Idea Bending

What Our Clients Say About Us

2012-01-31T10:22:00.009-06:00

“Bending Design has been first class and are an important partner in our success. They quickly assessed our business requirements and offered innovative design solutions that exceeded our expectations. They truly have turned our Journals into better tools for our members.”

JOE PUSKARZ

MANAGING EDITOR, Pediatrics®

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS

“Bending Design is a breath of fresh air to work with – both professionally and personally. In the process of redesigning our website, which was the first project we signed on for with the company, we were impressed with the level of detail and analysis that was put into the project – from researching other web sites to copywriting, regular project update reports and day to day communications, I never had to follow-up with them or wonder if something was missed or forgotten. As a matter of fact, Bending Design kept me on task – which is a welcome change from other vendors we’ve worked with! Since then, we enlisted their help with a print design project and were, once again, so pleased with the process and the result that we made the decision to keep Bending Design on retainer for our design needs.”

LEANNE KASSAB, CFMP

AVP/MARKETING

CNB BANK

“Bending Design gives clients exceptional service specific to creative design. They have consistently delivered out of the box concepts that are a strategic fit for the brand image. Sharon and her team are highly responsive and bring a boutique creative aspect to the project with a very personal level of client service. I value Bending Design's contribution to my projects and continue to enjoy the legacy they have created for us.”

EILEEN MAHONEY PHILBIN

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

AMERICAN SENIOR BENEFITS ASSOCIATION

“PM&P has worked with Sharon for over seven years. In that time she led us through a complete re-working of our branding, including a new website, collateral, letterhead and report packing and e-marketing templates and brand standards manual. On a daily basis she continues to support our marketing efforts. Her creativity, cheerful personality, attention to detail and ability to meet deadlines makes her an invaluable member of our marketing team. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her or hire her again and again!”

JEAN KANE

VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING

PEARL MEYER & PARTNERS

“Without question you are the best designers I’ve ever worked with in my career.”

MICHAEL HEPP

SENIOR TECHNOLOGY STRATEGIST

DARTMOUTH JOURNAL SERVICES

“Just a note to thank you both again for all of your help with our holiday cards this year. They are a BIG hit and we have been getting a record number of orders this year! We have thoroughly enjoyed working with you thus far and are excited to continue our Partnership into the year ahead.”

LISA GATES

COMMUNICATION SERVICES DIRECTOR

RLI CORP.

“Reliable, competent, flexible, accessible, patient, customer service-oriented, and able to produce results on time and within budget… are all attributes that describe what we experienced with Bending Design.

The National Safety Council saves lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the roads through leadership, research, education and advocacy. We selected Bending Design to work with our Product Development, First Aid, and Marketing departments in applying our new branding direction to the redesign of our NSC First Aid training product line. Sharon and her staff successfully collaborated with us to create a cohesive and impactful look and feel across all of our product components. Working on multiple products and components with aggressive timelines and shelf dates, we appreciate the time, energy, and attention we received from Sharon and her staff in what has been a highly significant and successful effort for the NSC!”

ROSEANN SOLAK

MANAGER, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

NATIONAL SAFETY COUNCIL

“Sharon and her team have been working with my company for over seven years. In that time, she has created an entire new brand and has successfully maintained that brand along the way. Any new project that we have the team work on is executed properly and finalized in a timely manner. Their work is always top-notch. Never have we worked with a designer that better understands our business and the brand we are presenting to the market.”

KELLY SALVATI

MARKETING SPECIALIST

PEARL MEYER & PARTNERS

"We couldn't have been happier with the outcome of the project. Bending Design took a complex online user interface and made it engaging and easy to understand. The end product originally intended for our website and as a introduction to the new product has found its way into our sales force as an engaging tool with old and prospective customers. Bending Design really hit it out of the park with their creative and their ability to adapt to our branding standards."

ROBERT WALKER

MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER

GE CAPITAL, AMERICAS

“The challenge in producing a successful annual report for The Children’s Advocacy Center is to convey the emotional side of healing from child abuse. Our therapists counsel these young children recognizing each survivor’s story and response to the abuse is different and requires an individualized treatment program.

Since we cannot include pictures of our children, we portray the emotional side with words and graphics. Bending Design is highly competent in accomplishing this with their keen graphic eye to selecting colors, style, and editorial content in a succinct way.”

SUSAN REEDQUIST

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

THE CHILDREN’S ADVOCACY CENTER OF NORTH & NORTHWEST COOK COUNTY

“Bending Design brought a fresh perspective and unique approach to our advertising creative. We gave them the themes and they came up with the copy and designs in sketch form. We worked collaboratively on revisions and the end results were ads and messages we are proud to run. Bending Design took the time to understand our style and objectives and that resulted in a rewarding creative experience and excellent finished product. I look forward to working with them on my next project.”

MICHELLE HACHÉ

MARKETING DIRECTOR

THE JOURNAL OF BONE & JOINT SURGERY

“It’s very reassuring to have a design partner who understands and seamlessly meets our expectations. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Bending Design as we update all of our journal websites.”

GEORGE THEOFANOPOULOS

MANAGER, E-JOURNAL CONTENT

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS

“Our committee members were very happy with the design options. Thank you for being so easy to work with on this project!”

KARA KIENZLER

COMMUNICATIONS PRODUCTION COORDINATOR

ILLINOIS ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®

”We are proud to offer our clients an industry leading account management website. Bending Design has exceeded our expectations with their understanding of our site’s expansive and customized needs while creating an eye-catching design with thoughtful navigation and an overall valuable experience each time our clients login.”

LISA LEE

VICE PRESIDENT OF MARKETING

CLARK CONSULTING

“I am so pleased with not only the impeccable quality of our survey results book, but also that it was completed within such a tight time frame. Bending Design came through for us once again and I’m thrilled to have them as a partner.”

MELISSA PINNELL

MARKETING MANAGER

CLARK CONSULTING

“Very impressive work. Creative, clean, elegant design. High quality team, extremely service-oriented. Sharon is a true professional.”

CAROLYN L. SMITH

CHIEF RESULTS OFFICER

MAGNUS & CO.

5 Reasons A Bending Design Retainer Is Good For You

2011-12-01T14:51:00.001-06:00

There is no right or wrong way to work with a graphic design firm. Whether you prefer a project-to-project relationship, a one-time-only scenario, or a long-term business agreement — also known as a retainer — it's all about finding the right fit. Retainers, in particular, can offer great value for many reasons. Read the rest of our latest e-newsletter here.

Good Design for Mobile Websites

2011-10-31T11:39:00.002-05:00

More and more organizations are contemplating having a mobile version of their website. Creating one may seem like an overwhelming task, which it certainly could be, but when you break it down into phases it can be much more palatable.

A phased approach might be:

Create a one page mobile site. This can allow users easy access to specific links, which already exist on the full site. Since they're directed to the existing site it will most likely not be optimized for their device, but users are currently fairly patient with viewing existing sites on their phone. As more and more organizations and businesses optimize their sites for mobile devices that patience will wear thinner and thinner.

Create a condensed version of your current site. Note what your visitors most likely will want on the go. Are they "browsers," those that like to kill time on your site while hanging out, or "searchers," looking for something specific such an event location or article? Your mobile site can be stripped down to include access to only the most valuable information, which can save big dollars while improving your relationship with members.

Create a full-blown version of your current site. This means translating every single piece of information on your site to work well on a mobile device, allowing users full access to resources, events, etc. on the go. If you have a database driven site, setting up a separate, mobile version of the pages to pull from the database. How large is such an undertaking? About the size of a website redesign, if not larger. There is a thought process involved that's quite different from traditional websites, and that may be hard to get used to at first. For example, there's not an easy way to test how the site will look on every single device so there will be a lot of trial and error. There are some overall best practices we will touch on to promote acceptance across most devices.

DESIGN GUIDELINES

Nielsen Norman Group's recent "Usability of Mobile Websites" study reveals 85 design guidelines for improving website access through mobile devices. Some of the highlights are:

Detect if users are coming to your site on a mobile phone and direct them to your mobile site.
Include a link to your mobile site on your full site and vice versa.
Include the company location or name in a salient location at the top of the mobile homepage. Include the logo on every page of the site and make it link to your homepage.
Clickable area should be at least 1cm x 1cm for touch phones
Include a link to the navigation on every page of your mobile site.

The entire report can be purchased by visiting
http://www.nngroup.com/reports/mobile

HOW TO BUILD ONE

Coding-wise, mobile sites are built in the same manner as a regular site. HTML, CSS, PHP, etc. are all acceptable. Mobile sites can be viewed in a web browser; they just look strange. Try visiting http://www.bendingdesign.mobi from your web browser as well as your mobile device. Can you tell which one this site was optimized for?

Depending on your situation, easing into a mobile site may be the way to go. Start small but with a big vision, and you will find yourself moving down the right path. From there it will get easier and easier. And remember, by starting down the path you stand to gain an advantage—most organizations have nothing. Your audience will appreciate it.

Contact me to discuss integrating QR codes within your marketing.

The New Rules of SEO

2011-10-28T15:36:00.006-05:00

The new rules are about a lot more than keywords and meta tags - what a difference a little time makes in regards to search engine optimization. Google's constantly trying to enhance the quality of its search results by selecting pages with the most value, so while meta tag description and keywords, page titles and friendly urls still have their place, there's a lot more to consider, including:

Social media marketing - shared content adds value. The more people share your content, the more people link to it, the better chance for high placement.
Internal linking - make sure to include a lot of relevant links to content within your site, and use descriptive link names.
Analytical data - there is speculation that Google is using average time on site and other analytics to help determining its rankings. Make sure to especially pay attention to your bounce rate - the lower it is the better. Back in April of last year Google announced that they are using site speed in their search rankings.

The bottom line is to make sure you have a quality overall website. How the site is written, structured, designed and built makes a huge difference. The smaller the pages are to load, the more relevant the content, the better the overall user experience and the happier your users will be. Happy users result in more visitors and lower bounce rates. Take your time in developing the content and thinking through your website instead of rushing to get it out there, and your rankings will show their appreciation.

Thoughts from Cusp

2011-10-10T14:12:00.004-05:00

Each September I look forward to the onslaught of ideas, inspiration and utter amazement at a conference known as Cusp. Put on by our friends at smbolic, the Cusp Conference is about the design of everything. And this year, like all others, it delivered. From cartoons to education, prosthesis to film, there was never a dull moment. Amazing musical performances were sprinkled throughout the conference, giving our brains some downtime to relax and enjoy the show.

Although everyone was truly amazing, here are some tidbits that stood out to me...

Matthew Diffee, Cartoonist for The New Yorker:

Kirby Ferguson, writer, producer, director and editor of Everything is a Remix:

...and some notes and thoughts I jotted down throughout the conference.

Kickstarter.com for artists' crowdfunding
Had an idea, created a product, empowered locals to self-produce, made a difference
"Creativity is the sudden cessation of stupidity." - Edwin Land
Entrepreneurs focus on unfortunate opportunities
"We can't solve the world's problems by using the same kind of thinking that we used when we created them." - Albert Einstein
Get involved locally and demand the best in your child's education
Use design thinking to solve big, messy challenges. "Is there anything we cannot do?"
Use fear to make yourself better
Van Phillips. Amazing.
Do what you are
Robotics, physics, software engineering and design for a Die Hard battery commercial with Gary Numan (behind the scenes here)
If we can replace 85% of the body, are we still human?
Ordinary can be extraordinary if you take the time to recognize it
Citizenscience - using gaming to help science: Phylo

Phew!

Morgan Spurlock's at it Again

2011-08-24T15:40:00.003-05:00

I recently saw POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, another insightful documentary by Morgan Spurlock, creator of Super Size Me.

This documentary is about product placement, more recently referred to as "brand integration" in movies. It's funded entirely by sponsors. Morgan spends part of the time selling the idea to the sponsors, part of the time promoting the products, and part of the time exploring the negatives of advertising.

One of my favorite scenes involved Morgan explaining the concept of the film to a potential sponsor, and when they ask what the plot is, he turns to the camera and says, "this is it now!"

In the end, Morgan shows us, in a very transparent and entertaining way, the inner workings of brand intergration in the movies and leaves us to draw our own conclusions.

It's a must-see for anyone interested in marketing and advertising. Watch the trailer!

Making Ideas Happen

2011-08-19T14:36:00.009-05:00

This summer I tore my ACL playing sand doubles volleyball, and during the surgery to repair it, cartilage damage was found and repaired. What was supposed to be a two day timeframe on crutches after the surgery turned into four weeks of non-weight bearing, dependence on crutches, balancing on one leg while getting clothes out of the dryer-type activity (or non-activity I should say). I spent four hours a day with my leg in a machine bending and straightening it. On the plus side, that gave me a lot of time to read, and considering the stack of books in my "to read" pile, that was a good thing.

I recently finished an excellent book by Scott Belsky, the founder and CEO of Behance entitled Making Ideas Happen. The book focuses partly on how to better organize your thoughts and processes in order to track and execute the ideas that pop into our minds all the time. Scott calls this "The Action Method."

I found I was doing some of these things already, but not in as formal of a way. Here's how I'm applying what I learned to work for me:

Develop a way to record ideas as soon as they occur, for me it's either a notepad or recording a voice note on my phone, depending which is closer at the moment of inspiration.
While taking meeting notes, jotting down ideas or anything else, divide them into three categories: action items, references and backburner items.
Designate time each day for processing – for me it's the end of the day where I take inventory on the day's content and organize it into the three areas. I consolidate all action items in one journal, backburner items in another, and I file references that I will actually refer back to. If I cannot figure why I could refer back to it, I toss it. If an action item will take less than two minutes to complete, I complete it.
Review backburner items monthly (I added the appointment in my calendar!) and move them to the action list if necessary.

Scott also recommends to include personal projects, so I will start using this process for personal items as well. I can already see how that will clear my head and allow me to be present in the moment without worrying about other things I have to do.

Give it a try and let me know how it works out for you!

Four Ways to Boost SEO Results With Social Media

2011-07-12T15:48:00.006-05:00

Your organization's online presence in various arenas impacts SEO. MarketingProfs recently published this short article which includes some easy things to implement:

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SEO experts have spent the last decade preaching a gospel of optimized page-level elements and inbound links. "Those things are still important today," Jonathan Lawoyin writes in an article at MarketingProfs, "but getting real SEO results these days requires not only a technically optimized website and relevant inbound links but also a strong, vibrant Web presence that supports your overall brand. Which is where social media comes in."

Lawoyin offers tips like these for using social media to improve your organic search rankings:

Promote your content at sites like Facebook and Twitter. Search engines use shares and tweets as a factor when ranking content—so be sure to publish your most recent how-to articles and blog posts where readers can express their approval.

Interact with your fans and followers. You can't just dump content in social networks and expect it to go anywhere. "If you don't have many engaged followers on these social media sites," Lawoyin says, "there won't be anyone to help promote your content via shares and re-tweets."

He also suggests driving engagement with tactics like these:

Use keyword research to drive content development. The keywords that visitors use to find your site provide a good indication of the content they want to read. "Look for areas of high search volume, and develop content around those subjects," he advises.

Use historical keyword data to exploit seasonal trends. Lawoyin noticed that a client's traffic spiked on the term "motorcycle safety" in May. After discovering May was Motorcycle Safety Awareness Month, he prepared content ahead of time so it would rank well during that period.

The Po!nt: Socialize to optimize. Social media matters to search engines—and that means it matters to you.

Source: MarketingProfs.

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If you're looking for a partner to assist with SEO strategy we can help!

A Nod to Dad

2011-06-30T21:09:00.004-05:00

The entrepreneurial spirit is in my blood, and that comes from my dad. I often turn to him for advice on running my business, but there are some ideas he's ingrained in me for as long as I can remember, and those ideas have become second nature:

What goes around comes around.
If I had a dollar for every time my dad told me this...As teens my sisters and I would joke, and roll our eyes when we heard the phrase rolling off his tongue for the umpteenth time. "We know dad..." But in doing that he made sure I'd always remember to be upfront and honest, even when it's painful or difficult, by treating people the way I would want to be treated. And he not only says this, but he lives it every day. As a Realtor he is a mediator and on an ethics and arbitration hearing panel, and I am so proud that his peers have twice voted him "Realtor of the Year" for the professional, ethical manner in which he handles business.

You can be anything you want.
I'm incredibly lucky. From an early age I knew I wanted to do something related to art for a career. And what makes me even luckier is that I have parents who wholeheartedly supported me the entire way. My dad was big on Zig Ziglar and Earl Nightingale, and I'd always see their books and tapes around the house growing up. He told my sisters and I stories about the power of positive thinking, what the mind is capable of and how we had to put it to work for us. He basically made sure that we knew that if we wanted something and set our mind to it anything's possible. And I love him for that!

How to Present Analytics to Your Leadership Team

2011-06-21T13:52:00.004-05:00

Have you ever received a blank stare from a member of the leadership team when presenting website analytics? It can be confusing, especially for those who are not the most tech-savvy. Here's a great article with ideas on how to better present those results to the leadership team.

What My Mom Taught Me

2011-05-30T13:12:00.008-05:00

The month of May is all about moms. In my case not only because of Mother's Day, but it's also my mom's birthday month. As a special gift to my mom, I wanted to devote my May blog post to her, and share what she's taught me.

My mom had a rough childhood with many trials and tribulations. She had to grow up fast. When people go through what she did it's easy to continue the cycle, but my mom decided, at an early age, that she was going to be different. Thanks to an intense bond with her sister and street smarts she made it through those early days. When she became a mother she had a chance to be the mom she always wanted. Now, as a mom myself, I look back fondly on my childhood memories realizing how much work she put into us kids and how lucky we were to have her growing up.

If there's one thing my mom taught me, it's that family is everything. My three sisters and I still depend on my mom for a lot, whether it's helping out with our kids, listening to our problems or going shopping with us. She is always there for us and never says no. We have not only a great mom, but also a great friend, and for that we are eternally grateful.

Art vs. Design

2011-04-30T22:41:00.003-05:00

Growing up I always considered myself an artist. I loved to draw, to create. As a kid we would play "Jobs" and while my friends were office workers I always had a sign shop. I'd make signs for birthday parties - taking great care while meticulously hand lettering each character. During high school I took a "commercial art" class which taught us what a pantone color was. In college my major was "advertising art," and now, over 13 years later, the term for what I do has changed to "graphic design."

Personally, I think the change is for the better. To me, art is something someone creates for themselves - whether it's the process or the end result - there is no judge. While art has a message, graphic design is used solely to communicate a message or elicit a specific response. That's not to say designers cannot also be artists. They can. But there are very specific things that usually have to happen in order to create an effective piece of graphic design, a couple of which include: developing a design brief and brainstorming. Those items certainly don't have to occur in creating a piece of art.

Design is about more than how it looks; it's about communication.
At least that's how I see it. How about you?

Here is another article on the topic of art vs. design that I found very interesting:
http://www.aiga.org/content.cfm/art-vs-design

What do you think?

Giving Back

2011-03-31T14:35:00.005-05:00

About this time of year the spirit of giving tends to die down. The holiday season provides the largest donations for most non-profits. Japan's recent tragedy reminds us how important it is to support each other and give to those less fortunate. Giving is not only about money but also time.

For me personally, it's a time for focus and clarity. As a volunteer tutor for the Literacy Connection I find that when I'm tutoring I'm not thinking about the laundry list of things I have to do — I am clear and focused. The phone is off, there's no email, no distractions, and my student and I are engrossed in an experience together — both of us trying to better ourselves.

There are so many wonderful non-profits. Here are a few that are close to my heart:
The Literacy Connection
The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research
The Neuroblastoma Children's Cancer Society
Children's Advocacy Center
Special Olympics
National Safety Council

Integrating Your Website with Social Media

2011-02-11T15:20:00.000-06:00

We all have a website - we all have a Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn account. What is the best way to integrate your website with all that social media?

Here are a few approaches:

1. Using icons - This is the most widely used approach. You can include an icon to each social media outlet on every page of your website so that users can easily find and link to you. Our client, the American Senior Benefits Association, uses this approach. It works for those starting out in social media as Phase 1 while the strategy may still be forming.

2. Creating a social media page - If you have a lot of social media sites, a specific page dedicated to organizing all those links might work for you. We helped another client, the American Academy of Pediatrics, create one page to link off to all the sites, organized by product. The page also includes the latest news for each product, essentially acting as a portal.

3. Pulling feeds onto your website - Facebook has "badges" which allow you to pull content from your Facebook page to your website. You can have your page status updates or photos appear on your site which will add an element of freshness. These badges are simple to implement and customize. You may want to create an RSS feed of your latest Tweets, eNewsletters, articles, or all of the above so that your users can easily add it to their reader of choice, keeping them up-to-date on your latest information.

There are many options but the most important thing is that your marketing has "big picture" thinking and that your strategy drives the implementation.

"Website" or "Web site"?

2011-01-25T15:25:00.000-06:00

This has been under debate for a long time, but last June the Associated Press Stylebook, the standard for grammar throughout the news world, took a stand and declared "website" the winner.

From their release:
The AP said the change from "Web site" to "website" was based on increasingly common usage both in print and online.

“In making the change, the Stylebook team considered responses from our staff as well as readers and users of the Stylebook. It was clear that website has become the widely accepted usage," said Darrell Christian, AP editor-at-large.

Another fantastic reference, The Chicago Manual of Style, mentions on their FAQs page: "We prefer website."

What about "email" vs. "e-mail"? Both sources noted above prefer to use "e-mail" although there are numerous corporations and people all over the world using "email." It's been said that using "e-mail" seems old fashioned, and that the hyphen adds extra clutter. It's also been said that losing the hyphen is lazy. Everyone has an opinion I suppose...

The bottom line is to select one use for your organization and stick to it! Include it in your brand guidelines and make sure everyone knows the rule, creating consistency throughout your materials.

Your Brain at Work

2011-01-08T19:01:00.000-06:00

We're all trying to do more and more in less and less time. It's no wonder we can sometimes feel frazzled or simply wiped out after a long day. I'm halfway through the book Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long by David Rock and have learned how much we tax our brain and how it's not exactly setup for all the multitasking we consistently ask it to do.

In addition to developing strategies for maintaining focus and keeping a clear mind, I've learned how to rid myself of that nagging feeling I can get when something doesn't go exactly the way I had planned. I generally have to find a way to settle it in my mind to be able to let it go and move on. Sometimes this is easier said than done. This book has taught me the four main types of reappraisal (consciously choosing to see a situation differently) that will help in those situations.

1. Reinterpreting (in the words of David Rock):

I am reminded of Philippe Petit, the tightrope walker who walked between the World Trade Center's twin towers in the 1970s, He worked out a way to manage his fear of the height by hiring a helicopter and spending time sitting in its open doorway high above the towers, getting comfortable with being even higher than he was planning to walk. Making his brain decide that it wasn't dangerous a thousand feet above the towers made it possible to feel "safe" on the wire below a few days later. The wire no longer felt so high! Think of this type of reappraisal as changing your raw emotional response to an event.

2. Normalizing - allowing yourself to feel the feelings and knowing that it's normal can increase your perception of control.

3. Reordering - changing the hierarchy within your brain which leads to a big release of energy.

4. Repositioning - looking at the situation from another's point of view.

I highly recommend this book for more detail on these strategies as well as other amazing information about the brain.

We've Moved!

2010-12-27T16:49:00.001-06:00

It's true, we moved just over the river to West Dundee. Our phone numbers remain the same, but our new address is:

89 West Main Street
Suite 103
West Dundee, IL 60118

Hop on over to our Facebook page for a peek inside the new space!

Crowdsourcing: A Viable Alternative for Clients or Value Killer for Designers?

2010-08-31T19:08:00.000-05:00

In recent years, the use of crowdsourcing in many industries has increased. For those of you who are unfamiliar with crowdsourcing as it relates to graphic design, it is when a company in need of graphic design services posts a project request on one of multiple websites dedicated to this practice, hoping to attract designers interested in working on the project. Designers who are interested in the project post their solutions – that is, they do the spec work – and the poster pays only for the work he likes best. All the other contributors are out of luck. In a way, it’s like playing the lottery, but with one very important difference: the lottery costs a dollar to play. Crowdsourcing costs a designer his time and talent, both of which may be better spent on something else.

Looking at it from a client-side perspective, it’s easy to see how crowdsourcing might be tempting to a small company looking to fill a need for a quick event logo or other small project. If a company just needs a quick answer to a design problem, it may make sense to invite many folks to the party, while knowing full well they will end the night having danced with only one. After all, why should a company shell out big bucks to a designer just to create a logo when that same company can choose between potentially hundreds of crowdsourcing entries?

Well, there actually is a good reason. It’s what designers like to refer to as “the big picture”. And while crowdsourcing may have its place in the world, it completely misses the big picture.

A good design firm brings more to a project than just the ability to follow a client’s orders. A good design firm will help a client define the design objective, articulate the goals of the project and contemplate what the next steps will be once the project has been completed. Creating strategy, lending imagination, offering ideas and helping maintain focus, while at the same time advising and supporting a client’s aspirations, are all a part of what a client can expect from a one-on-one relationship with a truly first-rate designer. In short, what a good design firm brings is value – value that just can’t be found through the “y’all come” approach inherent in a crowdsourcing environment.

There will always be people willing to do spec work: Students looking to build a portfolio, design firms that have more capacity than they have clients, and even some talented designers who, sadly, underestimate their own worth.

But if you’re looking for a design firm to partner with you over the long term, and commit to your ongoing success, it is well worth the time and money to join forces with a designer who not only understands and respects your value, but also her own.

Association and Financial Service Email Marketing Benchmarks

2010-07-13T10:36:00.000-05:00

"Only 36% of my recipients opened my latest e-newsletter!"

If that's you, you're actually doing better than average! Financial Services emails average a 20.87% open rate, while non-profits average 27.66%. I found this great chart showing the average open rates by industry for MailChimp customers. MailChimp is an email marketing service - I don't necessarily endorse them but love that they took the time to create this chart and share it with the world.

If you'd like to know how to increase your open rates, check out a previous e-newsletter of mine, The Do's and Don'ts of Email Marketing.

So...how do your rates compare?

More Pull, a Little Less Push

2010-06-08T22:09:00.000-05:00

Now more than ever is the time to pull in your customers/members. Gone is the time when one big ad begging them to call a phone number or visit a website would do the job. There is a paradigm shift happening in regards to marketing - we are looking less and less at how to push messages out and more and more about how to create something that is worthy of "re-tweeting", "like"ing, or just simply passing along. There is so much information out there and so many organizations vying for attention at the same time that strategy is more important than ever. Take a step back -- get out of your normal everyday shoes and think different about how you can take advantage of today's technology to get your message out.

The good news is that the one big idea is not the only way -- you can try out many little ideas on smaller scales to see what sticks.

Pull marketing combined with push can work wonders. Don't be left behind, but don't jump blindly into space. View my article "Five Steps to a Successful Social Media Experience" for some ideas on how to best use these new opportunities, or you can listen to the podcast here.

Cures for the Creative Brain?

2010-04-20T21:22:00.000-05:00

It seems lately I've had more than the usual amount of business ideas (great, right?) but not enough time to execute. I feel I am pretty well-balanced with the whole left brain/right brain thinking so when my right brain comes up with an idea that's exciting my left brain puts it on the to-do list and then frets about when I can actually get to it, thus upsetting and depressing my right side.

I constantly have this fight going on and am really trying hard to work it out! I want the ideas to keep flowing - there's nothing like submerging yourself in good information, books, articles, group discussions, and letting that knowledge gained bubble below the surface until BAM! A big idea pops. The thrill! The vision of the idea in action! The fame and fortune the idea will bring! (OK, maybe I'm pushing it a little.)

My point is I don't want to tame the brain but Lefty needs a little organization. So I cope by trying to let both sides thrive - is that even possible? When I have an idea that is not yet ready for execution or needs some more thinking and focus I put it into my idea journal. I love flipping through this book because sometimes looking at an older idea triggers a solution. Other times I organically executed or focused the idea without even realizing it!

When the idea is ready for execution I write it down and prioritize it in my master to-do list. Each day that list changes and some items shuffle around, but I never forget anything because it's always there in my handy little (other) journal. Lefty likes the comfort associated with lists, although sometimes (as entrepreneurs know) working on your own business takes a backseat, which causes some items to be on the list longer than Lefty likes. Also, Lefty asks Righty why another idea has made it onto the list when there's still two that we are in the middle of completing at this moment. "Focus!" She says.

I guess it's the curse of having strong pulls from each side. All in all, I think it's good. Just don't laugh if you hear me arguing with myself! Creatives of the world, please share... how do you cope?

What Matters Now: Free e-book

2010-03-22T09:34:00.000-05:00

Check out this e-book Seth Godin put together. It has thoughts and advice from many of Seth's friends and associates. I love the variety of thoughts, inspiration and ideas found in the book such as thoughts on fear, the 1%,world healers and one of my favorites, willpower. Here's that selection:

We love to believe that willpower determines our actions. “If I just try harder,” we tell ourselves, “I can lose that last 10 pounds.” Or save $200/month. Or improve our time management.

The problem is, it doesn’t work.

Willpower is important, of course, but there’s more to behavioral change than just trying harder. Think about all the things we know we “should” do: Exercise regularly, eat healthily, max out our retirement accounts, save more, travel, call Mom....

In one study, researchers tried to understand why people weren’t investing in their 401(k)s. In the first example, less than 40% of people contributed to their 401(k). But after they made it automatic—in other words, the day you joined, you’re automatically contributing a small amount to your 401(k)-enrollment skyrocketed to over 90%.

We know we should fill out that paperwork—and it’s probably costing us a lot of money to not be investing-but we just can’t seem to get around to it.

It turns out we “know” we need to do all kinds of things, but we often need the right defaults-a small nudge-to actually change our behavior.

Can you help design the right defaults to help people in pro-social ways?

Ramit Sethi is the author of I Will Teach You To Be Rich. He writes about personal finance, psychology, and entrepreneurship at iwillteachyoutoberich.com.

You can download the e-book here:
http://www.bendingdesign.com/what-matters-now.pdf

Feel free to pass it along and let me know what you think of it!

A Surprise Gift

2010-02-17T16:56:00.000-06:00

The other day I received a package and had absolutely no idea what it was or where it came from. The excitement grew as I ripped through the packaging like a kid at Christmas. It was Seth Godin's new book, Linchpin. With it, a note:

A few months ago you bought the Seth Godin boxed set...and now it's already incomplete. So here's a copy of my new book, Linchpin, on me...

I appreciate your support and kindness, and I hope that you'll enjoy my latest. If you've already got one, please give this copy to someone you care about.

Have fun. Do the work. Make a difference.

Seth

Wow. How cool is that? Seth Godin, the marketing genius who has the most widely read blog in the universe just made me feel like we're buddies. He was talking directly to me and he made me feel special. I got this book free.

Make your customers/members feel like that and you're set for life!

Design of the World...Disney World, That Is

2010-02-09T17:09:00.000-06:00

Disney knows how to do it right. If you've ever been there you've seen how the lines are interactive experiences, the people are the most pleasant, and every square inch of that property is designed to a T.

As a designer I walk through Disney World paying attention to every detail and it is utterly amazing. The hotels on the property are all themed, and everything from the attire of the workers to the restaurant and room decor follows the theme. It's pure eye candy, and incredibly inspiring. While standing in line you're playing a game, watching a presentation, or taking in the scenery as if you're at a museum. This begs the question: How can we make a boring but necessary part of our business more fun?

While in line to check in at our hotel this year I overheard a woman who was incredibly upset that her wake up call was missed, and I don't blame her. (But I did think, who uses wake up calls anymore?) The employee... I mean "cast member" (that's what employees of Disney are called) of the hotel took a beating with a concerned look on her face, apologizing profusely over again, promising to make it right.

How many of us can admit when we're wrong, take a beating and make it right? Because let's face it, we all make mistakes, it's a matter of owning up to and fixing them that's important.

Stacks of Mags

2010-01-26T18:27:00.000-06:00

I'll get back to my thoughts from Disney World next time. Today I had a thought I wanted to share.

There's always a stack of at least 10 magazines on my desk to get through, and it drives me crazy! I cannot be alone there. It's loads of valuable information that I cannot wait to dive into but there's just not a good time with the to-dos that each day brings.

Today, while noticing my stack I had a thought... I wish those magazines were downloadable in podcast form. Each article would be a separate file. I love to multitask; I could listen to them during my hour long drive to my volleyball games tonight. Why is that not available? If you publish any kind of print publication yes, having a website for it is good, but why not offer members another way to access the content? I'd love to have the option to use my ears rather than my eyes. Advertisers won't be happy...but I'd pay more for that feature. That's just me. Something to think about.

Thoughts from Disney World...Part 1

2010-01-18T16:58:00.000-06:00

Actually, I'm back home but during my trip last week there were numerous things that happened that I wanted to write about. Finding time to write while at Disney World with a two and five year old (and a husband who loves the place more than my kids do) was definitely a challenge. I hope you'll stick with me for the next few entries as I share my observations and experiences.

First off, we always drive, so after a nice long road trip from Chicago to northern Georgia I was thrilled to settle in at the hotel. My husband insists on bringing overnight bags so we don't have to haul the kids and all our bags, which is a really good idea, but I hate having to put it together. I'm happy simply throwing all my stuff on one bag and I'm good... but I went ahead and packed my overnight bag anyway. My contacts and all of my toiletries were in there along with my pajamas and driving clothes for the next day. I bet you know where this is going...

That's right, we start to bring up bags and guess what - no overnight bag for Sharon! That sinking feeling hit, the feeling that you get when you forgot something really, really important. I started to get upset about it and then thought - OK, what's in there anyway? Contacts. That hurts...My eyes are pretty bad so I'll have to wear my coke bottle glasses the whole trip. Oh well, I'm not going to Disney World to look glamorous. Toiletries - There's a store down the street, I can pick up what I need. Clothes - I have them in my "regular" bag. Hey, it's not such a big deal after all!

So the lesson I learned is before I start to get all worked up about something that doesn't happen exactly according to plan just break it down piece by piece and usually that big problem isn't so bad after all.

Another Year Bites the Dust

2009-12-31T16:34:00.000-06:00

Well, here it is... My first ever blog entry on December 31, 2009. Why now? I've spent the year implementing my social media plan, creating and maximizing Bending Design's Facebook and Twitter accounts, as well as my personal LinkedIn account. The next thing on the list was a redesign of bendingdesign.com (which is coming soon!) and this blog.

I'll be sharing interesting marketing and design related tidbits, thoughts, inspiration, quotes, books, and anything else I think you might be interested in.

On that note, if you haven't read any of Seth Godin's books, I highly suggest you start now. The beauty of them is that they are quick, weekend reads and so incredibly inspirational. He'll get your creative juices flowing, whether you consider yourself a creative or not. Purple Cow is an excellent starting point, as is Tribes.

As I look forward to 2010, I see a year of massive opportunity, strong relationships, a ton more learning and reaching for the stars. As Seth Godin said: Why not be great?