Posted: December 11th, 2011 | Filed under: design, fyi, general |
Looking for the flipside
Recently I have been working for the same company for the last fifteen years as a graphic designer. That ended suddenly after having been off work for two weeks with a bad infection of my leg [from a likely suspect of a white tipped spider]. To my surprise I had been given my notice ie retrenched and realised I had but 6 weeks left of employment before christmas.
I am currently looking to see if I can discover the flipside to my unexpected situation.
If anybody out there requires a full time designer in print or web, a project manager, or something different: full time, part time or project-based contact me thru my website: www.gmdesign.net.au
I will keep you posted on my journey.
Posted: June 29th, 2010 | Filed under: imagination, inspirational |
I found myself like everyone else before me: how do I differentiate myself from the crowd when starting a blog? How do I create value for others and myself?
These questions came about after dabbling with a few uploaded stories that I found interesting and relevant. I thought other people would find them interesting too. Then I realized why should they? What is my point of difference? Where am I coming from?
Questions needed to be asked. Asking “Why?” forces us to look at our overall/business objectives and strategy first. How does a designer connect, reinvent and recombine for a new media and future involvement in social media? How do I use 24 years experience and existing capabilities as a traditional “graphic designer” and morph into the new digital space? What am I really great at creating?
I decided to set in motion, a search of self-discovery. If life is a journey, what was my destination. I needed to find something that inspired me to go forwards with focus and purpose. To make Social Media work – in a very authentic way – you need to sit down and figure out what you’re good at creating, publishing and talking about.
The journey has taken many months and unveiled a simple point of clarity – in hindsight only. My outer label was “graphic designer” but the label I would give myself was “visual thinker”. That is, I have the ability to create visual concepts that communicate key messages and ideas to other people. A process of visual thinking that draws on action, verbal, auditory, and tactile functions. The act of thinking, creating and doing. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: March 19th, 2010 | Filed under: Design Thinking, innovation, inspirational |
In 1997, Apple released a milestone marketing message and subsequent ad that placed thinking different on a very public pedestal.
The ad was constructed by TBWA Chiat Day in Los Angeles. Beyond establishing Apple as a company that served the creative community, the “Think Different” message, served as an encouraging and invigorating force for creative professionals in general.
The ad was meant as “an emotional celebration of creativity,” explained Lee Clow, the Chief Creative Officer of TBWA Worldwide at the time. What was first a popular ad has now become a 60 second sound bite that encourages and invigorates creative professionals in their pursuit to make ideas happen.
The ad was born in 1997 upon the return of Steve Jobs to Apple. Apple wanted to find a way to communicate a unique product to a unique audience relatively unfamiliar with Apple’s products. As Clow tells the story, “One weekend we walked into a room and saw ‘Think different’ attached to Gandhi and Martin Luther King and Einstein,” paying tribute “to creativity and genius by saluting the kind of people who think and change things.” Others involved with conceiving the campaign were Rob Siltanen, creative director; Jessica Schulman, art director, and Craig Tanimoto, copywriter. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: August 19th, 2009 | Filed under: innovation, inspirational |
I have just finished Richard Bransons autobiography and enjoyed it immensely. I shook my head in wonder, quite a few times, of how much luck played a vital part in the growth of the global brand, which is simply referred to as virgin.
Richard Branson explained a few of his approaches and style of delivery, which is important to showcase here. It illustrates how a different approach, applied by a single person could change so many lives. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted: August 12th, 2009 | Filed under: general, inspirational |
I was walking past the local bookshop and the following title caught my eye – “Letting Go – A Little Bit at a Time”. It reinforces my theme of letting go by providing insights into the art of letting go. The author, Guy Finley, a spiritual motivator and speaker shows by quirky thought-provoking snippets that our lives can be changed, with just the smallest effort, by letting go of what the mind insists we hold on to. Here is a few samples relevant to thinking in general:
• The present moment is the canvas of creation: our perception, a palette of primary colors; our actions, brush strokes – while thought provides both background and texture. To know these things is the beginning of the artful life. Read the rest of this entry »