it's not you, it's me

Marketing. It's all about you.

No, it's not. It's about me. The customer. The client. The consumer. What are you going to do for me? Don't make it about yourself. It's not personal. Except it is.

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.