Self-Imposed Hiatus

I’m back from a bit of a self-imposed hiatus. Things have been a little crunchy at work–I’m knee-deep in getting a catalog designed and out to the printer. I’m also trying to reel in clients for freelance on the side. It’s easy to get meetings with potential clients, but the money aspect is always the hard part.

I’ve brought up the matter of the importance of mastering web design in previous entries, and it’s an issue that is not going to go away. The potential clients that I mentioned above are all web design potential clients. Web design is in demand these…

Generic hockey mom for President!

Yes, I said President. The argument that Palin’s number two on McCain’s ticket isn’t valid. Any President can die in office, so I’m not picking on McCain. But realistically, he would be the oldest President elected to a first term. Add to that, the known fact that his health is not especially wonderful. Every voter for McCain must also be willing to vote for Palin for President.

So what do we know about her? Beauty queen. Hockey mom. Journalism major BA from U of Idaho, where the director of the school doesn’t remember her because there were 120 students in her…

Proud to Contribute. Maybe.

A couple of weeks ago I helped out a client with a rather substantial pitch. For reasons I won’t go into here, coming up with a suitable tagline was both more important than usual and also more difficult. So while my partner and I toiled away on overall concepts, I also banged out line after line after line. Hoping against hope that I could sum up the grand ethos of the would-be client in four words or less.

I did it in three.

Sort of.

The final tagline was a modified version of one I had submitted. A one-word change. And I…

Out-Of-Home 101

One of the great by-products of being on the Shopper Marketing – Promotional side of the ad industry is that we are finally getting the respect and budgets we sorely deserve. I feel professionally vindicated that as a part of the industry that was always derisively referred to as “Below-The-Line” with disdain by the general agency side. Not that long ago agencies looked at all things promotional like it was dirt under their fingernails and doing that kind of work was beneath them. Now the general agencies are trying to reinvent themselves as shopper marketing experts to prove to their clients…

MAD MEN – Episode 5

Her strength, perseverance and tenacity to be a woman succeeding on her terms in a male dominated industry at a time when chauvinism, sexism and misogyny was rampant and accepted in the work place.

E Pluribus Bowleg

I was rolling some change last night and I kept seeing all the state quarters. There are a few I had never seen before. I spent a good deal of time looking at all the details and thinking about the history of the state. Illinois was one of them. All of that went out the window as soon as I picked up this piece. Whoever designed it made Abe Lincoln look bowlegged.

Now for the rest of my life I will not see anything except this one little detail. Because I am pointing this out, neither will you. Isn’t it strange…

When Does Edgy Go Over The Edge

I recently came across these ads for Manix, a French based condom company.  Now, I know that European culture is more accepting of edgier and sexy advertising, but these are just wrong.  I have no problem with the people being completely naked.  It’s the glowing beams of light streaming from their crotches and the part where the couples are fused into a two-legged, double torsoed sex creature I have the issue with.  This ad in no way entices me to buy their product.  I don’t want any part of sex that melts my partner and I together at the pelvis,…

Superstar vs. team player

Listen to the company line, and everyone is singing the praises of teamwork. Stick around long enough and who gets promoted… superstars or team players?

Talk about hidden agendas! Navigating them can be a full-time job. Say your supervisor demands loyalty but rarely gives you credit for the positive contributions you make. You can try to get noticed as an up-n-comer. But you may also get branded as cutthroat.

In the meantime, your supervisor is fighting to get recognized by his/her superiors as an up-n-comer … without getting branded as disloyal. There’s always a fear that if you look too good, it’ll…

MAD MEN – Episode 4

Last night’s fourth episode of Season 2 of MAD MEN kicked up the intensity level a lot on multiple levels. Its never any fun to be in the position where you have to make a major pitch knowing that you have no chance to win a client’s business. Finding out that another agency has the inside track and your participation is an exercise in shaking up the status quo really sucks and is demoralizing. Happens all the time. It gets worse every time you go through it. Being invited to the party and not getting asked to dance really sucks on every…

But Satisfier.

This is a commercial from a car dealer in my local market. When I saw this video I was taking a sip of water. Once I heard this guys magical words said water went airborne. Just watch and see.

Really Awkward Car Commercial Slogan – Watch more free videos

I believe I would have caught that before this commercial went to production. Maybe though they realized the dialog sounded scandalous and it would get attention.

Chris Nifong is a graphic designer / screen printer / entrepreneur that loves producing emotionally stimulating text, visuals, and brain storming about the next big thing. In his free…

O RLY?

While looking for jobs on Careerbuilder.com this morning and finding nothing related to design I cleared the search filter and looked for anything in my area. This was one of the first ones that popped up…

DUMP TRUCK DRIVER *Travel Required*

Company: Sweeping Corporation of America, Inc.

So you mean I actually have to drive this thing?  I can’t just sit in it?  Most companies put thought into their employment ads, maybe these guys were rushed.  I understand it means they will most likely have to go out of town but lets all suspend belief and laugh at Sweeping Corporation of America,…

Arguing With Joel

I just read fellow blogger Joel Kirstein’s blog about Superbowl 43’s logo and I must say I disagree. I feel it works. I’m not scared that I’m only a small business owner vs. his 25 years in creating things like this. I’m not scared to admit that I find myself liking a flat simple style vs a 3D, color on every corner to show depth piece of art.

I just get it. I feel logos for some of these events are absolutely too grand. I don’t feel a piece of art needs every little trick to make it stand out. Yes…

MODERNISTA

There is a great article in yesterday’s USA Today Business section, on the break page about the Boston ad agency MODERNISTA. Since they set up shop in 2000, they have cut a swath through the ad industry by being all about ideas, more than just creating things. They have positioned themselves as a conceptual think tank. This is what ad agencies should aspire to be!

Founded by Gary Koepke and Lance Jensen, MODERNISTA has staked out their place to take ownership of the non-traditional realm in advertising and redefine it. Their work for GM brands like Cadillac and Hummer who require very specific…

MAD MEN – Episode 3

I was once told when I started my career that advertising would be a great place to work if it wasn’t for the clients. Last night’s episode of MAD MEN was a great example of how things can spiral out of control when someone insults the client. Even worse when it happens via a third party the agency has arranged services from. Losing an account because of a client’s passing encounter with an attitudinal photographer, a rude waiter in a restaurant or any other momentary incident is an agency’s worst nightmare.

All the apologizing and butt kissing in the world only works…

I’ve Been Working Too Long

This isn’t much of a blog today but something came up last night with a friend that I said would make a perfect topic to write about.

I’ve got a friend who is down about not having a girlfriend. He isn’t social…at all. So I was talking to him about what he can do and the obvious first answer was “GET OUT!” I then started saying things like, if nobody sees you they won’t buy your product. I wasn’t trying to make a joke, I guess thats just what I immediately think when it comes to being seen. Hmm, social optimization.…