dechezette

20 May 09

So David, What Exactly Do You Do?

I remember as a kid not understanding what my mother did as a career. And then transitioning to an adult and her not understanding what I did as a career. I used to chalk that up to a generational thing - the older folk just don’t get all this computer stuff. I then realized that when speaking to people outside of my industry (and the clients we serve), that I was struggling to articulate what exactly it is I do.

Scene: Get together with new parents in someone’s backyard

Interested Person: So, what do you do?

Me: I’m a Creative Director for Interactive

Interested Person: (furrowed brow) What’s that?

Me: (quickly defeated and cutting to the chase) I make websites.

“I make websites” is a pitiful way to describe the scope and love that I have for my craft. And from a personal branding perspective it grossly undersells my value. If there’s one thing I’ve learned about businesses over the years (any business) is that they always struggle to practice what they preach.

The answer to my predicament is really not that tough - lead with the value you provide, then talk about how that value is manifested.

When you’re frequently surrounded by people who do what you do, or buy your services, it’s easy to put off creating your elevator speech.

My homework assignment:
• develop a short statement of what I do that Interested Person can understand
• develop a simple way to articulate the value of brand experience, user experience and design

Does this situation sound familiar? I’m curious to hear about your challenges and successes in this area.

19 May 09

The Gospel According to The Office

I snapped this one in front of the church around the corner from my home. I applaud the inventiveness here.

Avid Rebrands

So simple. So obvious. So great. Bravo.

via Surfstation

12 May 09

Ethereal Splendor from Colony Media

After following a trail of retweets Mario Cavalli showed up on my radar. Wow, how come I’ve never heard of this guy before?

Based in the UK, Mario creates visual texturescapes that are quite mesmerizing.

In 2001 he founded Colony Media, which represents a group of directors that seem to share a similar artistic philosophy. The group includes Dave McKean, whom I’ve been a big fan of since his days in comics. It’s interesting to see how his work has evolved with the added dimensions of motion and sound.

Side note: Years ago when McKean did some work for my magazine, I sent him some of the fonts that I created. They continue to show up in his work from time to time, which is always fun for me to discover.

11 May 09

Companies Continue to Skimp on Search

I’m constantly surprised at the lack of attention that large companies put into their search experience - even the “technology leaders”. Search is a major interaction that many have with a company’s brand, yet search results are treated as a undifferentiated list of links (read: Google).

Many companies cite the huge undertaking it would take to properly tag their mounds of content. Fair enough. But why not try to be a little creative with this problem. Let your employees and visitors help you. Employees whose jobs are linked to the retrieval of this content will certainly be incented enough.

Search results need to be looked at as an opportunity not a utility. Publishers and retailers get this. Funny how those selling them the solutions don’t.