creative

Apple Gives iPod Nano Video Eyes, iPod Touch Stays Blind

Kit Eaton — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:57:11 -0400

Apple just announced its refreshed iPod line-up, and among the products came the long-rumored news that the iPod Nano would be getting a built-in video cam...but not the iPod Touch. It's a tad surprising, but still a clever move.

Brand Bloodlines

Mark Dziersk — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 17:16:02 -0400

Letter From the Editor: Think Randomly, Execute Strategically

Robert Safian — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:00:00 -0400

A delegation of Scottish CEOs came by our offices recently. They were on a four-day tour of U.S. companies -- Apple, Cisco, and so forth. Their goal was both information and inspiration, about how best to keep their businesses, large and small, moving forward.

The Myth of the Rational Buyer: How Too Much Thinking Can Hurt Your Brand

Mark Dziersk — Thu, 28 May 2009 11:10:56 -0400

What if something you thought you knew to be true, turned out to be exactly the opposite? What if an approach you imagined was working for you was actually working against you?

Covering all the bases – when selecting a creative agency

Trynka Shineman — Wed, 27 May 2009 14:19:53 -0400

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Design's Boom-and-Bust Cycle: Ten Years In, Ten to Go

Mark Dziersk — Wed, 27 May 2009 11:05:56 -0400

The topic of design has generated a lot of buzz lately--so much, in fact, that some suggest that the renewed interest in all things creative is a passing fad. Not exactly. If we let history be our guide, we'll see that there's a cycle at work here, and in my view we are presently half way through it. Let's call it the Design Cycle. Case in point: JC Penney.

Ten Things to Demand From Design Thinkers

Mark Dziersk — Fri, 22 May 2009 10:53:33 -0400

Design thinking is currently an "It" concept, the topic of countless books and blogs and conference panels. While it can mean a lot of different things to different people, for me, design thinking is a methodology, a tool, a killer app, and a problem-solving protocol to be used on virtually any problem. It can be equally effective in designing a new product or creating a new brand, to envisioning a new approach to health care or to reinventing city management.

Beautiful and Creative Art of Paper Cutting

Maria Khan — Thu, 07 May 2009 19:01:04 -0400

Papercutting is the art of cutting paper designs.

Making Your Small Business Look Big

Trynka Shineman — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 15:43:22 -0400

As a small business, your budget is tight and your time is even tighter. But you still have to compete with larger organizations that have big budgets and even bigger staff. Let’s face it image is everything and if you can’t look big, prospective customers will go elsewhere.

How can you make your small business look big without breaking the bank? Start with these five time and budget friendly ideas. In no time you’ll be competing head-to-head with the larger organizations in your market.

Design Matters; Using Design Thinking to gain competitive leverage

Mark Dziersk — Sun, 15 Mar 2009 17:23:11 -0400

Recently, to prepare for a talk at Northwestern University’s - Master of Product Development (MPD) lectures series, I put together a title list of ten top things design thinkers will need to embrace in serious ways in the coming few years.
read more

Online Mailing Services

Trynka Shineman — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:20:11 -0400

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Tips for Marketing Through Tough Times

Trynka Shineman — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 16:38:52 -0500

Your small business is operating in a time where things are uncertain. Business coming through the door might be spotty, customers seem to be spending less, and making the bills is a much bigger struggle than it once was. But that doesn’t mean that customers aren’t out there to be had. People are still spending money, and they still need what you’re selling, just like they did a year ago. The key is doing the little things to bring in business, and that includes crea

recession proof....points

Mark Dziersk — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 12:31:20 -0500

Recently, I was researching an article and found out that CNN and MTV were both launched during the double dip recessions of the early eighties. Also the 1974 recession led to the creation of discount brokerage Charles Schwab. So I bounced this off a colleague Julie Anixter, and she cam up with five other proof points of how advantage can be seized regardless, because or in spite of downward trends, by delivering what people want.

Creativity: The Future of Good Impressions

Chad Cooper — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 12:39:04 -0500

The impressionist era of painting arose as a deviation from the accepted, classical techniques -- a creative explosion that spread through the power of unique perspectives. When Monet painted, he shared his personality through brushstrokes, and his interpretation of color and structure was his alone. There will only be one Monet; originality leaves no opportunities for competition.

Recession Possibilities

Mark Dziersk — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:43:55 -0500

In a down economy the natural instinct is to draw inward. Cut spending, slash budgets pull back initiatives and horde cash and resources. The problem with that approach is that a down economy may in fact be the best time to win by being creative. That means investing in creativity when the competition isn't. When it comes to leveraging an investment in innovation and "Design Thinking" it requires an investment in not only capital but risk as well. To succeed by design in a down market not only will require the opposite of withdrawal but ad some risk thrown in for good measure.

A Bigger Design Tent

Mark Dziersk — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 13:10:28 -0500

Creative's 'Stem Cell' Chip: Media Supercomputing or Cell Processor Copycat?

Kit Eaton — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 07:06:30 -0500

Creative has been teasing a strange "stem cell" chip for a few weeks as part of its Ziilabs offshoot. Now we know that it's a crazy-powerful media-centred system on a chip, designed to be daisy-chained together into a "nano-sized" super computer.

Proactive Selling – 12 Tips to Making and Exceeding Sales Goals

Trynka Shineman — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 17:25:26 -0500

As a sales representative, making your goal can be full of anxiety. Some months your phone rings off the hook while other months leave you pulling your hair out as you try to drum up business. You need existing customers to buy your products and use your services. You also need prospective customers to think of you when the need arises. How can you accomplish this without breaking the bank?

another turning point

Mark Dziersk — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:54:13 -0500

Earlier this year I served on a jury. The IDEA jury, (the Industral Designers Society of America /Businessweek)sponsored competition. It was a great experience and a well qualified jury by any measure. In that competition my company Brandimage, entered a design, a paper water bottle concept. (you can see it here; www.brand-image.com Or just Google it). It didn't win one of the big awards, ( I was recused from the judging by the way), but it did make finalist.

Designing the Perfect Holiday Card for Your Business

Trynka Shineman — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:45:54 -0500

There’s no question that the holidays are a time for sharing and giving back to those that are most important to us. Making sure all friends and family receive gifts during this time can be a time-consuming task and during this shuffle, small business owners can easily forget some of the most important people in their lives – their customers. While it may seem like a minor detail, taking the effort to send a simple card wishing them well over the holidays can go a long way in developing long-term relationships with your customer base.

Perception vs. Reality

Mark Dziersk — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:55:31 -0500

Going through the blogs on the Fast Co site, I was particularly struck by the insights contained in a blog entitled: Fish on Friday: Two Dramatic Statistics Bracket Today’s Sweet & Sour Economy.

The writer, Charles Fishman explains:

Buy.ology: Why We Buy What We Do

Mark Dziersk — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 19:03:39 -0400

It seems that I spend a great deal of time these days talking about the subconcious emotional drivers of designs. It turns out that there are very good reasons we all "buy" what we do. Reasons that are tied into our biology, culture, and our individual manner of nuture.

Innovation's true character....

Mark Dziersk — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 14:27:05 -0400

So the economic crisis is in full force and juxtaposed against what also currently appears to be a full commitment to Design and Innovation by business. In front of us, there is a moment of truth. The question now becomes, will the commitment to innovation survive the enevitable onslaught of cost cutting and retreat to safer ground?

How many newly minted Chief Innovation officers will be able to make the case and continue to take risks and advance and nuture a vision of the future?

Signage: Important Marketing Tool for Small Businesses

Trynka Shineman — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 13:56:03 -0400

The answer my friend...

Mark Dziersk — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:25:53 -0400

There is a change in the wind. I am just back from a recent design conference, the IDSA National Conference, and one has the sense that two dramatic changes are in play. First, the idea that design's service to society should be its primary purpose, not design as leverage for commericial purposes. If this is to be the future, the question then becomes: how is it funded? I wonder if anyone has thoughts on that.