Confessions of a Graphic Designer

The customer may not always be right, but will they always be a customer? How can a business convert a customer into a brand evangelist? One way is to be methodical. When I was designing projects for Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) one approach was based on the notion that employees can become emissaries who spread good buzz, as well as become extensions of the sales force. If someone isn't fully aware of all its company does or produces, it means an opportunity to provide a recommendation could be lost. By arming employees with knowledge, it increased chances for potential customers to learn about a company through an enthusiastic, trusted source. AC devised fun and rewarding ways to familiarize employees with the capabilities of their companies. Social media echoes a time when companies actually cared. Recently I had two very different, but equally vexing problems. Instead of going through the normal channels, I tweeted. Then I waited. In bot...

Why transparency matters What if you didn't know the real names of your doctor, lawyer or accountant? Most social media acquaintances aren't exactly on a parallel plane with professional or collegial relationships — but how about your friends? In 2008, when I began on Twitter, it wasn't unusual to see people using descriptive monikers instead of their real names. Only early adopters might remember @TrendTracker or @TrendyDC. Today we know them as  @GlenGilmore and @AnnTran_ . They recognized their Twitter identities were going to be significant and went public at a point where their major growth was ahead of them. It enabled them to start positioning themselves as brands, and I believe they helped others feel comfortable about following suit. It's about trust I think most of us appreciate it when their connections on social media are transparent about who they are.    If I'm being honest with someone, I hope they'll afford me the same courtesy. ...

Or, why does my stuff look different on screen versus on paper? Every designer searches for "truth in color," whether it's finding the right blue to evoke feelings of trust and stability or choosing a green that says a company is forward thinking, environmentally-aware, but also serious, not playful. Recently I was working on a project that was governed by a pre-existing corporate style guide. For those who don't know, corporate standards, graphic standards, brand guidelines and similar descriptors, refer to a document that delineates important aspects of a company's image. Some of the elements it usually addresses include use of the logo; fonts for print and web; graphic elements such as bands and gradients and shapes (such as rounded corners instead of sharp ones); whether the corporate style is to use illustrations versus photos, and corporate/secondary/tertiary color palettes. During the course of working on this project, the client noticed how differ...