Your Friday Quote
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We often don’t realize that the people we admire as designers have yet to “arrive.” Their ongoing quests are part of the reason we admire them so much.
You’re a Hacker Too
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Whether he knows it or not, Bryan Zug and his fellow geeks at IgniteSeattle, have introduced me to the concept of “life-hacking”. Sometimes all it takes is a new term to open you mind to an idea that was lurking there the whole time. Like a mischievous computer programmer who can “hack” into the bank and steal your money, each of us has our own unorthodox ways of getting things done. Once we recognize these self-made tools, we can better use them to our advantage, and avoid our weaknesses. Sometimes that’s just what you have to do: Hack it.
Like myself, my wife, Nikki, is a graphic designer. She is talented, creative, and truly smart - but she gets a case of the nerves when speaking to new clients, especially on the phone, at initial interviews, etc. She forgets what she wants to say, can’t process new information thoughtfully, and basically just wants to exit the situation as quickly as possible. After years of trying to overcome this through all the recommended techniques, we have gained little ground. But if you ever get an email from her, you’d think - correctly so - that she is one of the smartest, most articulate designers you have ever met. Her ability to see the problem for what it really is, break it down into manageable chunks, and clearly express complex ideas is nothing short of impressive. Her vocabulary and manner of writing, are at the highest level of professionalism and mastery of the language. How she speaks (publicly) and how she writes… it’s like two different people. Email is her hack.
There are times where a phone call is more appropriate than an email - but there are times where a good result is more important then impeccable etiquette. Judge the situation. Assess your strengths and weaknesses, and if you need to, hack it. Once you are enlightened to your own little hacks, you can use them consciously when you need them. Just identifying them helps, and recognizing the whole concept is the first step. Thanks, Bryan for a consciousness-raising word/concept.
Lighting the Fires at Ignite
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Before dashing off to the beach Wednesday night, I stopped by this Ignite event that our own Bryan Zug has been promoting. Pretty cool. Anybody who has anything worth sharing takes 5 minutes of their life, and gives a sort of mini presentation - could be about anything. There were about 20 short talks on topics ranging from networking tips to an insider’s view on a personal addiction to Legos (yeah, the kid’s toy).
The networking was as its best, and with Bryan’s kind introductions, I handed out an entire stack of business cards and made quite a few new connections.
Who wants to hear a bunch of random people talk about random things? Well, that’s exactly the beauty of the event to me. Our brains work like filter feeders, they need to be exposed to new ideas to grow. Ignite offers a perfectly random stream of fresh content, that is guaranteed to give you something to think about, probably something to write down, look up, look into or try out - whether personal or professional (note pad highly recommended). At only 5 minutes per talk, if you’re really not interested in a particular topic, it’s over quickly.
Here’s a great example of one of the presentations that I found valuable, which just happens to reinforce why you might want to attend an event like Ignite.
Phinney Bischoff was a proud sponsor. I’m not sure the nature of the sponsorship, but I’m sure it was worth it on both ends of the deal.
Thanks, Bryan for sharing. Thanks, Matt for the beer. I hope to attend again and probably give my own 5-minute talk one of these days.
The Wisdom of Prom-goers.
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I have a niece who’s now finishing her senior year of high school. Now that it’s May, she’s fervently in the market for a prom dress. And she has the same concern all young women prepping for the prom share: will my dress be so unique—so distinctly me—that I’ll be the only one wearing that dress at the dance? I mentioned this recently while speaking at a marketing conference in Chicago, and asked the women in the audience to remember what the primary driver was in purchasing their own prom dress. A decade or more removed from the event, they all immediately recalled a fundamental desire for their dress to be a one-of-a-kind presence.
Why am I telling you this? Because prom goers have a lot to teach us about positioning. Is your company or product going to the prom wearing the same dress everyone else is wearing? That is, is your brand—including its core message and overall look and feel—very similar to the competition? This is easy enough to find out. Across most industries, a simple competitive audit often reveals too many same-old, me-too messages and shared color palettes. A teenager knows the inherent value in being differentiated on a crowded dance floor. Does your brand?
