Wednesday, September 26, 2012

What's in YOUR drawers?



Last week, I wrote about an element of consistency in design methodology. Y-A-W-N! While that may be interesting to some, it's mostly a designer-thing and no one else really gives a crap how you do what you do. Right? I mean do I care how the plumber fixes my toilet? No...I do not. I just trust that it will be fixed and I pray not see the trademark butt-crack during the process.

So, I thought it might be a good idea if I wrote about something a little less technical and a bit more off the wall.

As humans, I believe we are all creative in our own ways. After all, didn't we all start out as children with imaginations? How awesome to be a creative child! As an adult, we are expected to reign that in to a respectable level so others won't think we're nuts. Not that there's anything wrong with being nuts. I also believe we all need a touch of that! Are we humans or are we walking, talking Walmart stores...with identical shelves of identical thoughts and ideas waiting either be recognized or expire sitting there collecting quantum dust particles? I prefer to be human and embrace the quirks!

I thought about this a lot last week after writing the Quantum Graphite Lady blog post. It occurred to me that it was all too similar to other boring posts about design methodology...GAG! How desert-dry! My apologies!

Creativity+Inspiration+Individuality.
As a creative professional, one must pull out this magic formula on a daily basis. We strive to avoid at all costs- designing the same thing in the same way every day of the week. UHG! It does get tiring and it does get challenging. So upon noticing how boring the last blog was, I became suddenly freaked out that some plain vanilla had ventured into my creativity...and I cannot let that stand. SO, I took immediate action.

Now, to backtrack for a moment; it's no secret that my office is in my home. Exciting, right? Who doesn't want to work from home? Admittedly, I love the arrangement; but it does present some challenges; like remembering what time it is; Oh; it's midnight? Who knew? After awhile, this kind of nose to the grindstone work ethic tends to gradually smooth out some of those right-sided wrinkles, required for right-brain creativity. One of the biggest challenges for a creative professional is to prevent getting burned out or losing inspiration momentum. It must be tended to and nurtured.

So getting down to how I reminded myself to always seek out inspiration and embrace being different... consciously. I shoved both hands into my sock drawer and found my two favorite pair of socks...then wore one of each. The transformation was instant! I laughed at the simple genius of having two completely different, but comfortable sensations--one on each foot. The knowledge that anyone watching would no doubt think I was a little nuts (or at least fairly eccentric) by doing this intentionally, was amazingly uplifting and inspiring. For the entire day, I wore the two socks and the constant reminder that I was different...I was creative. The awareness of "different" was tangible and quirky. Just what this creative person needed to put a few wrinkles back where they belonged.

My advice is this: if you're starting to feel like you're becoming that professional human clone, which is so very mundane and normal, making it nearly impossible to identify the creative YOU; change your socks...or change just one sock. Wear an undergarment inside-out on purpose; let the freakin' tags show on your t-shirt...stop being like everyone else for one day...have a great laugh and celebrate that you're NOT a Walmart; you're a human! Make it known, especially to yourself, that your mental or creative 'shelves' are not waiting on someone else to 'choose' something from them; and best of all, there's no expiration date to worry about. After all, even the largest store in the world closes to occasionally rearrange the insides. As creative, human, professionals...we are so much more than that. Personally, I'd like to see a global, Be Yourself Day! How wonderful would that be? Let's do it!

-T.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

The Graphite Fat Lady


Let's talk a little about the "Fat Lady." Nooo, I'm not talking about you, your mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, in-laws or BFF. Most everyone has heard the colloquial phrase "It ain't over until the fat lady sings!"[1] That's the context of today's Quantum Design Particle.

A master key to unlocking great design is the process methodology used by the designer for solving any visual communication problem. The Graphite Fat Lady is the persona I've given to my design process. Only this Lady is no singer; she's a tried and true methodology, stuffed with unborn concepts and amazing design solutions. The story goes something like this:

The Lady sits before a mirror and takes her time preparing for the debut of a new design. She is relaxed and in no hurry, but thorough in her approach. She begins with researching the "event" she'll be attending. Who are the other attendees? (aka; competition) What will they be like? How do others respond to them? How will they look? Most importantly, how can she be better, different...stand out?

After closely looking at the competition and old, dated, overused or common styles, The Fat Lady decides what style she might need to make a memorable entrance into the market; after all, she absolutely must stand apart from those who may threaten to take eyes away from her. They might be younger, older, more established, flashier or glimmering with glitz and glamour. So, she creates lists of words in her mind then forms a list of more refined words, from which others might use to describe her when she finally presents herself. Whew! Standing out is a LOT of work! Not to worry, though, this is one tough Lady!

The Graphite Fat Lady is finally ready to explore possibilities defined by all the work so far. She might layout several color kulers and find just the right type-style that "speaks" to her eagerly-awaiting suitor, (aka. client). It's time to put on the "make-up" formulated from those decisions. She may even take a head-shot photo and send it to a suitor, in hopes of getting a measurable response. If the reaction is not as expected, she remixes the make-up formula and repeats this process until the suitor is crazy about the look.

From this point, The Graphite Fat Lady continues refining, re-mixing and re-applying more complex combinations of psychology, color theory, effective typography for the invitations, all in preparation for the market entrance. After many possibilities have been carefully examined, final choices are made for a polished look; which she will present in grand style to her suitor.

Here, you might expect to see a colorfully polished, professional version of The Graphite Fat Lady image above. Ah, but therein lies her greatest magic...she may appear as a magazine ad, a fine website, an illustration or moving video...she may even present herself as a collection of brands or a set of bookmarks! See, The Graphite Lady never changes who she is...she is the master key to all great designs, no matter what the medium! The Graphite Lady is my creation...the name and image I've given to represent my methodology. It's from this practice which I develop every design from concept to completion.

T.


[1] 1975-1978- Dan Cook. Source: Infoplease

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Chops or Fangs?

Whether it was performing on stage, singing or other creative pursuits. If one was told they had "chops" it was a great compliment. And then they practiced and honed the skill until it sparkled with impeccable talent! They exhibited undeniable proof that they truly delivered what was anticipated of them.

Fast-forward past the economic landslide into this time of small marketing/designing businesses clamoring and clawing up a steep mountain of melting Jell-O; having chops is not as important it seems as having fangs long enough to drain the lifeblood of a competitor. It's harsh here in SW Missouri, people! Established and respected agencies and design firms are being undermined by the unscrupulous rantings of chest-beating wannabes who have no conscious about selling a drag-n-drop template website for thousands of dollars. Where's the integrity in that? Oh, right...that's not important to the Fanged Ones. They need that money for dental bills, no doubt! In the meantime, clients' nervous voices are getting drowned out by the howling declarations of being the "biggest"; the "best"; the "only"...the _____________(you fill in the blank).

Sound bitter? Not at all...this behavior is actually good for my business. I get calls from those confused clients who are promised one thing and delivered another by the unscrupulous. Don't these fanged vamps have any forethought? Or is it their goal to suck the trust out of every cell of believing clients who have been mesmerized by the well-rehearsed promises? Now that's definitely a bitter tasting morsel of truth!

It simply seems to me in this time of economic struggle that a more honorable, more realistic competition would be better appreciated by those who fork out a lot of money for public exposure and professionally designed presence in the market. They deserve firms with chops; not fangs. They deserve integrity, not ego. They deserve to be appreciated and taken seriously...and listened to. They deserve what's best for their business. And yes, they deserve a healthy group of competing design firms and marketing agencies from which to choose. That will help us all.

T.
AAF Has Chops

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Let Creativity Drive The Crayons

For my first blog, I wanted to impart profound wisdom upon my readers. You know, the kind that makes one stand a bit straighter and walk with more confidence for having learned a universal secret of some kind. Instead, all that comes to mind is how time ticks by while we do things like think about what is profound and wise. 

I've been a designer, artist, creative person...whatever name applies at any given time...all my life. As a child, before starting kindergarten, I was creating large banners to welcome home a new sibling. At the time, it wasn't profoundness, but creativity driving my crayons...nor did it turn out to be all that wise in hindsight! But that's another story. 

As a professional creator in the business world, it seems that business has twisted wisdom and called it strategy. For example, the strategy of not letting a customer switch from one company to another for better service. Or the strategy of undermining another's business to make yours look better. Wouldn't be better to substitute strategy for wisdom? For company X, who won't let go of customers until the customer hires a lawyer to break the ties; why not be gracious and make adjustments to customer service instead of trashing company Y's service or product? Let that customer go do what they see is best for them? Isn't it wiser to end the customer relationship amicably? Why must it be a battle to the death to cancel a service? There's a way to do things; even unpleasant things, that help create confidence in a company. 

I'm co-owner in a company called AAF Creative, LLC. (www.aafcreative.com) If one of my clients decides to use another design service, I let them go without trying to bind them into something they don't want. Sure, I'll ask them why, so I can make adjustments to my service. It doesn't feel good to have a client move on; but it happens...to every business. My philosophy is based in wisdom, not strategy. If the client who leaves is unsatisfied with the other choice, they are more likely to return if I've given them confidence that they can save face and continue using me. 

I guess the quantum particle of design wisdom here is; let creativity drive the crayons.

-T.