LA UX Meetup: Tools of the Trade

Join in the conversation about your favorite UX tools of the trade (software, crafty supplies, methods) in a speed-dating style event. There will be small groups/topics that will switch up quickly throughout the evening, so you'll get to share your experience with many people. It looks like a fun and engaging way to learn more about UX and connect with fellow designers. Hope to see you there!

Thursday, Mar 20th, 7:00 PM
Hosted by LA Times Interactive (downtown)
Max attendance set at 80, so sign up soon - details here

The first IxDA Interaction Conference

I recently joined IxDA, The Interaction Design Association. IxD is "the branch of user experience design that defines the structure and behavior of interactive products and services". The heart of IxDA is the online forum where members discuss everything from tools and methodologies to books and educational resources. This is the first year that IxDA had a conference. Fellow UX designer Pat Lang just sent me a link to the conference videos, which I'm pleased to share here. Thanks Pat!

Serious Play

I'm seriously considering shelling out $1,350 for Serious Play, a 3 day conference featuring the innovative minds of Irene Aum (User Experience Designer at Google), Tim Brown (President & CEO of IDEO), John Maeda and Philip Rosedale (Creator of Second Life). More than just a bunch of typical lectures, the conference speakers will lead 3 hour hands-on studios. The site doesn't say much about the studio topics yet, only that they range from "new creative strategies to product development and much more." If the studios are with any of the people I just mentioned, I may seriously have to go.

Growing your own brand

When I first talked with Pash about doing an AIGA Shop Talk event, we were both excited about the topic of growing your own brand, or as Pash also put it, “the cobbler’s kids have no shoes”. Pash is the successful head cobbler (aka Creative Director) at Trunk LTD, a lifestyle brand that creates vintage concert apparel. Last week AIGA members gathered for an unforgettable evening at Trunk’s Culver City HQ, complete with a mini bronze elephant (the company icon), bubble gum machine and checkered taxi in the lobby.

Whether you’re a one person show or principal of a large firm, we all find ourselves “without shoes” at times. Why? Because it’s hard to see our business objectively and present it succinctly. Pash was brilliant at getting to the heart of the challenge - knowing who you are, how to communicate it, and who to tell your story to. He talked about the 5 must haves every designer/firm needs to grow their brand:

1. The courage (and personality) to talk about what you do to everyone you meet.
2. A short blurb or summary of what you do and who you do it for. Don’t be vague, like some clients can be. We help clients not be vague.
3. A business card that’s with you at all times. Make it as memorable as you want to be.
4. Examples of your work. Not just a web site or portfolio, but a mini samples that are with you all the time.
5. A marketing strategy (not a business plan). Simply put - the way that you’re going to regularly connect with your network.

Sounds easy? It’s not. Most people have the business cards, portfolio and web site. They may even carry around work samples and send email newsletters or direct mail when things aren’t so busy around the office. But how many can describe what they do and who they do it for in a sentence? Without using the same banal jargon as everyone else? Can you? I’ve found 2 reasons why this is so challenging. First, designers are so much more than visual creators. We're also marketers, content developers, project managers, team leaders and business advisors. As Pash put it so well, “clients look to me for my opinion on what will help them accomplish their goals.” Second, many designers avoid specializing in an industry or discipline because we enjoy diversity and fear that specializing will limit our opportunities. The truth is that specializing not only helps potential clients identify you, it helps you find and prequalify them. It’s noteworthy that Pash placed courage and clarity before anything else. That's the source of answers to all the essential questions about you and your business.

What are the benefits of defining your own brand? Pash explained that a clear brand is a badge of credibility. It establishes and supports people’s perception of you - the one you want them to have. It’s the ultimate case study - a perfect example of your ability to build a complete communication message. Think of how effective you'll be as a cobbler with a unique pair of shoes for the whole family that is your brand.

Here's some resources that have helped me grow my brand:
- Now, Discover your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham
- Marketing Mentor helps you create your marketing plan and stick to it.
- Practical tips and teleclasses on cold calling
- A handy online tool that helps you sketch out your 15 second pitch
- Excellent articles on how to position your services and price your work
- A flickr collection of inspiring business card design

I welcome you to continue the conversation and share your thoughts here. What's your biggest challenge growing your brand?

Creative Talks: Eric Steuer on Reusable Culture

I'm really looking forward to Eric Steuer's presentation on reusable culture. He'll look at ways that people around the world contribute to and draw from the massive pool of creative work on the Web to expand the worlds of art, education, and science. Eric is the creative director of Creative Commons, where he develops the organization's media and culture projects. He's also a contributing editor for Wired magazine, where he's written about the implications of digital culture on music and the concept of the "Infinite Album," whereby one album becomes a long shelf of songs and products, each carrying its own release date, distribution path, and price tag. A co-founder of Sneakmove Recordings, Eric is also a member of Meanest Man Contest, a hip-hop group with upcoming releases on Plug Research and Gold Robot Records.

Creative Talks is a forum for LA area designers to meet, get inspired, and learn from each other. It's free and open to the public - just be sure to RSVP on upcoming.
Wednesday, July 11 at Yahoo!

2450 Broadway, Santa Monica, California 90404
Snacks and socializing starts at 7:00pm. The talk is from 7:30 to 8:30pm.

I'm moderating an AIGA Shop Talk in June

One of the best reasons to join AIGA LA is the Business Matters and Shop Talk events. They focus on real design biz issues like partnerships, money management, evaluating your business plan and dealing with difficult clients. That's why I joined the 2007 Shop Talk committee! Join me on Tuesday, June 26th for Shop Talk 3 Growing Your Own Brand. I'll be talking with Pash, former President of AIGA LA and Creative Director at Trunk LTD. We'll explore what it takes to actively shape your brand to attract a higher level of clients and projects. Get the full scoop and sign up on the AIGA LA events page.

Kernspiracy portfolio review night

Designers, copy writers and other cool creatives came down for the Kernspiracy Portfolio Review Night at Machine Project. I totally enjoyed meeting and reviewing the portfolios of some very talented designers like Sandra Schwaiger (above), who just moved here from Germany a few weeks ago. Check out some photos of all the fun.

Otis designers ready for the real world

Yesterday I had the pleasure of reviewing portfolios of Otis students in
Terry Lee Stone's Professional Practices class. In just 2 weeks these Communication Design students will be officially on the hunt for full time work. I was especially impressed by Scott Benoit's beautiful combo of type and illustration (above).

Looking for inspiration (and a junior designer to hire)? Check out the Otis Class of 07 exhibition on May 11th from 6 to 9.

HOW inspiring

Hello all! The HOW Design conference in Vegas was was one of the best gatherings of fun loving and friendly designers I've ever been a part of. Many of the presenters were truly outstanding. And HOW did a fantastic job of keeping us informed and entertained 'round the clock. Thanks everyone!

I feel so inspired, I started this blog to share some of my favorite HOW highlights, resources and outrageous fun:

Marketing is like exercise
Ilise Benun and Peleg Top's workshop on Monday was one of the best sources of practical advice on marketing and pricing your work. If you missed it, you can sign up for a FREE half hour phone consultation where you get a taste of their genuinely helpful marketing mentor program. I highly recommend Marketing Mentor
Makes so much sense:
"Get rich in a niche"
"Your positioning is how clients describe you when you're not in the room."
"When you specialize, clients feel like there is more value to your work, and will pay for it."
"Work with clients that are spending a budget, not their own money."

And the genius award goes to...
For anyone who can't get enough Michael Moschen, check out Quicktime videos of the keynote juggler
Makes you think:
"When I was a kid I had a game. I decided that whenever I would go into the woods alone, I would always come out a different way."
"Balance is not about standing still. It's a series of small, constant adjustments."

Brilliant!
When Andy Stefanovich asked everyone to give a standing O to Angelica, the designer that wants to change the world, I felt like all 3,000 attendees were recognizing each other for all the things we do that go unnoticed or unappreciated. Gave me goosebumps! Check out Andy's company, Play
Get that inspired feeling all over again:
"What can you alter just 1 degree? It can be the difference between average and brilliant."
"Experience everything to be able to empathize with everyone."
"When people say something is good, ask why."
"Never underestimate the power to have lunch. Make a list of 3 people to have lunch with now."
"Give the gift of conversation."

Resource center
Anyone get their orange card fully stamped? I swear I looked for Gmund 3 times but never found them. Corporate sponsorships, wine and free paper samples - hooray! Some faves:
• The Paper Mill sells small quantities of paper and envelopes.
• Emma lets you create email marketing with style.
• Jakprints produces small quantity t-shirts, stickers and more. They even have a page where they feature banner links to graphic designers, and they told me they are looking to feature more talented designers.

Some piss you off questions
David Baker delivered a strong dose of advice on what you should and shouldn't be doing to position your design biz and get better clients. I prefer his insightful email newsletter and FREE downloadable white papers at ReCourses
The bitter pill:
"Designers are often more afraid of starvation than dilution. We'd rather die working hard than not at all."
"It's unethical NOT to make a lot of money. The money you make is an indication of how much your clients value you."
"When clients are forthright with their budget, it's an indication of how much they trust you."
"Until you publicly broadcast your work, or your specialty, it doesn't count."
"You can borrow money, but you can't borrow marketing."

Stealth disco and podium humping
An audio, visual, and performance extravaganza, Chris Elkerton and Dave Gouveia from 3 Dogz Creative kept it light with an onstage logo contest, cool prizes, a podium humping demo and a bonus activity book! These guys reminded me of Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn in the Wedding Crashers, only they're designers (in Elvis costumes). They're not just funny, but damn talented too.
Check it out:
One of the prizes was Daniel Pink's book "A Whole New Mind"
It's top of my must read list now. Have you read it yet?

Punctuation substitution
Oh how I regret catching only the last 15 minutes of Ze Frank's session! You must check out Ze's super funny thoughts on how to send an undercover message to your "challenging" clients. Go right now - you will love this!

PO-PO!
Kevin O'Callaghan, chair of the SVA 3-d design program, hosted a wacky "Ironic Chef" themed competition that was designed by his students. I've been a major fan of the amazing "reinvent the everyday object" projects that come out of his classes for years. Check out the latest transformation of a Yugo And if you're in NYC, look for the exhibitions in Grand Central Terminal.
Made me cry with laughter:
I loved Stephan Bucher's "Hibernation is for suckers" and risqué bear slot machine, Justin Ahrens' Mickey Mouse eared bra wearing crane, and Zoa Martinez's abstract alligator paintings. But Jason Robinson of Springville, Utah ruled with PO-PO and Pigformers!

Early morning statistics
Moira Cullen, Design Director of Coca-Cola North America, gave a fantastic presentation about the growing value of design in business. She inspired me to start reading the Harvard Business Review I just heard she's writing a book (thanks Kevin), so all that factual goodness will be available to us then.
Fact # 187:
A fund of 63 publicly traded companies renowned for their use of design
outperformed the FTSE 100 Index during the 90's by 200%.

Party Time!
Sleep deprived and pumped up on Starbucks, I had the best time ever dancing with friends from New York, Panama, Puerto Rico and Illinois. Didn't that big circle we formed feel like a celebration of humanity?

Oh yeah! That's right!
The perfect ending to a totally inspiring event.
Sally Hogshead's radical web site is as smart and engaging as she is.
Radical truths:
"Expressing your truest self is your ultimate competitive advantage."
"Mistakes are tuition."
"The thing that is different about you - that's what makes you better."
"Take a look at what's not working and stop doing it."
"Do you want to be outstanding or comfortable?"
"Refuse to waste your career."

What inspires you? Where do you want to go with your design business/career? How can we help each other get there? Let's share ideas.