Boundaries

I'm on Linkedin. And I'm a little torn with the social media site lately. While I try to keep all my connections professional, I find some spillage from my person life. And then there's the endorsements. Please don't endorse me if you've never worked directly with me. Even if you know me, and like me, it's not helping. And then there's the issue of previous bosses. Do they want me to endorse their skills? And my graduate professors, who I've never worked with directly but admire quite a bit. What's happening now with social media? I find that despite having a business page on facebook, that I'm getting tagged personally when it comes to work. Then potential clients are contacting me through facebook at all hours. Then there's texting. I'm getting texts from clients instead of calls and emails. All this interaction lately is making me reconsider something I did 8 years ago: I got rid of my land-line. Now I'm thinking of getting one for my office. How are you dealing with the 24/7 cycle of accessibility? Tips welcome.

You don't need to speak the language to know what it's saying

I just returned from a trip in Mexico. 7 years without a vacation is to long. And while I am proud to say I didn't check email, (which was hard the first day, and got easier and easier) I didn't completely disconnect. I couldn't help but notice the incredible design everywhere I looked. Especially the use of mixed materials in their signage. I snapped this photo the signage in front of a restaurant. I love the mix of the natural wood and metal. And the material reinforces the logo with the tree in the mark itself. The space itself had a simple, airy, and rustic feel. How elegantly beautiful.

Does it fit on a pencil?

Today I was reminded of a boss I once had, Scott Mitchell. He loved to talk marketing, design, and life. I learned a lot from him, and I keep learning, even though he hasn't been my boss for 13 years and he passed away last year. But today, in a meeting, when talking about how I tell a client when I think their logo isn't working, I mentioned Scott's test. He'd ask, "Does it fit on a pencil?" Meaning, if it can't be reduced to fit on a small space, then it doesn't work. It was just that plain and simple. And while we're not using pencils much these days, the test still holds true. Does it fit when reduced to an icon on Facebook? Can it work as an app? A bookmark for your website? And while the medium is always changing, some things don't. Thanks Scott for continuing to be such a great teacher.