How Not To Rob A Liquor Store

Click here to see How Not To Rob A Liquor Store

That's Right,

HMK

Meaty Resources

I shot this awsome sign in New Orleans.

Last night while researching some web gaga I found a couple of nice resource links for all you desigers out there.

If your looking for some off the radar stock photo options you'll dig Blue Vertigo.

And if you have anything to do with producing effective websites, een if you're already a pro, your sure to learn something new over at Design Meltdown.

That's Right,

HMK

Compared To What?

Swiss Life 2006 ReBrand 100 Winners > best of awards
Industry: Financial Services/Insurance - Above: Before & After Image

Whenever I hear "That's great!" or "Very nice." whether in regard to a band, glass of wine, a movie, song, grilled cheese sandwich or a logo, my initial thought is this:

Compared to what?

In order to truly appreciate the result, value or execution of almost any endeavor, effort, task or product, one must have an understanding of it's origin and all things preceeding.

Think about it.

Let's say your only experience with coffee was from Denny's or random gas stations. (Poor you!) Then, by chance, someone with an elevated palet treats you to a Starbucks at the airport before your first plane ride.

Now we've got something to talk about!

ReBrand™ is a forum for case studies and programs focused on effective rebrands and showcases a nice Before and After addressing all of the above.

(Not the best example but hey, I'm still working on my first cup this morning - HEB's Taste of San Antonio spiked with some freshly ground dark Columbian beans.)

Anyway...

Along with the Center for Design & Business at Rhode Island School of Design and partners, they organize ReBrand 100®, the first and only global awards to recognize the world’s most effective rebrands: the repositioning, revitalizing, or redesign of existing brand assets to meet strategic goals.

Grab your self a fresh cup of your favorite, get comfortable and check out the showcased rebrands from around the world at ReBrand™ - it'll jump start your crit skills!

That's Right,

HMK

This One Time, At Brand Camp...

That's Right,

HMK

30 Seconds, If Your Lucky

The idea that if you build it, they will come, might have worked for Kevin Costner in the movie “Field of Dreams,” but it certainly does not hold true for Web sites.

Build a bad-looking small-business site filled with poorly written text, and your potential customers will go away. Build one that is attractive, compelling and clever, but crucial design mistakes will still guarantee that few people will know that the site exists.

Your Web site is like a digital business card, designers say, the first online look at your company that a customer gets. With luck, it will not be the last.

A site must have addictive content, said Vincent Flanders, a Web design consultant in the Seattle area who is the creator of Webpagesthatsuck.com, a site that analyzes why some pages do not work. “People must be willing to crawl through a sewer for it.”

It is not just small operations that make a mishmash of their sites. Large companies can be just as prone to major design mistakes.

One global company states on its home page that “Indigenous and proven career management tools coupled with a comprehensive series of integrated initiatives have been evolved, to ensure that employees continue to sustain a high performance culture, while recruitment and selection is based on necessary competencies.”

That is “just gobbledygook,” Mr. Flanders said. “The words are not understandable by humans.”

According to Jakob Nielsen, a Web site consultant and author of the book “Prioritizing Web Usability,” it is essential that a Web page get a company’s message across quickly, because visitors are a fickle bunch. Most people do not go beyond what is in front of their faces.

Studies by Mr. Nielsen’s company, the Nielsen Norman Group, an Internet design firm in Fremont, Calif., show that only 50 percent of Web visitors scroll down the screen to see what lies below the visible part on their PC monitor.

“Users spend 30 seconds reviewing a home page,” Mr. Nielsen said. “A business must encapsulate what they do in very few words.”

With findings like those, it is no wonder that Web pages must visually hit a visitor right between the eyes. If a site does not answer a user’s questions about a business, then you have scored one for the competition. For example, the first thing customers visiting any restaurant’s Web site want to know is when it is open. But often that information can be found only by digging through multiple pages. As a result, “the site fails,” Mr. Nielsen said.

“It’s all about the basics,” said Baris Cetinok, Microsoft’s director of product management for Office Live, a site that offers free Web hosting and design tools for small businesses.

Visitors must immediately find out “who you are, what you do and how people can reach you,” Mr. Cetinok said.

Besides good grammar, Mr. Nielsen suggests that companies list a physical address, include a photograph of the building and not ask potential clients to fill out a form simply to ask a question. “That immediately communicates danger,” he said.

Making a site look good is complicated by the fact that no two monitors will necessarily present the Web in the same way. Users can set their browser’s default font size to be bigger or smaller, so it is impossible to know exactly how text will appear to any one person.

And how much of a Web site’s home page can actually be seen by users varies, based on the screen’s resolution.

The problems are made worse by designers being in Los Angeles or New York, and not, say, Texas, so “they think everyone has a large monitor and a fast D.S.L. connection,” said Neil Hettinger, co-owner of Lead Pencil Ad Design, a marketing and design company in Manhattan Beach, Calif. He suggests mixing text and graphics on a Web site, with dark type set against a light background for easy reading.

If you are selling a product, use thumbnail photos that can be enlarged when clicked on, Mr. Nielsen said, not a graphic that can be rotated in every direction. Otherwise “you see products at weird angles.”

“The most important rule in Web page design is to eliminate unnecessary design,” Mr. Flanders said. He recommends not adding large, spinning graphics that take a long time to download.

He also advises business owners not to add introductory splash pages that force a viewer to watch a video or animation.

“Splash pages are only needed for pornography, gambling and multinational Web sites that need to direct users to a particular country’s page,” Mr. Flanders said.

Graphics also do nothing to help a site get discovered by search engines like Google or Yahoo. Those sites troll the Internet for key words, as well as the frequency and quality of one site that links to another.

Text embedded in a graphic, like the name of a shop in a photograph, cannot be seen by search engines. And the old practice of embedding key words in white-on-white type will not increase a site’s page ranking; in fact it will do the opposite.

“The first time a word is used on a site, it’s significant,” said Matt Cutts, a Google software engineer. “If that word is used 50 times, there is a diminishing return.”

“If you put hidden tags on your page, you’re a total moron,” Mr. Flanders said. “You will get caught by search engines, or others will turn you in.”

If your business is local, make sure that the entire geographic area you serve is mentioned in text on the site. To increase the number of sites that link to yours, list your business in online trade directories, and mention it on various blogs.

Google offers free Web master tools that automatically analyze a site to determine if it is being optimized by search engines.

In the end, getting a prominent placement in a search engine is the only way to ensure that your site will be seen by those who can increase your business.

“If your site is not listed on the first page of search results, you might as well not exist,” Mr. Nielsen said.

Thanks to Eric A. Taub at The New York Times

WWF Poster

Save endangered animals before they disappear in front of your eyes.
Nice stuff from CC&E, Guangzhou, China

That's Right,

HMK

Fleet Street Scandal

Afternoon Tea On Threadneedle Street By Chris Turnham

Check out the awesome collected works of illustrators Kevin Dart & Chris Turnham.

That's Right,

HMK

Give It Up

The Red Cross of Australia ain't asking for your money, they need blood.

Nice stuff from M&C Saatchi.

That's Right,

HMK

National Library of Medicine

The NIH has an incredible collection of scanned anatomical books.

The illustrations are truly amazing.

Check out the National Library of Medicine's Collection.

That's Right,

HMK

Make Your Own Vodka!

Now it's easier than ever to make your own Vodka!

Ya Here!

That's Right,

HMK

The Art Of Complex Problem Solving

I'm sure that most everyone probably agrees with the idea that ideas live or die by how well they're communicated.

What really needs to be addressed, in most situations involving more than 5 people, is the fine art of follow through and the respect of other peoples time, enabling everyone involved to do their best.

Information is useless when it sits on somebody's desk until the 11th hour or later. And at the end of the day, nobody remembers how many rabbits were pulled out of the hat, just that the deliverables were less than stellar.

No wonder there's a virtual revolving door at most shops and the annual employee Christmas party attendees are never the same from year to year.

It's amazing what can be accomplished when people have mutual respect and trust for each other and information is shared in a timely manner. If you've ever been in a situation without the above respect, you're probably familiar with lines like "It's like this everywhere" and "Get used to it, that's just the way it is." Well, it's not.

It may be the law of the land in the egocentric bottom-line driven big agency environment, but as you've probably experienced with true friends and colleagues, there are places where the common goal is bona fide trust and respect. It just takes a while to find your place, but it does exist.

Bottom-line, as my friend Tom Rehkopf (one of my true-blue-go-to-guys since 1978) says, "If you like what you're gettin' - keep doin' what you're doin'. If you want something different, do something different."

Thanks Tom.

Meanwhile, check out these nice infographics at The Art Of Complex Problem Solving.

That's Right,

HMK

The Invisible Hand

If you're interested in the ideas behind business and strategic thinking, I think you might dig Chris Gondek's podcast, The Invisible Hand.

Each week, Chris brings you the authors and books that have formed our modern ideas of management and strategy.

At times this can be a bit dry, as some of the guest authors are somewhat long winded, but over all, these are guaranteed to get your brain jumstarted and they go great with a few cups of morning coffee.

Get smart and enjoy!

That's Right,

HMK

I May Have Voted

Cartoon by Chan Lowe, The South Florida Sun Sentine

And remember - if you don't vote - don't bitch.

That's Right,

HMK

Making Things Right

Keeping it real and Making Things Right.


That's Right,

HMK

Wrigley Extra

The trick now is training the Starbucks baristas to take the time to line up the image with the lid... Otherwise, this is a pretty cool and fun idea.

That's Right,

HMK

Do The Dewey

Forget Google! Ms. Dewey is a new, interactive, Flash based search engine.

To assist you in your search, the website is hosted by smoking hot model/actress/vocalist, Janina Gavankar.

See what she and the site are capable of by typing into the search field, or just leave it blank and watch.

Check out MS. Dewey and her groovy search site.

That's Right,

HMK

Bongo Menu Collection

Some time during the middle of the last century, a man got the yen to start taking home menus from the restaurants he'd enjoyed.

Fifty years later, his collection is in the hands of his grandson.

Some really sweet stuff over at Bostrom's Menu Collection flickr site.

That's Right,

HMK

Another Bright Idea

Not sure if I'm totally down with this or nor yet, but the more I think about - why not?

Brazil's Sol Beer has co-oped with the national the weather forecast.

This makes me thirsty, like when it's hot. Ohhh, I get it now!

Genius.

That's Right,

HMK

Haunted When It Rains

Yeah, I realize this is a tad bit creepy - but it is Halloween after all.

If you dare, visit the Book of the Dead, Haunted When It Rains, Victorian Post-Mortem Photography.

And remember - you're not going to be here forever either, so Carpe Diem!

Life is meant to be awesome!

That's Right,

HMK

John Dufilho: Best Alternative Album?

Probably, yes!

Grande Congratulations to my amazingly talented buddy John Dufilho!

His first official solo album, geniusly entitled: John Dufilho, is up for a Grammy. (Sir John's better known as the lead monkey in the amazing Deathray Davies.)

There's some pretty stiff competition - John's in a field of 48 other albums, including Arctic Monkeys, Gnarls Barkley and Thom Yorke.

I've been working with John and his lable Glurp producing some super low-fi videos, one for each song on the album.

The finalists for the 2007 Grammys will be announced Dec. 7.

Check out the first one from the opening track I'm Gonna Stay Under These Covers Today.

Check out the rest (so far!) at John's new site: John Dufilho

John's currently in Lexington right now rehearsing with the Apples In Stereo sitting in as drummer for some shows next week and will be in NY shooting a new Apples video with Elijah Wood directing.

Go John!

And what are you waiting for - go Buy The Album Now!


That's Right,

HMK

5 More Days

D Is For Discrepancy

With Detroit's storybook season now culminating in the World Series, many fans have begun noticing one of MLB obscurities: The Old English D logo on the team's jersey is different than the one on the cap.

No way, you say? Way, says Uni Watch. At first glance, the two logos appear almost identical. But once you take a closer look, the distinctions start jumping off the screen: The perimeter of the cap D is comprised of jagged, pointy strokes, while the outline of the jersey D is much rounder; the left side of the cap D has two vertical strokes, both of which are curved, with two horizontal spokes in between them, while the jersey D has three vertical strokes, two of which are straight, and no horizontal spokes; and the two horizontal prongs inside the center of the cap D are concave, while the prongs on the jersey D are convex. Identical twins? More like second cousins.

Read it all at Uni Watch.

Go Cardinals!

That's Right,

HMK

Authenticity

Buzz-worthy campaigns turn ad-agency creatives into the cool kids of the moment. But behind every copywriter-cum--rock star is a courageous client. Meet the people who had the guts to greenlight this past year's boldest advertising.

My personal favorite is the AMEX My Life My Card campaign. As Diego Scotti,VP of global advertising for American Express puts it - "Authenticity is the thing consumers respond to the most."

That's Right.

Read it at all Fast Company.

Fluff is no substitute for a concept.

HMK

Des Chapeaux

Hats off Pita and her sweet French retrospective over at Des Chapeaux.

Cela a Raison,

HMK

A Craving For Cool

Big companies are outsourcing "cool" to nimbler, closer-to-the-ground outsiders. They might as well farm out their souls.

Read the Fast Company article here.

Other companies seek out the best talent, hire them outright with promises and golden carrots with hopes of capitalizing on their unique perspectives and innate talent.

Sadly, these companies end up forgetting the all reasons they initially hired the talent and end up trying to force the energetic and innovative square peg into the predictable and safe round hole .

Bottom-line for the duped: Stay true to yourself, live and learn, get it in writing and pay no attention to that stupid fish on the bumper.

That's Wrong,

HMK