A Job Worth Doing

So today I was reminded of one simple rule of business - a job worth doing is worth doing right. While I always feel this way I have experienced many people that don't.

Today I had guys coming over to sod my yard and the guy who was really just a laborer said "the ground isn't prepared properly and I really hate to put nice sod on this uneven ground". Needless to say his instructions from his boss (the owner of the company) was that it was done and ready to be put down so just do it. This led to a discussion between me and his boss that basically went nowhere. After the owner left the laborer basically explained to me that the company has a new owner and how the new owner has no interest in doing something the best that it can be. He also told me he had very little interest in working under the new owner long term since the owner took no pride in doing the job right. Now remember this guy is just a laborer, just a guy who lays sod. So this laborer and his team decided among themselves that they are going to spend the several extra hours it will take to make the job just right. He had more interest in making me happy then the owner of the company. This guys pride in his job is so important to him that he's willing to go find a company that appreciates the good work he does. Who wouldn't love to have someone like that on their payroll. Needless to say at the end of the day the guys working in the yard, doing all of the hard work. They will be getting a big tip from me.

This really sparked that whole thought of a "a job worth doing is worth doing right". When did that change? When did so many people stop taking interest and pride in their jobs? If a guy laying sod can appreciate what he does so much that he's willing to go the extra mile to make it right, why can't all of us? I personally never take a client for granted. If I'm going to take on a job of course I want to do it to the best of my ability. By doing a great job I that client will refer me to other clients and hopefully I will have the opportunity to work with that same client in the future. It sucks to do work you hate, so if you hate it find a new job or a new client and do stuff you love. Even if you aren't making as much money you'll be much happier in the end. So the next time you take a job, first make sure it's worth doing and second make sure it's done right.

Signed, "Anonymous"

This post has absolutely nothing to do with items that are graphic or creative, but I did think in a way it was brilliant and raised lots of questions. It's a website called Hello! You There! The whole point of the project is to allow people to be able to send constructive advice to a person or persons anonymously. Basically you go to the website and enter the Addressee and the advice you would like to send to them, then an actual letter is created and mailed post to the location provided. It doesn't quite stop there - the addressee can then respond on the Hello! You There! website to the addressers letter.

So, is this a social experiment? I personally think it is. The idea of what if you can tell anyone, anything without them knowing it was you is something that would intrigue almost any human. We all have that deep, dark pit inside of us that want to critique someone we know - but fear hurting their feelings and damaging relationships. Is this a solution to that? Who knows. I definitely see where people will use this to get all those little things off their chest, but obviously you can't be too specific or else it wouldn't be anonymous.

So could this go beyond, "You really need to wear deodorant"? Why not send positive comments anonymously? Wouldn't everyone love to hear something great about themselves from an anonymous person? People always love to be credited for praise and hate to be credited for critique. I guess it's human nature, but is it just another step away from the personal aspect of communications. In the new world of emails and texting do we really need to add another way to communicate that's completely impersonal? Isn't it kind of cowardly to critique someone anonymously? Longterm, aren't we just making it so that people can't speak direct and as individuals we can't cope with criticism? Do we really want the next generation to cry and have their feelings hurt every time they are criticized directly? Just like any other tool, I think it has everything to do with how you use it.

Picking the Right Client

I recently had a potential client come to me with "concepts" that they spent some time gathering and producing comps for. They had supposedly given their ideas to the decision makers and they picked a direction. This is where they wanted me to come into the picture. My question was what exactly do you want me to do? The budget they had wasn't enough to actually produce concepts and go through the rough idea stage. They said that since I was a Senior Art Director they wanted me to come up with concepts and produce ideas to present to there bosses. This baffled me. They were insisting that since I was the Art Director the concepting really needed to be done by me. That statement was one I agree with. The designers and art directors should come up with the the concepts. The problem was they already lead the decision makers down a dead end road. A direction that had little impact and no thought to the future of where this company is taking it's marketing campaign. Needless to say I saw little reason to take this any further. If you insist on a creative doing concepts bring them in at the beginning of the project.

I wanted to address this point. From my standpoint I would be more willing to take a job with not quite enough budget as along as the client was open creatively to new ideas and the real future of their company. The last thing I want to do as a designer is come in produce a crappy campaign element and never see that client again. I personally want to build that relationship and trust to help their company reach it's full potential. A long term relationship benefits the client as much as it does the designer. If you have no interest in developing a relationship with your client then you need to get out of the business.

The reason that so many people are hesitant about handing over any creative control to an outside agency is because of the agencies out there that are only doing what the client wants for a paycheck. Those agencies aren't improving their marketplace, they aren't improving the future and vibrancy of their own industry. They are destroying it. I realize not every client is perfect and a few have a hard time looking outside the box, but at least try, at least educate them on why you think your decisions are better then theirs. Do your job. At some point you have to ask yourself is this good for me? Is this good for the client? Why proceed in a direction that a client wants to proceed if you know it's a waste of money? Why proceed with a client that won't let you do what you do?

I hate harping at these little facts, but I've seen it too often. After the dust settles and after the money has been spent these clients have essentially been ripped off, duped. They put their trust in an agency that had no interest in them. The client is responsible too, but there are a lot of people out there that talk a good game. If as a client you need to call a reference for a sound mind, do it. A good agency should have no problem giving you references to call. If they give you some crazy excuse, that just means they don't want you talking to their past clients and that's not a good sign. I know as a designer I love to find out what has happened with my clients creative partners in the past to get them to move on. It's not because I want to the hear the gossip (and usually it is) it's because I want to make sure that their decision to move on was a valid one. If it's some obscure reason like they moved to a different office, or the guys breath always smelled I would have hesitations about working with that client.

Do You Identify with Your Identity?

So, I just wanted to bring up a little subject that I've been discussing with people a lot lately - Identity. I'm not talking about our identities as individuals, but the identities of our companies or the companies we work for.

Most people don't look past their graphic image (logo, promo pieces, etc.) when you mention identity. While all that plays an important part of your identity it's only 1 part. Overall your identity is defined by how others see you. How they form their impressions and opinions of your business. This includes every aspect of your business that comes into contact with the outside world. Sales people, representatives, your lobby, your trucks that make deliveries, your logo, your ads, etc. It also includes the company that your business keeps. What I mean is other businesses that you partner on projects with or vendors that produce items for you clients - in the end they are all representing your company. If your vendors or partner businesses have bad ethical practices you can bet that in the long run it will be a weakness for your company.

So what am I really getting at here? Start examining your company from an outsiders perspective. Think about what they are seeing. So often I go into a business that expects there clients to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars with them, yet they have an outdated interior, an outdated image, an outdated color palate for their logo and everything inside is a mess (and don't even get me started on websites). What in my right mind would make me consider hiring them to do a job. Do what you do when you wake up every morning and get ready to go to work, look in the mirror. Image is important, but it's not your whole identity. You can look pretty on the outside, but if you are shallow and callus you'll be spending your nights alone.

I've turned down many clients based on their unwillingness to examine their own identity before selling themselves. Putting a pile of pooh on a silver platter doesn't make it more enticing. Why do I turn down those clients - because by me choosing to work with them that becomes part of my identity. Personally I'd always like to improve my identity. It's a continuous process that never stops. So never stop thinking about what other's think of your business.

The Greatest Printer on Earth

OK, the claim as the greatest printer on Earth was my doing, but I thought it was important to bring to everyones attention a little printer out of Nashville. It's a printer that opened it's doors early in 1879 and has producing amazing show and venue posters ever since. It's called Hatch Show Print. The printing process they use is letterpress utilizing hand carved wooden plates and letters. In it's early days the press produced handbills and vaudeville posters to promote engagements. Doing the early 1900's they also became famous for producing posters for the many minstrel shows (traveling tent shows) that traveled the South. Among them the famous Silas Green minstrel show. Doing the same time they were producing posters for many theaters throughout the south. By the late 1930's The Grand Ole Opry radio show had evoloved into a stage show in Nashville. Hatch started supplying posters for all of the Opry performers opening up the door to what was soon to be the printers claim to fame. Being so close to the Opry House through the 1950's allowed Hatch Show Print to highlight it's talent to the managers and promoters of country music. Naturally their jobs evolved into producing show posters for the Country Music stars as they toured. Many of these posters are still available for purchase on their Hatch Show Prints website. By the late 1970's Hatch was producing show posters for popular music as well as it's bread and butter industry at the time, professional wrestling. As time progressed through the 1980's the musicians started coming back to Hatch, recognizing it's historical importance as well as it's unique posters. Doing this time Jim Sherraden took over the shop as manager and started restriking some of Hatch Show Prints old images as postcards and posters. Sherraden was only manager for a year and a half before leaving to pursue his professional music career. In 1986 the Grand Ole Opry bought Hatch Show Print. Not knowing exactly how to utilize the shop, they hired Jim Sherraden as a consultant. Soon Sherraden was fully in-charge of Hatch Show Print once again. As the 1990's progressed, Sherraden saw the music industry recognizing the unusual talents of both him and the shop. Doing that time he designed or printed work for clients like the Georgia Satellites, Emmylou Harris and Fossil. Sherraden also started producing monoprints of his own using various old plates in the shops archives to create artwork. As a personal owner of one of these monoprints I can honestly say it's just a print it's as much as it's a true piece of art. So the next time you are in Nashville don't forget to stop by Hatch Show Print and say hi, and make sure you don't forget to purchase a poster or postcard. I think it's good to remember a giant in both the printing and design world. It's a look that's been ripped off a million times, why not actually produce it with the good old fashioned hand carved work of yesteryear. Let's keep this history alive.

Back to School - Folk School That is.

I know some people feel they don't have any amount of creativity or craftiness in there blood, but I guarantee I've found a way for you to feel different about that. It's a place located deep in the mountains of Western North Carolina called John C. Campbell Folk School. This is a place where you can get away from the real world and escape to the world of yesterday. The idea behind this school is to teach people in 5 days a craft or art that has been around for centuries. OK, maybe not all of the subjects they teach have been around for centuries, but most have. The subjects that you can choose from is unlimited. If you like to bake, make glass beads, screen print, wood turn, blacksmith or make pottery that's all there among many, many others to choose from.

I had the pleasure of spending a week there last August and it was a great experience. It was really a retreat as much as a learning experience. You have the ability to work from 8am to midnight if you so desire. The opportunity to produce something great is very much available. Depending on the package you choose you have the option of staying on campus and having them prepare all of your meals for you or you can stay and eat off campus. While the lodgings are basic you don't really spend that much time in them - really only sleeping. The rest of the time is spent working on projects, socializing with other students, taking a walk around the large campus or visiting the artist's studios down on the main street . Every morning they have someone come and tell stories about the history of the school and sing songs. A great way to start the day. In the evening there may be line dancing going on (which is great to just watch if you don't want to participate) or you may stumble on a Bluegrass group jamming in the main hall. There are also demonstrations going on in the different classes every night. That way you can learn something about a subject you thought you would never have interest in like glass bead making. At the end of the week all the classes get together in the main hall and display everything that the students produced - a gallery showing of sorts. Anyway you slice it, it's an experience that you won't get anywhere else. And you won't forget the rest of your life. So the next time you are looking for a vacation that's different consider the John C. Campbell Folk School. Sooner or later I'll be back there myself.

A Little Passion at Work?

As the day wears on, I find myself staring at my screen waiting for something to jump out at me. Anything, something that will give me that creative energy that I'm currently lacking. This leads me to the question - what do you do to get back into the work mode? In the past I typically would do a little internet surfing to research a current project or I might get the sketch book out and sketch a little, but more and more I found the need to get away from my desk all together. To me I find a great deal of inspiration in nature (when it's nice outside) so these summer months become testing to me. Because of the heat I find myself not wanting to even step outside if I can avoid it. So what's my alternative - some sort of meditative state? Hah - if you know me at all you know that's not going to happen. I recently went back to painting and that's helped a lot. I hadn't "really" painted in 15+ years, but it was always a passion that I knew I would go back to. The thing is regardless of how good or how bad the painting is I feel really energized and ready to accomplish even more on a professional level. I guess my point is, that passion allows me to escape and not really even use my brain and in turn it has really made me a more productive person. I know not everyone can pursue their passion in the middle of work day (can you imaging the entire office emptying out to go surfing), but try and find a passion or just something fun that you can do at work like writing, blogging, origami or maybe marbles with you cell mate, I mean cubicle mate. What ever it is have fun and take a little time to breathe. I guarantee in the end you'll be much more productive at your job and you'll like coming to work much more. Let us know what you do at work to break up your day.

Why Must We Colour Inside the Lines?

There was a website brought to my attention last week by one of my clients. As a designer I love to have a variety of resources available to me and I think overall this is a great resource. It's a site called Colour Lovers and it's all about color or (colour, sorry I'm going to lean back to my American ways) and color combinations. The thing that is interesting about this site is that it really is a social site based around color. On the site are several different areas that you can participate - forums, color trends, create your own color palettes and patterns just to name a few. From a strictly professional standpoint it's not a perfect site, but the thing that's great about it is that it gets you thinking in different ways then you might normally. And just like anything else you will get a lot more out of it if you participate. The best part is it's completely "FREE" to become a member. Maybe we should all learn how to Colour again.

The Branding of Politics

First thing I want to say is this is not a political discussion. The last thing I want this particular post to be about is party priorities and who's the best candidate. The reason I'm writing this post is to talk about the image from a design standpoint that Obama has been able to create. Because I don't want this to turn into a political ad I will not put Obama's imagery on this blog - but if you haven't seen any of it (which I would have a hard time believing) do a little research on the web.

Obama's team has assembled such a great collection of graphic imagery to represent their candidate that it's hard to even believe that it's politics. The approach has been more of a brand instead of a political candidate. A couple of the popular designs are even propaganda like in their conception. Is this changing politics? Of course it is. By approaching the candidate as a brand instead of a person with ideals you take the actual thought process out of the "selection" process. Look at brands like Apple and Nike as a couple of examples. The younger generations identify with these brands regardless of the reality of the company itself. Ipods are successful because of their ad campaigns and a couple unique product developments 8 years ago. Is their product sooo much better than any new products - not really, but their brand is. (FYI - I'm a huge Apple fan). So as the younger generations make their decisions based more and more on image, brand for political candidates becomes that much more important. I wish that this wasn't the case. I wish that every single voter in this country made their decision based on "their" beliefs for this country instead of party affiliations or who someone else tells them to vote for. And I really hate that fact that any individual will support or back a candidate because of their brand without even doing the research to find out what the candidate is all about. In this modern day of clothing labels and brand names plastered all over America's youth it's not hard to wonder why we find it necessary to put candidates t-shirts on 9 year olds. Is there a point where we've gone to far? Are candidates going to start partnering with applesauce companies to make sure their brand gets developed for the future? Where do we draw the line? So bravo to the democrats for a great brand. To the republications, where is your brand development. It's obvious that regardless of how good or crappy your "product" is a great brand can still be sold to anyone. Is it going to be the case in the future that any empty suit with a great brand will win elections in America? Let's hope not. Let's hope that politics will get back to the fundamentals of what voters want for their future, for their country and for their wellbeing.

An Example of a Great Client

The post before this I talked about educating the client. On that subject I would like to share an example of what I am talking about. I started working with this client in 2001 and one our first orders of business was producing their annual report. They had done annual reports before this one, but they were kept simple. This particular annual report was the companies 100 year anniversary so they wanted to produce something extra special. That was the first time we worked closely on such a large project.

I worked with the client every step of the way, explaining the printing processes and finishing techniques to achieve what they were looking for. I also made sure the client was involved in the paper selection for the piece as well as being on the 18 hour press run for proofing. I can't say for sure that was the first time the client was on a press proof, but I know he gained a great deal of knowledge and understanding from being involved in that whole process. Since then we've produced many pieces together including 7 more amazing annual reports. Each year the client grew more interested in the materials and concepts - to the point of even bringing very good ideas to the table. Personally I love it when the client feel creative enough to get involved. While every idea a client brings to the table isn't the right one, it's important to be able to explain why it isn't right and work on a way to have a great concept.

I can honestly say that the little bit of time that I've spent over the years educating this client on the process has come back to me 10 times in the ability to be more creative and in-turn produce much better work for them. The results have obviously be seen by the client or else we wouldn't still be working together. Respect the client and maybe then they will respect the process. Above are some photos of the work we've produced together. More are located at my site.

The Client as a Creative?

Since this blog is in one way or another about design I figured this would be a good subject. As always I welcome your input on this subject.

Everyday I hear colleagues talking about what the client doesn't know and what the client doesn't get. I know you hear this over and over, but educate the client. It takes time, effort and lots of energy, but long term you could have a client that you love to work with. Explain to the client why one idea is better then another, show the client examples of printing techniques or ,if the planets align, take the client with you to the print run. Let them see the whole process so they can better understand time lines and budget constraints.

I know, it's painful to try to walk someone through every process and yeah your client may not get it on the first try, but take baby steps. Work every project to be that much further from the previous. If as designers and creative directors we aren't always pushing for our clients to be better, then what's the point. From my personal experience you'll most likely develop a great relationship with your client as well as a trust that can't be bought with any amount of money. And who knows you clients just might become more creative. I even dare say they might be able to make your ideas even better (after all it's their business/industry). I guarantee that the time you spend helping them understand what you do will be well worth it in the long run and just imagine how much better you'll understand what they do.

The Magic of the Web?

So the economy is changing and the whole world is soon going to explode from global warming... I've been thinking lately about how this whole negative attitude that is happening on almost a global scale is affecting business and how people perceive their own business. I've had more calls then ever recently from people looking to update or just get a web presence. People have this magic notion that by putting their business on the web it's going to get them more business. I'm not saying that the web doesn't serve a usefulness - it does. I personally use the web to research and find out what information I can about a business that I'm already interested in - restaurants, vacation spots, bands, etc. I realize that I'm just me and that everyone uses the web differently, but unless you have all the parts of your "marketing" system in place the web will do very little to bring you unique business.

So my question is this - if the news wasn't negative and everyone wasn't complaining about $4 gas would I still be getting these calls or would people just chalk it up to a personal slump? It seems that as individuals we have a hard time analyzing ourselves and our business'. Once it becomes an industry or several then we actually sit down and analyze. Once the tv pundits bring it to our attention then we really start to worry. Can't we think for ourselves anymore? Don't get me wrong, I know our economy has changed, probably for the better when you think long term. Why is it that as a society we have a problem thinking proactive instead of reactive. Why not fix the holes in your "marketing" system when things are good? Personally I think that the problem is we only focus on the present in the good times. I present this 1 idea to you - next time things are good, next time things are great - think about the time in the past (maybe right now) when things weren't so great and use your experience coping through those bad times to avoid it in the future.

Is the web magic? No way! The web doesn't make your business better then it is, it doesn't make your food taste better, it doesn't make your customer service better. The one thing that it may do is drive potential customers to call or visit. What happens at that point is still up to you. Having a web presence is still very important for almost any business. Let those potential customers get introduced to you and understand your business a little bit better before they go out to pursue relationship with you and your business.

And remember be Proactive.

Folk Art or not?

So having had an interest in art since I was a wee boy, I find myself purchasing a wide variety of it. At least I define it as art. Some may think some of the pieces are more graphic than artistic. The one genre of art I find myself drawn to now more then ever before is American folk art. I do agree that there are some folk artists that have a truly rudimentary feel, almost child like. I guess if you consider the actual the rough definition of folk art is art produced by the common man to reflect their culture and surroundings. Regardless, the evolution that American folk art has had is beautiful. I personally wanted to bring one of my (and my wife's) new favorite artists to your attention. His name is Kent Ambler and his woodcut block prints and acrylic paintings are all great. If you are interested in checking out some different American Folk artists check out the American Folk Gallery. The "Birds is Like Chickens" was my personal purchase. While his block prints are simple they are very unique and graphic. His paintings are all focused around everyday objects (and animals). The off use of color and subject matter make his work very attractive.

The Beginning of the End

Well this is it - my first proverbial blog post. I've never been a huge fan of blogs in general, but I do love the aspect of blogs for informative and research purposes. So I find myself at a crossroad, what to focus on. I think I'll focus my efforts on good design and design resources since that's where my passion (and career) has led me. Like art, design is in a way in the eye of the beholder. The one thing that I think we can all agree on is that design is meant to grab attention and to be seen, but there is a certain aspect that is about problem solving for a certain audience. As you will be able to tell through my exploits on this blog - I'm the furthest thing from a writer. My grammar is not that great and my punctuation is even worse so take it all in stride.

Thanks