It's part of the culture. When you hang around long enough you pick up on the lingo and make it your own. Here are three phrases we kick around.
Allow me to share.
#32 : "Every day is a vacation, Every paycheck a fortune." : This one has traveled with me for years. I picked it up from a mentor many years ago. We would often declare this with great enthusiasm. Tongue in cheek at times. The expression backs up the idea that we would rather be doing nothing else. Sometimes it's used in joy, sometimes to take the edge off a stressful moment.
#76 : "Sushi Burger" : When two good items, joined together, become horrible. Love Sushi. Love Cheeseburgers. Do not nest well together or pair good with any wine. Ever. We declare this when throwing out an idea or two in a charette that seems to land flat. You can generally see that you have prepared a sushiburger when looking at the now silent room of stoic faces. The expressions on their faces seem to indicate that they can in fact, smell, the sushiburger.
#86 : "Jump the Shark" : This one originates from the TV Series 'Happy Days'. It is commonly used to describe the moment in the evolution of a television show when it begins a decline in quality that is beyond recovery. It could also be a particular scene, or episode in which the writers use some type of gimmick in a desperate attempt to keep viewers' interest. The writers of Happy Days had Fonzie jump a shark. Here in the studio we use the term when a concept or idea is no longer recognizable and has lost it's vision or passion. It usually happens after #76 above is dropped a dozen times.
With lighthearted humor we can admit that not every idea, concept, thought, or word is always perfect. It's the very process of getting our headstogether that helps us shake all those out, with our client, for the best end product. A product that helps "every day to be a vacation, and every paycheck a fortune."
eeehhhhhhhh!!!!!
Written by:
Adam Pew
Sr. Designer | Partner
studio | H2G