Facebook, as everyone knows, is a social networking website with many, many uses. I am a busy mom and wife, and a Facebook user. I have enjoyed reconnecting with old friends from childhood, school and college. My main use for Facebook is social, I use it to see what my friends are up to, talk to them and see pictures of what’s going on in their lives. In many cases Facebook has replaced the use of email in my life. If I have a quick question I can usually just “Facebook it.” Most everyone I know and socialize with are among my 578 facebook friends, so it makes an easy and quick communication tool.
However, using facebook sometimes become cumbersome and bogged down thanks to the millions of “fan pages” and games that I am constantly asked to join and play. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of the “fan page” if they are useful and offer me some type of information. I’m a fan of lots of things, companies, TV shows, bands, sports teams, my college, restaurants, etc. All of these fan pages give me useful information on things I’m interested in knowing. But it seems that people make a fan page for EVERYTHING now.
Or is it? The last time I pulled out the phone book was to make more room in my desk. I haven’t used one for a phone number in almost a year. Yes, I am counting, because it has changed the way some of our clients have done business. Google and Yahoo have made a major push in the last few years to beef up their localized search options and it is paying off in big ways for almost everyone. Everyone that is, except the phone book companies. I have a strong inclination that the days of the phone book are over. At best, they have 5 years left to live, at which time fingers will still do the walking, just on a keyboard and not through pages.
This isn’t to say these companies will be gone. Some have taken to the web to hopefully salvage the business and keep clients around a little longer. This may have bought them a few more years. But when search is free and there are literally hundred of thousands of websites that allow for free listings, the business model of charging for this space is limited. I am not sure how they are going to adapt, but they better get going. And applying outdated advertising mechanisms to their growth strategy, paid listings and banner space, will not get them there. They need vision and a look to the future of what the consumer will need in 5 years from the Internet and beyond. Good bye my yellow friend, it’s been fun.
One of the more difficult conundrums designers encounter on the problem-solving battlefront is discerning what font or typeface to employ in a work. Typefaces, in themselves, are greatly complicated as each one is tailored to exude some sort of message. Whether that be an attempt to generate an emotional response, a spark of reminiscence of days long gone, or perhaps to parody existing trends, among other things. When approaching a design problem, often typefaces and type families hold the key to the solution. Who is my audience? What is it that I’m trying to express? Will Futura Bold accomplish what I need it to? The process can be difficult as there are millions upon millions of typefaces and families out there to sort through. Sometimes a single member of a type family is enough. Italic for example. Sometimes the entire gamut is needed. Roman, italic, oblique, thin, condensed, bold, black, extended, etc. Do I want a serif or a sans-serif font? Ok, do I want a slab or ball serif? The possibilities are truly endless.
Online dating is becoming a more popular way to meet a compatible partner. Some people may still stick to old ways, but with some intellect and commonsense to screen good from bad, online dating can work.
The number of online dating sites that exist is enormous. While you should be relatively picky, you can be turned down on some sites if your standards are too high and no one fits the criteria. Screening is very important when it comes to online dating. Different people have different intentions. There are few that are serious about a relationship and want the “real thing”.
I have been on these sites for over 2 years now and found a lot of people that were not for me. I was almost ready to give up, but when I least expected it, there he was. I knew immediately this one was special. We live 120 miles apart but in the first week he made the trip 3 times. What a catch!
As part of my job, and most of my coworkers’ as well, I travel to client meetings a few times a month. These trips aren’t always as cut and dry as they seem, and sometimes I will be on the road for a few days attending back-to-back meetings. Against my wishes, the world does not stop when I am out of the office so I still have emails to respond to and voicemails to return and client jobs that need to be opened or dealt with!
This is where technology comes in and thank goodness for it! Through the wonders of the Internet and other gadgets, I am able to stay informed and up-to-date even when I am out of the office! I am lucky to have an iPhone that I can use to keep up with emails and return phone calls. I can even use the Map application if I get lost on my way to a meeting. We also now have a program that allows our internal job tracking system to be accessed online, which is a huge help! If anyone out there is in need of something like this, check out CurrentTrack. Through this program, I can approve artwork, send artwork to clients and communicate with other staff members on the status of jobs. This is very helpful so everyone is aware of what needs to be done at that moment and nothing falls through the cracks!
I know we all complain about technology every now and again when our email isn’t working properly or the Internet is down, but in the scheme of the things our lives are greatly improved by technology and all of our gadgets!
Being creative is a challenging daily requirement with sub-layers of focus; depending on what projects I am working on, there is the occasion where a creative block will drop right before the juices start flowing. Leaving a crusty, dry, inhabitable thoughtless mind. There are a few things that I have tested/proven/failed/ and finally perfect to destroy the unwanted dam. I won’t bore you with the mundane details, instead I’ll break down quickly how i decompress in four different ways:
#1 Morning coffee: This ritual applies to work, home, commuting, meetings, face booking, chatting, surfing the web and most importantly brain storming.
#2 Video games: Now before you start to shout out “nerd” all too quickly, there is something mellon collie about unwinding while remaining solely focused playing a video game. The games can range from a simple round of Uno to shooting the shit out of someone via Xbox live.
#3 Bike riding: This is my favorite way of resupplying the creative nodes. Ripping through the trails allows me to express creativity within a different medium, using talent that is only limited to the fear of losing focus. Thinking of anything else causes a crash or a missed opportunity to hit a hidden jump.
#4 Shots, shots, shots! If all else fails, then it’s time to hit up a good bar for some forced mind erasing. Numbing the innards of your skull is pretty easy once you throw back a few shots of jager. Or, if you prefer a bit more of sophistication, then I suggest a few glasses of red wine. I usually go for the house red, but after a few glasses it’s okay to mix and match.
There you go. I hope that I have helped you expand your methods of decompression.
The plan was to have a nice little video player here to show you all how to install Wordpress. After some fiddling, we need to send you over to the man who created the video. Expect a wonderful video cast focusing on the basics of Wordpress development from one of our more agile minded Social media peeps: Braden Douglass
Smart consumers, technology and mobile devices (like my iPhone) have leveled the commercial playing field.
I love my phone and understand it’s a one way relationship. But, I am in awe of the consumer revolution that is under way in App warfare. New programs like RedLaser and Kooaba are not only modifying a new breed of consumer they are empowering shoppers. RedLaser is an App that allows you to take a photo of any bar code and not only will it find the product, but it will find you the cheapest price as well as deliver consumer reviews.
What does this mean for store owners and doo-dad sellers? This means we as consumers hope you marked your products fairly. Because if not, we know 10 others stores who have it cheaper and the wrath of feeds, blogs and posts about how lame you are will quickly ensue.
We have quickly become social bulimics, ready to use our finger to vomit content whenever the mood strikes. I heard a great story the other day that someone leaked Wal-Mart’s Black Friday prices and every competitor already has matched their prices. This was Twittered, Facebooked & Digged quicker than a Brad and Angelina Jolie divorce update.
Like it or not, social media, technology and mobile devices (Like my iPhone) have changed the way we do business. It’s a new world my friend and like it or not you have to recognize. We’re here, we share - get used to it.
We all have them. You can’t deny it. Whether it’s buying expensive shoes, listening to Barry Manilow, playing Farm Town on Facebook or eating cheese whiz and bologna sandwiches, we are all hiding something that we’re terrified others will find out about.
I’m about to oust myself, so judge me or judge me not. I, Julie Coln, a grown woman in her, well, uh, mid-thirties; watches Gossip Girl on the CW. As a media buyer, I know the show does well with women in the 18-24 range, which is their target audience. Don’t ask me why I like a show about a bunch of outrageously rich, self-obsessed and status-hungry teens gallivanting around NYC.
Seriously, high school kids with the last names of Archibald, Waldorf and Van der Woodsen, meeting up in their favorite bar for a dry martini after a hard day of prep school and riding around town in stretch limos. How pretentious! I tried to watch the “reality” show, NYC Prep, to see if there were comparisons to “real” high society NYC teens, but it was lame and the kids were real whiners. Boring!
I just keep telling myself its research. I mean, I am a media buyer and I have to be up on current and trendy shows, right?
And while I’m confessing, I also listen to the soundtracks from GLEE and One Tree Hill (the first season). I have them in my office if anyone wants to borrow them. Your secret is safe with me!
Being in the advertising business, especially on the design side of things, really has it’s rewards.
Not so much the kind of rewards like bonuses, new cars or even a pack of M&Ms, but the kind of rewards that give a person a sense of accomplishment and pride. It’s a unique feeling to see a business doing well because of their advertising, but even more so, it’s a thrill to see something that was once sketched in a series of thumbnails come to reality. A billboard on the side of the interstate. A colorful rack card at a resort. A glossy version of the magazine advertisement that up until that point had only been seen on a color print out. Even a logo beautifully lit up in lime green. These are the kind of rewards that are truly one of the biggest reasons I chose this profession for myself.
It doesn’t come without a lot of hard work, thought and planning though. And without all of it, the “reward” wouldn’t be as sweet.
So many visions and ideas never make it past the agency doors, and what does qualify will get reworked, some additional thought and tasty improvements. Every modification made is like the swipe of a cloth loaded with Turtle Wax on that shiny red sports car… Scouring through fonts, assembling a team of vendors, coordinating photo shoots, working with copywriters, planning with our media buyers, late nights with the account service team, wax on, wax off.
And in the end? Well it’s not a shiny red sports car I’m driving, but it’s certainly a buffed feeling of pride that I’d like to call the reward.