Austin Without Limits ought to be its name… what a taste of the sun in this city, what authenticity, what emotion, what passion.

Recently, I was in Austin to judge the Addys 2006. A great trip! Kudos to the folks who coordinated the events- the Austin Adfed, the University of Texas and to the advertising students from the University of Texas for being such great hosts. It’s not often I see graciousness and hospitality like I experienced last weekend. My fellow judges, Kevin Roddy, Carolyn McGeorge, and Luis Pena are to be commended also, for their sensitivity and integrity, and for being just plain fun to hang out with. Kind of interesting, how we all converged, Kevin coming from New York’s Bartle Bogart Hegarty, Carolyn from Work, in Richmond, and Luis the transplanted Austonian, now in San Francisco, at Pena Brands.

As for the work this year, I was blown away by the use of clean, beautiful, traditional typography—that Texas elegance, especially as it was juxtaposed with slab serf type in that special way that continues to define the voice of Austin, its uniqueness, its wit. And I love how they use the brown tones and vignette the imagery so superlatively that it always feels fresh, even as it embraces the entrepreneurial spirit of those Austin cowboys. There was a great appreciation, too, for innovation and neophyte companies as well. And, some really cool ideas coming from the students from the University of Texas, particularly some of the ambient presentations, and we were all wow’ed by the Texas Tech students’ screen-based media—- what great narrative with some innovative technical skill sets.

The city itself is remarkable for its character and friendliness, the fact that its strong sense of history and tradition does not preclude originality and open-mindedness—and, pure passion. Oh yes—the food, the music, and the friends joining in… (Marc English and DJ Stout… the guys and dolls who put it all together—Mark Good, Scott Van Osdol, among others, all deserving ‘Best Of’). An adventure to Austin wouldn’t be complete without a late night stroll down 6th Street, where you quickly find it doesn’t take long to know where inspiration muses …

Whenever you’re in Austin town, you have to visit Ruby’s Bar-B-Q. The cool porch and smokehouse are a treat in themselves, but the ‘Q!!! Their collection of colloquial collages and posters range from The Mighty Clouds of Joy to John Lee Hooker. And if you want to take home the experience of the music of Austin, then you have to stop by Waterloo Records, maybe the best record store in America.

You know the future of advertising and design are alive in this country when you see the work these Austin creatives are doing… and, what’s more, they are having fun doing it… the likes of McGarrah Jessee and GSD&M dominate in this town, and yet they give such support to others who spin off and start up their own enterprises, like the upstart guys from The Decoder Ring. There’s no place on Earth like Austin; it embodies the best of Texas—and the best of this country.

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