Newsletter
| February, 2006 Go back to the drawing board and promote your business better. How often have we found problems with a situation, process or product but have felt unable to correct it? Often times the problem lies in the initial design or process or in some cases cultural custom. Today, we are faced with the problems of pollution or the end of finite resources. It sometimes feels like the issues are so daunting that it's too difficult to untangle them and have any positive effect. Last month I attended the Compostmodern conference in San Francisco. The conference had nothing to do with garden clippings or worms but it had everything to do with the issues of sustainability. Compostmodern is an annual cross-discipline conference put on by American Institute of Graphic Arts (AGIA) and the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). Also in attendance were architects and interior designers. The speakers were from the areas of media, graphic design, manufacturing, architecture, and industrial & product design. The presentations were primarily examples of how different designers were coming up with intelligent responses to the problem of reducing the footprint of human industry. How these responses fit into our daily lives was also addressed. In one case a design study was conducted to understand the problem of too many plastic bags in San Francsico. The solution was to create a product and process based on research to get buy-in from the community that was to participate. The result was a plan for a compostable plastic bag pilot program that fit in with existing infrastructure and the cultural habits of that specific community. In other discussions, marketing in an authentic voice helped place the design work that was presented into a broader context to gain better acceptance and participation. The take away In order to make positive change we sometimes have to go back to the drawing board. The same idea can be applied to our businesses and how we promote them. What kinds of problems are you facing in promoting your business right now? What are the things you're doing now that don't seem to work (anymore)? Here are a few things to consider: • When you meet people at networking events, tell them you will call them • Do some sort of regular marketing campaign • Follow up Improving our business may only take a simple re-design in how we bring in business. One final thought Sustainability is entering the mainstream consciousness, even in business. At the Churchill Club’s eighth annual “Top Ten Trends” a panel of VC gurus listed a variety of trends for 2006. #1 was more investment in green startups #10 was design will count more than ever This was a virtual mirror to the presentations at the Compostmodern conference. See the full list at: ceruleanmedia.com/dmb/2006/01/21/top-ten-trends-time/#more-60 Despite all the talk, a lot of momentum is going in the direction of sustainability especially in the areas of industrial design and architecture but graphic design and marketing is starting to have an impact too. We're beginning to see the results in mainstream discourse and activity. Back to the Newsletter page Sign up to get your copy of the Pylon Page |
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