Image courtesy of flickr user benoitvinceaux

This article is inspired by an article I read in Wired by Edward Tufte quite awhile back, and since then PowerPoint has reached a new iteration and has become even more pervasive.

I’m writing this article because after finishing another semester, I look back on the last few weeks fondly and yet there is a large black mark upon those memories. That black mark sits directly upon final presentations in my International Trade Finance class. And if I see another black on navy, cerulean on white monstrosity I might cry.

PowerPoint, an Education in Saying Nothing

It is my opinion that PowerPoint and the complicity of our education system are killing the fine art of rhetoric, that’s speaking for those of you that are proficient in said program. There was once a time when a presenter had to stand on his own, with only a podium to hide his shame and fear.

Now it seems like anyone willing to stand up can put together a PowerPoint and call what they’re doing a presentation or a speech. generic images far too often take the place of useful content, placing aesthetic above content and cohesion. This is what I refer to a the clip art mentality.

I can remember in 7th grade when I first discovered powerpoint and clip art, and I’m told powerpoints are now used in many grade schools. At the time I questioned the need for such venal window dressing, but my teacher assured me that people wouldn’t pay attention to a presentation without graphics. No doubt, that what the teachers’ book for the class said as well.

This is a problem for me because it enforces inattentiveness, and a near contempt for content and detail.In short this approach teaches mediocrity

Further more I take issue with the emphasis on the bullet point format.

• Its condecending, “bullet points” imply some sort of forceful authority of the speaker by means other than actual knowledge of the subject.
• They lack detail and solid information
• Like talking points in politics, they are the most simple one sided view of any issue
• Most information does not lend itself to lists
• and would be more meaningful as a paragraph
• They smack of a cheesy sales pitch, think time share

Why are you trying to sell me something?

Because of their lack of detail and focus on gloss most PowerPoint presentations come across as a sales pitch. It is sad to think that the art of oration is being ground into a routine of selling a flimsy idea. Don’t get me wrong, I’m always in support of selling something but the content needs to be there. I especially have a problem with general education focusing on this ell yourself mentality. It isn’t intellectually or academically honest or meaningful.

Roundup

Our schools with help from Microsoft are using PowerPoint to make us all mindless machines for buying and selling. Ditch PowerPoint for awhile and learn to present without it, you’ll find that you don’t need clip art or bullet points to get your point across.

My Inspiration

This design was inspired by a photo of a friend, Sean, who is a painter. The first published version can be found here. This initial version was a bit of a social cometary, but I noticed that there was a definite focus on fashion especially with the bright pink and yellow scarf. So my concept was born, and I decided that pink and yellow would be my palette.

Design Elements

I used stars for several reasons.

• Retro fashion appeal
• They can be used to point to things
• Symbolism / Connotation

If you notice, I make use of a lot of diagonal lines. Primarily, they already existed in the original image. They also form leading lines that guide your eyes in a circular path around the image.

Sean’s eyes are looking at the words fashion star, which is my attempt to create irony. His semi hipster attire might imply that he would shun the label. It was also in my opinion a nice subtle touch.

Notes on Design Trends

• Again I’m making use of halftones, which are still popular in grunge and fashion designs online.
• Bright Colors, pink and yellow are very spring, and 80’s retro like the stars
• Texture, as in material texture, is great in Fashion Designs on the web

As always, I hope this helps with your design queries and quandaries

This is one of a few carryover ideas from my old blog, and was prevously reserved for the likes of Mr. Trump himself.

However, I just saw an article on Wired about a scientist who discovered a new type of trapdoor spider in Alabama and named it after Neil Young. The spider has been officially named Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi.

There are several reasons this qualifies as my pick for Hilarious Branding

• Neil Young is insulted in in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama
• Young is from Canada
• It come at an interesting time, as Young has always been a tireless political activist

This is a great example of someone having thier name permenantly attached to something weird, irrelevant, or humorus.

A few months ago I played the role of Antonio in Shakespeare’s The Tempest at Dickinson College. I was great getting back into theatre and especially preforming Shakespeare. We even got to work with professional actor Fred Morsell who was an inspiration as well as a riot backstage.

The whole production I couldn’t help but think of how acting is a lot like marketing, selling another person’s idea to a group of relatively unknown consumers all the while trying not to make an ass of one’s self.

5 Lessons I Learned

1. Make Eye Contact

Unless you’re working with wild animals, then moderate eye contact may imply a connection. Eye contact also helps to establish strong nonverbal communication, or step one in detecting BS.  In a pinch your unblinking gaze might just make people uncomfortable enough to just give in rather than face another awkward moment of your silent condemnation.

2. Look Like You’re Listening

That isn’t to say that you shouldn’t listen, but people tend to ramble and over explain, especially when uncomfortable or confused. If you have mastered the previous step then prepare for a few minutes of senseless jaw flapping. Moreover, every conversation much like theatre involves a certain amount of filler. If you don’t look like you’re listening, then you’ve broken character, so suck it up and smile and nod when you hear an anecdote about your client’s hilarious/insightful/adorable child/evil spawn.

3. Dress the Part

If you call yourself the Duke of Milan, you had better be wearing a sweet crown and some shiny medals. When you’re meeting with a client it’s no different. As a marketer you’re supposed to have your thumb on the pulse of today’s hot trends, so lose the button down collar and and four in hand tie knot.

4. Express Yourself

Hand gestures convey meaning and reinforce step 2. However, bare in mind that you aren’t a character in the Godfather. When speaking keep your hands below and between your shoulders. It is also advisable to maintain a safe and respectable distance from clients and coworkers. No one should lose an eye when you triumphantly point your finger in the air!

5. When In Doubt, Bring Your Sword

Props aren’t just for the stage, they have applications in almost any setting, especially the office. Business Cards, Portfolios, and those weird little promotional things are all props. And just like in theatre good use of props help to draw attention away from your otherwise glaring deficiencies. For example, when introduced to someone new, hand them your business card, they will take a long second to look it before filing it in a pocket. In that time you can straighten your tie, wipe regain composure after an inappropriate water cooler joke, or switch from you half-retarded goofing off mode to some semblance of professionalism.

With these tips and a little practice you too can come across as knowledgeable, likable, and in time maybe even worth keeping around.

For my Random Design this Week I chose to do a hypothetical fashion ad.

So I found a cool stock image on deviantArt, which if you don’t know is a great place to pick up stock images. This photo was taken by *faestock. OK, so with crediting the photographer out of the way, which is only polite, back to my idea. **This image can be viewed at full size on my deviantArt page.

I was inspired by a number of recent trends, including grunge brushes, web 2.0 reflections, bright stripes, and the ever popular halftone filter. Initially I wanted to take the girl and reflect her on a glassy “floor.” That was as simple as copying and flipping her followed by a gradient and appropriate transparency.

The pose was my next inspiration, it looked like her Spidey sense was tingling. So I tired to give that life in radiating rings some of which I broke up with halftones to create a visual metaphor for tingling. I was hoping to achieve a subtle touch like I mentioned in an earlier post.

The color palette was drawn from the original image, literally with the eyedropper tool. I tried to keep it mostly cool with a couple of warm accents. I wanted to create the impression of abstract “cool” but keep some sort of earthy, human, or organic touch.

The Circles are supposed to be very feminine in contrast to the straight dividing line, stripes, and cityscape. It was no mistake either that the straight lines and circles inhabit different halves of the image.

I hope this provides some insight into my creative process, and please comment as I love to get input.

The Commercial

I’ve been a fan of Discovery® since I was 5, back when they mostly showed videos of African wildlife, and I don’t mean to knock wildlife videos because they’re the best!

So that being said, I’m sure that any of you that are fans have seen their new commercials, if not check them out. The song struck me as familiar, in the sense that it reminded me of my youth but also because I had heard it before. However I couldn’t remember where so I asked around and it turns out that it is based on an old camp song used by the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts.

I have to give the commercial 5 Stars. Most importantly it hits their whole product line, in this case shows, and that’s always a good idea. The clips are well chosen and showcase the amazing shots that Discovery is renowned for, the attention to detail is amazing. And like any good advertisement, it sticks in your head like that BB from Christmas of ‘94. I digress, the camp song is really catchy as they are supposed to be and paired with the matching clips it not only sticks in your head but you remember it’s about the Discovery channel.

The Logo

The old logo wasn’t bad at all but it was starting to show its age. Black text in logos isn’t really the latest in design trends; it’s very formal and serious. They were well served by limiting themselves to 3 colors, which ensures easy reproduction and clarity at various sizes. The downside: Aside from their recognizable font and globe this logo lacks a single defining trait or shape, which is to say that neither of those elements alone can represent discovery. You need the font, words, and globe.

The new logo is in my opinion beautiful. The font has been updated and looks more modern and clean. They have limited their color palette to just Blue and White. Blue is a universally safe color, there is no culture where blue has a particularly negative connotation, which is why it is used frequently for business media. White at least in a western context is bright and clean. The removal of the bar is a strong choice; they’ve come closer to the essence of their brand without losing anything. The best part: The intersection of the globe and the “D” plays upon the previous incarnation but creates a defining element. If you now see a globe intersecting a “D” from the left it is identifiable as Discovery®.

The Lesson:

• Catchy, pretty commercials have to be identifiable with your brand. People need to be say “hay did you see that [your company] commercial,” not “hey did you see that commercial with [your great idea]?”
• Logos should be designed with print in mind.
• Logos need a defining element.
• When in doubt blue is in. (for now)

A while back I was surfing through some pages about business cards when I came across a clip from American Psycho in which the main character Patrick Bateman is comparing business cards. If you haven’t seen the film or read the book, Bateman is a killer with an MBA and an unfulfilling job in upper management. Despite his lack of interest in his work, he is very imaging conscious and stresses over the approval of his peers. This is a sentiment that many of us in the fields of marketing and design can relate to.

At first glance all of the cards appear unimaginative and corporate standard. The differences come in nuances of background color and typeface. The colors are as similar as bone and egg shell, but one card stands out. While the others differentiate with more fashionable typefaces or raised lettering, Paul Allen’s has a watermark. The watermark doesn’t stand out at a distance but up close it’s something truly special within the confines of the otherwise bland corporate format.

There is a lesson to be learned here about the power of subtlety. A small difference in style or presentation can go miles to set you apart. Appreciation for nuance also says a lot about you a designer or marketing professional, it lets customers know that you will pay attention to them and their project.

Roundup: Small details = Differentiation, Detail orientation speaks volumes