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Tim Ferris 4 Hour Lifestyle

A Quote For Today...

I usually post on subjects that I think will interest my student readers such as how to be a better designer or (for my clients) things I believe will help them run your business more efficiently and successfully. But today I am going to be starting a new series of quotes and recommended reading. These are things that I believe most people focused on being successful think about and would enjoy hearing more about. Let me know what you think...

"When we get out of the glass bottle of our ego, and when we escape like squirrels in the cage of our personality and get in the forest again, we shall shiver with cold and fright. But things will happen to us so that we don't know ourselves. Cool, unlying life rush in, and passion will make our bodies taut with power. We shall laugh, and institutions will curl up like burnt paper." - D.H.Lawrence, "Escape"

An Education In Branding Courtesy of Barack Obama and a few Good Designers

I wanted to share this inspirational resource with you. This is not a political endorsement for Obama, but rather a vote of  admiration for the brilliant branding campaign that catapulted him from obscurity to the White House. The process was chronicled by Scott Thomas and features the work and writings of some of the most influential graphic designers and visual communicators of our time.

It takes you through the process steps of how the now famous Obama identity (the other big "O") was developed, but delivers much more then a lesson in logo design.

I suggest that is like taking a master class in branding, but more entertaining. The visual design is stunning and timeless.  You'll get insight into the strategy of success and the inner workings of a political campaign. Imagine having a presidential candidate as a client? To learn more click on this link.

Building Your Brand By Telling It's Story

I shared this FREE book Believe Me Story Manifesto for Change-Makers and Innovators by Michael Margolis on how to build your brand's story with the students in my Corporate Communications class. I think it clearly explains through the voice of many very successful individuals including Barack Obama; how being a master storyteller can lead to immeasurable success for your brand and for you.

Here is a link to  Download BelieveMeStoryManifesto_ReadandShare

The author writes:" If you are trying to influence, persuade or convince others to believe your message, you need to read this book." Michael Margolis.

The best way I can describe what is meant by brand story is that is a "truth" that is created and later becomes true, because it is accepted and believed by the masses (or your target audience). In other words, when the public agrees with the brand story, it is considered true until someone or something disproves it.

Consider this quote by Seth Godin author: Tribes: We need You to Lead Us: " Great Stories agree with our world view. The best stories don't teach people anything new. Instead, the best stories agree with what the audience already believes and makes the members of the audience feel smart and secure when reminded how right they were in the first place."

I highlighted some of the material I thought explains the author's points but I am sure you will want to read the whole thing. You can visit his website for more resources at Get Storied.com

Here is a link to Download BelieveMeStoryManifesto_ReadandShare

What the Bleep do we know about the web?

I came across this very informative presentaion from Google about how the web started, where it is going, what's new and how it will be beneficial to you. It talks about things like cloud computing, the benefits of HTML 5, 3D on the web and much more, in words that are easy to understand. I highly recommend it, if you are clueless about the web or pretty much understand how it works, but would like to know more about it can benefit you and your personal life and your business. Click on the link

Update! - Born Interactive Magazine Source Files Download

Yippie! You can download the source files to born magazine and open them in INDesign to see how it all was done. Click here to download!

Born Magazine - Adobe InDesign Gives Birth to Interactivity

I was really blown away by what can be done with the new interactivity tools in InDesign. I thought this magazine project is a great example because it uses all the Belles And Wissells (misspelled deliberately because it is the name of the Seattle based creative agency that produces Born Magazine) in a way that facilitates communication, as opposed to having objects flying around the page just for the fad of it. If you want to read about the project you can download the PDF here. Below are a couple of screenshots but that really doesn't do the project justice because you miss out on all the interactivity so I suggest you click here on the link to go to the project and see for yourself.

How Shopify Helps College Students Learn About Opening A Business

I recently opened a shop on shopify for my handcrafted jewelry. While learning the interface I discovered a lot of useful information that I can apply to my classes. One of the projects that we have done in the past involves finding a client with a product to sell and then creating an online brand presence for that client. Last time we did it the student used Wix, but I think Shopify is a great resource because it is all about eCommerce.

It turns out I am not the only Professor that thought this is a good idea. I read this blog post on shopify:

"Matt Hill is a CEGEP business professor at John Abbott College in Montreal, Canada, and he's using Shopify in a very unique way. He and many others would argue that you learn the most about running a business by actually doing it. Textbooks and case studies can teach you great lessons about startups, marketing, and accounting, but nothing can prepare you for the real world like taking a chance and turning your great idea into reality." Read the entire article by clicking this link.

It is good to know that other professors think the way I do. I recommend that anyone opening a online eCommerce site visit Shopify and look at some of the case studies and resources that are available.

John Maeda Speaks In Detail About Simplicity

I recently posted an article about Tim Ferriss and his eye-opening book the Four Hour Work Week. I am in the middle of reading the book so I will reserve reviewing it until I finish but I do recommend that you click on this link and view his blog regarding the four hour work week.

In the same vein, I also came across this video by John Maeda on the subject of simplicity, he did a talk at the TED conference and he wrote a free book that he discusses in the video. The book ws fone a couple of years ago but it tiesin with his theories presented in the video. In my opinion, it actually proves that we humans are obsessed with complexity rather than simplicity, but it is both entertaining and informative and I recommend watching below.

Thinking of Opening an Online Store?

I wanted to share a resource I can upon when setting up my shopify store: www.lindseybaker.com. It's my new baby and I felt pretty lost, luckily I stuck at it and was able to come up with something I consider a pretty cool work in progress.

I found some great online mentors such as Tim Ferriss (The 4-hour Workweek) and Seth Godin (Linchpin), whose books I bought and will comment on after I read them. I also found some tutorial sites that I tried out for myself and love.

Therefore, I wanted to start by recommending this one. The site is eshopwiz.com authored by a young man named Vinay. First I want to say that is is not a paid endorsement, there is nothing to buy (unless you d ecide to open you our Shopify store or other ecommerce enterprise) and the information can be applied to any online store. I am blogging this to build my audience and to thank him for his generosity.

The reason I like it is because it takes you through all the steps of setting up an online ecommerce presence starting with how to research how popular what you want to sell will be; finding and using the right keywords to be SEO friendly and building an audience to make those sales! So check it out and let me know what you think by posting a comment below.

 

The Sum is Greater...when we bridge the gap.

The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier which was published in early 2000, talks about how when creative professionals and business strategists can have a "meeting of the minds" or bridge the gap, on a given project, brand magic can occur. This is the phenomenon called synergy and has been the mission of Synergy Creative since 1998. I think these visuals from The Brand Gap sum up why synergy is so important to a brands success.

Witness the magic when 1 + 1 = 11

Strategy by its very nature is linear. First we do this, then we do this and then we do that.

Creativity by its very nature is non-linear.
We could do this or we could try this or maybe we should do the other thing???

This is a problem beacuse...

  
and brands are all about trust.

Well said, Mr. Neumeier!