June 21, 2006 - Comments Off on Retire that Jolly Roger from your Design Sourcebook
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Our travel accommodations to the 2006 HOW Design Conference should have been a sign to me of things to come. The fact that I dragged my lead designer to the airport with ticketing information that was 5 hours ahead of our actual flight and was flying out LaGuardia, the foulest hobgoblin of all New York airports should have delicately iced the proverbial cake of doom I was about to taste for 4 days in a little town called Las Vegas.
The one thing I realized after several hours of what could be deemed as the “6 o'clock happy hour” in Vegas is that it would abruptly be followed with what shall forever be etched in my mind as “hooker hour” - The hour of 3am, when all of the most fiendish Las Vegas call girls descend on the bars like slime on a Jersey Pond with one thing on their minds - Cash.
It was during one of these moments of booze fueled bliss, that three designers: myself, Bill English of theMechanism and Carl Smith, of nGen fame, found ourselves surrounded by a party of one with trouble etched directly on her delicate, yet acned forehead.
First of all, we thought for sure that she would take the hint...all the yapping about fonts, business strategy and process would scare away even the most persistent of Vegas’ “Ladies of the Evening,” correct? How wrong we could have been. It was time to change strategy. With a simple point of my finger (at Carl) and a miraculous lie (Carl was the owner of eBay), Bill and I managed to curtail the desparate situation and run to the tram that connected the Excalabur to Mandalay Bay with a bevy of hookers in hot pursuit like 1960's teenagers chasing the Beatles.
Now before you begin to worry about Carl, I must remind you that the guy is quicker in situations of dire stress than Mama Cass on a Ham Sandwich. After speaking with the fella the next day, it turns out that he spun a tale on that poor girl that would have scared a junkyard dog from a free steak with meat gravy, served on a plate made of...meat.
So all’s well that ends well, right? Well there’s more to this tale my eager readers. But that will have to wait until tomorrow...
Published by: davefletcher in The Design Mechanism, The Thinking Mechanism
May 22, 2006 - Comments Off on Who said Designers Can’t Fight?
Who said Designers Can’t Fight?
Depending on what newspaper you read, either aged fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger or aged rock dinosaur Axl Rose beat the snot out of the other in a brawl in NYC on Thursday night. Funny, considering both Axl and Hilfiger look like a couple of old ladies and without their questionable "celeb" status, would certainly have trouble getting into any fashionable NYC club.
But according to this post, Hilfiger went bananas on Axl, putting a solid "check mark" for the designer column in the global "Who's tougher, rock stars or designers" debate.
Published by: davefletcher in The Design Mechanism, The Thinking Mechanism
May 16, 2006 - Comments Off on French Consumer’s Fed Union places trust in 18-year old rabblerouser
French Consumer’s Fed Union places trust in 18-year old rabblerouser
Teenaged Aziz Ridouan had become a bit of a celebrity in France for support and advocacy related to internet music downloading, according to this New York Times article.
The fact that Ridouan is meeting with a bunch of goofy French Politicians over internet downloading laws isn't nearly as interesting as the fine print in the story which states that The National Assembly in France passed legislation that could force Apple Computer and other companies to make songs purchased on their proprietary online services playable on any MP3 device. Is this similar to forcing record companies to continue to manufacture Cassette tapes for the listening public that doesn't have a CD Player?
Not really, but it's worth a discussion anyway.
Published by: davefletcher in The Thinking Mechanism
Jane Jakobs was an American-born Canadian writer, best known for The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), which attacked postwar modernist urban renewal policies in the U.S.. She examined how cities should work from street design to how to them friendly for all forms of transport.
She died at the ripe old age of 89, and theMechanism salutes her.
Read a fantastic interview conducted by Metropolis Magazine in 2000 here.
Published by: davefletcher in The Design Mechanism, The Thinking Mechanism
May 2, 2006 - Comments Off on The MechCast: 102
The MechCast: 102
The usual suspects from theMechanism examine both sides of the Net Neutrality debate in our 2nd earth-shattering episode.
Published by: davefletcher in The Mechcast
April 16, 2006 - Comments Off on Quotes from The Simpsons for Everyday Life Situations
Quotes from The Simpsons for Everyday Life Situations
The Simpsons has consistently produced great dialog throughout a very illustrious run on FOX. As Mr. Burns captures Marge and her friends burgling his mansion, he unveils his trusty musket and utters these words...
"Try to steal my eggs will you? Well, this rooster has a beak! A beak that cries 'Death-a-doodle-doo!'"
"“Montgomery Burns, The Simpsons
Feel free to ahead and use it next time your boss dares to steal an idea and show it to a client as their own.
Published by: davefletcher in The Thinking Mechanism
April 13, 2006 - Comments Off on Investigating Ogilvy…Again
Investigating Ogilvy…Again
The folks in the office know that I've been back on my David Ogilvy tip since I've been openly spewing his knowledge of late. Ogilvy's words and I have the same relationship that most people have with a favorite movie, song or book... I pick him up every 6 months or so, overdose on his prose and I'm excited about the industry again.
For the uninformed, the guy started his agency on Madison Avenue in 1949 and the biggest change during his tenure in the heyday of the "Biz", was that Television became a more important medium than Print to Advertisers.
So, it begs the question, "What could he have said that was so damn important to us today?" The answer is nearly everything...
Let's take a look at a few of Ogilvy's many points on "How to produce advertising that sells" and how they relate to today's design world:
- Do your homework.
A great point. Just like back in the heyday of print, as designers today, we must rely on research to get us through client engagements, meetings and projects. Research remains the cornerstone of any project today (about 70% of any project's time should be spent on it) and if you disagree, you're probably wondering why clients aren't returning your calls. - Positioning.
Positioning your ads in the most appropriate publications and on the most effective pages continues to be the cherry on the top of any design project. You can do a fantastic job on something, but unless someone can see it and react to it, it's a useless effort. - Brand Image.
The image, as they say is everything. If you are a client, be sure that your brand and agency of record are in sync. Branding encompasses and revolves around a singular message when you're working in Print, Web, Motion Graphics, Audio or Video.
If you're interested in more of this kind of stuff to get your brain cooking, check out either Confessions of an Advertising Man or Ogilvy on Advertising.
Both sometimes get slightly dated in jargon, but overall are worth reading cover to cover...
...More than once.
Published by: davefletcher in The Design Mechanism, The Thinking Mechanism
April 12, 2006 - Comments Off on Where the Web is Heading
Where the Web is Heading
The evolution of web design has nearly come full circle in a period of 16 years. From the "first official" web site (a single page explaining the definition and purpose of the World Wide Web) - to standardized web development today, many things have progressed, yet very little has changed in the code.
With the second incarnation of the World Wide Web (Web 2.0), many designers who continue to work in this medium after the "dot-com" bubble burst, are once again using rules developed over ten years ago by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), and practicing what is called "standards-based" web design. Standards-based web design eliminates the extra code and unnecessary graphics of late 1990 web development practices, allowing web designers to create web sites that are easy to update and maintain for clients.
A trend that is occurring more rapidly now within the web design community is the open sourcing of code and the global sharing of ideas. del.icio.us and Stumble Upon allow web visitors to share their bookmarks and favorite websites. JavaScript effects libraries, such as moo.fx and script.aculo.us, offer readily-developed code in a communal atmosphere, while online tools like Blogger and Flickr have made it free and easy for people to share ideas and photographs.
Clients understand that the web is not just a means of reproducing company information but it can be a tool where they can interact with customers on a very personal level. The development of communities around a brand creates a close association and at times, fanatical following with customers. By allowing site visitors to interact with, and sometimes even comment on, their own content, vital, "open source" communities are being created. With the addition of other tools, such as mobile devices, the online experience offers unparalleled brand integration.
Today, clients are looking for web designers that can creatively persuade their audiences to interact with their site and allow their employees to share internal information effectively and easily. Specific technology platforms are no longer the issue. Figuring out unique ways to connect a brand online to its intended audience is the "hottest topic" at hand.
Published by: davefletcher in The Thinking Mechanism
April 11, 2006 - Comments Off on The Most Successful Way of Garnering New Business
The Most Successful Way of Garnering New Business
From an interview with Dave Fletcher from HOW Magazine
The best way to generate new business is to continually produce the best work you can for existing clients. Positive word of mouth is exponentially more powerful than a dozen "million dollar" promotional ideas. Create evangelists of your agency/studio by going the extra mile every time.
If you are to start a new business in countries like Australia, there is an australian company name registration office that you can visit to register you business legally. There is also an online information you should check to help yourself, read this comprehensive article with Kurt Uhlir and help yourself boost your business.
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According to best local search engine optimization training, companies are evaluated on their ability to deliver quality services, past and current clients and projects, as well as verified client reference reviews featured on their Clutch profile. Marketing is a time-consuming task in and of itself, but it is worthwhile. Sonary has provided some of the best email marketing tips on their website. To learn more about local SEO best practices, read Cortney Fletcher reviews. This course teaches you how to modify your content, and website design to make the website easy to index by the search engine spiders, and if you own a business and you need to pay your staff every 2 weeks, using online tools for this is the best choice. This way, SEO helps you boost your Business website's ranking in the Search Engine Results Page. The ndis plan management rockhampton is where you can find better financial managers to help you sort through your budget.
Published by: davefletcher in The Thinking Mechanism
This icon of evil, meant to instill fear by guys with long, filthy beards and hooks for hands, has sadly been embraced by our fine industry as a tool of creative expression: used for everything from designer logos to skulls stenciled on the sidewalk.