The QR Code and Smartphone Experiment
I wanted to test to see how easy it would be to change something that is 2-D into an interactive and viral experience. I did an experiment to test 2-D bar code readers on mobile phones at a CamCreative meeting in Cambridge on the 28th of October. The result was a room full of creative people seeing new potential for these stunningly beautiful symbols that have been around since 1994.
Do You Have A Plan?
As I earnestly network to establish myself across the pond, I occasionally encounter folks puttering along without what I consider a necessity for achieving their objective: a plan. Don’t get me wrong; these are intelligent business people. Clearly this is not a cultural phenomenon for I witnessed this back home too. For whatever reason, each has neglected to define his or her raison d’être. Nor have they bothered to take an accurate bearing of their current situation. Therefore, they cannot critically assess the resources required (skills, money, time, location…) nor evaluate their risk tolerance (emotional, personal, financial obligations…) to determine if they can succeed. The head smacker is that they haven’t even asked some of the most basic questions to determine whether their business concept is viable. Yet when queried about their “plan” they respond with either, “I don’t have one” or, worse, “Oh, I don’t have time for that!”
No Comparison
My head is still spinning from the diverse displays of patriotism and cultural pride demonstrated this July in England. It’s just that in the states there really isn’t a comparison for any of these events.
Preparing Images for Print and Online Publication
Throughout my career as a designer, I have educated my fair share of people who needed to publish images either online or in print. I would be asked why the image was too small to print. Or why, when they uploaded their logo, it appeared distorted as if it were reflected in a funhouse mirror. Too many times a friend has been disappointed after receiving a print that looked nothing like the vibrant image displayed on his or her computer screen.
Everyone at some point has to publish a digital image, even if it is only to a Facebook page. Understanding the basics is of benefit the next time you publish an image in any format. Hopefully this tutorial will also be a valuable educational resource for those of you who, like me, rely on receiving images from non-professionals to get our jobs done. For all of you, this is a tutorial on preparing images for print and online publication.
Take The Facebook B2B Litmus Test
481 million people globally are actively using Facebook. Clearly, for any business or organization to ignore, dismiss or misunderstand this global trend would be a catastrophic mistake. Hold on– I am not passing around the Facebook Kool-Aid. Certainly, for many businesses or organizations Facebook is not an appropriate communication tool… or is it? Let’s look at who is a Facebook user and what are they doing on Facebook. Decide for yourself, by taking my litmus test, whether it needs to be in your corporate communications mix.
Saving Signets
Summer with all its heady abundance of life is here! The sun is bright, the breeze is gentle and the Great River Ouse is teeming with couples parading newborns up and down its lush green banks. Little signets, ducklings and tiny coots serenely learn to navigate the tranquil river under the supervision of their parents.
Survival is slim even in the best circumstances, but parents’ misjudgment of the river’s current does not improve the chances. This morning a swan couple, who live upstream with seven signets, ventured too close to the weir’s treacherous edge. Two hapless signets were washed over the side. Their sudden plummet into the river below did no immediate harm, except they were now separated from the safety of their parents with zero chance of surviving on their own.
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