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We design trash. That’s not say say that we don’t create awesome looking stuff, it’s just the reality of what happens to it.
Magazines, newspapers, direct mail, coupons, web banners, emails, videos, etc are all consumable and all end up in the trash. Read the rest of this entry »
Signal to noise ratio (SNR) “… is a measure used in science and engineering that compares the level of a desired signal to the level of background noise.” -wiki
How does this apply to advertising?
I just presented a lecture to the Idaho Falls Advertising Federation entitled, “We design trash: extending the shelf life of your marketing through aesthetic triggers” (check out my prezi on this) Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s a poster I did to encourage employees to participate in a survey to tell management what kind of extra perks they’d like in the break room.
Hey JD
I’ll write more later, but here’s the booth! You can also see some quick detail shots below:
So I’ve recently gotten into pinterest. If you’ve ever been on there, you might wonder what interest I have in diets, wedding dresses, dog sweaters or Ryan Gossling… Well, before you question my orientation, I’d like to mention a little know side to pinterest. Artistic inspiration.
Check out my “illustration” board for example. I’ve been able to come across artists, illustrators, designers, etc that I never would’ve otherwise. I love it. I’ll be honest, it’s better than Facebook and twitter by far (if you follow the right boards) and it’s not blocked at work (like DeviantArt is:/ )
I find myself on there a couple of times a day to take a break from my own stuff and get a fresh perspective. So if you’re looking for artistic inspiration, check it out. You can follow me on there for a start.
Did you say, “Duh” when you read that? Well, it is pretty obvious, but we fall into the overwhelmed trap all the time. For some reason, when our plate gets too full we shut down. We start thinking of EVERYTHING that we have to do and don’t know where to start. It seems like an insurmountable task (or pile of tasks)… The answer I’ve found is very simple: Action
The cure for being overwhelmed is to get rid of the feeling that you’re not accomplishing anything while there’s so much to do and replace that feeling with doing something about it. As soon as you knock something off your list, two things happen:
Do it quickly refers to two things:
It doesn’t matter if you start with the easiest thing or the quickest thing or the thing with the most pressing deadline, it only matters that you start on something that you can finish soon and finish it. Knock it off your list. Get some traction on your day. Make a move. Take action.
Don’t wait. Don’t try to convince yourself or muster up the whatever to get started, just get started. Do it now. Remember that action is the answer. Worrying does nothing. Once you realize that you’re overwhelmed, you need to stop thinking about being overwhelmed and do something about it. You’ll find pretty quickly that life is a lot easier when you’re doing something rather than worrying about doing something.
Lynda.com might be the best $25 a month you ever spend. Lynda is basically a series of very well thought out tutorials for how to do just about anything on almost all of the major software platforms. You want to get better at photoshop or learn photography or teach yourself CSS? Lynda has hours of video to help you sharpen your skills.
They also have an iPhone app that streams all of the content to wherever you are. So instead of your normal commute nap to work, you can learn how to apply a mask in illustrator cs5. Fair warning, these are videos about software… so if you’re in a warm room and didn’t get a full night’s sleep, they may put you to sleep. 
Today I was told by a client that the way I dressed when we first met, instilled confidence in my creative abilities. After meeting me for the first time, they commented on my attire and said, “well, we know that whatever he does, it’ll be creative”
I used to dress for comfort and a little rebellion. There was a point in my professional career that I wore flip-flops for over a year. I realized that I was missing out on marketing my visual abilities by showing up in a teeshirt and jeans.
Now I rebel in a different way. I choose my clothing to wear to professional meetings like I would elements of a design I’m working on. This doesn’t have to cost a lot of money either. Ross, TJ Max, Dillards, etc are your friends here. In fact, I think you send the wrong message if you’re all blinged out with a $5k watch and matching cufflinks. Your a creative, not selling high risk mutual funds. Teeshirt and a sports coat or a jeans, necktie and untucked square bottom button up send the message that you’re taking this seriously and you’re creative.
Don’t wear cartoons. Don’t overdue it. Don’t mismatch colors or patterns. Don’t let your clothing choice make people question your abilities in your creative field.
