Welcome to the MCIC field guide — a small library of essays on the strange, surprisingly emotional craft of corporate gifting. Why do some gifts get tossed in a drawer while others end up framed on a desk a decade later? We dig into the psychology, the strategy, the timing and the formats, so your next gift lands the way you meant it to.
A museum visit lasts an afternoon. A comic can last for years. How museums, memorials and schools use comics to extend the visit and reach young audiences.
Most men know they should get checked, and most put it off. Why prevention messages fall flat, and how comics turn health advice into stories people act on.
What memory research says about words and pictures, and why a comic follows the rules of memorable communication by default.
The fleece vest problem. Why generic gifts fail emotionally — and what neuroscience says about gifts that actually get kept.
A new hire's first week is mostly logistics. Here's how to use a gift to land an emotional anchor before the work even starts.
Tenure milestones are the most under-celebrated moment in corporate life. A field guide to making them mean something.
A taxonomy of gift formats — from custom comics to commissioned scores — and which occasions each one is built for.
Farewell and retirement gifts carry more emotional weight than any other format. A short guide to getting the tone right.
Your reps will sit through 14 hours of slides. The gift in their hotel room is what they'll remember.
A $200 generic gift box is forgotten in a week. A $40 personalized object can last a decade. The math is not what you think.
A short manifesto against the December gift basket — and a few formats that work across geographies and beliefs.
Tell us about the people, the occasion, and the story you want to tell. We'll come back with a brief in two business days.