Another season of Project Runway has started. And, as always, the designers are rushing to get ground-breaking designs done under near-impossible deadlines. The show reminds me of somewhere—oh yes, work.
I only mention the show because it got me to think about Pantone’s seasonal color picks for 2010. They just announced what’s “in” for spring. Check out the fashion color report here to see what is currently “in” (And, check out my previous blog post see what was “in” for fall). Designers in all fields, including b2b marketing, can benefit from knowing what colors are in. Good news for Canyon, turquoise is at the top of the list.
My favorite quote from the report is “practical neutrals provide a safety net for cautious consumers.” But, Heidi Klum said it best on Project Runway, “Colors, one day you’re in and the next you’re out.” You are so correct Heidi.
Will you be incorporating some of these new colors into your spring design work?
Willie Nelson says that music hasn’t changed much in his lifetime. “It’s all music,” Nelson says. “You got so many notes and there’s so many words to throw in there, and you get different people mixing it up different ways. But you put it all together, and that’s music.”
Replace the word music with design. Design is the arranging of elements, just as music is the arrangement of notes. The way music is transferred between people has no doubt changed in Willie’s lifetime (e.g. iPod, MP3s, downloads). But, Willie isn’t trying to be anybody else but Willie Nelson. The way we distribute communications has changed too over the years (e.g. Internet, e-mail, Web sites) but we still read left to right, top to bottom.
Don’t let “the new ways” obstruct the goal of communicating simply with your audience, we’re still using the same notes. Find your company’s own unique voice, don’t worry about reinventing the wheel, communicate effectively and capture your companies own unique identity in the marketplace.
Stock is a good start if you’re making chicken soup, but as Chef Emeril would say, “kick it up a notch!”
Often stock photography is relied upon because it is budget-friendly and it can be uber-fast. It generally has what it takes to get the project done, but there is a risk of seeing your purchased photo used in somebody else’s campaign and nobody likes that, or even using a photo that unwittingly sends the wrong message.
A campaign supporting Measure WW, a $250 million bond measure to preserve open space for recreation and wildlife habitat in California, mistakenly used a picture of a frog that nobody wants in their parks.
The African clawed frog in the brochure is a non-native species that threatens indigenous frogs and small fish. It’s considered a pest in California creeks, streams and ponds and has been called the “Frog from Hell.” Not exactly the message Measure WW wanted to send.
Sometimes the photo and concept needed simply doesn’t exist, but that shouldn’t get in the way of making your project truly unique. Nine times out of 10 if you dream it we can make it happen and at a budget-friendly pace/price.
We just completed a photo shoot for a client and it was a great success! As Emeril would say, “BAM!”
Have you seen any different campaigns using the same photo? Any advertisement photography really stand out to you lately?
Ok, let’s just get this out in the open, I watch Project Runway. I find it interesting. I also watched a documentary on the famous designer Marc Jacobs on IFC and somewhere in that show he was included in a group of designers that were selected to pick the colors of that particular season.
None of them took this task lightly. These are the colors that appear in our wardrobes, on our textiles and surrounding our lives. Designers in every field take notice including designers in the print and advertising field.
“The fall 2009 palette is more unique and thoughtful than the typical autumnal hues of years past,” said Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. “Designers recognize the desire for fundamental basics that speak to current economic conditions, but also understand the need to incorporate vibrant color to grab the consumers’ eyes and entice them to buy.”
My personal favorites: Majolica Blue and the Iron. Do you have any favorites? Have you noticed these colors anywhere else other than clothing lately?
Sometimes taking care of business in the business-to-business business means people can get wrapped up in other peoples’ business. More specifically, we tend to focus heavily on what competitors’ or partners’ communications look like—browsing through trade magazines or other places that our own ads and messages may appear. Not that this is a bad thing. In fact, it’s a good thing. But, looking outside of your business is where ingenuity happens.
So, I suggest you remove the horse blinders on your business-to-business projects and look in all directions for inspiration and ideas. Here is one that caught my attention lately.
Children’s Books
Some of us parents have an excuse to read them again and again and again, for others this could be your chance. Often these books are printed with really extravagant techniques using special papers, inks, even sound and animation. Sure, your client is a widget company that might question your sanity when you use the animated teddy bear in their annual report. They might not mind, however, if you took the same technique and used it to show how their widget works, moves and behaves in a visually engaging way.
So, where do you find inspiration? Any good children’s books you’ve read lately (I’m always looking)? How many times can you use “business” in one sentence? Please share in the comments.
