Design your own shoes - I'm in love!

I'm a product of Keds, I wore the all white kind along with multi colored scrunchies (gosh I'm old)! But now you can make your own patterned Keds. As you can see on the left, my glorious version done online, too cool. You can be creative or use the "surprise me!" function. Even sell your great designs through www.zazzle.com. Similar sites, which have chosen user made designs have come to pass, but not with the memorable name and user friendly interface. Business Week and Springwise gave props to this great application. Custom shoes for $60 - heck yes. I remember using puffy paint on my Keds, ah good times. Bring back the Keds!!!

It's a religion, you just have to believe.

I just finished reading an interview with Chip Kidd in ID Magazine (I'm about 3 months late) that was funny and insightful. During the interview they made reference that art is like believing in god, it's an all or nothing leap. You either get it or you don't. What a great concept. When discussing art, or music for that matter, some people have very strong convictions about what they do and don't like. Presenting a logo or design piece to a client can sometimes be very hard to explain when they aren't part of the religion. You can try and sell your beliefs about why you think it's great, but if they have a different view (let's say about color) - you might as well be the anti-christ.

That's why client education is a necessary step in the process of agency/client relationships. All questions, big or little, should be taken serious and given attention. Some clients don't like to admit when they don't understand, so if asked - great! Take the opportunity to showcase your knowledge and talent.

Like religion, you don't want to push your beliefs on them (that's a cult and no one likes a crazy). The client should never feel forced into anything they don't want. They need to come to the realization that "this is the best thing since sliced bread". State the facts, give the benefits and let them draw their own conclusions. No need for a sermon, it's a personal thing.

Good design isn't for everyone, but I believe the world is a better place for it. Amen!

Are we diluted?

I have to admit I do love Fiji water ... it's more the package of the square bottle and tropical scene. Would I pay $42 for a bottle of water? Na. But someone is. That's darn good marketing and branding. Here's a blurb about one water that is the pinnacle of ... well I'll let you read,

"Wattwiller should be on any expert's short list of the world's greatest mineral waters. Its pedigree dates back to Roman times, with the source finally controlled by the monks of the Abbey of Murbach in 735 AD. The name "Wattwiller" itself tells the story - it means "village of water." So fabled is this delicacy, it is believed to have a soul. A look at Wattwiller's chemistry confirms anecdotal reverence. If you don't mind its faint salty aftertaste, this elite water delivers terrific Calcium, Magnesium, Sulphate, and Fluoride. It has a Nitrate level of ZERO!"

Monks?? Really? A delicacy ... a soul. WOW. See, at this point I think, "maybe I do want to try this water ... to really see what the fuss is about ..." Then I come out of crazy world and think I could use $42 to buy a pair of shoes and drink from the water fountain leaving the mall. I'd live.

The Aqua Maestro website lists several water brands. The descriptions alone will give you a good laugh. Cheers!

How does ChaCha do it?

Crazy name, crazy questions, real answers! ChaCha has create a texting service that will send you an answer to any question. Yes, any question. I text them, "Who invented the spoon?" and 1 minute later it came back, "Spoons have been used as eating utensils since Paleolithic times. It is most likely that prehistoric peoples used shells ... " Then it links to the longer answer. Hum. I should have asked something harder.
It doesn't cost anything ... yet. Since they don't have advertisers how is this service being paid for? CNBC had is featured on their show and said later on they hope to make money through the cell phone companies as a 411 service or add advertising to the bottom of the text answer.
But for now, there are so many unanswered questions - where do I begin?! I could be sitting in a meeting and need to know the population of Guam - and poof! Or what about how toffee is made? Even better, how fast does hair grow? Google-smoogle! I mean who has time to go to the library or search online! My next question is going to be, "where did they get the name ChaCha?"

Drip blogging

One blog at a time, two twitters today - it's a crazy world out there. Between hiring a plethora of staff and remodeling my bathroom blogging took back seat. Excuses, excuses - don't you hate to read a post that just says, "sorry I haven't written". Tough. I will never quit though. Hurricane or not - I will still give you updates some how!