Confessions of a Graphic Designer

Seattle is nestled between two incredibly beautiful mountain ranges and bordered by Elliott Bay. Seattle is innovative. Amazon, Starbucks, Nordstrom, UPS, Microsoft, Costco, REI, Boeing and many other companies, began here. It's a big city, but it is still a place where people wait for the light to turn green before they cross the street. Waiting for the light to turn green on Denny St. in Seattle by Terri Nakamura I don’t think of Seattle as a trendy place, but I do have friends who have to jump on every new thing, When Rolfing was in, they were Rolfed. Eggs and butter were banished for years. When low-carb diets were de rigueur, they eschewed bread, pasta, rice and potatoes. When colonics came along, they had their innards flushed. Personal trainers, massages, French manicures, vegan or raw diets, yoga, Pilates, spinning, rock climbing...the list goes on. Maybe my standards are too low, but I’m basically happy with the way I am. Alone among my friends, I don’t dye...

The City of Seattle is in the process of deciding whether or not to eliminate ride-sharing services such as Uber , Lyft and Sidecar . Is that a good thing? If you've ever watched Portlandia , you have an idea of what it's like to live 200 miles north. Seattle is very open and progressive, but at the same time it feels the need to regulate almost everything. Our City Council can get bogged down on inane issues, such as spitting in public parks. However, when communication delivery shifted from print to the web, would it have made sense for the Seattle City Council to regulate online information sources in order to keep local  printers in business? Of course not. Which brings us back to getting around town. The taxi industry is in revolt over the unfairness of competing with ride-sharing enterprises. Taxis are subjected to layers of regulation, where ride-sharing entities are not. It makes sense to analyze the different requirements for ride sharing and t...

I'm a long-time consumer of new technology, which is unusual since I'm old enough to be the mom of a huge percentage of people on social media! Many of my peers are befuddled by technology and social media. Some have joined Facebook and Twitter and now blog, and some are now using tablets, smart phones and e-readers. I have been often asked for help and advice. This year I've had the opportunity to access new products, from portable drives to smart phones, back up batteries and gadgets. Some have been amazing and great; others have been okay, and yet others have been disappointing. I'm writing this recap of some products I've either purchased, funded, or have been given to test this year. I hope you find some of my opinions useful! Smart phones: I'm a long-time iPhone user (currently using the iPhone5), but recently was given the chance to use the Samsung Galaxy S4 . It was my first encounter with the Android operating system. Those alread...

Why I think Empire Avenue is a legitimate tool. More than two years ago I began playing Empire Avenue. Created in 2010, there was a great deal of excitement when Empire Avenue made its splash into the social media mainstream in the spring of 2011. Well-known people in social media jumped in, and many are still active players. Last year some of them stopped. One player told me he thought it took too much time. And certainly in the beginning, it could be time-consuming. Others could never really figure out how to play, and although they are still there, their accounts are dormant. As Empire Avenue has continued to evolve from strictly a social media stock market game to a social media tool, some perceived Empire Avenue in a negative way. This new perception came about with the advent of "missions," which offers rewards to players who complete tasks. Some people perceive missions as "buying influence." But some of these same people are also buying fo...

When it comes to navigating the social maze, it helps to know someone who is omniscient. After college, I had a roommate we affectionately called "Truck." Truck was petite and pretty, and had the most insanely beautiful eyes in the world. Being a New Yorker, and having been raised by a very proper Austrian mother, Truck knew everything about correct behavior. When she moved to Seattle, she was much more sophisticated than anyone in our group of laid-back Seattle friends. It was like she was adult and the rest of us were still figuring things out. And she knew obscure things for someone our age to know: She knew an oriental rug should have a pad; she knew burned food was carcinogenic; she knew how to COOK.  Her mom worked for a major publishing house in New York, so she was very well read. She had impeccable manners and a vast knowledge of etiquette. When we worked on a magazine together, some of the guys in our office called her Miss Manners. She took ...

I love Instagram , the smart phone app! It is one of the coolest social media platforms as it allows us to express who we are through the photos we take. Through Instagram’s built-in filters and additional applications, it’s possible for an average person to look like a professional photographer. It’s great to see your images come to life Also, Instagram is a terrific social channel for discovering people and communicating with them. You can participate by posting photos; by following the photo streams of other users; by liking and commenting; or simply participate as a spectator. In any case, you will be treated to new and interesting photos every moment of the day, and can converse with people, unhampered by a 140 character limit. Having spent a great deal of my life standing beside photographers as I direct photo shoots, it’s a lot of fun to actually be the shooter. I’ve not read any “how-tos” regarding Instagram, and came about the following suggestions through tri...

When you're in your twenties, you'll live forever. You're the center of the universe. You are invincible! But for some strange reason, one day shortly after I’d started my design business, something in the obituaries caught my eye and I began to read. As a young adult in my early 20s, it occurred to me these people were now gone, and reading about them in the obits was undoubtedly the last chance I would have to ever cross that person’s path. I was “meeting” them shortly after they'd departed. A social media friend once told me she'd asked her niece to contact me in case anything ever happened to her. And it made me think about my own relationships with friends on Twitter and other social media channels. Some are people I regard fondly, and I would want to know if something happened to them. And in turn, I would want them to know if something happened to me. Do most of us have some sort of plan in place? Local notices include the people in our own back ...

Common sense says you should follow whomever you want. But recently I read a post by a blogger who felt everyone on Twitter—especially those in "leadership" positions—should follow everyone back. It might sound good in theory, but here are some thoughts to ponder: Some followers may not be worthy of a follow back. If you check before you click the "follow" button, you might find: • Accounts that have posted no tweets. Maybe their abandoned accounts have been taken over by squatters, or they could be fake accounts created for people who buy followers. • Questionable content — X-Rated timelines; "Tweeps" (Twitter peeps) who use a lot of foul language; Businesses that tweet exclusively about their products and services; Tweeps who post spam or tweet the same message over and over • Accounts that broadcast one-way outgoing feeds with no interaction with anyone • Those who use TrueTwit validation to weed out "bots....

WE CUT PEOPLE LOOSE from our lives for a variety of reasons. Maybe they have been dishonest, unkind, or simply obnoxious. But even after jettisoning someone, they can persist in the back of one's mind. Instead of pledging to work out at the gym or go on a diet, for the new year, try lightening your load by exercising the power of forgiveness. Negative feelings take energy even when you're not thinking about them. It's like a faucet leak. You know it should be dealt with somehow, but it's easier to be passive and let that drip, drip, drip reside in the background. The process of forgiving To start, it means taking stock of what has gone sideways and moving forward with an action, like a phone call, email, or even meeting in person. The intent is to share the problem with the desire to sweep it away and start over. It's like giving someone a second chance. A former colleague did something unethical to me. At first I was hurt, then angry. The an...

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...

Watch for the warning signs of a heart attack Around 6 PM Sunday evening I started to feel a heavy, painful pressure in my chest. Having experienced something similar before, I wasn't too concerned, but as it grew stronger and more difficult to ignore, and as the pain radiated to my jaw, I started to worry. Google is my friend. Typing in keywords "heart attack symptoms in women," I scanned the list and recognized some of the signs. I walked into the kitchen and popped an aspirin. My husband and son were there and I let them know what was happening. My husband suggested I call the consulting nurse, so I did. The consulting nurse quickly came to the conclusion I needed to call 9-1-1. So I hung up and dialed, then waited. Within a few minutes I could hear a distant siren that grew louder and louder until it stopped in front of our house. Moments later I found a dozen people of all colors, ages and genders in my living room, including firemen, medics, paramedics...

Following up on my previous post about transparency , I'd like to share a list of 30 people who fit the bill. Beside being "authentic" and nice, their timelines include a mixture of content and conversation. I've come to know most via email, Skype, phone or in real life. They've trusted me and shared their lives, and I look forward to seeing them whenever our paths cross. I think you'll find most to be kind, funny, smart, or have a fascinating story—or all of the above. All have fewer than 10,000 "organically* acquired followers." And in my book, all are worth knowing. I hope you'll check them out! They are listed in reverse alphabetical order, including their follower numbers (in parenthesis) at the time this post was written: NOTE: When you follow someone new, it's good to post a friendly shout to say hello and let them know you're a new follower. It increases the chances they'll follow you back. @zaharoff (5,...