There is a lot of confusion out there surrounding the word "brand". People use the word differently, but frequently, it's one of the following definitions: Brand (Image) - Many people use the word brand to refer to a logo. That graphic or word mark that represents an organization. We all know these. They are the iconic logos like the: Swoosh,

Lets take a look at old school marketing. Online advertising is important, I'll give you that. But don't forget the other vehicles; print, billboard, radio, television, give aways, trade shows, transit shelters, word of mouth...you know what I am talking about. No matter how powerful your website is, you can add to it with traditional marketing.

There have been a couple times throughout my career that I have been asked if the creative aspect of graphic design really matters. In other words, does the creativity and the quality of the design of a marketing piece have to be high or is it simply enough to just have the piece with the information on it? That question has always rubbed me the

It's been a while since we've talked about Social Media. You know, those crazy websites with cutesy names like Twitter, Digg, StumbleUpon and the less cutesy-named but growing powerhouse, Facebook. But don't take our silence on the topic as a lack of enthusiasm or interaction with it as a valuable tool in the arsenal of a marketer and

The Haka - a traditional Maori dance which has been popularized by the New Zealand All Blacks Rugby team. It's a powerful and intimidating sight. One that not only sounds the call to the opposing team that they are up for a fight, but perhaps more importantly, it is an experience that undoubtedly draws the All Blacks together in unity as they

I can't recall how long ago now, but likely in the range of two years or so, I started seeing ads by a company called Brand Power. The first time I saw one I thought it was terrible. It might have been for cough drops or some other medical product, I can't recall. I just remember thinking it was a horribly boring and unappealing commercial. In

Whenever we start a custom project with a new client there are a few questions we always want answered. The first has to do with knowing the scope of our involvement in their communications. Some organizations call us with the intention of having us work with them on solely on a given project: an ad, an annual report or a website. Others, invite

We live in a world that feels like it's moving at a hundred miles an hour. Speed is believed to be of the essence. We attack every problem with speed and aggression not considering that each problem would benefit from it's own approach...and that that approach might not be speedy or aggressive. Lewis Pugh talks about how he learned this lesson

Today I want to hone in on the concept of 'space'. And no, by 'space' I'm not referring to, “the final frontier”. Rather, I'm talking about Negative Space – the area around and between the subject(s) of an image. To borrow from the Wikipedia definition of Negative Space: The use of equal negative space, as a balance to positive