehow there is always a way, there is always a solution just around the corner, and many times it comes when you least expect it.

During this same time my wife and I had just married a couple of months earlier. Ingrid was living in France until she finished her semester as an Art Teacher in Aix-en-Provence. We were calling and emailing each other very often and during a call I told her about the bad news with the bank. That is when she immediately offered to use her life savings to pay for the first order of wallets. The phone must have been silent for a second because I was totally shocked.

I never expected that she had a savings, let alone enough to cover the entire first order of wallets. It was incredible to have such an unquestioning commitment from her. No one had made such a major contribution to the growth of the business like that before, especially on a product that had no demonstrated sales.

It was a major investment in a new product that I didn't even know if I could sell. I felt such an enormous responsibility to care for that investment preciously. I worked so hard to make the first Tyvek Wallet a success that I can remember putting in late nights working to 1 or 2 am and being back in the office first thing in the morning before 9 to put in another intense day of work.

In the end the money was sent off and the first order of wallets was under way. It would take about a month for production and then a week or so for delivery. There was nothing left that I could do except start preparing to market the product as best I could.

Every year in the gift and accessories industry the defining show that sets the barometer for the retail industry the New York International Gift Fair (NYIGF) was coming up and I had to do my best to sell the most wallets possible in order to get the sales necessary to pay back the loan.

It was an amazing challenge. I had to bring a new product to market (which no one had ever seen before) and to convince a buyer (who I'd never met before) to invest in a product on the spot that no one had ever sold anywhere before. It was an incredible challenge but I was motivated by a new desire to secure a stable future for Ingrid and I through the business. Little did we know that there were many incredible surprises and challenges lying right around the corner.

(to be continued)

Building a better wallet, The Tyvek Wallet - Part 2

2009-01-05T18:56:00.000-08:00

I don't remember the date or month of when I designed the first Tyvek Wallet but It was shortly after moving into a new office space on Broadway just south of Soho. The Tyvek Wallet was my first big step out into retail just after moving in to a new monthly rent and no more toughing it out in my apartment. From this point on I had a monthly commitment to pay all the bills and rent for this studio with a view on Broadway. At the time I didn't have any other employees except for some help a few days a week. One day I decided to focus on other matters at hand and taking that time off was very valuable.

The funny thing about finally finding the best design was that it wasn't a eureka moment at all, but more of a "can this really work?" moment. It turned out that I had actually made a folded design that could work the night before but at the time I didn't think it would work. I didn't know if it was technically possible to fold Tyvek in the ways I needed to. I knew that Tyvek could be folded to make envelopes but just how many folds could you make and could it be possible to make a machine made folded design from one single sheet of Tyvek?

The initial design limitations to increase strength and keep costs down were only the beginning. Now I was faced with a new challenge of finding a company who would be willing to work with me to create something that no one had ever made before, the first Tyvek Wallet. This turned out to take more time than any other part of the process. Its hard enough sometimes just getting something basic printed let alone asking a company to die-cut, print, fold and package a product in a way no one had ever done before. In the end the first wallets were printed with a company in China that a friend of mine had worked with in the past and she made all the initial communications for us.

This was the first really big gamble that I had to take for my initial investment. I didn't have any money of my own and the incoming money from the business was just enough to pay the rent, electric, phone etc. I drafted up a business plan for the Tyvek Wallet and estimated how much I would need to borrow and when I could potentially pay it all off. I remember walking into my bank after setting up an appointment with my representative and finding myself sitting at a large board room table with two tan bankers freshly shaven and equipped with all the banker trimmings including presidential Rolex watches, pin stripe shirts with white cuffs with gold cuff links. I introduced the product idea to them and I had some prototypes produced that I showed them. They loved the concept and listened attentively to my business plan. I couldn't believe it - I had wrapped them up - they were so excited by the concept that when I asked for a credit line of $20,000 (the cost of the initial order) they said "Oh no you should have 50K, that will give you some flexibility".

After our meeting they had me fill out a standard form for the loan approval and it was at this point that my credit history with student loans caught up with me in a terrible way. I was refused. There was nothing they could do for me. I got the call a day later and felt completely devastated. I asked if I could use my 401K savings as a means to guaranteeing the loan but there was nothing they could do. The banker's assistant said if I needed to lease any printers or computers for the business that he could possibly help me out. Now I was really screwed. How was I going to get the money to make the wallets? After all this work I couldn't accept the idea that it was over.
(to be continued)

Building a better wallet, The Tyvek Wallet - Part 1

2009-01-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

Ever since I discovered that people were making their own wallets out of Duct-tape wallet I realized two things: There are tons of people with a passion for D.I.Y. projects and there are tons of people obsessed with Duct-tape. This post concerns the former and is the story on how I came up with the idea for the first Tyvek Wallet.

First of all I loved the idea of the Duct-tape wallet. It took a material that everyone was familiar with that was associated with strength and durability and converted it into something functional. The only limitation I found was that the material itself was bulky and didn't fold very well. During this same period I had been fascinated with Tyvek as a material and I had been trying to come up with ways to use it in a new product design.

Using Tyvek to make a wallet seemed so obvious to me that I was surprised that no searches online came up with any results. This sparked a wave of excitement in me to find a way to use this material in a tear resistant, water resistant and recyclable wallet design! The idea consumed me for several days as I tried to come up with a design that would reinforce the inherent properties of the Tyvek material itself.

When I thought back on any wallet I have ever owned it seemed obvious to me that the weakest point was the stitching. Another prohibitive factor of sewing Tyvek is that it would create tiny holes that could eventually rip or create weak points so I resolved myself to create a folded design that would be made from a single sheet of Tyvek. This created some real headaches for me, besides I could barely keep track of which folds went where on all of these trial designs which were just blank sheets of paper strewn across my desk.

One of the biggest prohibitive factors of designing a new product is the initial costs involved in production. This was another reason the design had to be simple and easy to produce. As a result I had to limit the printing to only one side of the paper or else the costs would double for the printing if it was printed on both sides. All of these design limitations made it seem nearly impossible to achieve. But like most of my creative process, I just buried my head in this project to the exclusion of all other work and kept folding blank sheets of paper over and over again with an obsessive desire to find a workable design.
(to be continued...)

Do Better, Be Better

2009-01-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

As part of my new years resolution I've decided to get serious about this blog that I've created and to make sure I add to it as often as possible in 2009.

There are many great things ahead in this year with my wife and I expecting another baby at the end of March, and with all the success that Dynomighty Design has had in 2008 I also have a lot of responsibility to ensure the continued success of our small company.

I think in many ways this blog will be very helpful in telling a better story about Dynomighty. I think a lot of people look at our website and our products and packaging and think that we are a huge corporation but the truth is there are only 4 employees myself included. What makes Dynomighty a success is innovative thinking and a TON of Hard work!

In this blog I want to share some of the stories behind the products, the origins of the ideas, their inspirations and also share some of the hardships that are encountered on a regular basis just to keep the whole project moving along.

I've never been formally trained in business or product design but I have always had a curious mind and interest in learning new things. Before becoming a product designer I was working a 9-to-5 job and trying to get a break as a photographer and performance artist in NYC. I still struggle with the choices I've made to go into this field of retail and wholesale business and wonder if I will ever really be able to have the time to make art again.

Hopefully this blog will bring to light many of the unseen conflicts, challenges and insights that are a part my story as a small business owner, as an Artist, as a Father and as a husband who struggles daily for success in the city of dreams.

Best wishes to everyone for a great 2009.

Sincerely,

Terrence

Where are you at?

2008-12-03T09:31:00.001-08:00

Desk DOTS... Plaything/Organizer

2008-06-10T06:40:00.001-07:00

Click to Goo Goo

Our new best seller - Desk DOTS... is fun and function in one simple design. Available at www dynomighty com

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tyvek Wallet Sale

2008-04-09T08:43:00.001-07:00

Click to Goo Goo

Tyvek Wallet Sale at Dynomighty Design. Tyvek Wallets made of 25% recycled materials that are 100% recyclable, tear and water resistant, expandable, seamless and super thin are HALF OFF! After doing a little Spring cleaning we decided to offer the wallets at 50% off to make way for our 2008 inventory. Thanks to all our great customers for making this item such a great success!

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov), Flash Video (.flv)

Tags: tyvek, wallet

2 Mighty = 2 x fun

2007-12-09T08:58:00.001-08:00

Click to Goo Goo

Assembling this bracelet is half the fun - tearing it apart and starting over...

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

typeface :-) smiley face

2007-11-30T11:57:00.001-08:00

Click to Goo Goo

typeface :-) smiley face
www.dynomighty.com

Music by Pop Model
myspace.com/popmodelberlin

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: typeface, smiley, face

Slim, Slender, Sexy

2007-11-19T20:41:00.001-08:00

Click to Goo Goo

Featured in Playboy magazine these super tough wallets keep a slender profile for those nights out on the town. Don't carry a bag or be burdened by a thick old wallet pick up a tyvek wallet and see how they are nearly invisible even in your tightest jeans.

Formats available: Quicktime (.mov)

Tags: tyvek, wallet, thinnest

2Mighty Bracelet

2007-11-09T21:01:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

We're back - and now our latest style from Dynomighty our double strong 2Mighty Bracelet made entirely of super strong magnets. Protected under our US Patent #6,427,486 accept no substitute - make it Dynomighty!

Mothership Bracelet - 2Mighty at Dynomighty

2007-11-07T19:39:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

The rays of light are streaming down from this Unidentified Flying Object over the East River of New York City near the studios of Dynomighty Design, Inc.

www.dynomighty.com

Coming to NYC

2007-11-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

I came to New York City in 1996 after spending three years in the south of France searching for my artistic roots and shedding all preconceptions of what French provincial life is really like.

I came to NYC because I didn't know where else to go and couldn't return to my hometown of Cleveland - I just refused. It was going to be NYC or Las Vegas but I didn't know anyone in Vegas but a buddy of mine did live in NYC and his family helped me out and put me up for month while I got settled. I didn't come to NYC because of "the land of dreams" and all that but because new york was a place to lose oneself and reinvent yourself - that's what I liked.
Besides there wasn't much ground to be made in the art world living in a village of 400 people year round.

I lost myself in all the excitement and ambition that is on display daily in this city from the subway hustle to the board room execs with finely shaved stoic chins that look as if each hair was shaved with exactitude. The city tears across the island of manahata consuming, destroying and creating like a star in a constant state of entropy and renewal through which new matter, new materials and creation itself is renewed.

New York City is were you come to reinvent yourself where cultural diversity and freedom of expression is still strong vibrant and part of the character of this place despite the best efforts of Giuliani, Bloomberg, Starbucks and Gap.

New York City gave me the possibility to introduce myself as an artist and encouraged me to create and perform in ways I might not have had the courage to do else where.

I love this place. At times when I'm standing on the banks of the east river and watching the waters pass by in the same space where Walt Whitman gazed and once wondered about future generations looking upon the same view a sense of the continual growth and expansion of New York City hits you and you just can't imagine where it will go from here but it is changing.

New York City is in constant change and that is what makes it so interesting and vibrant yet the way NYC is changing is something that might risk losing the very character that makes it so unique. Franchises are changing our relationship to our city. New york has become the land of Starbucks, Chase, Gap, etc etc etc repeating endlessly in repetition along the avenues of new york. Developers are building tall glass buildings that have more in common with corporate zoning area than the neighborhoods they invade.

Where is NYC going? What is it becoming - maybe just another city like all the cities, like all the airports, like all the mono culture that pervades the USA?

Go forth and multiply

2007-05-31T09:31:00.000-07:00

A great teacher of mine (Julian Stanczak) once said that if you want to share money btwn you and 5 friends you have to divide it up equally and each person only gets a portion of the total value but with art (creativity, expression) the value is multiplied by each person. That is my hope with this blog, to share some experiences and give others an insight into a world of creativity and challenge.

How'd you think of that?

2007-05-31T09:08:00.000-07:00

It was while working at MoMA that I first had the idea for magnetic jewelry. One day I was digging through the trash as I often did there... and on this particular day someone had trown out a bunch of prototypes of a geometric magnetic puzzle.

Each plastic form had tiny magnets inside it that I began breaking apart to save the magnets. As I spread them out on my desk they filled up nearly every few inches and suddenly they all flew together to form a straight line. The tiny pieces reminded me of jewelry beads and then I had the idea... "What if you had larger magnets that were strong enough to hold together without the use of strings or clasps". That’s how this all started from a simple idea discovered from dumpster diving at MoMA giving new meaning to the expression "One mans trash is another mans treasure".