Please forgive me if my notes here are a little bit rough but I figure that it's better to get the information out there for those interested than to not post it at all.
Life Kerning- Justin Ahrens
•Don't be an island, find wisdom from others.
-Find people who are familiar with the industry & enroll them as advisors (3 is a good number)
-Make a special criteria (such as meeting on a regular basis...like once a month)
"I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." ~Abraham Lincoln
•Have a set of rules to stick to because you are probably the problem
•Accountability
•Family Morale (both families....your family at home and your work family)
THE 3 F's: FUN FAME FORTUNE
When considering a project, consider these three things:
-Will it be profitable?
-Will it be FUN?
-Will it attrack other work?
*The project MUST qualify for at least two of these qualities above!
Links:
Linchpin by Seth Godin (there were probably 3 speakers at conference that mentioned/referred this book)
www.37signals.com/rework
www.donmilleris.com
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Why We Brand, Why We Buy by Debbie Millman
A little bit of history...we designed for function to make our lives easier.
Branding- physical impression of ownership
Branding as we know it originated in late 19th century with the advent of packaged goods.
5 WAVES OF MODERN BRANDING:
•Wave 1: Brands as guarantors of consistency
•Wave 2: Brands as guarantors of quality (Could not mislead or decieve. First time that safety is factored into branding. Metaphor in branding.)
•Wave 3: Brands as expressive statements (acceptance, trendsetting...Debbie talked about how she wanted Levi's and her mom got a pair of green corduroy Levi's and she proudly wore them because of the label...definitely a story I can relate to coming from a home where my mom made most of our clothes or we got outdated hand-me-downs!)
•Wave 4: Brands as an experience (ex: Nike, MTV, Starbucks...)
-Brand loyalty develops
-We have a significant collective tendency
-We feel safer & secure
"GIVEN THE CHOICE, A BABY WILL CHOOSE THE CONNECTION WITH THEIR MOTHER OVER FOOD."
•Wave 5: Limbic brands (brands as guarantors of connection)
-Our brains have invented ways to connect
(ex: facebook, twitter, linkedin, myspace, YouTube, etc.)
"WE HAVE THE POWER TO EITHER FURTHER OUR HUMANITY OR DESTROY IT."
Don't forget to check out Debbie's new book: Look Both Ways
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Don't Go It Alone: Using Collaboration to Solve Creative Design Problems by Maria Giudice
Download this presentation: www.hotstudio.com/#/presentations/hotpresentations/
"The Obsessive Collaborator"
Who should you collaborate with?
-Clients: creates stakeholder buy-in, streamlines the design process
-Project Team: provides multi-disciplinary perspectives
-Customers
-Wild Card
Collaboration has to have a goal and it has to have an outcome.
Facilitation Tips:
•Appoint a facilitator, a scribe and a photographer
•Stay neutral
•Keep focus
•Don't allow any one person to dominate
•Involve the quiet participants
•Actively Listen!
•Summarize periodically
Brainstorm Rules:
•One conversation at a time
•Go for Quantity!!!
•Be visual
•Go for WILD IDEAS!
•Don't forget FOOD!
Tools & Methods for Collaboration:
#1- Get Physical & Tactile (get everyone out of their chairs, make them do something, get them involved!)
*GIANT POST-IT NOTEPADS ROCK!!!*
#2- Think Out Loud
*Mind-mapping- words connect, leads you on a path to ideas you might not have though of,
non-judgmental
*Identifying Challenges- strategy, project scope, timeline, communication, implementation,
politics, technology, team expertise
WHAT ARE THE FEARS AND WHY???????????
#3- Communicate Visually
*Touchy-Feely (bring in stuff & lay out for people to look at, pick up, feel, etc.)
- Clients pick up pieces that speak to them, related to what they want or like in relation to
their design goals from you.
*Back to Basics (let the client come in to help create using basic art supplies)
-Why'd they pick that color?, Why do they like that shape?
- Familiar Tools: paper, scissors, crayons, glue, etc.
-Use legos for layout design- can ease feeling of intimidation plus Legos are more FUN!
#4- Share the Road
*Card sorting (let client organize word/symbol cards as they want on their site...
*Brand Attribute Exercise
-Yes, No & Maybe answers to keyword cards
-Is it Useful? Is it Descriptive? Is it Colorful?
-Use Templates (more fun to cut & paste than to draw)
-Use Worksheets (fill out/answer questions)
#5- Prioritize & Synthesize
*Set Limits & Prioritize (limit # of words in exercise to narrow down to....)
*Dot Voting (casting your vote for an idea using dot stickers like currency)
*Mood Boards (collaging colors, layouts, specific theme/idea, type, special treatments, etc.)
TAKE TEAM PHOTOS OF HAPPY CLIENTS- THEY FEEL PART OF THE SOLUTION
How to Cultivate a Creative Culture:
•Environment
-Resources
-Social Spaces
-Fun Colors/Shapes
-Free to Express Yourself
•Be Spontaneous & Have Fun
-ex: 15 minutes to design a T-shirt for fun
-Playing role games (store/computer/customer)
-Energizing
•Everyone is a Contributor
Iterate & Evolve
-Don't stay still
-Be open to change
-Educate yourself
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Please come back as I have MORE to post! But saying how it is now past 11pm, I am going to give my eyes and fingers a rest for the night. See ya tomorrow!
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