Article Archive

If you’ve found it easy to get around the new Guthrie Theater or find something inexplicably appealing about a Buffalo Wild Wings menu (beyond the food itself, that is), you have long-time Minneapolis graphic designer Tim Larsen to thank.

Digital design has permeated all facets of Larsen’s work. Among the many changes Larsen sees ahead is the infusion of video game graphics and sensibility into everyday life. “We’re already seeing video game-type graphics in commercials, ” Larsen said, “and we’ll see video game technology in training and education in years to come.”

“My father owned the Capital Theater in downtown Bismarck, North Dakota. I started working there when I was 12, making popcorn and selling candy…. My father also taught me not to micromanage. Even when I was 12 and my brothers were 16 and 18, he didn’t micromanage us. The three of us ran the theater in the summer, opening it at noon, running the movie, cleaning up, locking up, and going home for dinner, then going back that evening and doing it all over again.”

Over the years, some of our best clients have been in-house design groups. They speak the same language and share the same values about what design can bring to business. To make collaboration work, follow these simple guidelines I’ve developed over 30 years of running a design firm.

Managing a brand is a bit like sailing a boat. Core principles apply, but there’s plenty of room for personal interpretation. After more than 30 years of working in strategic design and brand management, I’ve developed my own list of eight brand management rules. Review them — and see how well they chart your company’s course.

You’re rolling out a marketing campaign. Launching a product. Revitalizing your brand.

What’s the big idea? Not to sound flippant, but you need one. Because without it, it’s likely your campaign, product launch, or brand repositioning won’t be memorable—or particularly effective.

Is your website working hard enough? Is it transforming casual web users into brand advocates? The best sites move customers along a continuum made up of four phases: awareness, transformation, engagement, allegiance. Understanding these phases and figuring out which phase your customers are in can provide a valuable focus for your web redesign effort — and help you wisely allocate marketing dollars.

Courtesy of the Design Management Review (Vol. 18, Number 1, Winter 2007) a publication of the Design Management Institute (www.dmi.org). Individual copies of this and other DMI Review articles are available for purchase at www.dmi.org/publications.

A jolt. That’s what you want from your product launch. An impact that will ripple through your customer base, resound with your prospects, and shake up your competitors. Smart, strategic launches always create a jolt. It’s the way to jumpstart a product, gain market share, enhance a brand.

Perhaps you’re trying to write Web copy for the first time. Perhaps you’re not a writer, but you’re charged with developing content. Perhaps you’re an interactive pro who’s wrestling with difficult, disorganized content — and a committee of reviewers. Take a minute to review these 10 fundamentals of great copy. How does your Web writing stack up?

I’ve just arrived at your Web site. And I already have an opinion. Within seconds, I’ve scanned the headlines and glanced at the visuals. What impression have you created? (Remember, many of your Web visitors have just come from competitors’ sites.) This article examines the content of three Web sites.

Online users today are sophisticated and impatient. If you don’t communicate essential information quickly, they’ll become frustrated or leave. Whether your Web site is e-commerce, promotional, or informational, you need to take the time to create enticing, quick-read content. This article critiques an existing Web site, offering suggestions for enhancing the content.

“I just visited your Web site. I’d like to talk to you about it.” Imagine, for a moment, one of your customers saying this. Or a potential customer. Would you cringe? Or would you prepare for a compliment? With the Web playing an increasingly larger role in the relationship between companies and key stakeholders, you need to give your Web writing serious thought.

Color is intrinsic to what designers do. After all, color is a critical factor in how our clients buy and sell. It can make or break shelf appeal, which drives profit and loss. Color forecasting is at once science, art, intuition. With so much riding on tomorrow’s color choices, how do you design today with the future in mind? Here are tips on color trends.

Why do color preferences change? Why do we care? As the world grows smaller and the pace of change ever faster, the ability to anticipate the future is more critical than ever. Predicting color trends should be a core competency for designers. Clue in to these suggestions — and it will be for you.