From Someone Who Loves to Network—and Loves a Good Party I’ll admit it: I love a party. Give me a room full of people, some tasty food, a bit of music, and a bunch of people I don’t know yet, and I’m pretty happy. I like meeting people. I like hearing their stories. I like…
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Talking the Design Talk There is nothing like clarity in the success of a marketing campaign. Clarity of message, of audience, and of the visual brand. To get this kind of success, clarity in communication about design, when the design is happening, will save marketers time and create a better, more collaborative experience. This in…
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Designerly Conversations, Part One Putting words to the visual process Working with designers can sometimes feel like a mystery. There’s a lot of lingo, some intricate and downright formidable tools (what even is a Bezier curve?), and a completely different way of thinking about communication. By understanding a few key principles of graphic design–many of…
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All summer I’ve had a stall at the local farmer’s market. You don’t sell design services that way so what the heck am I doing? My core services are still all about advertising, corporate marketing, and communications graphics. Don’t worry, dear clients, I’m not giving that up. I’m adding to my skillset with a side…
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I am not an early adopter. I never have been. I dislike being the guinea pig. And updates seem to come quicker now than ever. The pace of change keeps accelerating. It compels me to adopt new capabilities and technologies faster than ever. I know technology can make my life easier, but not at first.…
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Relic or powerhouse? Do you use business cards or do you consider them a relic of a bygone era? For me, they are a networking power tool. I nearly ran out of them after a recent event which got me thinking a little more deeply about it. I often take them for granted and I…
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I am a chronic doodler. Since I was a student in high school I doodled. I covered my notebooks with ink, they looked like the work of a tattoo artist with a full body suit. Page after page of doodled notes fills the sketchbooks of my professional life, as well, as I sat through hours…
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Do you like planning and goal setting? I do. I love to plan and organize but if I’m not careful, I can get bogged down with planning. So this year, my goal is to develop some specific habits instead. This habit strategy came to me during a workout. Which is a new exercise habit I established…
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One of the notable episodes of my summer in the garden was the discovery of this horned worm on my tomato plant. This was my first encounter with such a bug and our acquaintance lasted less than a day. I found it while visiting my garden. There was an area of a tomato plant completely…
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Are you ever frustrated that certain marketing or business efforts seem to always get pushed aside by more urgent projects? Or maybe there are so many things to do that it’s hard to decide what to work on. Maybe you need a plan. Last week, I had the distinct privilege of sharing how I applied…
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We all remember the story of the race between the Tortoise and the Hare. Although outmatched for speed, the Tortoise had endurance in its own plodding implacable way. The hare ran circles around his poor opponent but still [spoiler alert:] lost the race in the end. I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately. It…
DetailsPalindrome I’m a word-nerd. And I still have a Webster’s dictionary which defines our word of the day: Palindrome: a word, verse, or sentence or a number (such as 1881) that reads the same backward or forward Today is 22822 the last of the palindrome dates for a while. So you can’t add any dashes or slashes to…
DetailsOne of the best New Year’s Resolutions I ever heard was from a news personality who said his resolution was to “Pet more dogs.” Sounds like a worthy undertaking to me. Do you make New Year’s resolutions? There’s still time! I must admit, I am a sucker for making New Year’s Resolutions. But I am…
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In this busy season, have you stopped and thought about what gives you joy? In The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron, she recommends regularly going on an “Artist’s Date.” The concept is to schedule weekly time away so that you may engage in activities that bring you joy and inspiration. It’s a great idea. My creativity often…
DetailsDo you make resolutions? More importantly, do you keep them? According to researchers, nearly 80% of people abandon their New Year’s resolutions by February. Sometimes the annual business or departmental planning can be susceptible to the same pitfalls for failure as our good intentions made at midnight January 1. So, if you have plans to…
DetailsHasn’t everyone asked that question? I know I have. Just when it seems it can’t get any worse, it does. We are in an ever expectant state of what next? … and that became less a question and more of a resigned statement as 2020 wore on. But people are wonderfully resilient. I found to…
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My momma always said, “Bloom where you’re planted.” She was full of colorful idioms. And her sayings come to my mind often. This one has come to mind more often these days. Especially since I feel “planted” in this hothouse of a pandemic. The wisdom of it rings clear. Now especially, is the…
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For many of us, things have slowed down in these uncertain times. And that’s true for me too. There’s not too much in the shop right now–finishing up some branding work and teaching classes at the community college—suddenly online which I’ll save for another post–and there’s always the upkeep and self-marketing associated with running a…
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Coloring and doodling is a very “in-the-moment” activity that is both meditative and mindful. Both are kinesthetic activities that help calm and soothe. In recent years adult coloring books have become very popular. Doodling has been elevated to an art form that is highly accessible and very relaxing. So while we are in quarantine, I…
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Conduct a Designer Review A freelance graphic designer is a valuable resource when work demands are high and deadlines are tight. Hiring one can help with staff morale by reducing the burden of having too many projects and too little time. It keeps your internal clients happy by delivering projects on time and it helps…
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You’re not alone. Branding is boring. Yes, that’s right. Branding is boring, especially for the in-house marketing team–but only if you’re doing it right. Good branding execution requires a cohesive, consistent look that adheres to guidelines that support and enhances the logo. It is achieved by reproducing the same visual elements in all communication products across…
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A picture is worth a thousand words, and this is one of the finest. The common grocery bag, upended and floating in the water looks every bit the iceberg it was intended to emulate. And the meaning is not lost either, the problem with plastic waste is huge, and this bag is only part of…
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The June 2018 issue of the National Geographic magazine came to subscribers in a paper wrap instead of the typical clear plastic sheath. It is part of a multi-year campaign “Planet or Plastic” to raise awareness of the plastic pollution threat to our world. By replacing the plastic sleeve on magazines mailed to subscribers in…
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