We are testing out the recently released Oristand at our office. For those of you who haven’t had a chance to check out the product, click here to learn more about Oristand.

What really intrigued me was the fact that the entire product is just cardboard. How could this be useful to the office space, especially when I recycle cardboard daily?

Turns out the simplest inventions are the most innovative. The Oristand is collapsable, so you can take it anywhere. It holds about 60 pounds, so you can throw a few monitors on there, no problem. As a standing desk unit, this is the best value if you’re entering into the market.

In terms of my overall opinion, stay tuned, I will report on my findings after one week of office use.

When you look at the Apple logo on your iPhone, iPad or MacBook, do you ever wonder why the brand is so popular? I mean, let’s be honest, how simple can we get with the logo! No words, just a practical image of a fruit as the logomark.

That is the essence of sexy brands, whether it be Apple, Chanel or Nike – the subtlety, the simplicity, is the reason for mass emotional appeal. As the world population grows exponentially year-over-year, more and more advertisers are trying to get a piece of the eyeball pie. That means there is an increase in the perceived need to be noisy, fancy and in-your-face. That technique only works temporarily as you become an overhyped fad brand.

The brands that excel past the noise are the brands that stay true to their core essence. Nike = competition. Apple = design. Chanel = luxury. Imagine if Chanel came along and decided to be cute like all of the pop star fragrances released these days. Chanel would lose their identity and likely fall off the face of the earth.

When building your brand, how are you crafting your message? Try to be boring, or what I like to call simple; it will actually pay off in the long-run as you build your brand.