Email and posting on the web etiquette

Thursday’s Management Idea for Successful Graphic Designers

It never fails to amaze me that people still don’t get that type can convey feeling and emotions. And once it’s on the internet, it can be there forever. AND, you can’t take it back.

Consider this: TYPING IN ALL CAPS SEEMS TO SCREAM AT YOU AND MAKES ME THINK YOU ARE MAD AT ME! It’s also makes it harder to read than let’s say, sentence case.

And you never know where your email, comment, or blog post may end up. So beware!

Here are some of my rules for writing emails and/or replies / comments on the web:

1. DO NOT CAPITALIZE AN ENTIRE PARAGRAPH! Unless you are very, very angry!
2. Avoid over-using punctuation!!!
3. Pay attention to your spelling and grammar
4. Be quick about it! Don’t make your answers long-winded!
5. Always re-read before clicking send or submit!
6. Don’t overuse abbreviations or emoticons (some people might not know what you are talking about!)
7. Don’t pass on chain letters, PLEASE!!!!!
8. Don’t spam
9. Don’t quote / report things without the other person knowing
10. Don’t claim its urgent if it’s not. It’s like crying wolf! Eventually, I won’t believe you!
11. The subject line should always be about what the comment / email is about!
12. No run on or long sentences
13. No long paragraphs. Keep it short!
14. Typography rules should always be applied.
15. Don’t swear!

T A K E A W A Y S :

Remember, it’s always about being appropriate. Think of who will be reading what you are writing. Especially if it’s on the web, it will be there forever! Your future boss or client may see it!

In a business context, emoticons, ALL CAPS and spelling mistakes may be unacceptable to use. If you are writing to a newbie to computers or an older person, using abbreviations (OMG) may not be a good idea.

Remember, it’s about getting your message across and not let anything detract from it! And of course, not writing something you’ll later regret!

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A new way of quickly creating SWF files with MindManager

Wednesday’s Production Idea for Graphic Designers

One of the most effective ways of making your site much more interactive is to add multimedia to it.

The flip side of that coin is that we probably don’t want to spend a ton of time creating SWF files.

Well, there’s a new easy way of doing it. And from an unexpected source: Mindjet’s MindManager. Roger C. Parker turned me onto MindManager a while ago when I first met him and I have been hooked ever since.

Well with MindManager version 8 for Windows, they’ve stepped it up a notch. You can create interactive SWF files! So, you can add these to your website or blogs and the reader can click through and use it as it’s meant to be used. And, no need for MindManager!

Uses for MindManager created SWF files:

1. Outline for your post
2. Shows the process / steps of a task
3. You can send them to clients for them to use on their websites
4. Great for going more into detail without using many words!
5. Preview or summary of an accompanying video, talk, or interview.

F I N A L    T H O U G H T S

I have but one complaint and that is that the MAC version of MindManager is always behind the Windows one. And everytime I use the Windows version, and I see the functionality it has, I’m always secretly jealous.

Is it worth switching to Windows? Nah, I’ve got Windows on my MAC and the only time I use it is for MindManager and Publisher (I know… But some of my clients want their newsletters done in Publisher.)

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Should we consider outside cultures when designing?

Tuesday’s Design Idea for Successful Graphic Designers

One of the first rules in graphic design is always “know your audience”.

There’s one problem with that: you never know who’s going to look at your design. Nifty little thing called globalization.

With the click of a mouse, your website or layout can be seen all over the world. It can go viral in a matter of hours.

Should be this be taken into account when designing?

Designing in a global world:

It may be impossible to predict who exactly will be looking at your work, but there is a way of ensuring that you aren’t stepping on any toes. Be courteous!

1. Don’t make fun of other cultures / ethnics (think of the commotion caused by the ads of the Spanish basketball team squinting their eyes)
2. Don’t poke fun at common held beliefs
3. Stay away from mocking politics and religion
4. Avoid using stereotypes
5. Don’t bring up history’s sour points: don’t make historical references to touchy subjects
6. Don’t make fun of past mistakes made from a group (some may be sensitive)
7. No personal attacks to any group or famous person

T A K E A W A Y S :

It’s impossible to learn every nuisance of every culture, and then create designs that deal with all of them.

You should always design for your primary audience. Just be aware that others might be seeing it too. So, use some common sense and courtesy when designing.

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Create your marketing plan for the year

Blogger’s note:

I hope you enjoyed the Holidays. Is it me, or do they seem to get shorter every year?

I want to take this opportunity to wish you all much happiness, fun, and prosperity in 2009!

I must confess, I was glad to see 2008 go. The last couple of months were horrible for me. I had the worst luck imaginable.

I undertook some renovations to my place and had 2 contractors flake out on me. (I had unfortunately paid one in full). So that led to weeks of delays, frustrations, and anger!

Then I came home on Christmas Eve/Christmas morning to find that the roof was leaking pouring in my kitchen. Irony of course being that I’d just painted a few short months ago!

But, I have been making some big plans for 2009. I’ll be slowly rolling them out. Probably starting in February! I’m launching a couple of accompanying sites and streamlining, reorganizing, and re-purposing my sites. So stay tuned!

Monday’s Promotion Tip for Successful Graphic Designers

In the spirit of the coming changes, none would have been possible if I hadn’t taken a step back and evaluated what I wanted to do and accomplish with my business.

One of my favorite sayings is: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” It’s very, very true. When I first started the blog, I would every month come up with a content plan. I would sit down and write out what I’d talk about everyday (of course, I would leave myself some leeway to post non-scheduled posts.)

Then, I made the planning easier in 2008, by introducing structure to my week. Each day of the week I’d post on one of the areas in my success cycle. I knew that on Monday’s I’d talk about promotion, Tuesday = design, Wednesday = production, Thursday = management, and Friday was anything that struck my fancy.

Well, then late 2008, once problems arose, I decided to post whenever the mood struck me. And, I’m afraid, it didn’t strike that often. I had other things on my mind, clients to handle, and deal with contractors that had no integrity. This drained me and so the blog was the furthest thing on my mind.

This year, I’m going back to planning.

Creating a marketing plan that works for you and your business

1. Boost your web presence: With updates to your website, blogs, forums, …
2. What marketing strategies will you use: Do you want to offer a tip of the week, newsletter, podcasts, …
3. What social media strategies will you use: Twitter, Facebook, …
4. How will you boost your SEO ranking: Posting comments on other blogs in your field, forums, …
5. How often will you be doing these: Determine if each of these need to be done on a daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly basis
6. Determine when you will do what: For instance, say you decide that every Tuesday you will send out your Tip of the Week, Wednesday’s your video comes out, …
7. Schedule them in! Don’t forget to add them to your calendar so that you won’t forget!

T A K E A W A Y S :

Make your marketing a priority by ensuring you know what strategies you will use, how much time you plan on dedicating to the tasks, and scheduling these in so that you don’t forget to do them!

I can say with absolute certainty that “out of sight is indeed out of mind”. You can easily get caught up with the day’s minutiae and client work, that you easily forget what you wanted to do — for your business. I don’t know about you, but I’d put my stuff behind everyone else’s.

We are in a society suffering from information overload. We are pulled in 1,000 different directions. Make it easier on yourself by planning ahead. Then you can avoid the whole “Oh, I meant to do it, but then I started doing _______ and forgot!”

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Photoshop taken too far?

Friday’s Creative Review for Graphic Designers

Last Wednesday, Dane Cook took to his MySpace page to vent his frustration on his new movie’s poster.

For a “lay-man” with only a “self-promotion” background, he does a pretty good job of analyzing the poster’s graphics.

I’ve copied and pasted the entire entry below (including his occasional use of profanity):

“Dear Diary

Before the downpour let me just say that my new movie, “My Best Friends Girl,” is the best / funniest film I’ve done yet. It’s got a terrific cast. Kate Hudson, Alec Baldwin, Jason Biggs, and myself really kicked the funny around. This movie showcases our talents accordingly as it expands on them. It’s a fun R-rated flick. An edgy comedy with a dash of romance.

That being said, let me address the fact that although I’m not a marketing major, I have a bit of a trusted reputation after 18 years self promoting. I’d like to inform you I had no say in this marketing campaign, but if I did, things would be different since it is obvious that this poster is boring / odd and has zero to do with the movie I performed in.

Here are a few things that truly blow about my upcoming movie poster to promote the release of the film opening on September 19th:

1. Graphics:
Whoever photoshopped our poster must have done so at taser point with
3 minutes to fulfill their hostage takers deranged obligations. They should have called Donnie Hoyle and had him give a tutorial using “You Suck at Photoshop” templates. This is so glossy it makes Entertainment Weekly look wooden.

2. My head:
The left side of my face seems to be melting off of my skull. I guess I am looking directly into the Ark of the Covenant? Are they going for the bells palsy thing here? My left side looks like Britney Spears’ vagina.

3. The Stare.
My character apparently has fallen in love with a strand of Kate Hudsons hair. Kate’s mannequin is desperately in love with the inside of my right ear while Jason is half stunned, half corsage.

4. Lips:
It looks like I’m wearing Maybelline Water Shine Diamonds Liquid Lipstick. My characters name is now Winter Solstice and I’m a hooker with a heart of gold. Jason is my floral carrying pimp, while Kate is my first trick!

5. Fashion:
My character is sporting a very high collar. I mean damn they should be snow capped at that altitude. It’s going for the vampire lurking in the castle basement vibe. An Olympic pole vaulter would have a tough go clearing that collar. I’m also able to turn my head comfortably 360 degrees, because I was raised in an abandoned barn by a family of owls.

6. Flesh:
It’s no secret that I’m more rugged facially due to a drunken visit by the teen acne fairy, but according to this poster I’ve got perfect porcelain flesh. I look like the fuckin’ bathroom floor at Caesars Palace. One of Marie Osmond’s dolls would look at me and say “shit … that guys got flawless skin!”

7. Hair:
It’s actually a close up shot of Tom Sellecks Magnum P.I. mustache they photo-slapped on my noggin’.

8. The set:
Pick one. This entire film takes place:

A. on Gattaca
B. at the Fortress of Solitude
C. inside a crystal wind chime

9. The cast:
Alec Baldwin is so fucking funny in this movie! Is he on the poster? I think so. He plays the wise talking plant Jason is clutching.

10. Final thoughts:
I set out to make a movie like the men and women, that you and I respect, are making. My generation of comedians, actors, directors and producers that I wish to collaborate with as I build a solid body of work.

Granted, one poster stinking up the joint isn’t the end of the world. Yet it sends the wrong message about our movie and I just wanted you to know, that I feel the pain. I really love the film and I know from past missteps marketing wise that the wrong poster sends the wrong audience into the theater.

Thanks again for all of your support. If you have not seen the red band trailer (which is excellent and represents the flick accordingly) watch it below! Just click of the mute button and your rolling!

PS – “Its funny what love can make you do.” I just threw up all over this awful poster.
Wow, wait … it looks better.

Hey … I love my new movie. Jeez … it IS funny what love can make you do.”

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