Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

A co-worker shared a site with me that I find stunning: http://whatareyouwondering.com/. This site is meant to answer questions for new parents or soon to be parents.

At first glance I was overwhelmed with the beauty of the site. It's scalable and depricates well in many browsers. The concept is simple, but lovely. The questions are the content and the visual aspect of the site, is created by simply shadowing text. It is at once beautiful, human and content rich. 

However, when I began to play with the site I began to notice I did not like it as much. Do a search for crying. How many results do you get?

My first search resulted in 7, but only 3 questions. The rest were repeats.

I reduced the size of my browser window and I only received 4 results. I reduced it further and I receivd 3, but all three were not viewable on my screen.

If you click on a question, you go to the March of Dimes site to get more information. Is this beautiful site enough to get me engaged and then send me over to the real site where I can find more information? Will I be satisfied as a user?

What are your thoughts? How do you marry beauty and functionality? How would you make this better?

Yesterday I rashly commented that the Google Chrome browser was going to be like medicine's Central Line stuck into all of us feeding us, keeping us alive.

I was being overly dramatic. It was really fun. I still believe it is worth thinking about. 

Today, is about the OS being replaced. Yep, Google Chrome is tacitly poking at Windows by siloing processes through the browser, somewhat akin to how your OS processes mail, spreadsheets, FireFox and your IM thingy all at the same time. However, it hit me like a ton of bricks. It will take a lot more to replace the OS. "Don't I need an OS to run Chrome?" Until Chrome is able to boot up my MacBook Pro or Lenovo ThinkPad, I will still need OSX or Windows. 

So, when is Chrome going to boot up my machine and run my FTP client? It begs the question, how far along are they?

After a(n accidental) leak, earlier in thh day Chrome was unveiled to the world yesterday. I, for one, sat geekily at my desk waiting for the 2 p.m. launch, which then turned into somewhere around 2:16. But in the end, I have my Chrome.

Boys and girls, I think I like it. The tabbing is excellent and feels so natural. The bookmarking has a me a little confused, and I ran into a few issues on Facebook last night. But I am in love with the Incognito mode - perfect for secret Christmas shopping adventures on a shared computer!

I did read the explanatory comic and most of that tech stuff was over my head, but it seems that Chrome is a shining example of where the browser world should be heading.

What do you think? Is it shiny or in need of polish?

(If this is all new news to you, go to http://www.google.com/chrome and download it!)

Google launched its own browser called Chrome yesterday.

Think of yourself as a patient lying on a hospital bed surrounded by dozens of plugs, masks, bags of liquid and so on. 

Chrome, is the "Central Line" they stick either down your throat or into your inner arm and use to rapidly deliver liquids (IV's), pain killers, and sometimes nourishment. 

The Central Line is a great advancement in medicine. It saves a lot of time and lives.

Here it comes!

Both scary and interesting, isn't it?

1.You could fail to define the box

How can you think outside of the box if you don’t know what the box is? As creative for commerce, we must have a purpose to our work or it’s pedestrian. The first step is to accurately define the problem. Otherwise, it’s creative for creative’s sake. That’s called fine art. While this work can be fun and expressive, as a creative professional it’s wrong to assume that idiosyncratic equals hard working.

 

2.You could fail to see the big picture

Learning your client’s business and unique challenges will give you unparalleled perspective to provide the best advice. Creative work is always better if you understand the context of its use. Also, by knowing the big picture you’re a better resource at keeping work on strategically solid ground. Like all of us, clients tend to wander. We’re better when we assist in keeping focus.

 

3.You could censor yourself

This is delicate. On one hand you want to prove your chops at bringing work that challenges the norm. On the other hand you shouldn’t risk castigation by appearing out of step. Push the work enough to make your stomach hurt. That’ll show you care about progressing your client’s business without the risk of Xanax toxicity.

 

4.You could rush into making stuff

Remember the fast talking FedEx guy? Ad legend Amil Gargano created him. Amil was one ofmy graduate school professors and a real tough cookie. During a review, he told me I had gotten too busy making an ad and had overlooked the problem. BUSTED! It was true. I’ll never forget that. We often get seduced by beauty, style dujour or sensationalism and forget to solve the real problem. This relates to number 2 above. If your client consistently jumps right into tactics without strategic foundation it’s a sure fire sign they either don’t have a strategy or aren’t making you privy to it. Both are fantastic ways to make crappy work.

 

 

5.You could believe, “It’s just a (fill in the blank).”

I hate (yes HATE!) when a creative person fails to see an opportunity to do great work. Some will often rationalize the limitation by believing, “It’s just a brochure.” Or, “It’s just a small space ad.” Or, “They never pick anything good, why bother?”

 

Lee Clow (Chairman and CCO, TBWA) was once asked his secret for getting 30 years of good creative work approved by clients. The Creative Godfather simply replied,“Only put good creative work in front of them.” Sounds easy enough. Unfortunately, our short-term objective of responding quickly or not appearing disagreeable will often outweigh this. Remember: Good work trumps everything.

 

6.You could fail to be audacious

Good relationships need flirting. The kind of freshness that comes with a pleasant sense of intrigue. We should never forget to surprise and delight our clients by bringing the unexpected solution. More agencies lose business because they become complacent. With the Agency of Record model disappearing, firms can’trely on good will to carry them. Clients expect your best, always. We must earn our place every, single day.

 

7.You could fail to ask “Why?” or “What’s the better way?”

At industry association meetings I often hear creative people complain about being labeled as order takers. If you don’t want to have ideas spoon-fed to you, step up. Ask “Why?” a lot. It also helps to KNOW WHY you’re doing something. Embed yourself in business. Think like your client and be their trusted friend. They need to know you care about their business as much as they do.

 

8.You could fail to use your knowledge and experience

Your brain is a fantastic repository of images, sounds, smells, experiences and feelings. Use that in creating your work. Use the experience of other experts too. Creative connects human to human, motivates, clarifies and above all compels. That’s why experience is so important. Otherwise your work is white-bread. We all know how unhealthy that is.

 

What other ways will gloriously kill creative thinking?