Thanks for subscribing.
Prediction: Consumers will ultimately reject conventional social media marketing
Humor me - pretend for a moment that you care what I think.
I believe that consumers will ultimately reject the current form of social media marketing more virulently than they have "junk" mail, telemarketing, and Ginsu steak knife commercials.
Why? Because (first of all), they have some problems in common...
They are often perceived as an unwanted interruption
They require some form of avoidance by the consumer
They regularly provide access to unscrupulous sellers
They are difficult to opt out of
But social media marketing has one more, highly-important advantage or disadvantage: it makes the interaction very personal. Advertisers use the interests and information you contribute to discriminate against you - algorithms that dictate the results your searches, or what you have access to, based on your age, race, sex, socioeconomic status, and so on.
Over the last two decades, the web's liberation of information and access has won the interest and participation of billions of people. I believe that the organizations that use social media to manipulate the consumer will ultimately cause a wholesale rejection of its platform.
(Don't get me wrong, this is not a dig at ethical, transparent marketing - there are clearly many organizations that turn out important, informative, and entertaining messages that we all use, to one degree or another, to make buying decisions.)
Be well, Chuck
Have you seen my InDesign Ideabook?
315 template files in 19 different categories -- Everything from brochures, newsletters, and direct mail to packaging, calendars, and books (one CD works with both Mac and PC). Use two or three files and you'll pay for the entire book and disc...
For Adobe InDesign
For QuarkXPress
If you do any email marketing...
I don't normally recommend products I don't use myself - but MailChimp will be an exception. MailChimp is an email-marketing service that provides some of the most advanced tools in the industry. I use Constant Contact to send my email newsletters, but I have really come to enjoy and appreciate the Resource Guides MailChimp offers provides to their subscribers and non-subscribers alike.
Titles cover topics such as...
> Transactional email
> Common email marketing rookie mistakes
> How to manage your list
> Email security
and so on...
Some of this information, of course, relates specifically to the MailChimp platform, but lots of it will be useful to anyone sending email for marketing purposes.
I like it when companies are confident enough about the value of their products that they aren't afraid to share their ideas.
The MailChimp Resources...
Quick takes...
The best TV spot I've seen in a VERY long time...
An interesting, new B&W Effects conversion tool for Photoshop from Topaz...
Wow. Laser cut maps of the sea...
How do you design consumer packaged goods without stand-alone containers?
That's the question Pratt Institute packaging design student Aaron Mickelson attempts to answer in his Masters Thesis: The Disappearing Package.
In it, he proposes a series of smart designs that self-contain their contents and eliminate packaging waste entirely. As he explains, he has the luxury of not dealing with the manufacturing or distribution challenges, but he'll definitely get you thinking.
The Disappearing Package...
Pratt Institute's Graduate Communications + Package Design (GradComD) program...
Aaron Mickelson's website...
Do you write materials that require lots of organizing?
Scrivener is a tool especially designed for people who work on long or complex writing projects -- book authors, journalists, academics, lawyers, scriptwriters, and so on.
I've tried it out and I think it is the type of program that, if you are willing to commit, could easily become a very integral part of your workflow. (There are both Mac and Windows editions.)
Programs like Microsoft Word want to be everything to everyone and, in my opinion, end up overwhelming you with mountains of unnecessary features. This program provides very specific features for very specific tasks. I like the way they think.
A video introduction to Scrivener...
The Scrivener website...
Learn virtually any software program...
I recommend Lynda.com... A huge library of top-quality, design-oriented tutorials. Click here for a 7-day free trial.
An up-to-the-minute look at graphic design
"Off Book is a web-original series from PBS Arts that explores cutting edge arts and the artists that make it."
The piece on graphic design, for example, features commentary from and work by design heavyweights Debbie Millman, Drew Freeman, and Steve Attardo. Trying to explain what you do to a non-designer? These five to seven minute pieces are a good place to start.
The Universal Arts of Graphic Design...
The Art of Web Design...
The Art of Creative Coding...
The Off Book homepage...
Debbie Millman's website...
Drew Freeman's website...
Steve Attardo's website...
If you use this link to buy your type from MyFonts.com, you won't pay any more but I'll get a kickback and will be one step closer to getting that English manor house.
Meet illustrator Barry Blitt
No matter what your politics, you've got to love Barry Blitt's biting humor and his loose, easy style.
Don't miss his links page.
Example 1...
Example 2...
Example 3...
Barry Blitt's website...
Barry Blitt on early career advice...
And his bio from the Art Directors Club...
