But today we launched DreamChamps, a project that’s been long in the making! We’re so proud of them for triumphing against the odds and coming out with something spectacular. Make sure to take a look.

And keep an eye on on the Polymathic main site for new portfolio content as the year comes to a close, and a new site (hinting at what’s to come!) in early 2012.

We hope everyone’s having a great November so far!

best,
Marcy + the Polymathic team

Well, it’s our new venture and you really should check it out at jointhejunto.com.

We are excited, and hope you are, too! Get involved and help us help others.

Soon to be bigger and better! We figured we wouldn’t burden you with fluff in the meantime. A triumphant return always makes up for an extended absence!

- Marcy

A year later… we’ve got a rock solid team of designers, web developers, photographers and video specialists – if you dare to pigeon-hole them using nomenclature, that is.  It’s been an honor to work with such polymathic talents because they bring so much to the table.

But that said, what IS a polymath, you ask? Right, I get asked that every time I hand out a business card.

Basically, “polymathic” is the adjective for being a Renaissance man.  So… a polymath is a jack-of-all-trades but of the highly-skilled variety, not the “master of none” sort. In our case, we believe our skills and achievements in wood-carving, oil painting, sculpture, poetry, costumery, puppetry, memorizing many numbers of Pi, proficiency in 9 instruments, academics, architectural rendering… really, this list goes on for a long time if you let me… are all just as important as our skills in the commercial media arts.

Leonardo da Vinci is of course one of the most famous polymaths, but Benjamin Franklin is one of my favorite other examples. Both men pushed themselves to accomplish creative, scientific and philosophical goals (to name a few.) A singular approach to life is just so very boring.

While we may not have “invented” electricity or theoretical flying machines, we pride ourselves in being able to apply our accomplishments and experience to the vast possibilities within visual communications. The results are multimedia experiments that are thoughtful and informed.

Thomas Moore put it well in “The Devil Among Scholars” -

Off I fly, careering far
In chase of Pollys, prettier far
Than any of their namesakes are—
The Polymaths and Polyhistors,
Polyglots and all their sisters.

We feed off of each other and our collective mindmeld. Maybe we don’t meld like the Vulcans, but whiteboarding and gChat sessions can accomplish quite a bit. We’re always itching to find that next concept that can only be conceived when a mesh of assorted, electric brains are all sitting in one room… with slightly flushed faces from interrupting each other and getting high off of ideas.

We are careering far, and we are chasing as fast as we can.  You won’t believe the projects we have coming out in the next couple of months, though one we will highlight is DreamChamps - the awesome brainchild of POP! Social Media. I personally hold the POP! girls dear because they are a Northwestern University entrepreneurial group, like Polymathic, and also Equal Sons, our video production team.

So here’s to a great year. High fives from Logan Square — we did it!

- Marcy
Founder/CEO/Professional Nagger/Mama Bear

I know we’ve been a touch absent from the blogosphere but that’s because we’ve got some really big things cookin’! So stay tuned…

So here it is. Make sure to check out Michele’s CD at micheledewilton.com and if you like it, pass the video on! Michele deserves the youtube views.

However, being a designerd, I was totally blown away by the city’s full embrace of incredible design. There’s some amazing shops down there (Decoder Ring Design Concern being one of my favorites and creator of at least one thing in this post) and they have to love getting to stretch their creative muscles with companies that appreciate great design.

I could keep talking about all of this for far too long, but you and I both have work to be doing – so here’s some pretty pictures I took. Thanks to Jaclyn, our photographer, for editing these up.

If you’re ever looking for some daytime fun in Madison, here’s what I recommend: Get some lunch at Graze, one of those awesome small restaurants that get all their food from local providers. After that, stop in to look at some classy shoes at Shoo. (Note: Even if you’re confused with shoes like I am, it’s fun to check out all the groovy vintage clothes in the basement!) Then, ya gotta check out an exhibition at MMoCA, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. Finish up the afternoon with some frothy coffee at Barriques. And, of course, enjoy feasting your eyes on the cool-looking capitol! What a snowy, wonderful city!

All Images © Polymathic

All Images © Polymathic

The video is set to release on 1/19/2011.

Michele and her husband were an absolute joy to work with. We wish them the best of luck with Michele’s newest album, “Daydream,” which is set to be released on 2/14/2011.

But I just got back from an incredibly Black-Friday-induced busy Apple Store with my repaired MacBook Pro.

What does a designer, who lives off of his computer, do when it’s being repaired? They make lists.

10 THINGS A DESIGNER DOES WHEN THEIR COMPUTER IS BEING REPAIRED

1 – Go to a coffee shop and watch other people work. Offer advice on type choice.

2 – Touch a pencil.

3 – Read book, get pissed at the leading.

4 – Use roommate’s PC and constantly mess up keyboard shortcuts because command, control and alt are all backwards on this f-ing thing.

5 – Consider working out.

6 – Chew through iPhone battery life like a fat kid and mini-muffins.

7 – Create a real-life Facebook where you talk to people you know face-to-face, creating lasting, duckface-free memories that could never be stored in a photo album titled, So Random!!!!!1!!

8 – Realize buying a new computer is too expensive and probably unnecessary, but what about an iPad??? It could help me…maybe…dammit…no it can’t.

9 – Buy another black and/or grey shirt.

10 – Call the Apple store at the end of each day to see if your computer is back because even though they said 5-7 days, you know a guy that got his back in 3.

Or at least that’s what I did. But on a serious note, a huge thank you to Apple. Not only did they make the necessary repairs to get my MacBook working again, but they replaced my slowly dying battery and even cleaned my screen for me. AppleCare = worth it.