I have worked on a lot of logo projects through the years. After a logo is finally chosen it is sometimes astounding to look back at all the various logos that didn’t. Often times people will look at a logo and think “its so simple…. I could have done that” but if they look at everything that went into making “simple” look that simple, they may be singing a different tune. Here is a great and probably abbreviated look at the Obama logo process.
Debbie loves mobile phone apps – Within the past two months, I’ve downloaded two new applications for my i-Phone: Twitter and Facebook. Now I can update/read both from my phone. Industry pundits say mobile marketing is the hot new trend for 2009. New mobile marketing agencies are popping up on Madison Avenue and advertisers are exploring creative ways to deliver marketing messages to us directly, via our phones. Soon I may be spending more time with my phone than my laptop.
Kirsty loves “We are Happy to Serve You” ceramic mug – My husband picked up this replica of the classic NYC paper cup at the Museum of Modern Art and I have since adopted it as my own! Not only is it fun to drink out of a ceramic mug that looks like a paper cup (surprisingly!), but it is proof that a classic design can be timeless. In 1963, the Sherri Cup Company wanted to create a to-go cup that would appeal to the many Greek-owned diners and sidewalk pushcarts. Today, it has become a New York icon and may very well be the world’s most famous coffee cup.
Shawn loves logooftheday.com – A recent trend I have noticed are logo design award sites. It is partly to see if you can be selected but mostly it serves as a great inspiration for your own logo projects. Logo Of The Day rewards the best professional logos and trademarks designed throughout the world. All of the suggested logos are screened by two judges, Jacob Cass and Jeff Fisher. I recently submitted our own Talk logo. So we will wait and see if we are selected.
Susan loves blurb.com – As a writer I am obsessed with books. I love the way they look, I love the way they feel, and I love the emotion that they can evoke. blurb.com is an online print-on-demand company that allows people and companies to create their own books in quantities as small as one. So instead of printing out portfolio samples on the color printer, a business could have a professional book created to give their work the kind of presentation it deserves.
Debbie loves brainstorming – Something truly magical happens when three or more creative types get together and start throwing around ideas. It’s like spontaneous combustion. One crazy idea leads to another crazy idea that leads to the idea you were searching for all along. I suggest President Elect Obama and his new cabinet use brainstorming techniques to determine the best solution for the economy. I would be happy to moderate.
Kelly loves the shiba inu puppy blog – Sometimes life gets me so busy, I have to take a minute to recharge. The unlikely place I turn to for refuge is Ustream.tv where I can watch six adorable little shiba inu puppies romp around their crate, jumping, playing and yelping. According to Ustream, I’m not alone, either. Since the anonymous San Francisco couple raising them posted a live web fed online, more than four million viewers around the globe have tuned in. When the going gets tough, the tough are turning to this live web feed. What better way to escape the pressures of work and life than to watch a bunch of carefree puppies?
Kirsty loves gift guides – This is my favorite time of year - but you can keep your cookies, your reindeer and your decorations - just leave me my holiday gift guides. The most coveted feature of the year for PR people with products to pitch. This year there is the added bonus of guides that feature gifts under $100, $50 or $25. A few of my favorites are in New York Magazine, Wilmington Magazine, Entertainment Weekly. If anyone is wondering, I am a “Rihanna!”
Shawn loves lostandtaken.com – Lost and Taken is a depository of copyright-free stock photographic textures that you can use however you please…whether it be for a graphic design project or as a texture in any other creative project you may be working on. The site was created to help out fellow designers and photographers by Caleb Kimbrough. Caleb, a photographer, got fed up with trying to find great usable copyright-free images. Check it out!
Susan loves Café Press – I like gifts that are a little off the normal radar and the surprise of giving something that the receiver has not seen in twenty different stores. That’s why cafepress.com is so cool. This site gives graphic designer wannabes and fan dorks across the world a place to make and sell their own unique designs to be imprinted on almost anything (shirts, messenger bags, stickers, etc). I now have a “Stupid Lamb” sticker from Twilight on my car and had to order two more for friends who begged for ones of their own.
The Shark Project was started to raise awareness of the horrific “finning” of sharks in the wild. This German piece of direct mail was brilliantly designed to have the recipient cut off the shark’s fin revealing a mutalated stump when the envelope is opened. Though the piece is extremely graphic and not for the faint of heart, its impact is hard to ignore.
Sephora has recently launched a great virtual makeover site called Mistletoe Makeover. You upload your own headshot, and do a few little tweaks here and there, then its time for the makeover. You get four different makeup styles to choose from. Each of them have clever names such as “O, Tannen Babe” or “Santa’s Little Temptress.” What next? You get to send it out as a holiday greeting. You choose what to say and whether you want a wink or kiss in your animation. It’s pretty darn cute. If you choose to go further you get to see all the product Sephora has used in your makeover and you can even receive free products. What a great way to show product. Of course I won’t be buying any products or requesting free samples, but I have sent the link to countless people. Job well done Sephora!
Debbie loves online Christmas shopping and all the creative promotions I’m finding there – What’s not to love? I save time, I save money and I get great tips on gift ideas that everyone is sure to love. And so far, I’m also getting free shipping. And now I’m in the running for some seriously deep discounts at Amazon.com. Just answer a few questions and you have the opportunity to bid for some seriously crazy discounts. Check it out.
Kelly loves Chowhound.com – A website that lives up to its “voracious devotion to hyperdeliciousness”. A self-described food junkie, I have spent hours on this site, browsing ideas on everything from entertaining, wines and budget recipes for every course to where to find dining discounts. Food-lovers across the globe share their tips on wines for every meal, cookware, hole-in-the-wall restaurants, bars and cocktail recipes. So dig in, but don’t browse on an empty stomach!
Kirsty loves Macy*s Thanksgiving Day Parade – It was probably evident as a child that I would end up in the media/advertising/branding world. Year after year I would sit, glued to the television, for Macy*s annual parade of advertisers. Whether it’s a cartoon character, a new product or a Broadway show, if it’s featured in the parade, I give it instant credibility.
Shawn loves tutorialblog.org – Whether you are the new account assistant or the CEO, this is a great blog for learning anything and everything about our industry. The entries range from very specific step-by-step tutorials like “Creating a PDF Presentation inside Photoshop” to overall suggestions with Search Engine Optimization. So whatever your proficiency level is, tutorialblog.org has something to offer.
Susan loves The UPS store – I’m always late with mailing holiday gifts because inevitable I fear that shipping packages to far-off family and friends will be a hassle. That’s where the UPS Store comes in. They keep a record of the places I’ve shipped to previously, so I don’t have to prepare the boxes, or address them. I just have to take my packages in (they can even pack everything if I need) and tell them to whom I’m shipping. That’s it. They’ve got it all right there so I don’t have to do a thing.
Over the last few years we were so busy “Talking” that we neglected our own web site’s portfolio page. It never really looked that great. It was a little shameful. But finally we rallied the troops, rolled up our sleeves and went tree by tree through the forest of our past work. Ten plus years of past work and it was a bit painful. As we all know a great online portfolio is not only expected by clients, but a critical marketing tool. We had countless conversations about how the page would function, what we did and didn’t want and why. How it would be navigated. How would the work be presented. I think our final solution is right on target. Finally our work really can speak for itself, giving us more time to Talk!
The new print campaign promoting Behr Paint’s new Hispanic inspired colors is truly, well, inspired. But the colors alone aren’t what grabbed my attention. It was the vibrant greens, golds, and reds of Spanish tradition combined with everyday items like a lime popsicle, a mango and a jar of punch. Each item is affixed with a small paint chip – bearing the name of the color – that you have to look for to actually see. By having the color samples blend in with the background item, these ads reinforce the authenticity of the rich colors, which is really what matters to painters.
Debbie loves early voting – This is the first presidential election, and any election, in fact, in which I took advantage of early voting. And I wasn’t alone. One third of all North Carolinians went to the polls early. Each of us a Talk voted early. So no one was late for work yesterday! Instead of waiting in line in the rain after work, I could look forward to a relaxing evening watching how long it takes the media to call the results.
Kelly loves the book, “Buyology; the Truth and Lies About Why We Buy” - Brand futurist Martin Lindstrom reads consumers brainwaves in his latest book to glimpse inside buyers minds and see how ads do –or don’t- work. Lindstrom’s research should be of interest to any company launching a new brand or product since, according to the book, 8 out of every 10 products launched in the U.S. fail. His insight could be used in future marketing campaigns, so, even if you aren’t in the marketing business, it can’t hurt to check it out!
Kirsty loves Twitter and the election – I loved following the Star-News’ Twitter feeds (@starnewsonline and @CaptainStarNews) to get election results last night. Simpler than an email, less intrusive than a text message, Twitter is a great way to get your breaking news updates.
Kristen loves Facebook on election day - There was a place to say whether or not you voted, who you voted for and even a link to find the nearest polling place. Facebook is the most-trafficked social media site on the web and over three million facebook members voted in the 2008 Presidential Election. Young people were extremely prevalent and targeted throughout the entire election process and facebook shows that a younger demographic, average age of 25, had a huge part in deciding the outcome.
Lindsay loves the Food Network Challenge – Actually, its more than love, it’s an obsession with Food Network Challenge. Each episode features a group of culinary or pastry geniuses battling it out for the grand prize. More often than not, it’s a pastry challenge and the end results are death-defying feats of confection. Thought the prize money is great, everyone wins with national publicity and a chance to market their skills.
Shawn loves Photoshop disasters – Photoshop can be a great tool, but mistakes happen. This blog is frequently updated with subtle and obvious photoshopping mistakes. One of the most recent posts shows an electronic voting machine that seems to be floating. The worst part, it appeared on the cover of Time magazine.
Susan loves the Twilight movie soundtrack – With the premiere of the movie still three long weeks away, fans can ramp up their anticipation by buying the soundtrack, which hit stores yesterday. For those fans wanting an extra treat, fandango.com and movietickets.com are offering a free remix of the piano-driven love song, Bella’s Lullaby, for anyone who preorders their movie tickets. Due, in part, to the rabid fan base wanting to sink their teeth into the music as soon as possible, Twilight was the number one selling movie on fandango over the weekend!
Starbucks will give you a free cup of coffee if you vote tomorrow.
Smart marketing — but we should expect no less from Starbucks. Some form of proof that you’ve voted (like those stickers they give you), will get you a free cup of Joe. No, not Joe the Plumber or Joe Biden. Just a steaming cup of coffee. If you don’t have proof, they’ll use the honor system. You wouldn’t lie on election day, would you? I think I’ll go in and see if they’ll give me a Grande Latte for voting early and helping to cut down the length of those lines. I’ll let you know how it goes.
Talk helps businesses in the Carolinas attract new customers, mitigate issues and increase profits.
| My Love Affair with Facebook is Over |
| Why You Should Pay More Attention to Issues than Crises |
| Why Some Users are Shunning Facebook |
| June | Use Blogs to Grow Your Business |
| May | Avoid A Crisis by Planning for One |
| April | Get Online or Get Left Behind |
| Sept 24 | Local SEO |
| Oct 22 | Crisis Management |
| November 19 | Facebook 101 |
| Dec 17 | Twitter 101 |
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