Andy Stefanovich HOW opening keynote

Imagine for a moment a room filled with thousands of like-minded individuals. Everyone is there for the same reason – to learn something new about the industry they love, to be inspired to be better and more excited about their chosen professions and to connect with people who understand the ins and outs of daily life as a creative professional.

This was exactly the scene at the 2010 HOW Design Conference this past June in the mile-high city of Denver, CO. In addition to being asked why attend industry conferences, I’m also asked how to get the most out of the experience. Let’s be real — the investment of time and money to attend any conference is pretty significant. You have the cost of admission, travel and lodging, and the days away from your family and your job! I’m a big believer in ROI (return on investment), so here are a few pointers on how to get the most from a conference experience.

In my last post about the HOW Conference, I focused on the importance of connecting with people. Here we will discuss the educational component of conference-going. In convincing yourself or your company to put up the cash for attendance, I’m guessing the most compelling reason was centered around what you could learn. There are some forward thinking managers who believe keeping you connected and inspired is important but, sadly, they seem to be a bit scarce. The question then is, “How do I maximize what I learn”?

First of all, walk up to the registration desk with a list of things you WANT to learn. Without looking at speakers and sessions decide what it is that your company, your career and your psyche want to glean from the conference. I’ve no doubt all afore mentioned entities know where they are and where they want to go. So, take a good hard look, unbiased by program offerings, at what you want to learn at the conference. I suggest the list be condensed to contain three items, no less and no more. With the list in hand register for sessions staying focused on what you want to learn.

Next, be open-minded about what you WILL learn. These may sound like contradictory ideas but they are actually complimentary. I’m a huge believer in charting a course but having the flexibility to make alterations along the way as unforeseen opportunities and obstacles come into your path. Don’t walk into sessions expecting ah-ha moments, miracles or perfection. Those do happen and every once in awhile you connect with what’s being said and have a “come-to-Jesus moment.” The presenters are people just like you sharing ideas and experiences. It’s 100% up to you what you learn because EVERYONE has something to teach. Look past personalities, communication styles and personal views and be open-minded about what you can take away. Attendees often spend more time critiquing every element of a presentation than looking for their own personal take-away. Sorry folks, but its not up to the event staff or the presenter to force a take-away into your hands. It’s laid out on the stage like a gift and it’s up to you to walk up receive it and take it home with you.

Kevin Carroll of Katalyst HOW closing keynote

The HOW Conference provides abundant opportunities to expand and deepen your knowledge about design, business, career growth, life balance and so much more. It requires self-examination, planning, a willingness to be flexible and a genuine desire to be open-minded. As a greater community of creative professionals interested in furthering the industry, the relationship between the staff, presenters and attendees is key to the success of any conference. By entering into an unspoken agreement to be positive and constructive, everyone who experiences the conference can walk away feeling they have contributed and gained insights to furthering the industry and their careers.

Next up: Why the HOW Conference… INSPIRATION

For more information on the HOW Conference, visit http://howconference.com

With just one week with to go, I am working through final touches on a few presentations, getting all the details together for a special edition of “Talk Story with Jeni”, putting the household in order including all the preparations for my daughter’s high school graduation and, of course, today will be spent shopping for that next pair of kick-ass shoes!

Here’s what’s happening as my preparations escalate. I’ll be doing my ever-popular chargeback workshop as a conference kick-off. This is not to be missed if you work in-house and are looking for the key (yes, the key) to proving your value to your organization. Titled “ Making Money Count and Value Real”, the workshop will be 3-hours long and walk attendees through the entire process of establishing a chargeback system that requires no executive approval and no exchange of monies. I call it a pseudo-chargeback system as it utilizes all the concepts of proper accounting practices but doesn’t require a departmental or corporate overhaul.

Additionally, I’ll be conducting a session titled “Becoming Priceless to Your Company” where we will build a toolkit of ideas and action plans attendees can take back to the office making themselves (and the team), PRICELESS to the organization.

And for the most exciting addition to the HOW Conference line-up… drum roll, please… a very Special Edition of my hit blog-radio show, “Talk Story with Jeni”. Years ago, my two dear friends and I were riding up the escalator of the conference in Boston. From behind we heard a voice yell out, “Hey, it’s speakers gone wild”. Steve, Jeff and I looked at each other, started laughing hysterically and at that moment decided that name would stick! After years of pitching the idea of the three of us conducting an open forum session for attendees to join in and discuss what’s really at the core of a designer’s soul, we did it! A week from Tuesday, Steve, Jeff and HOW magazine’s editor, Bryn will join me over the airwaves and discuss life, leisure and, of course, the industry of design. Don’t miss this event!

For more information on the HOW Conference, June 6-9, visit http://howconference.com

1. Integrated Process
Package design is now integrated into many company functions and cannot be viewed or operate as a stand-alone silo anymore. In a sense, there are now, more than ever, more participants in the design process. With new involvement from innovation or procurement, each with complex management teams, they all have taken an ownership stake.

Much like research, distribution and promotion are a consistent consideration throughout a product development cycle; package design is starting to affect other disciplines much the same way. Yet contradictory to the actual development effort and costs, these days the package design is only a small part of the marketing bet on success. It’s no longer a “marketing brute in the aisle” that can muscle its way into a consumers cart and justify the costs of design.

In this new era there are many more complex pieces to the puzzle of success. It’s no wonder the role of the package as the sales hero has been overshadowed and downplayed in these new times. But, like any good process, the more smooth and integrated the process the more successful it can be. No matter how big or small the consideration the package is to the final sale.

2. Mitigated Risk
Understanding the hard costs of a product line overhaul or reset, we clearly can see the risk associated with a new package design. At times, it’s apparent that the costs are not necessarily in line with the return. Traditionally with high risk ventures throughout a company, there are checks and balances for entering and mitigating that risk prior to taking the risk.

However, companies have not learned a metric or industry wide measurement in which to evaluate and mitigate the risk, especially in hiring a package design firm. And in many cases the process for mitigating that risk is to reduce costs specifically in the design process and increase costs in other marketing disciplines to compensate or reduce the risk.

The rub is that package design as a professional service should not be viewed as a risk. Done with consideration, it can greatly reduce spending in other areas that need to compensate for the risk of poorly executed packaging. Hence more profit in the end.

3. Efficiency vs. Traction
Generally, if you can put a time line to it you can quantify it. But like a lot of things, faster does not necessarily mean better. For instance, we often hear the 0-60 speed/time reference used in car advertising; however one thing to keep in mind is that at about three seconds or so is the fastest physical time a car can achieve 0-60. At some point below that time, the rubber on the tires will not create traction, thus creating a physical problem in reaching a quicker time. More horsepower does not always equal faster.

Likewise, package development can present an efficiency issue, but at some point in the development, you cannot actually go any faster or trim any more corners. Technology improvements have done a great job to knock down the days, hours and minutes it takes to get a product to market. It has also made us painfully aware of what the difference in return one day can mean in reaching the market on time.

But at some point there is no more efficiency to be gained and we have to accept that it takes a certain amount of time to reach a desired goal. Otherwise, the short cut will undoubtedly create a physical traction problem. We should account for this in our strategies as part of a product development life cycle and marketing strategies. Perhaps a better way to think about it is the more traction you have the more efficiency you could gain in the long-term.

With these ideas in mind, I believe it’s time to re-craft the package design constitution and make it more efficient, easier and smarter for the next generation of designers, packaging managers and, ultimately, the consumers to shift to some of the new realities of product development.

How would you re-craft the package design constitution?

This article originally appeared in the May 2010 issue of Package Design Magazine and again at http://hellokendallross.com.

I always liked the idea of using my last name as a business name. I liked how it paid homage to a time when a business wasn’t just a job but a reflection of self and passion. For example, if Bill was a baker, then he owned Bill’s Bakery; you knew if you went into Bill’s Bakery, he would be there. He would work hard and greet you with a smile, not because he had to, but because he was genuinely happy that you walked through the door and wanted to spend your hard-earned money at his business, allowing him to put food on his family’s table. This is how I have always felt about DownsDesign, and I wanted to carry that mentality to my clients in the way I run the business.

My mother taught my brothers and I to chase our passion. She let us know that we could get up every day, work our butts off, and love every minute of it. When I started, my goal was never to be a millionaire. I knew that if I could get up every day and do something that I really loved, it would be worth all the money in the world. I don’t get up every day and go to work, I go have fun; and hell, if I become a millionaire and I’m still having this much fun, I won’t complain.

There is a lot to be said of owning something, whether it’s a business, house or mail-order bride (kidding), it definitely changes how you feel about yourself as a person. To me it’s equal parts confidence booster and stress inducer. I’m sure there are a few people out there that truly give 110% working for someone else, but I just wasn’t that guy before. It wasn’t until I made the leap to running DownsDesign full-time that I really felt like I was honestly giving 110% every day. It’s a big weight to carry, running your own business but if you can keep that balance intact then you’ve got it pretty good.

The value of relationships
Some people are lucky enough to catch a break when they start out – maybe they got the chance to save up a few month’s pay before starting out on their own, or they have a spouse that helps keep the bills on track while they make a break for a full-time freelance design career. This wasn’t the case for me and there were definitely a lot of sleepless nights that first year or so, wondering how I was going to pay the bills.

While I might not have had as much financial stability as I would have liked while starting DownsDesign (and not to be corny here, but…), I do feel like I got something that proved much more beneficial to me in the long run. While working my way up the proverbial design ladder, I formed some great relationships with some super-talented designers like Steve Gordon, Jr. of RDQLUS Creative and Roby Fitzhenry of Always Creative. There are so many great connections in Omaha that continue to prove invaluable in running my business.

Keeping Things Simple
KISS – keep it simple and stupid. We hear it all the time in design school; it’s drilled into our heads. This is how I have tried to run DownsDesign since day one; get up, work hard, stay organized, repeat. I take my work, and keeping clients happy very serious, but I think it’s important to have a great time doing it.

Eric is principal of DownsDesign, a small design studio, happily located in Omaha, Nebraska. Eric uses creativity to design, organize and simplify things, namely branding, print materials and websites. Visit www.downsdesign.com for a peek at Eric’s work.

I graduated college and worked as a designer at a world-reknown sports marketing firm for a year and half. I hated going into work every day; not so much because of the people or what I was doing, but because of the routine and I felt too comfortable. I wanted to be free to do what I want, design when I felt most creative, work when I felt most productive and control my own day. So I took a risk, quit my job and went freelance with only one client that wouldn’t entirely support me alone. It was an uncomfortable feeling but it was the beginning of the best decision I ever made.

That was five years ago. Since then I’ve taken on projects I wasn’t entirely sure I could do, founded an organization I wasn’t sure I could run, accepted leadership roles I didn’t think I could take on, disagreed with leaders when I’d otherwise avoid conflict, called on clients I thought I was too small or young to work for, met some of my design and business heroes I never thought would give me the time of day, as well as learned areas of business I never thought I’d learn. I even got married and am fathering a baby without knowing where the next paycheck is coming from. All of these things have made me uncomfortable.

I have realized that being uncomfortable is actually what drives me. It makes me want to get better, to continue learning, to support my family doing work I love, and to be the best person and designer I can be. When an opportunity presents itself, even if I create it, I find that putting myself in the most uncomfortable position allows me to solve the problem more creatively and to find a way to become successful at whatever it is simply because I have to, otherwise I’ll fail. Not being afraid of failing is what pushes me.

If I never made that uncomfortable move five years ago, I would have missed out on some great experiences and the opportunity to meet some wonderful people while doing the things I love.

I encourage you as creatives to step out of your comfort zone every once in a while. You don’t have to be as extreme as quitting your job and starting a business (unless your gut is telling you to but you say no, i.e. the Seth Godin dubbed Lizard Brain), but I encourage you to do something different, something that doesn’t feel as comfortable. You’ll notice that you’ll find new creative ways to overcome the obstacle and solve the problem, all of which can make you a better designer and a more confident person. So go forth and make yourself uncomfortable.

Adam Martin is an independent creative strategist, design thinker and founder of Social Media Club Lexington. His company, amartin design studio in Lexington, Kentucky, partners with clients to develop positive, emotional brand experiences through design, social media and branding strategies. Find out more at www.amartindesign.com

- Jeni Herberger, Creative and Corporate Visionary

Are you a Corporate Creative? “Whether they’re copywriters, marketers, product designers, R&D engineers or even forward thinking managers and, dare I say, enlightened HR staff—if they are individuals who are empathetic, entrepreneurial, intuitive and non-linear thinkers with a healthy rebellious bent, then, I’d say, they are a corporate creative,” says Epstein.

Surviving and more importantly succeeding in a corporate world requires you to be a project manager as well as a designer as well as a creative. This book provides key strategies and tactics to help you establish yourself and your team as powerful players in your company. Experienced in-house designer Andy Epstein shows you how to:

• Communicate clearly and effectively
• Hire and train a winning team
• Work with other departments in the company
• Maximize efficiency within your group
• Make client management easy
• Cut through the read tape to create great design

Click here to purchase this book!

Both Jeni and Andy will be speaking at this year’s In-HOWse Conference in Denver from June 6-8. Please visit www.inhowseconference.com for more information!

As designers we first must choose this point of reference then look off into the distance and determine how far it will go, how much of the scene must be explored. We do this through a wonderful little document called a creative brief. The brief is our point of reference and ALL exploration must relate to that point. Without this starting point (or points) the remainder of the drawing will simply not make sense and will most certainly not provide a desired result for the client. Successful design solutions are just that -solutions. They must follow a path, lines that radiate from the reference point. This does not negate the importance of creativity and uniqueness rather it encourages it and provides a place for infinite interpretation.

As people our thoughts and feelings radiate from a very specific vantage point. Understanding where that point lies is critical. Without knowing the location of this point, perspective is literally lost. All human contact with animate or inanimate objects is based on relationships – how it is we relate to a given person, situation or thing. The relationship has a point of point of reference. If you are a manager or a wife or a father, your style and reactions comes from somewhere. It is based on innate personality traits you posses through no fault of your own and your experiences, some of which you control and others you do not. Add these together with a splash of environment and there is your unique perspective.

Regardless of whether you are creating design or interacting with your life and the people in it, perspective best starts with a point of view that is seen through a wide-angle lens. Too often we find that point of reference (applause inserted here), create relationship between our design, our employees, and our loved ones (standing ovation), but narrow our focus so far that we miss the beauty and the opportunities of the scene before us (boo, throw a rotten tomato). The idea here is to avoid taking a step back to look at the situation because the point of reference often can’t be changed or simply shouldn’t be. Rather than step back or forwards or sideways, try changing what you see without moving your feet. Change your lens to reveal as wide of a perspective as possible seeing the peripheral and the forefront all at once.

Perspective is a way of adding tangibility to an intangible world. When you are asked to create a visual communication solution for a client, a point of reference allows you to plant your feet and perspective allows you to create. When a situation hits you in the face, be a designer. Find your point of view, open the lens as wide as you can, and design your own reality.

This post was inspired by my conversation with Scott Wadler of MTV Networks. As a guest on “Talk Story with Jeni”, Scott and I shared many of our thoughts and ideas on living life large and making your career and your home places you love to be. Click here for a full hour of “Talk Story with Jeni” and Scott.

So my question to you is, “What comes next?” Graphic designers can and should better utilize the technology in front of them to not only solve problems but create social change. We’re in an era where damn near everything is possible if you have the creative juices to think it up. Every print piece has a digital component somehow somewhere. Or at least it should. And now we have the explosive popularity of mobile devices like the iPhone and the new game changer, the iPad. Have you sat down to think of how exciting this is? We get to design interfaces and corresponding graphics that are more than just read. They are explored. Shared. Understood.

This is what’s next in our industry or at least that’s what it seems. If you’re not one to design for the web, you need to be ready. You also need to befriend programmers and software developers for they are the new printers. They not only bring your ideas to life, they often better them.

So what comes next? That’s really up to you.

Roby Fitzhenry is co-owner and Creative Director of Always Creative, a Texas-based branding and design studio. His primary focuses include brand identity design, brand strategy and design for print and web. Visit www.wearealways.com to learn more about Always Creative.

Last week my guest on “Talk Story with Jeni” was the brilliant Bryn Mooth. As the editor for HOW Magazine for the past decade, Bryn has been an important part of the design industry and been responsible for promoting, reporting and affecting this field. During our conversation, we talked about the changing persona of designers and breaking down how it is they perform their jobs. We both agreed that we were seeing more ‘head and heart’ from designers than ever before. Not only that but a return to the use of their ‘hands’.

The ‘head’ of design refers to the strategy and thinking that has become increasingly important in the production of relevant design. We have all heard over and over the importance of looking at the business of design, of creating business solutions not just visually appealing campaigns. Whether graphic, informational, or environmental design must be more than logically connected to the service or product, it must be able to generate tangible results (i.e. revenue). The top design thinkers in the industry are forging the way towards design teams becoming partners in providing business solutions. Given this ‘heady’ approach, veteran designers are going to have to remain relevant and new designers are going to have to be a step ahead in embracing strategic thinking.

‘Heart’ refers to the passion with which designers approach their work. It seems this is an element that comes easily to most designers and is at least one reason they entered the field in the first place. But finding the motivation to stay inspired is often challenging and often discussed at length (that is another topic all together). You can’t help but admire, and rightfully so, those professionals that have a talent for ‘visual-ness’ and a zeal for taking on the challenge of creating recognizable business solutions.

For years now we have seen what I believe was a departure from true craftsmanship. It was apparent in the world of photography with the introduction of digital cameras and printing, and it was rampant in the design field with the technological advances in digital production and the Internet. It is so exciting to see a return to hands-on design or what Bryn referred to as ‘hands’. Manual binding, letterpress and so many other forms of old school design processes are making a return and it is wonderful to see the melding of the old and the new!

Over time we see the pendulum swing back and forth. We gain new abilities and see new priorities often losing sight of the old ways and the processes we know are tried and true. I always let out a sigh of relief when I see the pendulum swing back to a place of balance. In this case, seeing the renewed enthusiasm for the use of  ‘head, heart and hands’ is a great place for design to reside. Thanks to Bryn Mooth for taking time to talk story!

Click here for a full hour of “Talk Story with Jeni” and Bryn.

The old saying goes, “Seek and you shall find.” Yyyyeahright. You want the truth? Creative types are hunters, feeding that appetite for fulfillment & mental stimulation much like the cat who will only pounce on a pulled string; Catch it and the fun is over—move it and the game is afoot. I have a theory on that. I’ll explain, but bear with me.

What’s odd, and a bit funny, is that most are missing an obvious point. My theory is that the end goal or the destination represents a stoppage—a dead end. Even if you know beyond shadows of all doubt just what that thing—that “it”—is that you are reaching, digging, striving and scratching for, the actual finds are strewn behind you and left in your wake along the way. You’re far more likely to find piles of junk rather than gold. You’ll most often unearth some “life critters” that actually bite back, and hard at that. I guarantee that you stumble and fall knee-deep in shit and have those stagnant moments of exhaustion that prompt you to spin it positive, saying it was a moment for you to sit a spell & think of next moves. MmmHmm, yeah.

Awwww, I’m sorry. Didn’t you know? Weren’t you told? This is the inglorious, unpolished, decidedly unsexy reality of the “seek and you shall find” story. Oh, you’ll find a lot, but perhaps not the shiny, golden booty you struck out Jolly Roger’ing for in the first place. But now we’re getting to it—that proverbial “it”. Ask yourself; Are you seeking to find that fictional pot o’gold that somehow always ends up leaving you wanting, or are you taking in the wonders that are the struggles and progress of the entire search? We live in a society and world that teaches us to reach a destination in the shortest, fasted way possible, even turning a blind eye to questionable behavior, as long as it ultimately results in a win. I get that. I’ve done than. And I’m still on the hunt. Why?!

As one strapped with the blessing/curse of feeling the pull to perpetually search, I find myself here a this place more often than not. Even now I feel myself reaching one of those stopover points of exhaustion, rest and contemplation. Lately, I’m doing all of the right things, but coming up with handfuls of dirt. Ah, but there’s the thing. I love that. I feel alive in that need to constantly hustle. The search is the thing—the formulation of next moves and that situational adult ADHD that keeps me looking. For what? I’ll let you know when I get there, but chances are I never will. I’m finding out that I don’t seek to find anything. I seek to seek, and seek some more. And then I use all of that anecdotal evidence in my work and life. And therein lies my theory—that the “seek” is a cycle that I wish not to escape by finding any one thing. It’s my own limbo of exploration, and the truth is—I dig it.

At the center of RDQLUS is Steve Gordon Jr—a nationally-recognized, award-winning designer and creative consultant specializing in identity, branding and creative direction. Well-rounded as a artist, Steve also brings experience in audio production, writing, speaking and promotions. More about RDQLUS can be found at www.rdqlus.com.