Archive for the ‘down economy musings’ Category

thanks to brendan whyte for passing along an interesting article from the economist on the fall of business.  it focuses on the buzzkill that awaits business school and mba students that are graduating into the current marketplace. of additional note is the notion of a migration to other fields like medecine and law, and the impact that will have on the economy. i highly recommend this.

below is some advice i gave to a new client of mine – a home improvement contractor: competitors have been weakened. people are nervous about which company to trust. the potential is therefore great right now for the companies who stand tall and strong. passion and knowledge are an extremely valuable way to differentiate. it works on your behalf to loosen the buying inertia. i know blogging seems fluffy to many in business, but it is a great tool for offering a hands-on, customer-first experience at a website. you’ll communicate that you’re the safer bet, that you care more than your competitors do about the work, that you’re the one with whom they should feel good about committing their hard-earned dollars. make sense?

it’s definitely not a new chess defense. it’s also not quite something alec baldwin would have endorsed as part of his “always be closing” speech in glengarry glenross. however, the following video IS a very funny poke at desperate times and desperate measures. watch as matt damon leaves the plantation and attempts several desperate closes during scenes from the season finale of hbo’s entourage. caution – do not attempt this with customers!

one talent that differentiates a design pro from an amateur is his/her typesetting savvy. below is a splash of logo drafts i’ve provided to sun and moon yoga studio (arlington/fairfax va). when art is presented in black ink only, the strengths and weaknesses of the forms rise to the surface. note the interplay of fonts and illustrative elements. be on the look out for desktop publishers who create “art” in non-designer programs (like anything microsoft, for example). all he or she is doing is typing with a system font. there’s no consideration for things like kerning (the space between letters), texture, balance between elements, etc. there is a general lack of sophistication.