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I am not a designer.  (Shocking, I know.)

That doesn't mean I don't use design in my work.  Newsletter subheads will get a bolder font than the rest of the text.  Paragraphs are separated by a line of white space rather than indenting the first word.  Rows or columns in a spreadsheet are filled with different colors.  Very basic, very easy, yet I always want to take it that extra step, to make it stand out just a bit more.

Robin Willams' (the author, not the actor/comedian) The Non-Designer's Design Book provides a decent introduction to the design world for someone who, like me, has some idea of what good design is but doesn't know how to use that information.  Her book presents four design principles that everyone already uses subconsciously, giving them names and making them easier to understand and to identify. Contrast, making items or text that are different really stand out from one another on a page; Repetition, using a visual element over and over to create continuity; Alignment, connecting items and text visually on a page to create good flow; and Proximity, placing related items near each other on a page.  And rather than simply stating that these are the principles, Williams includes dozens of everyday examples to re-enforce their usage.

The second section of the book deals with typefaces -- the Oldstyles, the Moderns, the Scripts, the differences between Serif and Sans Serif and Slab Serif -- and how to use them effectively to make a newsletter or invitation more eye-catching.  Taking the image to the left as an example, those four typefaces look too much alike.  Combining them onto a single page makes them almost indistinguishable from one another.  Why not increase the size of one typeface to show how different it is?  Or change the weight (or boldness)?  Or how about a different color?  The eye will be drawn to it and then want to read what comes immediately after.

It all seems pretty simple after reading Williams' book.  Not that I'm going to drop everything to create a 20-page, 4-color catalog any time soon.  But at least I can make my newsletters a cut above the rest.

Image from Wikimedia Commons.

I'm reading Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman (I tend to read the hot books about five years late) so I'm thinking a lot about feelings this week.

Interesting bit from the book: Martin Seligman conducted a study of MetLife salespeople. He convinced MetLife to use a different screening process than usual, and screen for optimism. The people that scored high on optimism but failed their usual screening process ended up selling 21 percent more in their first year and 57 percent more in their second year compared to those who passed MetLife's typical screening process and considered themselves pessimists.

 When I was agenting, I found talent with average or slightly-above-average skills with upbeat attitudes and flexible workstyles to be more successful on assignment for us than the gurus who were cynical or jaded.

So does attitude matter more than ability? You tell me, folks.

image by Mr. Benn

I know, I know.... The word "analytics" makes people cringe. Thoughts of miles upon miles of spreadsheets filled with an almost never-ending string of numbers and equations can make even the hardiest of us cower in a corner and pull our hair out trying to understand what they all mean and how they relate to a website and why so much money was spent on a flashing banner ad. But it's important information to know, especially if you want to understand how the money spent on a particular online ad campaign generates revenue.

In Web Analytics Demystified author Eric T. Peterson takes all that information and explains it in plain terms: going through the lifecycle of a consumer (reach, acquisition, conversion and retention); what the difference between a "visitor" and a "unique visitor" is and why a company wants both to check out their site; how to determine the cost effectiveness of an on-line campaign; and the many other metrics that show the relationship between money being spent on marketing and the people that visit a website. Peterson takes each bit of information, shows what it's used for, how to find it and also how to interpret it, offering both the pros and cons associated with each type of metric or report.

Peppered throughout the book are "Web Analytics Tips", ways to make your Website work better for you. One tip provides a good way to ask visitors for information while another explains a good process for increasing your purchase conversion rate (getting someone who puts an item in an online shopping cart to complete the buying process).

The book also acts as a guide to help marketers and analysts trek through the many Web analytics software packages and companies out there. With the hundreds of possible reports that can be compiled, you should find something customizable, that allows you to pick and choose which reports will be beneficial to your company. Not every report or metric is necessary so why should your company be forced by a software package to wade through all the extra paper.

Unless you happen to enjoy miles upon miles of spreadsheets and a room full of analysts tearing their hair out.

Photo by writetoreply

(From guest poster, Greg Carter)

The night, I purchased tickets online for a theatrical event. Yeah, I know, very exciting, but why I'm bringing this up is because of the checkout process.

Thanks to the email from the theater troupe, I found the show listing with relative ease. But after selecting two tickets and clicking checkout, I was asked to create an account (or login if I already had one, which I didn't), click the link to create an account, and an exasperating five separate pages later, I was finally able to order the tickets.

Lucky for the troupe, I really wanted to see this particular show, or else I would have given up the process long ago.

It's a glaring design flaw such as this that authors Lance Loveday and Sandra Niehaus hope to combat with their book Web Design for ROI. (ROI stands for "return on investment", or this according to Investopedia.)

True, the theater probably does need all that information to process the ticket order, but a simpler process, something that takes into account the user and his/her reactions, would probably decrease frustration and increase online ticket sales.

Your company may have hundreds of fantastic products for which the public is hungering, but if the home page is too cluttered with information and images, or searching for a specific item turns into a hunt for Dr. Livingstone, or the potential buyer can't tell the "Add to Cart" button from the "Exit" button, then your site may not be doing its job. However, instead of spending thousands of dollars to re-design your entire site, Loveday and Niehaus suggest perhaps a little tweaking to the design, how pages are laid out, will show a quicker and better response.

Take into account your users. Most people quickly skim a homepage, looking for information important to them. Long paragraphs probably won't hold their interest, so why not try headlines in a bolder type, stronger color and have the headline link to another page with that information or story. People also tend to read from left to right, top to bottom, so creating your pages with that flow in mind will make the experience a more pleasant one. Or, as a rebuttal to my ticket purchase example, give the user the option of creating an account or not.

REI's checkout process does exactly that, and I can say from my own experience, I liked not having to create a password and enter account information just to by a one-time gift (for my brother since I'm the farthest thing from outdoorsy you could imagine). Design a good user experience, and the user is likely to return or to even recommend your site to their friends.

Web Design for ROI offers other simple, common sense techniques to re-work the design of a site to make it more productive and effective. For anyone who designs sites or has a say in their creation, this book would be an incredibly useful tool.

(Photo by haydnseek)

(by guest blogger, Greg Carter from the Aquent's Orange County office)

I started blogging because one of my friends suggested that it would be a useful tool to keep my writing skills in shape. I hemmed and hawed, but finally gave in, and after re-reading many of my earlier posts, I believe (hope? pray?) that I'm a much better writer than way back when. But what started out as a way to hone my skills has given me the opportunity to chronicle bits and pieces of my life, to share my views on books and movies, to post a recipe or two, and to even post a few samples of fiction.

That works for me. I like talking about different things when the mood strikes me. And being able to read the blogs of others, to catch a glimpse into their lives (and even to meet a few face to face) not just in my neighborhood, but in New York, Denver, Portland, Atlanta, Montréal, and England, to name a few, has been quite a happy bonus. I've never expected my blog to be more than a journal of my life. But, as author Paul Gillin discusses in his book The New Influencers, many companies are slowly beginning to see the far-reaching impact that blogging has had on the way corporations communicate with the public.

With the growing shift to electronic media, marketers need to stay on top of new venues of communication, and blogs present the best opportunity. Take a look at almost any blog, and what you'll find is a mini-community, with blogrolls containing links to myriad other blogs who communicate back and forth constantly. Any kind of news -- good or bad -- gets passed on, linked to, talked about much faster than any magazine or newspaper could have imagined.

Take, for example, AOL. Back in 2006, Vincent Ferrari had heard the rumors about the high-pressure tactics used by AOL when someone tried to cancel an account, so he decided to record his own attempt then post the recorded file on his blog. He then emailed a consumer activist site, The Consumerist. The site, in turn, published a link to his post, which soon swarmed across the blogging world and eventually into mainstream media. That small post from a single blog generated so much negative publicity that it helped to influence a change in AOL's policies.1

And that's just from personal blogging. Quite a few other blogs deal with a specific topic and have reader bases focused solely on such things as graphic design, Microsoft, Netflix, plant care, and so on. A smart marketer will find a way to communicate with such groups because those bloggers are passionate about that particular topic, and their readers are more likely to listen to their recommendations.

Another blogging form discussed is the corporate blog, one written and managed by a company. In one of the many Influencer Profiles peppered between chapters, Gillin describes how Microsoft used the corporate blog as a means to allow the public a glimpse into life at the personal computer giant. They seemed to realize that if they weren't out there communicating about the company, then someone else was -- and not always in a positive light. By allowing Microsoft employees to discuss their jobs or whatever moved them in such an open and public forum and by using the blogs as a way to answer questions and criticisms, Microsoft was able to slowly reverse the negative view of the company.2

So thanks to the Internet, the world really has become a much smaller place. More companies and marketers need to change with the times, and The New Influencers is the perfect guide for that, explaining how blogging (and podcasting) works,  how they can be used to generate buzz about a product or to change/enhance a company's public image, and how to get along in this new age of communication.

1. Gillin, Paul. The New Influencers: A Marketer's Guide to the New Social Media, 2nd printing. Sanger, California: Quill Driver Books, 2007. pps 1-3.
2. ibid., pps 105-112


(Yes, I did read the book myself.)


Image composite by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Or, rather, their stock photography images are losing theirs.

I guess, only on "chick-lit" novels, according to Gawker.

Looks like Light Summer Reading just got lighter!

Right before Spring is another, fifth season: The Season of Creative Contests.

I'm not kidding (did you think I would?), AIGA and Communication Arts are opening the floodgates for contestants for their Illustration, Design, and Photography competitions.

Starting with AIGA's 365 Design competition:

Work in all media that has been designed, produced and used in the marketplace between January 1 and December 31, 2007. (The contest) represents the best work across all disciplines of communication design and strategy and "50 Books/50 Covers" represents the 50 best book covers and 50 best book designs for the given year, both chosen by a jury of industry peers.

The contest includes: Brand and identity systems, Corporate communications design, Package design, Editorial design and illustration, Typographic design, Promotional design and advertising, Experience design, Entertainment design, and Information design. 

Deadline is March 7th.  Entry fees are $35 for members, $55 for nonmembers, per individual entry. 

Details here at the AIGA site.

 
49th Annual Communication Arts Illustration Competition

Any Illustration first printed or produced between March 14, 2007 and March 11, 2008 is eligible. Selected by a nationally representative jury of distinguished designers, art directors and illustrators, the winning entries will be published in the July 2008 Illustration Annual. Over 70,000 copies of the Illustration Annual will be distributed worldwide, assuring important exposure to the creators of this outstanding work. As a service to art directors, designers and art buyers, a comprehensive index will carry addresses and telephone numbers of the illustrators represented.

Categories include: Advertising, Books, Editorial, For Sale, Institutional, Motion/Animation, Self-Promotion, and Unpublished.

Deadline is March 11th. Entry fees are $30 for a single entry, $60 for a series.

Details here at the Comm Arts site.

 

49th Annual Communication Arts Photography Competition

Any photograph first printed or produced between March 14, 2007 and March 11, 2008 is eligible. Selected by a nationally representative jury of distinguished designers, art directors and photographers, the winning entries will be published in the August 2008 Photography Annual. Over 70,000 copies of the Photography Annual will be distributed worldwide, assuring important exposure to the creators of this outstanding work. As a service to art directors, designers and art buyers, a comprehensive index will carry addresses and telephone numbers of the photographers represented.

Categories also include: Advertising, Books, Editorial, For Sale, Institutional, Motion/Animation, Self-Promotion, and Unpublished.

(For Sale? Like a picture of your 4x4 Ford F250?)

Deadline is March 11th. Entry fees are $30 for a single entry, $60 for a series.

Details here.

I'll post the details of the Aquent Chili Cook Off once everything's set.

 

As green as some of us want to be, the hard fact is we're going to part with some cash for consumable gifts for others this holiday season.

There's good news, though. Every year the blog Treehugger runs a list of green gifts for their readers and this year they've tagged each item Light Green, Medium Green, or Heavy Green labels based on... well, they don't actually say what it's based on. But I do hope it's good science.

They've also grouped each by who you're giving to ("The Yoga Fiend", "The Jet Setter", "The Geek", "The Right Leaning NRA Member"... okay, I added that last one in.) and also included a healthy dose of charitable organizations to support.

And, like any good blog on a hot topic, it's chock full of dissenting opinions on the items listed. My favorite, as of today, "Treehugger continues to step farther into hypocricy everyday. Today's stumble: holiday consumerism, part III." 

Guess who's not getting any figgy pudding?

There's a retelling of A Christmas Carol here somewhere.

Listed in three different posts:

TreeHugger's 2007 Gift Guide Part I
TreeHugger's 2007 Gift Guide Part II
TreeHugger's 2007 Gift Guide Part III

Bah humbugedly,

Tim

So even though I have no idea what an intarsia pattern is, I'm blogging ahead!

Chronicle Books is holding a design contest that many of you Designers out there might find interesting.

They're putting the finishing touches on their latest knitting book, Picture Perfect Knits by Laura Birek, and they're looking for...

"the five most creative, most dream-worthy intarsia knitting patterns. It could be anything, from a jaunty anchor to a geek-chic argyle pattern to a killer alphabet. Whatever pattern you would want to see in a knitting book. Five winners will have their name and pattern printed in the book and be promoted here on our Handmade Thursdays. Winners will also receive a free copy of the book when it comes out next fall."

They use as an example this Wonder Woman sweater someone named Practical Polly made.

Once again, I am so lost.

As a young lad I was told if I took up knitting, hooligans would most likely come by and stab me with my knitting needles.

Happily I took up Saturday morning cartoons and never looked back.

But if you're an artsy, craftsy, or just hellaciously talented, go to the contest site and give 'em heck!

When you win and feel you owe me one, a Snidely Whiplash sweater will do nicely.

Thanking you in advance...

I love reading and yet, sadly, my work-related reading takes a back seat to my personal reading (case in point, my summer reading included Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, Water for Elephants,and Train Your Mind, Change Your Brain. That last one being a book that's better than its title suggests).

Happily my good friend Matt over at the Talent Blog led me to Adaptive Path's Reading List just in time for the Fall Semester. Titles like The Design of Everyday Things,The Architecture of Happiness,and How Buildings Learn.

Do also take a look at Matt's post on the Talent Blog, he's quite engaging, if I do say so myself.

Now I guess I'll have something to do while I wait for my next Netflix delivery.

Photo from Flickr by  numstead