BANDIT9. MY MOTORCYCLE DESIGN COMPANY.

I was hoping to unveil this later but I needed to keep up with the momentum.

As many of you know, I love motorcycles. And so I've opened up my own motorcycle design company here in Beijing called Bandit9.

Bandit9 is about injecting the spirit of innovation and instinct all bandits, pirates and outlaws possess. It's more fun to be a pirate than a sailor.

What's cool about being a bandit is that each is unique and that's what it's really all about. Bandit9 strips down the bullshit that hinder stock bikes. None of these obnoxious logos, dizzying graphics, pointless additional weight, no non-sense. 


Anyway, one of my favorite motorcycle blogs has featured our very first motorcycle, Loki, on their blog. This is pretty exciting stuff.

Read the full article at motorcyclephotooftheday.com

Okay so if you want to know more about my latest venture, visit the Bandit9 site:
http://cargocollective.com/bandit9
http://bandit9.tumblr.com

-d-

PS. Starting your own gig is a lot more fun than it is scary...but let's talk about that later :)

STEVE JOBS AND ME.

I've been waiting to do my next post to announce my next big project. This couldn't wait.

I thought about what I could say here that hasn't already been said by the millions of people who have paid their respects to Steve Jobs. And I realized it isn't really about saying something original but rather acknowledging the passing of a great man, getting this deep sadness out of my system and reminiscing about how he's completely influenced my perspective on everything. Everything.

I was fortunate to work with the agency that created all of Steve Jobs's iconic advertising work. Even though I didn't work directly with Steve, I saw a lot of his work take shape. From the ipod campaign to the "mac vs. pc" ads, you know the man had taste. He is one of the few clients who respected creativity and understood the value of creating a brand.

I believe this is the true secret behind Steve and Apple's genius. Their brand: humanizing technology. They believe in it down to their bones. You can see it in every mac, ipod, iphone, ipad. Steve was the one who made technology play time. If you've ever been to an Apple store, you understand. And regardless of how advanced their products are, Steve made it for accesible for everyone. How beautiful is that? Isn't that the most unselfish business decision you've ever heard?

And I think this is why his passing affects me so much. It is his genius that holds all my music, all my letters, all my photographs, all of me.

Anyway, I consider myself lucky. Once Steve left his post at Apple, I wrote him an email which I consider to be my goodbye:
To: sjobs@apple.com
Subject: Thanks
Hi Steve,
I just wanted to thank you for all the magic you've brought not just to Apple but to my home.
All the best man!
-d-

Paid my respects in the Apple Store, Beijing.
Thanks, Steve.

THE PEOPLE'S CAR PROJECT.

VW People's Car Project: Flubber Car Morphing Video from Daryl Villanueva on Vimeo.

So it's not everyday an agency has a chance to create a product with a client. It's also rare for a brand to hear out what its consumers are saying and alter their product.

Volkswagen originated as an economic car available to all classes. With its commercial success, VW's cars have become increasingly expensive and more difficult for anyone to buy their cars. They've decided to go back to the brand's roots and launch The People's Car Project.

It is pure creation.

VW newest online platform is a tool people to create their "ideal" car. The people can pour all their creativity, their ideas and everything that they ever wanted in a car through this platform. From a gallery of the people's creations, they will vote for their favorite exterior designs, interior designs and other ideas where the best ones will be implemented and engineered into Volkswagen's latest model. What that will be, we don't know yet. But 3 days into the launch, we have nearly 9000 car creations.

Proximity Beijing has created a massive campaign to invite the people to the website - www.zaoche.cn - and just start creating. The campaign showcases the creativity of the people and the infinite possibilities of the car creator. Below is just a few of the pieces (outdoor and events).

Start creating: www.zaoche.cn

FIRST IMPRESSIONS.

Okay so I've been in Beijing 3 months exactly. For those who don't know, China has a very tight grip on their internet - no facebook, no twitter, no blogging - hence my absence. It's been an interesting and difficult ride so far getting to know the city and the culture, getting adjusted at work, making friends and moving into my new apartment.

I love the city. It's a beautiful mix of the past and the future. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten lost and feel like I've gone through a wormhole and traveled back in time. One of the most incredible sites I've ever seen are the hutongs - the old maze-like neighborhoods of Beijing. In a fast developing city, I can only hope they preserve these classic districts which makes Beijing unique from any other city.

The work. I'm working with Proximity; the innovative leg of advertising giant BBDO. The talent here is awesome. We've got talent from all over the world mixed with the local flavor brought by those born and raised here. What makes work-life even better is their unmatched passion to make every piece perfect.  PERFECT. It makes you feel small but makes you feel like you're a part of something great. Somedays it feels like a pain in the ass to get things done but nevertheless, perfect.

We're launching one of the most ambitious projects I've ever seen for Volkswagen, which I honestly believe will change the way cars are designed today. Yes...it is that big. We are already present at the 2011 Shanghai Auto Show and the project is gathering momentum already. May 20 is the big day. I'll post then.

Until next time...