Social media avatars – photos, logos, or both?

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and blogs all use avatars as personal ‘icons’ for members. Depending on the image you choose, these postage stamp-sized images can portray you as professional, playful, creative, silly or somber. The questions for business and individuals are, “Do I use a photo, logo, or combination of the two?” and “How do I [...]

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YMCA: Just Call Us ‘the Y’…

On July 12, 2010, the YMCA announced the first update to its identity in in 43 years. The biggest change seems to be the elevation in importance of the ‘Y,’ similar in usage to McDonalds use of the slang, MickeyD. The Young Men’s Christian Association (“YMCA” or in the USA “the Y”) is a worldwide [...]

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Why We Don’t Do Spec Work

The asset of our studio is our artistry — the creative solutions to the communications problems and opportunities facing our clients. And innovative originality can be tough to define, or agree upon. One person’s passion is often another’s poison. So it’s no wonder that potential clients often ask us to take a project on speculation. That is, to try out our creative product in much the same way they may try out a car before purchasing. Unfortunately, we must turn down such projects.

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10 Harsh Truths about Websites of Large Organizations

Early this year, Smashing Magazine posted an article detailing the 10 Harsh Truths about Websites of Large Organizations. As a designer who has work in both agencies and marketing communications departments, I can attest to the validity of each one of the 10 truths. Here are the ten with our comments...

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