The implications of something like the Curious Displays concept coming off the ground are astounding and would rock the world of digital media for years to come. It might even make watching Gigli a bearable experience.
If you could buy this awesome display, how much would you be willing to pay? Tell us way down there in the comments.
Curious Displays from Julia Tsao on Vimeo.
Finally. The business world is starting to recognize the "right-brained artistic-types” as not only effective in creating profitable technology ventures, but sometimes essential. Enrique Allen thinks so, and as a founding member of The Designer Fund—a non-profit group focused on mentoring and networking for founding designers—he knows what he’s talking about.
Being a good designer is more than knowing how to brand products, make things look pretty or merely having good taste. You bring to the table an understanding of human nature; knowing what people need, what they want and what they think they want but don't need. The cross-over of this understanding into other realms of business is astounding and often under-appreciated.
Designers who want to make an impact on the tech frontier by starting their own venture must look beyond the importance of creative influence and start using their ability to see things from the user perspective to advance the bigger picture. It's not for everyone, and it takes a multi-faceted approach to get there but there are many notable companies that wouldn't be where they are without someone giving it a try.
Enrique shares what he discovered while working with these dynamic individuals, “Designer founders we’ve observed are consistently multidisciplinary and have cross-functional skills necessary to make decisions about products.” He references their ability to "...move up and down the design stack and across the technology and business stacks..." Important characteristics when just what you need is a diversified yet agile team.
Matt Tamaru is our very own designer founder here at Plexipixel, and feels that thinking beyond process has always been a part of the successful start-up model:
“Starting a business is a creative pursuit. The way we deal with one another, organize our teams and work collaboratively is all based upon our ability to solve problems creatively. If you get too focused on process, you forget to step back and see the bigger picture.”
He notes that successful start-ups have to be nimble, calling for a more organic structure that can meet changing needs and solve unforeseen issues without losing site of the day to day functions. “You have to know when to work loose, and when to work tight.” Even with all that business sense, the animator still comes through.
With over a decade working in digital we have seen the role of designers change as web-based technology transformed the user experience landscape. It’s very exciting to see organizations like The Designer Fund support a new generation of entrepreneurs in creating an array of totally kick-ass products for the world to share.
We’d love to hear your thoughts on how the role of designers is shifting in today’s tech-savvy business world. What have your experiences been? Feel free to share in the comments below.
There has been a lot of buzz around the internet about the use of Photoshop in the beauty industry. All that aside, we thought our unfairly chastened image-editing pal could use some support. I mean, if it wasn't for good old Adobe PS and similar programs, how else would you put a Fu Manchu mustache on a squirrel? Very, very carefully; that’s how.
So for your viewing pleasure we are passing on to you the Web Design Ledger’s list of Amusing Photo Manipulations. Now your day is complete.
OMG. Jessica Alba has an online store and stuff!
OK, that wasn’t entirely fair. To be honest (oh, puns) Jessica Alba’s new e-commerce venture, The Honest Company, is a great example of how important the curated online shopping experience has become. A lot of the draw, aside from the utter adorableness of Jessica Alba, comes from the aesthetics of the site along with the simple functionality that people have come to expect from online shopping. Well-designed and easily-navigated pages are brimming with products that have been selected by Ms. Alba herself.
This kind of curated experience is really becoming popular, so having a site that can attract and retain the crowds is becoming just as important as those lucrative celebrity endorsements. They did a lovely job on this one, and I will probably be spending the next two hours looking at baby clothes. Thanks, Honest Company. Thanks a lot.
Jeff Lopez wrote a great article for The Gamification Blog a couple weeks ago that addresses the conflict between competition-driven and collaboration-driven gaming experiences. While his focus was mainly on work-place gamification, the same principle stands for branded gaming experiences: competition and collaboration don't have to be mutually exclusive. His analogy involving the two experiences squaring off in The Thunderdome a la Mad Max is pretty awesome, and we have to agree that it isn't the case.
While there is likely to be a lot less collaboration between strangers in the consumer market than in a workplace environment (and hopefully less leather and spikes than Mad Max), the fact that competition is not necessarily the driving force behind branded gaming participation should have a great impact on how we design these experiences. Knowing your audience is the most important aspect of pinpointing that force; the thing that will bring more people to your games and make them stay. In addition, you have to recognize the multi-faceted nature of gaming participation. In other words, people may come for one reason and stay for another.
With all the complexity involved, what's a company to do when trying to create memorable branded games that engage, retain and all-out delight their customers? Chances are you already know your target markets pretty well, but sometimes having an experienced partner on your journey to gamify your brand can be pretty helpful. We might just know someone...in the meantime, just remember not to put all your eggs in one basket when it comes to motivating your customers to engage and be sure to provide an environment that speaks to them on multiple levels.
Everyone knows that nothing is forever. No matter how you feel about the idea of strapping a tiny clock to your wrist in order to tell the time, the tools of information collection and dissemination constantly change as our communication needs do. Erik Qualman of ClickZ has compiled a pretty comprehensive list of 48 items he believes will no longer be around by the end of the decade. Not all are communication related and admits that some are more dramatic than others, however some items are in their death throws as we speak. The question is, as advocates for your brand, how will this affect the way you decide to deliver information and interact with your audience?
It would seem that order has now been restored among the Plexipeeps, following the controversial Meat-muffingate of 2011, in the form of a "Baller A** Peace Potluck". Yes, the designers and developers came together for a massive feast of fellowship and accord thanks to the olive branch extended by the design team. They really are gems, aren't they? All-in-all it was a great way to spend a Friday lunch-hour as one big, happy family.
Now, if only someone would extend the antacid of brotherly love we could get back to work around here.
As a society, we are a tough crowd to please. Consumer awareness has led to a great deal of empowerment to the public but it has also led to a great deal of justifiable cynicism. This is particularly true when it comes to cause marketing. Basically, the term refers to a for-profit company partnering with a non-profit company in order to raise awareness of both organizations through a mutually beneficial campaign. Sounds like a win-win, right?
That all depends. As is the trouble with so many things, it’s all about perspective. So much of the information available on cause marketing seems to be about companies boosting their sales by promoting a non-profit. Sure, you can’t continually volunteer your time and money for projects until you file for bankruptcy; you wouldn’t be in business if you didn't maintain a healthy ROI. Where many companies have failed in cause-related campaigning is to assume that the ends justify the means.
HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY
It’s important to be honest when promoting a cause. It’s a no-brainer that you should be honest about how much money is going to whom and for what—if you lack transparency you will lose some serious credibility and may even find yourself being driven into the hills by an angry mob. However, it’s not always about the numbers; it’s also about being honest with your intentions. If you are going to start a cause campaign with the intention of simply marketing your own brand: STOP! Instead you should utilize the current awareness of your brand to increase the visibility of the cause and your mutual project.
An excellent example of this strategy is the Ovila Project by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. These guys are already highly-regarded as leaders in the craft beer industry; have a world famous American Pale Ale and, at 723,000 barrels a year, are the 6th largest brewery in the US. So why partner with a small and quiet group of gentlemen, the humble monks of the Abbey of New Clairvaux, to stack up a bunch of old stones? Because it’s something they believe in.
The Cistercian monks of New Clairvaux have an overlapping tradition with Sierra Nevada in creating everyone’s favorite frothy beverage. There is a lot of talk about cause dissonance when it comes to cause campaigns, which basically means the messages of the two parties either do not mix or directly conflict. Sierra Nevada and the monks seem to be a “match made in heaven”, as suggested by Father Thomas X. Davis and their partnership is likely enhanced by it's foundation of mutual respect. The brewery is open about getting some profits from the sale of the special Ovila series, with a portion of the proceeds going to the restoration project, and the brothers of New Clairvaux are aware that their fundraising success is impacted by the success of the Ovila series. Working as a team, the two organizations are able to share their story and move their project forward successfully. The fact that we all get to benefit by the restoration of an historically significant piece of architecture and the privilege of drinking some amazing beer is just an added bonus.
SO LET’S CALL IT WHAT IT IS
Taking an example from Sierra Nevada and the many other companies that stand behind their intentions, we are making a modest proposal (and not the Jonathan Swift kind) that we stop calling it cause marketing, and start calling it what it is: Just being responsible. We have an obligation as business owners to give back to our local and global communities; we stand to gain from such actions whether the reward is material or intangible. Provided your intentions are honest, you believe whole-heartedly in your cause and your implementation provides a genuine benefit, you cannot go wrong in working with the right non-profit to share both your messages with the world.
OK, so we very well could have done a New Year’s post on all the worst marketing campaigns of 2011 or all our favorite advergames for the year but instead, we are ready to look forward. No predictions for digital marketing or resolutions for the New Year—let’s face it, the word “resolution” is no longer synonymous with anything that involves actual resolve thanks to all those unfulfilled hours on the elliptical. Instead we created a list of “Stuff We Are Pretty Likely To Do In 2012 Barring Unforeseen Circumstances or Last Minute Sales at ThinkGeek.” It’s about the small steps you take to make something great; all the little pixels that make up the big picture. So here it goes, this is about what next year is going to look like for the Plexipeeps:
Be More Respectful of the Creative Process:We refuse to beat ourselves up for using our own unique methods to draw from our collective well of creativity. Home-made fudge, cheap beer and our monthly all-studio Bad Movie Night are all acceptable ways to get the artistic juices flowing; the ends justify the means in this case.
Stop Buying Random Gadgets: And start buying “tools” instead. This better validates their purchase, though it becomes rather problematic when explaining how an R/C Copter could be considered a legitimate business expense.
Eliminate Sarcasm in the Office: Not really, we were being sarcastic.
Build a Bunker: Not because the world is supposed to end in 2012, but because we are pretty sure deep-fried zucchini is going to make an epic come-back and before the increase in demand creates an apocalyptic shortage, we will need a place to stock-pile our veggie oil and zukes.
Attend Some Awesome Events: There are tons of amazing events in the PacNW for 2012, and we can’t wait to attend some of them—from interactive film festivals to marketing conferences and some mouth-watering food fairs, we are feeling pretty lucky to live so close to all this action.
Hug Our Clients More Often: Our clients are what make this a fun and engaging process for us, each project brings its own thrills and challenges to the table. We think you guys are awesome, and what better way to show you than a great big bear-hug? But if you’d prefer that we just keep making you totally rad digital marketing assets we could just stick to that. At least a high-five, then?
Keep Doin’ How We Do: Only better. And with slightly more deep-fried zucchinis…
Now that’s a recipe for success, if we may say so ourselves. We can’t wait to share in a great 2012 with all of you, so please be safe this coming Saturday and have a Happy New Year!
Whether you are celebrating Christmas, Hanakkuh, Kwanza or ChriFSMas (we do not discriminate) this time of year is always infused with the spirit of giving. After seeing some pretty sweet gifts passed around during our office White Elephant gift exchange (including a karaoke guitar, several bottles of booze and a definitely NSFW coffee mug) we thought it would be fun to see what the Plexipeeps would do with a bigger budget. We trolled the office for responses to the following question:
If you had a $1,000 to get a gift for someone, who would you get it for, what would you get and why?
These were some of our favorite responses:
“I would partner with an organization that works with under privileged youth to take them all up skiing for a day and even run some of the lessons myself, because I think giving an experience is way more important than giving stuff. Also, if there was anything leftover I would give each kid their own wheel of cheese.” – Justin
“I would start a GET account for my son.” - Bernsie
“I would buy a new refrigerator for the kitchen. Like, a regular human-size refrigerator not this elf-sized one.” - Stephanie
"I’d buy tickets for my mom and two little brothers to come down from Alaska for Christmas" - Amber
“I would buy 200 copies of Louis C.K.’s Live at the Beacon. Not only would my friends and family get to watch a great comedy show, I’d know that about $250 of that money would end up in a deserving charity.” - Nikki
“With $1,000 I could purchase non-rolling office chairs for my humans in the Design Department—being small and about ankle height around here is dangerous business. I would also get my sister, Pancake, an awesome new squeaky toy.” – Bean
We hope you and yours have a wonderful holiday season filled with warmth, love and all non-threatening office furniture you could ever wish for!
- The Plexipixel Team
