The Liquid Lecture Series involves speakers from the worlds of graphics, architecture, fashion, and publishing who come to Liquid to share their work and their passions. The first lecture featured Art Kilinski, Creative Director on the Cisco Brand Strategy & Governance Team, who revealed to us how his passion for drawing and music led him to a career in graphic design. In the process, he entertained and inspired a packed room that included Liquid Agency staff as well as a few clients and friends.

Liquid Agency has been growing at a rapid clip, and last year it became apparent that we needed a little more space in our offices in San Jose. So, we took over the building next door and started the process of designing and remodeling. A few months and a lot of construction later, the dust has finally settled, the furniture has arrived, and we’ve moved into our newly renovated space. Here’s a sneak peek at our new cool digs.

We have been big fans of Dave Parmley’s unique hand-crafted style for many years. Dave is the founder of Kustom Kult — a brand new studio that specializes in unique, hand-crafted art and design. Dave’s background has included stints as the Creative Director and co-founder of 13THFLOOR — a lifestyle branding & design agency renowned in the Action Sports Industry, and as Creative Director for O’Neill — the innovative wetsuit and sportswear company — where he developed the iconic emblem featuring a likeness of Jack O’Neill, the legendary inventor of the wetsuit. Dave's illustrious career has also included award-winning work for a very diverse set of brands, like Harley-Davidson, Hot Wheels, Disney, Element, Bad Boy MMA and many others. His very personal approach to typography and illustration, yields designs that are always quirky, imaginative and filled with wonderful little details.

Let’s face it, standard bathroom signs are...well...boring. So, while we were working on our latest remodeling project, we decided to have a little fun and design a set of custom signs that would make us smile on the way to the bathroom. We think the signs are fun – but we admit they’ve been a little controversial. Some people laugh out loud when they see them. Others don’t know what to make of them. But the only ones we really worry about are those that can’t tell the men’s room from the ladies’.

We love a good cappuccino. So, when we were invited to redesign our local coffee shop we jumped at the opportunity. In a matter of a few months, we transformed Caffe Trieste into Caffe Frascati—and in the process we brought a little piece of Italy to San Jose. We were delighted to have the chance to create a new name and a new logo—but more importantly we enjoyed being able to re-invent the entire experience, creating a place where people can gather and taste a little bit of Italian life. Next time you're in town, please come check it out and let's have an espresso or a glass of Peroni.

What’s the difference between a mission and a vision? How’s a purpose different from a goal? Does the corporate mission last forever, or does it change over time? If you’re confused about any or all of these, it’s not your fault. For two decades, business leaders have tossed these terms around with reckless abandon, while experts have defined them in ways that seem to contradict one other.

At Liquid we have worked on lots of important assignments for some of the world's most recognizable brands – but we never dreamed that we would have the chance to develop the brand identity for an entire nation. Well, our dreams just came true – and we're happy to announce the launch of a comprehensive brand identity program for the newest country in Africa – the lovely nation of Naibu.