I am sure that this is utterly over played at this point, but I just think its a really fun and creative idea. Not sure if I personally would do it, but then again why not? It also reminded me a lot of the dance groups that break out in dance in public. I can't remember what it is called, but a lot of broadway shows do it as advertisement, which I think makes it really fun and interactive for the public. Its also one of those things that people can't help but smile at! Which is the whole point of ideas like this. It relates to design for me in some ways, because I think designers should make things that make their viewer smile.

Design is a creative process and while I tend to be very organized and sometimes quite serious in my designs, I also feel like things should be playful. Good examples of these are ads from Target. They always do a great job of bringing the hand into their designs and a lot of their ads are just plain fun! So have fun, play. That's how some of the best ideas are found.

How great is advertising?  I was working on a website at work and went to my pandora to see what song was playing and this add was bright and bold next to the pandora music bar.  Now, being thursday, I'm starting to think about the weekend and this picture has now got me thinking about how badly I would love to be sitting on the beach with one of these in hand.  The second amazing part of this is that there are three stations on Pandora for "Bud Light Lime".

1. Bud Light Lime Beach Radio

2. Bud Light Lime BBQ Radio

3. Bud Light Lime Summer Fun Radio

Now of course I'm listening to the first and wanting even more to be at the beach.  And you know what, I'll probably be buying a Bud Light Lime tonight at a bar.  mmmmm.....summer

News from IDEO

http://patterns.ideo.com/issue/brand_morsels_in_down_times/

So as you may know, I admire IDEO. I like what their company stands for and they are a great resource, tool and motivator for me as a designer. Well here's another tid-bit that may be interesting to the budding designer (not un-like myself) as well as for the fellow business person.

Survival of the Fittest

In today's economy, survival is key. It will weed out the weak and focus on the strong. Many people take the recession as a negative time. One with fewer job opportunities, lower incomes and an inferior quality of life. However, this idea needs to be turned on its head. Our economy is indeed going through a hard time, but a recession can also be a very powerful, empowering time. The companies that will survive this time, will be the companies who can think critically, thoughtfully and flexibly.

During a downturn, companies and people have to become the best at what they do. They have to really focus on who their customer is, what their needs are and how to fulfill those needs. They have to be original and creative in finding the best, most efficient and most effective solutions to a problem. It is less about the quantity of ideas that can come out of a team, but the quality of ideas. People are searching for the best ways to do things in an attempt to save money. And in some ways this means being more creative with their lifestyle.

In times of a good economy, fewer people have to think of different ways to go about their lives. They can complete tasks with more ease and normally have fewer worries on the affects of their decisions. During a recession, people become more cautious, so they research, compare and contrast products and services. This means that the companies that will survive, will be those companies who are focused on serving their customer with the best services and products at the least cost. In turn, this means companies will depend on their employees to be creative in how to serve these needs.

Furthermore, the companies that will still be around in the next year and a half, will be those that had some of the best, most creative solutions to the problems society faces today.

IDEO...My Dream Job

For the past 4 years or more I have idolized anyone who works at IDEO.  The company is the epitome of what design means to me.  It is creative, interactive, inclusive, team-oriented and above all the company is process based.  They really care about solving a problem and not just to say they solved it.  They want to find the best and most effective solution for both their client as well as for their users.

Unlike many other jobs, they are not a typical desk job.  They ask (and require) that their workers get out into the world to find real life answers to the problems they are looking at.  They understand that the design process is not sitting at a desk all day staring at a computer screen.  It is about getting out there and finding inspiration from the world around you.  Designers are not meant to be cooped up working on their Adobe programs for 8 hours, they are meant to constantly be up, moving and searching for something, anything, that gets them ticking.  Problems do not solve themselves.  They require full attention, play, refinement, research and team work to find the best solutions.

Today I think that's the problem with so many design firms.  Employees feel as if they need to be sitting at their desks all day or it looks as if they're not working.  How is it that design came to be this way?  We are in an age where right-brainers are a vital part of our economy and as a right-brainer I know that I do not work my best while sitting in a desk chair.  I work best while my brain is running and my hands are moving.

If you're a designer, get inspired by this video about IDEO.  The way they work gets my heart racing every time I watch this because these people truly are designers and they truly care about solving the problem. 

Not all who wander are lost...

My whole life I have been a wanderer. I could never just stick with one thing and have it be the one thing I would do for the rest of my life. Instead, I always wanted to explore, try new things and if they didn't work out I would just try, try again.

Since high school I could never define myself as one kind of a person. I was never 'just' a basketball player or a thespian. I was a volleyball player, a pianist, a vocalist, a photographer, an artist, an activist. I enjoyed trying different clubs, meeting new people, learning from them and if it didn't feel right I would move on. Sometimes I wonder if I should have just chose one thing and focused on it (become an 'expert'), but the more I think about it, the more I would not have it any other way.

You could say I'm a wanderer, but I have learned how to find joy in a plethora of activities while learning a few things along the way. I've learned what keeps me ticking and what gets me out of bed in the morning.

I've also learned that my experiences (these explorations) are a part of who I am, a part of my constant devotion to figure things out about myself and about "reality". I know there is always something new to discover and learn about and I know I'm not lost at all. I'm just finding new paths.