The man behind the curtain

Guilty. I'm completely guilty. For the past few years I have presented concepts to clients that are to finished. Polished. I didn't let them see the work that went in to coming up with an idea. The sketches. Notes. Doodles and bookmarks both digital and electronic. I presented work that didn't show what went into coming up with an idea.

Why? Probably because I wanted it perfect right from the start. But design itself isn't perfect. It's a process that involves collaboration, listening, refinement. It can be messy and confusing trying to visually communicate someone elses work. And that's why I've changed the way I work. To better help you understand how I got someplace. To be part of the journey. And to understand that the road to get there might be paved with a few rocks, but climbing there is worth it.

your marketing sucks

I joked the other day that I was going to start a blog called "your marketing sucks" and I would point out some things I saw that were just plain awful. And by awful I mean: terribly designed, written poorly, or in the realms of "waste of my time." As a matter of personal philosophy, I don't want to contribute to pushing out any more garbage or noise. And I don't want to give more traction to things that I see that I don't like. It seems like I would be contributing to all the chatter going on. Which is why I've taken a hiatus from social media. Not a huge one by most standards, but for me, a more conscious decision to try to contribute to our culture as something of use. No one cares to see photos of me with my friends except maybe my friend, and that's only if I happen to take a great photo of them. No one wants to see what I've eaten for dinner. Or those drinks I had celebrating my anniversary. I'm sure no one cares if I deem packaging so horribly designed that I stop and decide not to purchase that product. Wait, that might be interesting. So as I navigate new media as the rest of the world does,  I will try to be more mindful of my own contributions. Of what I say, what I share. Because I'd rather say less than say something stupid.

Pay now or pay later. Either way you're going to pay.

The  proliferation of do it yourself websites has made it so that anyone with a computer can create their own. And with some great programs, I've seen some amazing work. For creatives they can give you a framework to showcase your portfolio. For those looking to sell online it's made the transaction process look seamless. However, there are some pit falls to the whole do it yourself idea. One is that you will be spending a huge amount of time learning, building, testing, and figuring out a system that you may abandon in a couple of years based on changing technology and needs. The time spent might have been better off hiring someone while you concentrated on getting new clients, working with current clients, or other ways to sell and market.
If time is money, than without realizing it, the site that didn't cost you any money to create, when translated to your time, just cost you a small fortune.

Just as important as the building the site is what you're putting out there. Are you writing the content yourself? Are you positioning yourself as an expert? Are you connecting to your clients? Their needs? Are you telling them about your services, and how you can help them? Are you hitting on their "pain points" or are you just tooting your own horn? Understanding that it's not about "you", but how you can help "them" is key.

Ok, so you're an expert. Tell me how that came to be. Your education. Your experience. Case Studies. Testimonials. Don't just say it, show it. Prove it. Back it up.