providing graphic design, branding, photography and marketing expertise to denver and the world
Quote
of the Week:
All solitary dreamers know that they hear differently when they close their eyes.-Gaston Bachelard
Making a case for good marketing...even when the economy stinks
Oh, Closet Entrepreneur, you've just made my morning. Their post from yesterday warns businesses not to skimp on
- advertising,
- Website development and design, and
- Freelance services.
It's like they built the yellow brick road right up to my office door.
If you're in the market for any or all of these items, it just so happens that notchcode offers high-quality branding, marketing, advertising, and website development and design. And since I'm not part of your staff, I guess I qualify as a "freelance service" as well.Labels: advice, branding, graphic design, web design
posted at 7:30 AM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
4.26.2008
TO Andy:
I know you're paring down your feeds. Keep us. Really. Anything you want us to write about, in particular? Shine your shoes for you? Make you an omelette?
have a good weekend,
notchcode.Labels: advice
posted at 4:58 PM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
4.25.2008
Happy Thought for the Weekend: Getting there is (at least) half the fun
I came across this photo of my dad and his older brother Bob from when they were kids, living in the dusty suburbs of 1950s Albuquerque (that's my dad in the back). It reminded me that the point of anything worth doing isn't the end of the process, but the process itself. I see plenty of photographs taken after the race is over, and the winners look happy. But I know from experience (racing and otherwise) that when you are in the act of Doing, and you are fully invested in it, you have the best, easiest opportunity to be happy.
This is very true in art, too. I could quote from a bunch of different sources that talk about the process being the real art, and the end "thing" being a mere artifact, or shadow, of the art itself, but I'll just digress briefly enough to ask you to read through Edward Weston's notebooks, and you'll get it soon enough.
This applies to the creative and business processes as well as the bigger picture. If I am creating a marketing strategy, or a branding strategy, or working on a web design project, and I really let myself go into the process—I do my best work. And if my client does the same thing, we have no choice but to not only create the best possible outcome for them, but have fun at the same time. I am fortunate to have clients who work this way, and hope all of you out there have success in enjoying the journey as much as I do.
Have a great weekend, everyone!
posted at 10:13 PM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
4.01.2008
What Makes a Great Designer?
Adrian Hanft over at Be a Design Group has a nice post on the Five Uncommon Attributes of Good Designers this morning. It rings true not just for the designer in me, but the brand communicator, the photographer, and the marketing consultant as well. Hanft concludes thusly:At the end of the day, designing a logo is relatively easy. Being a good person is the real challenge. I believe that it isn't enough for a good designer to just do good work. A good designer must also be a good person. What are some virtues that you believe help make a better designer?
Read the whole post. It's worth the time.Labels: advice, creativity, design, graphic design
posted at 8:36 AM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
3.06.2008
Behind the Scenes at the NYT Graphics Department
The New York Times' Graphic Director, Steve Duenes, took reader questions last week. The interview is filled with insights into how the NYT's crack graphic staff creates the award-winning work that appears both online and in print.
And in case you still don't believe that graphic design can change lives, just check out this quote, from Nicholas Kristof, who was relating a story about the impact graphics that were designed to accompany his article on the state of public health in Africa had on one particular individual: Bill Gates. Gates was telling him how, initially, he and his wife were planning on essentially wiring the continent, thinking that this would do the most good in bringing Africa out of poverty. Then he read Kristof's article, and decided funding public health initiatives for clean drinking water, malaria prevention, and the like would have a far greater impact. He continues:Great! I was really proud of this impact that my worldwide reporting and 3,500-word article had had. But then bill confessed that actually it wasn't the article itself that had grabbed him so much -- it was the graphic. It was just a two column, inside graphic, very simple, listing third world health problems and how many people they kill. but he remembered it after all those years and said that it was the single thing that got him redirected toward public health.
No graphic in human history has saved so many lives in africa and asia.
[emphasis added]
So, what moves the richest couple in the universe to make Africa a healthier place to live? Good graphic design. It doesn't need to be flashy, it doesn't need to be hip. It needs to work: deliver information effectively. This is what I tell my clients, and I swear by it. Effective information delivery--whether it's for marketing, advocacy, or journalism--isn't about clever, hip, new, etc.... It's about presenting everything you need to present, and nothing extra, in a succinct, direct way. It's that simple.Labels: advice, africa, graphic design, information graphics, visual information
posted at 6:55 PM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
11.21.2007
Color
If you ever need some color inspiration, check out ColourLovers.com, an online community devoted to sharing ideas about color, color palettes, and trends. It's a great place for getting some inspiration, and if nothing else, an idea of what other designers out there are using.
Here's a particularly nice, cool, bold palette from deus that caught my eye this morning as I was searching for some inspiration.Labels: advice, color, creativity, design, web design
posted at 10:00 AM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
11.20.2007
iterative
Have you taken your design at least one step past where you feel comfortable with it today?
Iteration: it works.Labels: advice, creativity, design, productivity
posted at 3:54 PM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
1.04.2007
Bright and Shiny
It's another spin around the sun, folks. Here are some things that will make it a more productive and enjoyable one:
OmniGraffle. This graphical diagramming tool is a real boon to anyone who needs to visualize a complex process, system, or flow of information. Say, a website, for example. And not only that, you can create wireframe prototypes (that actually work) with them, courtesy of Michael Angeles of urlgreyhot (which is one of the most inventive web development names I've come across in the last 12 months).
Lists. Yeah, baby. As sexy as ever, make some lists. Get it off your mind, onto paper, and then look at the damn things on a regular basis. The bonus: when you cross stuff off of a list, you feel good...sort of like laughing at a good joke. Or imbibing rare Tortolan rum. Or, whatever makes you feel good. If you really need help making a list, go get one of David Allen's books
Personal Days. Use them or lose your soul, bit by bit. I would recommend a day spent with the phone and computer off, perhaps waiting until everyone else has left the house to get out of bed, followed by an hour or so at the coffeehouse, with another hour in a bookstore. Then lunch, a hike, and happy hour with some friends, who will undoubtedly pour your beer all over your head when you tell them what you were doing while they were working on their TPS reports.
Smile. Corny, I know. But it makes you feel good, and makes others around you feel good, too.
That's all the advice I am willing to give, in the context of starting a new year. Let me know how it works out. As for me, I am going to go take a nap. And then get back to work on those TPS reports.Labels: 2007, advice, new year, omnigraffle, productivity, work
posted at 9:29 PM Leave your comments here: 0 comments
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