Traditional marketers are accustomed to carefully honing messages. This allows for control, but the results are difficult and costly to measure. Social media turns this whole scenario around. With it, control is shared with the crowd, and real feedback becomes immediate.

Organizations now have the opportunity to collect detailed information on users and their habits, elicit real feedback and suggestions, and refine their offering and messaging to better suit user demands. Although there are trade-offs with this new way of communicating, the opportunities for companies to understand and work with their customers have never been as great.

Posted by Megan

I am very thankful that these types of competitions are growing in popularity because they give in-house designers a chance to compete in their own arena. Winners are rewarded with a sense of legitimacy and well-deserved respect from their coworkers and the design community as a whole. The ability to quantify the success of a design can be obscured in some of the broader competitions that tend to focus primarily on cutting-edge visuals or clever advertising concepts. In-house design competitions also help acknowledge the utilitarian nature of the work submitted.

Some people are a little uncomfortable talking about money and payment before any work has been done. I know I would rather get the details of the job and get busy on it needing nothing more than an agreement on total payment, but this is not a smart way to do business… especially with clients you do not know. I get over it by knowing that once the money part is settled the client will get 100% effort on my part on the actual job. Still I want things to be very clear with no room for misinterpretation between myself and the client when it comes to all aspects of the job, including payment. Agree on how long after you invoice them you can expect payment, whether they have an internal contract or purchase order they need in addition to your invoice, etc.

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

"The aim of the Hire an illustrator website is to provide art directors
and commissioners with an easy to use point of contact for job seeking
or available freelancers, along with an easy to use interface for the
freelancers to issue immediate updates and edits to their profiles.

Hire an illustrator is not just a portfolio portal. We contact art
directors and companies directly via the telephone to promote
individuals. We collect samples (postcards or other promotional
material) from profiled members to be included in targeted mail shot
packs, and a bi-monthly email newsletter is sent out to promote
our clients."

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

via Urban Retro Lifestyle

Posted by Megan

Posted by Megan

Grace from Design*Sponge just updated her awesome list of Letterpress Printers with 40 new additions. Check out amazing work from shops like Minneapolis-based Studio on Fire, a name that often pops up in HOW's design annuals.

Mohawk Fine Papers Inc. today announced a new Eco*Guide. The guide features Beckett Concept, Beckett Expression, Strathmore Writing and Script, Mohawk Options, Mohawk Via and Mohawk Color Copy. The tool describes each of the product lines, highlighting its environmental attributes, as well as a reference chart that makes it easy to see which papers are FSC certified, Green-e certified, Green Seal certified and/or made carbon neutral. Contact your local merchant for a copy of Mohawk’s Eco*Guide.  To find a merchant near you visit Mohawkpaper.com.

If you're a web designer you should definitley know about Design Meltdown, a great site that collects and arranges home pages by theme. It's an awesome place for visual inspiration. So I was super excited when I found out a site my husband designed for Pepto-Bismol got included in DM's Pink & Blue section. Way to go Ben!

Josh Jeffryes just posted a lovely little essay on The Business of Design Online about becoming an employee after running your own business. Of course, it's a culture shock, but Jeffryes finds comfort in the power of the creative team.

There's a fun discussion on the HOW Forum about cool paper products. It's chock full of links including one to the new Martha Stewart Crafts store. Yum!

If you're looking for new color palettes for your next project check out Kuler, an online community from Adobe where you can explore, create and share color themes.

Designer Jessica Sand of Roughstock Studios, who blogs about green design at Small Failures, recently launched a new column on Business of Design Online called The Sustainable Studio. Check both blogs for practical tips about to work in more sustainable ways as a designer.

via Neatorama

The Virtual Shoe Museum has tons of great photos of and information about designer shoes, like the Mobius shoe designed by Rem Koolhaas, which can be purchased on Zappos.com.

In response to Domtar’s research with its designer customer base, the company has launched a website which aims to meet designer’s needs for an inspirational and informative online resource. The Domtar Designer Corner offers industry news and events, designer profiles, eco-smart design options, and tips for selecting the best paper to bring designs to life. PaperSpecs, an on-line provider of paper knowledge to the design and print industries, will support the site with an exclusive series of Tips on Paper articles.