By the way, be sure to check out West Baden Springs. It’s a beautiful hotel with a breathtaking domed atrium which spans 200 feet. Eighth wonder of the world indeed.

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For the most part, the stuff I put here in my notebook is read by potential clients. Readers of that persuasion might say, “Damn Christopher, you’re really shooting yourself in the foot by complaining about client behavior”. To the contrary, I am not complaining, but taking an opportunity to provide a smidge of education to the population in need of design services. It is my belief that phrases like “One small change” and “It shouldn’t take long” permeate the nightmares of designers and developers because we have failed to communicate the subtle intricacies of the services we provide.

Not that discussing the details of the design process is ever an easy thing to do. All the finer points of our craft are generally TMI for client types. Of course that is why they pay, so that they don’t have to know. Ultimately that is the point. If you are a client-to-be, be aware of limitations in your knowledge of design and development, weather it be print or for the web. Small changes are never really that small. Design projects are often like a fine game of Jenga. All the elements are stacked carefully in place to support each other. One small change can have a butterfly effect that requires a certain level of compensation throughout the design in order to support the adjustment. One small change can quickly accumulate into numerous small changes in the background so that the whole project doesn’t come crashing down around you.

Its the nature of the beast. And small changes need to happen. But the nightmare side of the equation is that “small change” is generally code for “I don’t want to pay for this”. And for a lot of designers, fear of losing the relationship leads to sucking it up and doing the work. And when designers suck it up and do the work, it sets a precedence that ultimately devalues our craft as a whole.

In the end, it is necessary to understand that last minute changes are time intensive endeavors. The additional hours required to make what might seem to be a minor adjustment from an outside perspective could turn a successful project into an exercise in building resentment. If you ever find yourself uttering the words, “one small change” to your partner in creativity, remember that they, like you, are just trying to get by in the world. Be prepared to compensate them for additional time you are asking them to invest.

“Trademarks become miniature worlds that store memories, passions and reputations in the minds of employees, customers and stockholders, and we might also add society as a whole.” - Philip B. Meggs

What is Lean you ask?

The Lean Theory was born in the production industry as way to measure efficiency and time spent on “productive” work. Companies like Toyota used Lean Theory to completely redesign their production process with outstanding results. At its core, Lean Theory attempts to limit the time companies spend on preparation, getting information, getting materials, moving semi-products, correcting errors, and other less efficient work.

The object is to trim waist, get more work done in less time and bring the client in to participate in the process. The result is an increased production using the same resources, faster processes and a dramatic reduction in reported errors.

How Can Lean Apply to the Branding Process?

With the overall goal of bringing our work to light faster, there are many places where Lean can shine within the branding process. For one, I am electing to place less emphasis on deliverables and greater focus on the experience being designed. Traditionally, in the design process, there are piles upon piles of documentation. Many unnecessary hours are eaten up putting together detailed explanations of numerous concepts. Most of which will never come to fruition.

With Lean, documents are discarded or, at the very least, stripped down to their bare components, providing the minimum amount of information necessary to get the concept across and move forward. Long detailed design cycles are eschewed in favor of very short, iterative, low-fidelity cycles, with feedback coming from all members of the team early and often. Collaboration with the entire team becomes critical to the success of the project.

One area where I feel the Lean approach benefits the client directly is in this emphasis on collaboration. No longer does the client need to wait patiently to receive dozens of concepts that miss the mark. Early input on initial ideas keeps projects on target and helps the client to have a heightened sense of ownership in the process.

Lean Theory brings many advantages to small business branding. As our process continues to evolve and we continue to implement more Lean concepts into the mix, it is my hope that we can provide a more rewarding experience to our clients and build upon their trust in our ability to help them succeed.

Part art, part science, branding should be understood as a long term exercise; undertaken in order to provide a foundation for further growth. Combining research, creativity and a keen ear to the ground will yield fantastic results. But remember, stamina wins this race.

What this sums up to is that when you are selecting a professional service to help you at any point in your brand development process, be certain to partner with individuals and organizations who understand the long term commitment needed to make the project a success. Seek out service providers who will be equally as dedicated to your vision, to your culture, to the growth of your empire.

The fact is that most brands get a bad rap because they’ve screwed something up. They took short cuts, they didn’t deliver on their promises, or they failed to have anything of relevant value to offer. When a brand screws up, the wildfire that ensues can feel akin to a situation “out of control”.

Now, let’s turn back the clock a minute and consider one hypothetical brand gone bad. Once upon a time, this screw up brand had control. It had an opportunity to stand for quality, to build trust, or to add value to the lives of those who interacted with it. Once upon a time everything was good and this brand was on top of the world, completely in control of its destiny. But as you may have guessed, this brand let opportunities pass and must now scramble to put out fires and figure out how to begin rebuilding a reputation awry.

But wait… this brand is about to make one more mistake. This brand is about to buy into the theory that none of this is their fault. It was all out of their hands to begin with. The people did this. Somehow they completely misunderstood what the brand was about and now they are clawing at the gate, torches and pitchforks in hand.

You see, brands don’t lose control; they hand it over. A key element in any brand strategy is the ability to deliver on your promises. When my cheeseburger doesn’t have crisp green lettuce and a perfect round bun like the one on the menu did, or when I can’t get a perfect shave with one pass of the razor blade like the guy in the commercial did, then these brands have gifted me the reins and granted me permission to tug their brand to and fro.

The moral of the story…? Integrity goes a long way. Make promises you can keep and you will find your brand safe and sound in your own pocket.

Messengers

I consider myself to be a messenger. It is my job to take the message given to me, and deliver it in the most effective means available. I do refer to Aedis as a branding consultancy or a design firm from time to time, but those classifications are necessary to define our focus. However, Aedis and every other organization in the marketing/advertising/design industry must understand that they serve the same very basic yet essential function. Understand the message provided to us by our clients, translate it into an appropriate format, and deliver it into the marketplace.

Participants

There has been a push over the last several years for organizations to take a more “user-centered” view. We try and base our strategies on what we understand to be our user’s needs. We ask our users questions about how we can improve their experience. And all the while we refer to them as if their role in our organization was unidirectional. Consider your “users” as participants and your whole paradigm begins to shift. Every interaction is suddenly an exchange. Participants can be seen and valued as an essential piece of a brand and not just a revenue source. Their ideas and feedback are a required ingredient in any recipe for success. See your participants as the creative and insightful people they are, and not just as a biological credit card transporter, and your brand will have more resources than it knows what to do with.

Recipients

Not everyone who comes into contact with a brand is a participant. I see ads for products everyday which I do not use. Perhaps the product isn’t in my budget, or perhaps it doesn’t align with my lifestyle, but never the less I am given the opportunity to take notice and use that information as I deem fit. People who find themselves in this scenario can be considered recipients. They hear your message, regardless of whether or not they are actually participating with your brand. These recipients are an important element not to be forgotten in any marketing strategy. Recipients will interpret your message, critique it and develop an opinion regardless of if they ever plan to participate or not. Either way, they will remember you, and they will talk about you if an opportunity to do so presents itself.

The way we refer to the people we interact with says a great deal about how we value them. If we speak in mechanical or aggressive terms then we strip away the emotions and intellect which make us unique. In a shrinking world, where interactions weigh heavily on our ability to empathize and show understanding, we cannot afford to view the entire population as a target.

Long ago the strategy for SEO was to load your website up with a bloated keyword list. This tactic was heavily abused and as a result is longer given a great deal of consideration by the major search engines. In truth, while meta elements such as keywords and descriptions, well structured page titles, valid HTML, and a strong site architecture all play a part in optimizing your website for search, there are two consideration which will drive your results more than the others combined.

This might be a “duh” moment, but your SEO primarily depends on your site’s content. All the keywords in the world will not get you on the front page of google, but writing compelling, relevant content which draws the attention of your audience will. You see, google pays attention to what people are looking at. It knows when you’ve created something effective and when other people are going to want to see it.

This leads into the next consideration. Google also watches to see who else is linking to your content. Incoming links are a major consideration for site ranking. When someone reads your content, decides they need to spread the word, and posts a link to your site in their blog, google takes notice and gives you a nudge up. Bookmarking sites like dig have long been a strategy to promote your content in an effort to get others to link to you.

So how do you get others to link to your site? Once again, it’s all about relevance. Invest some time in your content strategy. Have a plan for releasing regular content which speaks to the needs of your users. Use it as an opportunity to show how your services are different from your competitors. The phrase “content is king” may be cliché, but in terms of search engine optimization, it’s the simple truth.

Waterfalling

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Peony

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“The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place It will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me or nobody is going to hit as hard as life. But it ain’t about how hard you hit, it is about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much can you take and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done!” ~Rocky Balboa

Making small changes over an extended period of time will allow you to see exactly how the changes you make are affecting your business on the web. You can focus on providing your users with content and usability that will improve their experience without investing loads of cash on a complete redevelopment which you may find doesn’t meet your user’s needs.

The term was coined in the year 2001 when the Agile Manifesto was formulated.

Agile methods generally promote a disciplined project management process that encourages frequent inspection and adaptation, a leadership philosophy that encourages teamwork, self-organization and accountability, a set of engineering best practices intended to allow for rapid delivery of high-quality software, and a business approach that aligns development with customer needs and company goals.

Yes, I took this straight from Wikipedia. I’m leading up to something…  stay tuned.

So go to http://howtodestroyangels.com/ and get your copy. It’s amazing stuff. And while you’re there, pick up a T-shirt or something to show your support.

For example, Monday is a good day because after a long weekend, many email users make it a priority to organize their inboxes, meaning there is a good chance that they will run across your message and open it. However, late morning emails, preferably just before lunch are likely to perform better.

On Friday you can take advantage of the tendency for people to receive fewer emails, increasing the visibility of your own message. Do so early in the day to provide ample time for your recipient to read it and take action.

Also, believe it or not, people do read email over the weekend. Launching a campaign during this time has great potential, but consider restricting your recipient list to only your most responsive subscribers.

Most importantly, success in email marketing campaigns leans heavily on how well you pay attention to your subscriber’s habits. Try to gain an understanding of when they are most likely to receive and act on a message favorably.