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You know, it seems like we're seeing more and more design-related conferences like the "A Better World by Design" one being held in Providence, Rhode Island this weekend.

Here's the pitch from their site: "The conference will focus heavily on design, integrative thinking, and social and environmental change, to excite professionals and students alike on the potential of ideas and collaboration across disciplines."

I have to say, I love these - and the fact that a group of students from RISD and Brown are putting this together makes it all the more lovable.

And the speaker list is fairly impressive:
* Jan Chipchase, principal engineer at the Nokia Research Center
* Michael Braungart, founder and partner of McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry and the Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency
* William Drenttel, founder of Winterhouse Studio and Editor of Design Observer
* Stuart Harshbarger, program manager and system integrator for Johns Hopkins University's Revolutionizing Prosthetics Program
* Kigge Hvid, founder and CEO of INDEX
* Emeka Okafor, creator of TED Africa and founder of Maker Faire Africa

Plus panels on Appropriate Technology, Affordable Housing,
The Integration of Design and Business, and Emerging Markets.

If you're in the area, I encourage you to check it out and give us feedback on the event.

All the details are here.


(photo by Robert S. Donovan. Trophy design by Aran Mun.)

If you happen to be in the Windy City (or, if you must, the City of Big Shoulders or the Second City) next week, you're in luck! Aquent will be partnering with @chicagotweetups for a, well, tweetup.

I don't know if the folks at Clark Street Ale House serve either Chicago style hot dogs or pizza, but if they do, nab one for me, an I'll pay you back when it arrives in LA intact.
 
When: Thursday, September 24
Time: 5:30-8:30pm
Location: Clark Street Ale House, 742 N Clark

All the details are here.

(Photo by David Paul Ohmer)

When you have kids you know when fall is coming - even in Southern California. I'm lucky enough to have a wife brave enough to take the children to Target for the yearly trip to pick up backpacks, crayons, pens, notebooks, etc.

(You know when I list all those things it makes me think of Susie Hall in the LA office, who must have loved going back to school. I've never seen someone so excited about gel pens and post-its in my life.)

If you haven't been popping over to the Aquent site to check out the events page, you may be missing out on real, life events that rarely ever make it to TV (The film Objectified, for one - "a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them". Don't look for that running against America's Next Top Model.)

For future reference, the events are all listed over there to the right and you can click the More Events link to get to... um, more events.

If you have anything you want to add, just email me and I'll pop it on our site (well, if it's related to Marketing and Creative, that is. I will not be advertising your garage sale, so please don't ask.)


(Photo by paalia)

A few weeks ago I logged in to my first webinar ... a really informative session hosted by Adobe as part of their Creative Festival.

It was a really interesting experience, seeing hundreds of "user names" appear down the left hand side of my computer screen and knowing that literally hundreds of people were taking part in the webinar with me. Aside from a few sound and image delay issues I really enjoyed it. But at the end of the session I didn't have anyone to talk to about it. I just got back on with my work. Sure I could have posted some comments to an on line forum or blog, but to me it's not the same as walking out of a seminar and mingling with other delegates over a drink or biscuit and having a good old de-brief!

This has prompted me to ask what the new preference is in terms of being informed and educated? Do you prefer sitting at your desk, in your office, or at home and seeing an industry guru on your computer screen? Or would you rather attend a conference seeing the guru in his or her element, surrounded by a crowd of like-minded people that you can interact with during and after the event?

Interestingly, Microsoft is combining both options at the upcoming ReMIX 09 on June 11th in Sydney, which Aquent is sponsoring.

Not only will the event be held at Sydney's Star City, but some of the content and sessions will be broadcast on the REMIX Online site as well. (By the way, if you would like to attend ReMIX 2009 at Aquent's discounted price (AUD$149.00), check out the ReMIX link and type in the special code "syd0xdis149" when registering online). When you register, ensure that you DO NOT tick ReMIX AUD$199.00 inc GST. Simply write the "syd0xdis149" ticket code in the field provided.

This promises to be a highly informative web industry event in Australia for designers and developers seeking to be on the cutting edge.

No doubt Microsoft will have some nice drinks and buiscuits available at the breaks ... So see you there!

Image courtesy of: sridgway

A recent survey we conducted with the American Marketing Association showed that, even though most marketers are turning to online marketing for salvation in these dark times, they are finding themselves in a bind because they don't want to outsource these efforts but they don't necessarily have the in-house expertise required to get it done. Turns out that, although online marketing was a stated priority for many in 2008, few were able to actually make the online marketing hires they'd planned earlier in the year.

Lesson 1: Unfettered demand for online marketing translates into unflagging demand for interactive designers and developers.

The cultural revolution unleashed by web technology is ongoing and has produced an increasingly refined level of specialization. Whereas ten years ago we primarily distinguished between creative, front-end designers on the one hand and technically-oriented back-end coder/programmers on the other, today we see a proliferation of web-specific roles ranging from Flash gurus to user experience managers to web analytics wizards and beyond.

In addition to this morphing, expansion, and multiplication of web roles, we've witnessed an intense transformation of the way web work happens. The nature of the technology allows for teams to function without regard to geographical location and the fact that the web is always "on" means that web projects know no temporal limitations; they can and sometimes must be executed at any time, day or night.

Lesson 2: Innovation on the web isn't just about what people do, it's about where and when they do it.

The demand for interactive talent obviously means a wealth of opportunities for web professionals whether their focus is design, development, or marketing. The innovations brought about by the web mean that companies who hire web professionals have an amazing variety of options when it comes to engaging the people they need. The fact that the web and what people do with it continues to grow and change means that no one can predict exactly what new opportunities it will create in the future. However, it is undeniable that understanding these opportunities and their implications will mean the difference between success and failure for businesses and professionals alike.

Lesson 3: To take advantage of new opportunities, you need to have a grasp of the possibilities engendered by technical innovation as well as the limitations imposed by the demands of the marketplace.

On that note, if you want to get a better handle on the opportunities offered or precluded by the current interactive talent market, you ought to tune in to this webcast that Aquent is putting on in conjunction with Monster: Hiring Interactive Talent in the New World of Work .

Tell 'em, Matt sent you.

If you're gonna be in the Los Angeles area in a couple weeks and have a geeky streak, I highly encourage you to attend "The World of User Experience," an event Aquent is putting on Friday, February 27, 2009, from 6:30pm - 10:00pm at the GRNAPPLETREE Warehouse at 2324 E. Porter Avenue.

Boasting a prominent panel of guest speakers including Tim Richards of Razorfish, Stephen Ruiz of Rapp Collins (Stephen will also be DJing, fyi), and Josh Galban of Team One, this event will feature presentations on pushing experience design beyond the page, the importance of UX branding, and the tech of UX.

For the complete story, go here or contact Meri Gulyan in Aquent's Los Angeles office.

I'm pleased as punch to tell you that the next Aquent-sponsored AMA Webcast, "Social Media Is About Socializing," will feature Harry Gold, founder and CEO of Overdrive Interactive.

I had a chance to see Harry speak at the New Marketing Summit in Boston and was digging on his tales of getting the likes of Harley Davidson into the social media game. I think you will too.

Great speaker whose company has done some great work for some great brands. I implore you in the strongest possible terms to CHECK THIS OUT. It all goes down on Thursday, November 20, 2008 at 10:00 am Pacific Time (that's like 1:00 pm Eastern). Please join us.

Image Courtesy of bogenfreund.

I'm pleased to announce that Aquent is sponsoring an AMA Webcast on Multichannel Marketing on October 30, 2008 at 1:00 p.m. EST. The webcast will feature Akin Arikan, senior segment manager for internet marketing at Unica and author of the recently published, Multichannel Marketing, a book aimed at providing marketers "practical methods for integrating marketing metrics and actions across online and offline channels." We will be offering registrants a free copy of this timely and detailed study following the 'cast.

In addition to being timely, Akin's book has been very well received, especially in the web analytics community. A particularly succinct reviewer, Gary Angel, founder of Semphonic, writes that Akin's book "...delivers a worthy blend of sound technical overview, comprehensive coverage of multichannel options, and a long overdue look at the way offline and online measurement techniques can and should converge." He adds, "It is sound, clear of judgment, clean in style and admirably free of bloat."

Marketing nowadays will be multichannel or not at all. Tune in to the webcast if you want to hear an informed and pragmatic expert's advice on how to get the most from your multichannel efforts.

Also, let it be herewith known that I want my epitaph to read, "Admirably free of bloat."