Imagine my delight when I saw that The New York Times magazine ran a cover story by Gary Wolf with the same title and theme as one of my recent posts: “The Data Driven Life“.

It’s a thoroughly researched piece about the trend of self monitoring, which, it turns out, has become a sizable sub-culture.  I have to admit that this came as a joyful epiphany to me.

Wolf’s central insight is that conditions have arisen which will take a behavior (which is a natural inclination for many, but impractical for most) mainstream:

“Then four things changed. First, electronic sensors got smaller and better. Second, people started carrying powerful computing devices, typically disguised as mobile phones. Third, social media made it seem normal to share everything. And fourth, we began to get an inkling of the rise of a global superintelligence known as the cloud.”

Here’s a quick round up of some of the sites covered he covers:

Wolf himself has a blog with Kevin Kelly called The Quantified Self.  This is an extensive resource and has a library of film clips of talks from Quantified Self Meet Ups.

drinkingdiary.com is a very simple piece of software that allows you to keep an accurate tally of alcohol consumption, on the basis that what gets measured, gets better.

Moodscope is an online tracker of your mood or mental health, with the twist that it reports this information to your friends, on the basis that, “there’s solid scientific evidence that the very act of knowing you’re being watched can change the way your mind works for the better”.

Goodreads allows you to keep track of and share the books you’ve read and what you thought of them.

Medhelp is a sophisticated mult-purpose site that includes a tracker for weight and exercise and other health indicators.

There are many others out there.  Clearly, these sites could become as addictive as the behaviors they purport to cure!

As an experiment on the efficacy of these sites, I’ve undertaken to monitor my drinking, weight and exercise habits for the next month and will report back on what effect self-monitoring has on me.

Art director Kristen Vasgaard selected Scott Hull Associates Clint Hansen to do a collection of classically inspired portraits for a new young adult book series for her publishing house Thomas Nelson.  She chose Clint because of his experience within museum display and collegiate hall-of-fame’s.

The collection of 67 prints, which are targeted towards readers age 25-65, features historical figures in the science, art and literary community that spans centuries.  Clint’s goal was to bridge the differences between the rather diverse timeline of people, and create a series of engaging historical portraits that maintain a consistent feel using a variety of resources and references, often of very poor quality or not existent.

The biggest challenge to this series was creating a consistent style of illustration when the source imagery was so varied.  For some illustrations they had actual photographs to reference, because the characters lived recently.  However, some people did not even have formal portraits to reference and we had to rely on other illustrations or iconography that was centuries old.

Kristen glows over Clint’s results, “The overall effect is detailed looking and polished.  The final product exceeded our expectations. Clint’s custom illustrations unify the series and add a sophistication and uniqueness that we would not have achieved without them.  Clint is great about meeting deadlines and is very easy to work with. He willingly makes any revisions or changes and has a great attitude.”

The cap is 25% slimmer that the current 20oz bottles and 27% more eco-friendly because it greatly reduces the footprint. This design is 65% more collapsible than the current bottle encouraging more recycling due to ease in transport. Environmentally conscious people can easily collapse the bottle, carry it around until the can recycle.

The design is brilliant. The bottle looks futuristic, stylish and luxurious. Packaging is extremely important to brand so this would be a giant step if Coca Cola considered this. However, it would be a step in the right direction and with some heavy marketing Coca Cola can use this to position their product and company as 100%. I would be more loyal to Coca Cola for that simple fact.

What are your thoughts on this new packaging design. The more buzz it gets, the more people talk, the greater chances it reaches Coca Cola’s radar. Is it possible we can see such great change in their packaging?

http://designerscouch.org/show_news/728/a-square-coke-is-a-greener-coke.html

http://www.dumblittleman.com/2010/04/6-useful-facebook-productivity-tips-you.html

I know, I know, Facebook and productivity are words that don’t belong in the same sentence. I mean in many ways, these words are antonyms, just like night and day.

Well, I’d contend that it depends on your perception of the tool. Yes, it is a social network that’s supposed to be used primarily for fun and staying in touch. But, there’s a lot more to Facebook than just commenting on your friend’s status. It’s an information heaven. And unless you know how to use it productively, it is, as some call it, a waste of time.

This article attempts to introduce you to some practical Facebook productivity tips that you should be implementing when you are on this network. No, it doesn’t lessen the fun; it actually adds to it. Check them out and share your opinion in the comments.

Set aside time
Here’s the first tip - set aside time everyday for Facebook (if you visit it everyday that is). It could be multiple time intervals of, let’s say, 15 or 20 mins or just one stretch of an hour or two. But set aside time and stick to that schedule. Sounds silly? Well, you have no idea how much time you end up spending on Facebook each day. This is the first step towards becoming productive with this site. Know how much time you spend there!

One more thing I’d recommend is using a timer to track the time when you are on Facebook. You should do it initially for a few days at least. Later, once you get used to the fixed time thing, you might not need the timer any more.

Create friend lists
You’d agree that there’s a trend of randomly adding friends on Facebook, whether you know the person or not. You see a friend request, glance at the profile for a second or two and then add the person. I do it too and that’s how I’ve got a huge list of Facebook friends. It’s bigger than I can manage. But thanks to friend lists, I can filter information easily.

Creating friend lists in Facebook is a way to keep track of close friends and give priority to their updates. Here’s an article that tells you how to create a friend list in Facebook chat. It helps you selectively appear offline to a group of people. You could also create friend lists by going to “Friends” on the left column in your home page and then clicking “Create List” tab on the top.

Master the privacy settings
I’d say it is very important to be aware of the various privacy settings in Facebook and how to set them according to your preferences. It could save you a lot of time and hassle in the long run. I know people who’ve spent days regretting joining Facebook because of things, they didn’t know could happen, happened. And most of the time, it is because they were unaware of Facebook’s privacy settings.

Here’s a detailed article that talks about some important privacy settings in Facebook. It’s an old article but it’ll give you the picture. You could also explore by going to Account->Privacy Settings and see what are the options you have there.

Remove Annoying Apps
Most of us end up adding a lot of unnecessary applications to our Facebook account. And we keep getting those updates and notifications that increase clutter in the profile and news feed. Plus, there have been security issues with some apps in the past.

Removing the apps you hardly use is recommended. It’ll clean up your profile too. Although Facebook doesn’t make the process obvious, you can follow this step by step guide to remove the Facebook apps you don’t need.

Filter Your News Feed
Filtering Facebook’s news feed lets you segment information and see what matters first. Friend lists can help you filter information related to them. You could also check out the options in the left column to quickly skim through statusupdates, photos, events etc.

Use an email update tool like NutShellMail
By default, Facebook delivers email updates about your account to your inbox. And if you are very active Facebook user, it could mean a huge number of emails everyday.

The best way to go about it is turning off all the email updates (except for one or two important ones) and using a tool like NutShellMail that sends consolidated account email updates. I personally use this tool and have found it very useful. Even if I don’t visit Facebook on certain days, it keeps me informed. And all that in a single email.

-Abhijeet Mukherjee

Artist Interview

Client: RAZ Imports

Art director: Ken Row

Title of Project: “Bug Me” product line – Ladybug pattern

What was the creative challenge? The main challenge in licensing is trying to come up with a sellable idea that hits a broad range of tastes. Then you have to choose the right colors and produce it in a way that is flexible enough to be applied to a wide variety of materials and sizes – all while keeping it to a low price point. You also have to be able to turn around the art in a very fast-paced industry.

How did you resolve the challenge? The ladybugs pattern hit many of the sell points above. The theme is universally appealing. It’s happy, and a fitting launch for the summer garden decorating market. The colors fit the traditional red and black of ladybugs while adding a punch of lime green and orange.

Please give us insight into your creative process: In designing for the licensing industry, you are your own client in many ways. You have to be aware of the trends in the gift market. When I shop, I am always looking at what’s out there and, more specifically, what’s NOT out there. I go to the gift shows to see what manufacturers would be a good fit for my style, and look at the themes being sold. When I get back to my studio, I take all of that information and explore style, patterns and color with twists on themes.

The initial sales for the Ladybug line grossed more than $100,000.00 for RAZ.

http://www.scotthull.com/artists/ballard/ ]]> http://visualambassador.com/2010/07/07/creative-strategy-lisa-ballard-works-out-the-bugs-in-licensing/feed/ http://visualambassador.com/2010/07/01/paintedmanholecovers/ http://visualambassador.com/2010/07/01/paintedmanholecovers/#comments Thu, 01 Jul 2010 14:55:37 +0000 Scott Hull http://visualambassador.com/?p=1940 http://www.toxel.com/inspiration/2009/05/30/painted-manhole-covers-from-japan/

As president of the Design Management Institute, I am often asked: “How can we develop a great design organization,” and “How do I convince our CEO about the value of design?”

Good questions, simple answers: Determine what matters to the decision makers and improve it with design. Then, either inspire the CEO, or become the CEO.

Do I hear you scoffing? “Thanks, Lockwood! ‘Become the CEO.’ No problem! Will tick that right off my to-do list.”

I understand. But here’s the problem: While there are many examples of great design, making them happen without executive support is a pretty tough challenge whether you’re an in-house firm or not. In this post, and a subsequent one, I’ll explain why.

Design follows money

It is really that simple: Design follows money. Get budget, get design. Design firms don’t design without clients (which requires budgets), and in-house departments are not very effective without great people (which also requires budgets). Think of this as “Designomics.”

I’m not talking about the fancy design that sometimes passes as fine art. I’m talking about hard-working commercial design. The kind created to drive business results–increasing sales and profits, improving customer experience and loyalty, enabling innovation, connecting emotionally, building brands. It is relatively rare to find really effective corporate design without strong executive support, or at least a history or culture involving design. I would like to say this is the result of good business practice–and it is–but it is also the result of funding for design services.

Money follows customers, and design influences customers
Companies fund projects for many reasons, not the least of which is to connect with their customers. Customers are the revenue stream for business, so the ability of design to influence customers is paramount. Here is a simple formula: Customers purchase based on perception, design influences perception, therefore, design influences purchase. But what lies behind all that is that design requires client approval–and that comes most often from business executives who are generally not designers. But they are the folks who make the major corporate decisions and approve the budgets.

Although design would like to operate at the fuzzy front-end of business decisionmaking, it often plays the role of follow the leader. For example, a few years ago I worked with the Swedish government on a project to determine how design firms in Sweden and in the U.S. establish their business strategy. We held a two-day workshop in New York City and discovered something very interesting: Most of the 25 design firms participating agreed that they generally did not set a business strategy, but instead just tried to respond effectively to client requests. A client would approach with a request for help, and the design firm would respond, “Sure thing! What is the brief, and what is the budget?” For creative and resourceful people this approach seems pretty uninspired, but the reality is that fulfilling customer requests is a great way to keep billings flowing and jobs retained. But it is hardly the way to get a seat at the table where game-changing decisions are being made.

Over the past decade, we have seen a sea change in design firm capabilities, which have moved upstream to provide research, strategy and integrated customer experiences. Is this due to demand? Only partially. Most clients have developed strong internal design organizations, so in order to compete and grow, external design firms must expand into new budget areas, by adding value that’s based on market knowledge, not just on design skills. As one industrial designer recently tweeted to me, “We are critical thinkers.”

That may be true, but in order to get the opportunity to apply those critical thinking skills, and not just fulfill client requests, designers need to prove that the value they provide can make a difference on a client’s bottom line.

In my next post, we’ll explore how some great organizations made that happen, and how designers can manage to convince even recalcitrant executives to give design a chance.

Client Interview with Adrienne Pitt

Artist/Illustrator used: Meg Hunt

Title of project: Gardening section, Jamie Oliver magazine

Describe your target audience/client base: Those who are fans of Jamie Oliver and his work and food, those who love to cook and desire to get more involved in cooking, or those who are interested in a gorgeous lifestyle magazine which covers a range of topics from food to travel.

What creative/business goals did you have with this project? The Gardening section appears in the front of the magazine with a lot of newsy items surrounding it. As such, the pages really need to sing out – be colorful, attention grabbing, and beautiful. Also, Jamie’s gardener Peter Wrapson is so passionate about his subject, I knew I needed illustrations that would reflect that passion.

Were there any special hurdles or requirements that the artist had to address? In each issue, Peter talks about various things that are in season, gadgets to try out, or new techniques to use. The illustrator I needed to do these pages had to be someone who could illustrate not only food, but also plants, people, activities, inanimate objects… The list goes on!

Describe the final outcome of the project: This section has become an ongoing job for Meg, as her colorful style and attention to detail really combine to create illustrations that jump off the page. Some of the topics are a little tricky but she always comes up with charming and detailed works that enhance the words on the page.

Tell us about your experience working with our artist: Meg is a delight to work with and strengthens the visual brand of the magazine. She’s friendly, delivers on deadline, and most importantly, sets her amazingly imaginative mind to every assignment given to her. You know when you hire Meg for a job that she will always go above and beyond to make sure the illustration is amazing. I’m happy to have this ongoing commission with her, and always look forward to seeing the work that she creates!

http://showandtell.meghunt.com/post/616677212/gardening-from-jamie-oliver
http://scotthull.com/artists/hunt/

http://scotthull.com/artists/blog/june2010-2/ ]]> http://visualambassador.com/2010/06/29/creative-strategy-meg-hunt-gardens-with-jamie-oliver/feed/ http://visualambassador.com/2010/06/25/managing-the-chaos-scott-asks-the-question-%e2%80%9cwhere-do-ideas-come-from%e2%80%9d/ http://visualambassador.com/2010/06/25/managing-the-chaos-scott-asks-the-question-%e2%80%9cwhere-do-ideas-come-from%e2%80%9d/#comments Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:34:28 +0000 Scott Hull http://visualambassador.com/?p=1933 http://scotthull.com/artists/blog/june2010-1/

Teachable Moment

A brilliant idea can change your life. Just ask Steve Jobs. And think about it – how would one incredible idea affect your work? How would it affect your personal creating? Your career? Your confidence and opportunities?

These days, new ideas aren’t just inspiring; they’re essential. A narrow-gauge mindset doesn’t work in modern business. Consumers aren’t loyal to cheap commodities. No, they love the remarkable, the human, the unique. And those ideas don’t just fall from the sky. (Usually.)

So where do they originate? Since Scott Hull Associates is in the business of ideas, I figured our artists ought to know. They surprised me with their answers, citing everything from “cross-pollinating synergetic associations” to cracks in the driveway. Enjoy.
-Scott

Aren’t you silly…Ideas come from the stork, just like babies. – Andrea Eberbach

From an ever expanding and curious mind. –Von Glitschka

I’m not sure where they come from, but I’m pretty sure – starting in 2012 – that there will be a federal tax on them. -Mark Riedy

Personally, I group them into two broad categories: surprise ideas and task-oriented ideas. There’s an enormous area of interaction and cross-pollination between these, but if I think about it, most everything I do whether art-related, fixing a faucet or otherwise, fits somewhere in the continuum. In the area of ideas for art, surprise! Ideas are just that — out of nowhere, triggered by who-knows-what…smells, memories, dreams, emotions, even stress. Task-oriented ideas are usually, at least for me, more forced and rarely complete at the beginning — they need refinement and tuning, and the trick is to retain something good and fresh enough to keep through that refinement process. Most won’t make it to the end, and many aren’t worth fooling around with from the beginning, but each has to be weighed before discarding. Working in collaboration with commercial clients, most illustration ideas are going to be task-driven, and will be a blend of your ideas and the client’s regarding concept, style and desired results.

Somewhere in here also has to be addressed the impact of original vs. derivative ideas. For a visual artist and especially one working commercially, purely original ideas are hard to come by. We’re bombarded by visual imagery from the first day we open our eyes, then later are drawn to and/or repelled by most everything we see that other artists have done – this can’t help but affect our style and how we see the world through art. How we control and channel our own likes, dislikes and influences through our work, all the while adding whatever personal flavoring we bring to the equation determines how original our artistic solutions will be. Recognizing and utilizing influences is a balancing act that’s always there when generating ideas.

Lastly, I think ideas spring from that overused word, passion. It’s why we do what we do instead of pursuing any of the millions of other occupations available in the world. Speaking only for myself, I want to add my spin and polish to whatever visual problem is put in front of me, as long as it’s something that I can relate to. Generating good ideas is more often than not hard work, and the effort needs to be applied where it will do the most good both for the artist and for the resulting work. -John Maggard

A mysterious internal response to an ever-changing external set of chance meetings. -Lorraine Tuson

My ideas come from nature. I am an avid gardener and I am always in awe of the design found in natural things. The hardest part of drawing nature is keeping its fresh and random quality. I love taking a natural theme (such as shells), and combining the many shapes and textures to create patterns. -Lisa Ballard

Ideas come from playing. -Penelope Dullaghan

The most common comment I hear when asked this is, “ideas are everywhere”. But to me that’s a cop-out because our society cannot see the forest through the trees. For me ideas come from staring at the stars, or a plant in the crack on the driveway. Yes, the Internet is also full of useful images, but where does one start? Back to the basics, I say! For me this is an endless journey, because problem solving is a passion of mine. -Geoffrey P Smith

Ideas come from doing, not planning. The best ideas I’ve ever had came to me in the process of making creative work, not from sitting down and intellectualizing my next move. -Grant Gilliland

Now that’s a good question! Ideas are a kind of cross-pollination of thought and problem parameters that comes from combining one or more unlike things to create a third, more synergetic association. It starts with research; I look through information relevant to the problem at hand, making lists of items and key words that can drive the direction of thought. Next, I take the information and start to play with it without judgment – it’s called free association. I take some of these key words or essential elements from the lists and literally connect them to see if there’s a potential association there. For example, if you take the word magnet and library and think about what associations they make, you come up with a series of thought-play ideas. I’m hoping for some kind of visual metaphor or analogy that will help communicate the concept of whatever it is I’m trying to get across. So… Library+Magnet=What? I think of a place where information storage plus some kind of pulling force comes together. The human brain would be considered a a kind of information storage unit and the attractive force might be a lighted billboard sign. Or the Rosetta stone, the key to interpreting several dead languages, might have Space Odyssey monolith-like properties that attract the monkeys.

Once all of the play is done, it’s time to see which of the ideas might have merit for the problem at hand. Maybe some that are seemingly way off base will lead to something else by association. This is the portion of the event that we must judge or deem relevant to solving the problem. That, and a healthy amount of sketching, usually bring good results. -Larry Moore