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(If you already read Design Briefing 179, read no further, this is a repeat sent on a different day in the hope of reaching those who missed it.)
In his book, The Design Method, Eric Karjaluoto makes this seemingly innocuous declaration: "Clients are not the ones who will guide the design process; they aren't familiar with the methods you practice. Instead, it's your responsibility to lead them through this process and facilitate a dialogue that moves them in the right direction."
It got me thinking about the occasions on which I have made my pitch to a client about the course I thought we should take and been overruled. His statement makes me me want to redouble my efforts to lead rather than compromise.
Isn't that risky? Perhaps not. A big part of leadership is creating an atmosphere in which, because you've built trust, people willingly follow your lead. Truth be told, more often than not, when a client is unwilling to move in our direction, it is because we haven't made a good enough case.
Be well, Chuck
A movie for the art director in you
I saw The Grand Budapest Hotel over the weekend and it is a feat of design. As the world becomes more and more design-centric, it is this type of film that will satiate our hunger for rich visual style and substance.
If you love ephemera and visual energy, put it at the top of your list.
The Grand Budapest Hotel website (with numerous clips)...
From The Credits: The Grand Budapest Hotel Production Designer Adam Stockhausen goes handmade...
From The Dissolve: Art director Adam Stockhausen on creating the world of The Grand Budapest Hotel...
From Creative Review: An interview with the lead graphic designer Annie Atkins...
The movie centers around a painting titled "Boy with Apple"...
From the Art Directors Guild: The role of Production Designers and Art Directors...
I wonder how many significant business and personal email messages are missed because the subject lines make them appear to be mass mailings?
Or, because some aspect of their content, are redirected by spam filters? Its a reminder that substantive messages that go unanswered should be followed up on. An unanswered message does not mean the recipient saw it and decided not to respond. It often means they never saw it to begin with.
Meet illustrator (plus) Kate Bingaman-Burt
Kate Bingaman-Burt makes drawing look easy. Perhaps it is. It is her intensity of purpose that makes her work so out-of-the-ordinary. Here, you'll soon see what I mean.
Kate Bingaman-Burt's website and bio...
Example 1...
Example 2...
Example 3...
From The Great Discontent: An in-depth profile...
If you use InDesign (or QuarkXPress), you might find this useful
The idea is simple. Modifying a well-designed template is far easier than starting from scratch. My InDesign Ideabook includes 315 researched, designed, and meticulously formatted documents in a clean, simple style that it easy to build on.
The Ideabook lets you breeze through time-consuming document setup and get right to the important stuff. Instead of spending 15 minutes to create a simple layout, you'll spend 15 seconds. For complex projects-books, newsletters, catalogs, reports-you'll save HOURS.
"If you need to create winning design and your time is important to you, there is no better investment than Chuck Green's Idea Book. I write copy and create marketing materials for small business, and Chuck's world class layouts have me up and running in minutes instead of hours. I can't recommend this book enough!" Kory Basaraba, Copywriter and Consultant, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
For Adobe InDesign
For QuarkXPress
Graphic designers: What do you know about marketing?
My answer to that question is, "not enough."
If you want to keep up on trends in marketing one excellent source is The CMO Survey, a report compiled by Duke University's Fuqua School of Business with the support of the The American Marketing Association (AMA) and McKinsey & Company.
As Duke defines it, "The CMO Survey collects and disseminates the opinions of top marketers in order to predict the future online casino of markets, track marketing excellence, and improve the value of marketing in firms and in society."
The latest results reports were released in February.
While we're at it, a couple of useful definitions (approved by the American Marketing Association Board of Directors):
Marketing: "Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large."
Marketing Research: "Marketing research is the function that links the consumer, customer, and public to the marketer through information-information used to identify and define marketing opportunities and problems; generate, refine, and evaluate marketing actions; monitor marketing performance; and improve understanding of marketing as a process. Marketing research specifies the information required to address these issues, designs the method for collecting information, manages and implements the data collection process, analyzes the results, and communicates the findings and their implications."
The current report...
The CMO Survey home page...
The latest results page...
The CMO Survey Blog...
Photographer Vivian Maier and her secret life are back on the radar
What I love most about Vivian Maier's photographs is that they were discovered after her death. Not that I, in any way, am glad she did not gain notoriety for them, but that such a large body of work, was kept a secret from the world. That, you could say, is the true definition of artistry-that its creator was so wrapped up in it, that they didn't seem to have the need or desire to share it with others.
Vivian Maier first appeared on my radar in 2011. Recently a film about her work premiered-and I can't wait to see it.
Finding Vivian Maier trailer...
The film's website...
The Vivian Maier website includes a wonderful gallery of her work...
From the New York Times Lens column: New Street Photography, 60 Years Old...
Maier first appeared on my radar in 2011...
There are more ways to a client's heart than through a portfolio
Travel and lifestyle photographer Jens Lennartsson understands the magic of putting a physical reminder of your work in the hands of your prospects.
A look at the project...
Unwrapping the finished piece...
From My Modern Met: Photographer Self-Promotes by Mailing Out 400 Action Figures of Himself...
Details about the process from Jens Lennartsson's website...
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Architects talk too much
That is the reason Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham give for creating a presentation format dubbed "PechaKucha 20x20." It is explained on the Pechakucha website like this: "Give a microphone and some images to an architect-or most creative people for that matter-and they'll go on forever... PechaKucha 20x20 is a simple presentation format where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. The images advance automatically and you talk along to the images."
On PechaKucha Nights, worldwide, creative people from all walk so life, gather to share their ideas in the PechaKucha 20x20 format.
Thanks to Jim Green for pointing us to it.
Example 1: I Became an Artist and So Can You by Luis Mendo...
Example 2: Myst Opportunities by Chuck Carter...
Example 3: Design and Technology by Diana Arrambide...
The PechaKucha website...
See if there's a PechaKucha event near you...
The website of PechaKucha founders Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham...
If I may, a personal note: "Lean into your fear."
That's what my mom used to say. She was agoraphobic, an anxiety disorder the Mayo Clinic describes as, "The type... in which you avoid situations that you're afraid might cause you to panic."
This linked document tells the story of her struggle (it was prepared following her death in 1998). I came across it recently and posted it in the hope her words of encouragement might help you or someone you know.
The national organization she founded, ABIL (Agoraphobics Building Independent Lives) is no longer active. I'd say that's sad but I don't think of it that way. In the years ABIL was in operation its volunteers and groups helped many, many people around the United States who suffered from this very personal, very real affliction.
"What I finally learned was this: Face whatever you're afraid of. Lean into the fear. Look at it. Don't avoid it." (893KB PDF)
