We have deemed November “Free Lunch for Pi Month.” In order to score as many free lunches as possible I am willing to offer up all of my design and marketing expertise in exchange for a meal at the restaurant of your choice. You can pick my brain for the entire lunch. We can talk about how to integrate Social Media into your marketing, brainstorm about email campaigns, and figure out new target markets for you to explore.

There’s only one caveat – It must be a sit down and order restaurant because we will need a table large enough to spread out papers and work (the little paper place mat they give you at In-N-Out just won’t suffice). Also, I am trying to stay away from fast food joints at this juncture in life.

WHAT’S ON THE MENU:

1. An assessment of your existing marketing materials – I will look them over and we will discuss them. I will let you know, in my humble opinion based on 20 years in the industry, what I think works, what doesn’t work, and what could be improved.
2. Brainstorming session – Together we will throw around ideas on how to generate new leads, better communicate with your target market, and drive more traffic to your website.
3. Development of your target persona – I have a quick and fun way to help us understand your customers better and figure out what influences their interactions with you. By analyzing demographic and psychographic information we will create a fictional representation of your targeted buyer. This persona will allow you to create more tailored marketing strategies.

At the end of lunch you will have a better focus on where and how to direct your marketing attention. I will email you a “wrap up” document to remind you of all that we discussed along with a list of recommendations. This information will inspire you and allow you to keep your marketing fresh and relevant. I guarantee that you will be amazed how one lunch can increase your marketing ROI.

So call me (805.383.0054) or email me and let’s make a lunch date!

“QR CODE?!?! What’s that?” I hear you cry. Basically, it is a two dimensional bar code in which you can embed information like web URLs, videos, and contact information. People can access that information by simply scanning the codes with their smart phones. They are free to create and they hold a lot of information.

So next time you see a QR (Quick Response, in case you were curious) code, simply take a picture of it with your phone’s camera using a QR Code Reader application and you’ll be directed to the embedded information in that code, such as a website, video, or text message.

You can make your own for FREE and very easily at any QR code generating website, but the trick is, once you have created your neat little square, what will you do with it? Here are some ideas to get your marketing gears churning:

1. Simplify your business card by including all of your social networking profiles, phones numbers, email addresses into a QR code. It will make for a great conversation starter.
2. In grocery stores, recipes could be embedded in codes using the products found on nearby shelves. Then the recipe is easily available on your phone when you get home.
3. A QR code posted next to a painting in a gallery or museum could contain a link to the artist’s bio and the website to purchase a print of the painting.
4. Whole marketing stories could be told on small hang tags in clothing stores. Where did the cotton come from? Who designed this shirt? Is it sustainable?
5. Discount codes and virtual coupons can be scanned from fliers or direct mail pieces and then saved in your smart phone for later use. No more searching through your purse for the silly piece of paper.
6. Links to trailers can be printed on movie posters. I saw this one at the mall the other day.
7. A QR code on your resume could provide a link to your personal website or your LinkedIn profile.
8. Store wrapping paper or shopping bags could have links to their website or fashion videos.
9. Cocktail napkins at a networking event could take you to the sponsor’s website or a cool corporate video promoting their new product launch.
10. A counter card in your trade show booth could have a QR Code that, when scanned, enters you to win an iPad. Or better yet, put a QR code on your giveaways that has more corporate information than you could actually print in a 1″ x 1″ space otherwise.

The possibilities are endless. You can advertise, generate Facebook “likes,” offer discounts, or simply provide information through these nifty little graphics. They can be printed in your corporate colors and customized to a certain point as well. Feel free to call us to brainstorm ideas for using them in your marketing. We love playing with this exciting new tool that brings together the printed and cyber worlds.

Twitter has also done a number on us by redesigning their pages so that the cool backgrounds we all made last year or before that are now covered up by the application itself.

If your company needs assistance with your Social Media graphics, call us. We can create spectacular tabs to attract visitors to your page and keep them coming back. Included on the post are some samples of tabs we have created for others.

I have put together a fun collection of these “new” infographics for your viewing pleasure.

The Periodic Table of Awesoments

This is a hilarious Table of truly awesome stuff that most of us geeks can relate to. Please notice that the number one element is bacon. This guy must know what he is talking about. Am I right?

The Periodic Table of Rockin’

This funny, interactive musical Table will keep you entertained for quite awhile.

The Periodic Table of Irrational Nonsense

The Periodic Table of Cartoon Characters

How many can you name without cheating? More than 40? More than 80? Seriously? All of them? Grow up.

The Periodic Table of Cars

In case you can’t get enough of these tables then try this shirt on for size.

After all that if you still want some more periodic-ness in your life, memorize this song and then tell me if you have had enough.

Here are seven great tab ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

1. Landing or Welcome page – Greet your viewers with a branded page telling them why they should fan you up instead of having your wall as the default. Check out what some of the bigger companies like Starbucks and Adidas have done on their welcome pages. Create your own special tab and then change your default landing tab in your wall settings.

2. Product Catalog or Lookbook tab – Show off your best sellers or seasonal items. Check out this example we created for Dav Rainboots. You can even add links straight to your website shopping cart if you want.

3. Weekly Special – Offer discounts to keep people coming back again and again to see what’s new. It doesn’t require a whole lot of effort to change this out once a week. Weekly Specials will keep your audience engaged and give you another reason to update your status. You ARE updating the status on your company profile at least three times a week, aren’t you? Here is an example from our sister company, Pi Studio Printing.

4. Contests – Once you have enough of a FB following you can keep your fans interested by developing a contest and creating a tab on your page with all of the details. One of our clients who makes organic dog treats asked everyone to upload a pic of their dog and state which treats it prefers. We created a page for them to post the winner every month. People love to share pictures of their pets so it was a huge success and kept folks checking back to see if their dog won. What kind of contest could you initiate that would engage your biggest fans?

5. Testimonials – Place photos of your satisfied customers along with a short statement about why they love you so much on a tab. You can even ask for people to post photos of themselves with your product stating why they like it so much and voila! Instant testimonial. All you have to do is create a tab to place all of these posts on so they don’t disappear in the never-ending Facebook stream.

6. Company History – Use this tab to spread the gospel of your brand showing how you became what you are today. This would be similar to your ABOUT US page on your own website and could even link directly to your ABOUT US page.

7. Coupons – This is a great way to get your special deals out to the public and get them coming in to your store or office right away. People love to feel special and get a good deal at the same time so make sure to have FACEBOOK FAN EXCLUSIVES. Create downloadable or printable coupons for this page.

Remember that your Facebook page is like a mini website showing off your brand. It is easy to change and sculpt your message on a daily basis. If you would like to brainstorm about ideas for your company’s page, feel free to call us (805.383.0054) or take one of our fun half day Social Media Strategy Development seminars to learn great tips and tricks. We can also design fantastic graphics and manage the tabs for you if you prefer. Check out our Social Media services today and get started using Facebook to your advantage now!

Please join Pi Design as we launch our new venture, Pi Studio Printing. We are opening our doors on March 12th to artists, photographers, friends, family, clients, and design professionals! To showcase the capabilities of our latest addition to the Pi family—the giant Epson Stylus Pro 11880 printer, we will be showing the breathtaking work of David Pu’u, editorial photographer and cinematographer. David will be in attendance and to share his experiences traveling the world photographing and filming surfers, sea life and other wondrous phenomena.

Please join us for refreshments and great company as you tour the Pi Studio Printing facility. This grand event takes place two days prior to our favorite holiday, Pi Day! In honor of this glorious day we will, of course, have much pie on hand as well as other roundish treats.

Pi Studio Printing will be raffling off all kinds of great prizes like gift certificates to Vie, the Spa upstairs, David Pu’u prints and more!

Leave work a bit early on Friday and come have some pie with Pu’u. (Sorry, I just couldn’t resist.)

When: March 12th 2010 from 3:30pm to 6:30pm
Where: 760 Las Posas Road, Suite A1 and A2, Camarillo, CA

To RSVP click here

Read more about David Pu’u here: http://www.davidpuu.com/bio.php

1. More and more people are online more and more regularly. In this current economic downturn you need to find the ever-elusive customer. It is a fact that the average person is spending more time online. The number of people doing so also increases daily. You must find them and engage them. Traditional advertising just isn’t working the way it used to. Magazine and newspaper subscriptions are way down because websites are providing the news much more quickly and in a more affordable manner. TV and print advertisements have become expensive. The popularity of consumer review sites like yelp.com are changing the way people think and shop.

2. Twitter, Facebook, Linked In, and Youtube are now mainstream. The largest and most successful social media campaign was used to elect President Obama. This goes to show that a complete and focused approach to social media can move mountains. Manage your personal life and business fan page on Facebook. Maintain your professional network using Linked In. Take your company viral by building an aggressive Youtube channel. Find and engage online communities that share your interests on Twitter. These are a few of the most popular social networking sites. It has become absolutely critical to implement some, if not all of them to achieve a strong online presence.

3. Social Media will improve your relationship with customers. We all know that social media is a great PR and branding tool that allows companies to self-promote in a relatively inexpensive fashion, but IT’S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT YOU. Social Media offers a great way to learn more about your customers. Extending a “personal face” to your company encourages customer interaction and can result in customer loyalty. Listen to your customers, respond to their comments, and let your personality reveal itself through your conversations. Loyal customers will spread the word about a brand if they like the person or people who represent it.

4. Meet the Haters head-on! And don’t forget about disgruntled customers… Some companies argue that engaging in Social Media will open the door for naysayers and haters to rant negatively about the brand. This is a dangerous misconception—the doorway to knock a brand opens with the business! People are talking online whether or not you are listening. Some of them might not be saying nice things, and you can be sure others are listening to what they say. Consumer review websites like Yelp and Amazon are ever more popular, presenting hundreds of opinions about products and services. What if 77 out of 100 reviews for your product are negative? Social Media can and should be used as a customer service platform. A loyal customer is much more valuable than a once-in-your-lifetime customer, so it is important to address the issues that your customers are having. A complete Social Media strategy will incorporate a system to monitor your online reputation by scanning blogs, social networks, and comments for keywords related to your brand. Don’t let the Haters take the floor and keep it. Get out there and defend yourself and show your customer service savvy.

5. Social Media is here to stay. One of the biggest misconceptions about Social Media is the presumptuous assumption that its popularity is a fad. First of all, watch this video from Socialnomics.net. There is some controversy about some of the statistics and their context, but the video is well done and for the most part lends itself to Social Media’s permanence. Also, check out Marta Kagan’s presentation on slideshare: What the F**K is Social Media?. The point is that Social Media is here. It’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

6. Your competition is actively engaging your target audience using Social Media.

Need some help getting started? Sign up for one of our Social Media Jump Start packages today!

Half Day Jump Start—Small Group Sessions
for those who are ready to go but need a road map
$300

Customized Social Media Jump Start Package
for those who need a quick, customized set up
and a strategy to head you in the right direction
$750

We all have bad habits. Whether it’s an affinity for fast foods, use of Arial instead of Helvetica, or adoration for alcohol, there’s always room for improvement. Do you take too many trips to the coffee room during the course of a workday? Are you chatting with friends on Facebook instead of finishing those TPS reports?

This is for all the designers in the world. We feel your pain. We have compiled a list of our own New Year’s DESIGN Resolutions to benefit everyone who cares to read them. Let us all improve our capacities as designers together. Make them your own! Add to them!  The top 3 contributors to the ongoing list of New Year’s Design Resolutions will receive a Pi Design Creative Juice Canister! Come on, we know you all want one.

1. Get my creative juices flowing more freely by standing up from desk more often and experiencing the real world. Sharene Lewis
2. I will inspire the flat screen and page with multi-dimensional thinking. Cheryl Pelly
3. Broaden my color palette past grayscale. Joel Dualan
4. Get more sleep. Stop writing blog entries in the middle of the night. Sharene Lewis           
   
5. I vow to never again use Comic Sans (or any other Microsoft font) under any circumstance, ever. Danny Preslar
6. Promise not to roundhouse kick employees to the head who make bad typeface choices anymore. Sharene Lewis      
   
7. Will give the color Red (Pantone 485/185) a chance in design. Cheryl Pelly
8. I will TRY to not eat paste or paperclips from the supply cabinet…on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Shannon Parsons
9. Stop creating fake nude pictures of Megan Fox and Angelina Jolie in Photoshop. Danny Preslar
10. Push past my monochromatic tendencies to include 2 or more colors in every design I produce. Heber Pelayo
11. Discover another color that isn’t a shade of green. Sharene Lewis
    

Add your resolution here for an opportunity to win a lovely Pi Design Creative Juice Canister.

Meet our newest team member, Cheryl. She comes to us after an extended engagement at BMW Designworks. We are ecstatic to exploit her talents here at Pi Design. To get to know Cheryl read her bio below or just drop her a line at cheryl@pidesign.com. I’m sure she will respond to your email in a timely fashion cuz that’s just how she rolls.

Cheryl Pelly

Lead Designer

Her philosophy of “No flat form goes unbent.” Cheryl’s wizardry at dimensional design has been put to use by Fortune 500 companies such as BMW, Gulfstream, Dassault, GE Healthcare, Nokia and Motorola.

As an instructor at the Art Center College of Design, Cheryl is a master at grasping the reins and keeping the masses on the right track. We welcome the addition of her expansive understanding of color and vast knowledge of innovative materials to our arsenal of design artillery here at Pi. In return, we try to keep the rabid baboon that lives under the sink from stealing her purse.

Read about the rest of the team here: http://www.pidesign.com/team.php

Here are some samples of Cheryl’s fabulous work so you can see why we hired her:

Save the Date Card for Millikin Global Automotive Group

Book Design

BMW’s  Gulfstream G550 Corporate Jet Graphics and Interiors

BMW Flight Attendant Uniform Design

Color and Materials Design for the Dassault 7X

Logo Concepts for Dancewear Shop