My six-year old dragged me out of bed on Saturday to make him pancakes, and when we got to the kitchen he noticed I wasn’t wearing my glasses. He looked at me kind of quizzically and said, “Dad, can you even see anything without your glasses?”
“Sure,” I told him, “Everything is just a little fuzzy.”
“Everything?” he asked.
“Yep.”
“Well what about stuff that’s fuzzy to start with?”

It was a pretty good question, I thought. It reminded of several companies I’ve worked with over the years — companies that came to Grafik because their brands weren’t as clearly defined as they could have been.  Consequently, everything seemed hopelessly unfocused.

A semiconductor firm. A social networking site. A real estate developer. In every case, we were able to help these companies develop powerful brands that define their core value externally, as well as internally. We pinpointed what’s central to what they do, and why they do it, so their brand now informs operations and management as much as they marketing and corporate communications.

For these clients and several others, we made all decision-making less fuzzy. Because when it gets right down to it, that’s what branding should do.

Yesterday, the Washington Post ran a fantastic article on Joe Robert-  the key philanthropist behind Fight for Children, a proponent of vouchers, and generally a person whose passion seems to be helping the less fortunate children of the area.

Several years ago when we were doing a brand assessment for Fight for Children, I had the opportunity to sit down and meet with him for 1/2 hour. At the time  “venture philanthropist” was a new term being bandied about. And truthfully I was having a hard time understanding exactly what it meant. Until I met Mr. Robert. ( I wish I knew him better to be able to refer to him as Joe- but sadly that is not the case) I did not understand the term. He embodies social philanthrophy. He is a tough businessman, direct, sets very clear expectations, and does not expect his largess to be wasted. He was extremely clear to tell me exactly what he felt that challenges of Fight for Children were, and equally passionate about school vouchers ( a passion I did not share).

But he communicated clearly the importance of his mission, the goals of this foundation, and the critical nature of Fight Night- the prime fund raising arm of Fight for Children. Reading the article in the Post, I was saddened to hear of his bout with cancer, knowing that DC might lose a real champion for under served children. And thought how much I had enjoyed my 30 minutes talking with a man who was able to turn give meaning  to venture philanthropy.

Arguably, there’s almost nothing more beautiful than witnessing the ripple effect one individual can have when they are delivering on his or her organization’s brand promise. For example, there’s the infamous story of the Nordstrom salesman who took his company’s credo, “Customer Above All Else”, so seriously that he ended up refunding a set of tires for a customer even though Nordstrom has never sold tires. A little crazy you might say. But extremely powerful nonetheless. That kind of demonstration of a company’s credo takes many forms.

On a recent trip to NYC, I booked reservations for one night at a Comfort Inn located on Central Park West. To my dismay, when my six year old son and I were ready to check-in at 8pm, we were told, by the assistant manager, that there was some sort of problem on the floor where our room was located and there were no other rooms available. They offered to relocate us to a sister hotel in the OUTER BUROUGHS! As disappointed as I was to not be staying in this boutique hotel — located in a highly desirable location — I was even more upset to find out that we would be charged the same nightly fee at the less-than-adequate hotel 15 miles away. Everyone in the world knows that real estate in Manhattan comes at a premium. Apparently, not the manager of this sister hotel. The room itself was okay, but certainly not worth the premium price. Even after I pulled up their nightly rates on my IPhone, which were posted as 50% less, this guy held fast. I was in no position to argue with him, there was a line quickly forming behind me and I had a sleeping six year old slumped over my shoulder.

Let’s cut to the chase. Once I got home I called the manager of the Comfort Inn at the Central Park West. I was armed with my receipts and research in hand. I was ready for a fight. I would not hang up until I was promised a 50% refund. Within 10 seconds of getting on the phone with the manager Charlie, I was disarmed. Charlie immediately made me feel at ease and quickly volunteered to refund me in full. That’s right, in full. What’s more, he offered me a 50% discount on my next two visits to his hotel. Before I called, I had vowed never to book rooms at that hotel again and within the span of a minute, Charlie made me feel totally “Comfortable”. I know where I’ll be staying the next time I visit NYC. At least I think I do.

To be more specific, have you ever played hookie while on a business trip? Well that’s exactly what we’ll be trying to entice business travelers to do while in Lynchburg, Va next month in the November 2009 issue of US Airway’s In-Flight Magazine. While Lynchburg gets its fair share of business travelers already, what municipality can’t handle more heads in beds? Especially these days.

Since the ad is going to be placed squarely in the middle of a 20 page feature article on Lynchburg, touting the benefits of doing business there, we thought there was a real opportunity to divert the reader’s focus to all the other things that might be vying for their attention while in town. After all, we can’t forget we’re talking to people. Yes they’re business people. But they’re people first.

We’ll keep you posted.

Historically, Grafik has been a company steeped in modesty and humility. We’re slowly learning how to toot our own horn, though. Six new clients in the past six months is always big news—but in this economic climate, it’s front page headlines.

In August, Grafik’s interactive division began the redesign and development work for the Prostate Cancer Foundation, the world’s largest philanthropic source of funding for prostate cancer research. August was also the start of a new engagement with Software AG, the world’s largest independent provider of Business Infrastructure Software.

Just prior to that Grafik began a comprehensive branding effort for Sandalwood Securities, a fund of funds headquartered in New Jersey. And, around the same time, we started working with Travelex Global Business Payments on a variety of marketing communication efforts, print and online.

Rounding things out is a new relationship with K12.com, the leader in online learning, and a branding initiative for the Economic Programs of the U.S. Census Bureau. For K12, our work has focused on refining communication tools for their business to business marketing efforts. The Census has tasked us with creating cohesive messaging and visual identity for a number of distinctive programs that measure the U.S economy.

For some, challenging times are just that—a challenge to work harder.  For Grafik, they’re times when we can implement new strategies, consider new directions, and launch promising new initiatives. As an independently-owned, and creatively-driven firm, we always have the ability to create our own destiny.

Growth in a challenging market is yet another indicator that we are doing something right. So we hope you’ll forgive us for bragging. We’re very excited about the future. From our perspective, it just gets brighter every day.

I saw this word “Giantism” in an auto magazine the other day and I was so fascinated by it. The article was comparing the Chevy Camero, Dodge Challenger and Ford Mustang—the 3 major American muscle car icons, past and present. As you know, the latest design of all 3 cars borrow heavily from their ancestors in the 60s and 70s. However, one of the test drivers commented that all 3 vehicles suffered from “giantism”. He didn’t understand why they are all made so big (from the inside out), that even though they all have gigantic engines, they are not nimble because of the overall size and weight of the cars. So, why do they need to be so big?

This really got me thinking about design trends in a general (and global) sense, especially the Web 2.0 style—big type and big buttons, spacious in every aspect. The question is: is this “giantism” only an American thing? I don’t see BMW, Mercedes, Ferrari and Lamborghini, etc., designing cars like that. I don’t see as much “giantism” in websites designed by Europeans and Asians. Is economic (in term of space and real estate) and compact design less of a concern in this continent? Or do we just emphasize more on being big, bold, clear, plain and simple (sometimes that gets to be simplistic)?

This is not a criticism of the current American design trend, but only an observation in general. I could be all wrong about this, and so I am open to be convinced otherwise.

I recently helped one of our clients get through a very complicated transaction. And I was there for him pretty much all hours of the day and night- providing him with a variety of counsel- from monitoring emails to writing positioning papers. On Friday, at the conclusion of an important milestone, he sent me the following email. It touched me more than most emails- and mind you, this was sent by a very serious business associate, not normally the warm mushy type of guy. It made an impression since it is exactly the kind of philosophy that we have built Grafik on- and values we embrace.

The Charles Schulz  Philosophy
The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the ‘Peanuts’ comic strip.

You don’t have to actually answer the questions. Just ponder on them. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you’ll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.

2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.

3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.

4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.

5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.

6. Name the last decade’s worth of World Series winners.

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners.

Here’s an  other quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.

2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.

3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.

4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!

5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.

Easier?

The  lesson:

The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials… the most money… or the most awards. They simply are the ones who care the most!

“Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Taken!”

When the DC chapter of the American Institute for Graphic Arts (AIGA) decided to take their 11th AIGA 50 competition online, they reached out to board member and Grafik Senior Designer, Mila Arrisueno, who saw the potential to create something outstanding (Go Mila!). Mila immediately brought the opportunity to Grafik, and assembled a team of designers to work night and day to launch http://aiga50.aigadc.org. In the two-month time frame, Grafik combined with the AIGA programing team to concept, design and develop an entire website and call for entry materials.

AIGA 50 is a biennial juried exhibition showcasing 50 of the strongest examples of design produced in this region over the last two years. For the last 20 years, entries have been submitted via snail mail. And the time between submission and the gala could be anywhere from six to eight months. This year, however, AIGA DC wanted to change all that. With a new goal to demonstrate the significance of design in all aspects of our personal and professional lives, the organization was determined to take AIGA 50 online, and use social media to create a vital dialogue. The Grafik team knew it would be a challenge, but they were totally up for it.

“For the designers, bringing the show online is an opportunity to fully expose their creative inner selves, showing everyone what they’re made of,” says Gregg Glaviano, Grafik Partner, and Creative Director. “With the added functionality of allowing the public to comment on the gallery of work, it  also exposes entrants to praise, questions and more. This creates a live conversation between designers and the general public — elevating and exposing the design community to the greater community at large. The gallery will offer a chance for the community to see and comment on all the work once the judges have made their selections. With the blog, twitter and flickr feeds,viewers will have access to the entire process. Finally, after the show, a winners’ gallery will feature more images and greater insight than has ever been offered in the past. All in all it’s sure to be the most revealing show to date.”

Credits to the entire Grafik team: Gregg Glaviano, Mila Arrisueno, Sharif Elshinnawi,
Alex Diaz, Arthur Hsu, Heath Dwiggins, David Collins, Hal Swetnam, Johnny Vitorovich
and David Jolda.

For several years Grafik has had the pleasure of being a partner with a great group of educators-DC Prep Public Charter School. http://www.dcprep.org Back in June a number
of Grafik employees, their significant others and friends volunteered to build a fabulous playground facility for the Edgewood campus. It was a great cause for a great group.

Well they need the communities help again. All the info is below. Check it out.
We hope you can help.

Hello to all. I am writing to ask your help in building a beautiful new playground and “edible” teaching garden at DC Prep’s Benning Elementary Campus. Many of you helped us at the Edgewood playground in June 2008, so you know what’s involved — as well as how much fun it is! Our Build Day is Saturday, October 3rd from 8-5 (or until the project is completed). We will need 140 volunteers to make the magic happen and really hope you will join us. Whether you’ve never hammered a nail or are highly skilled with power tools, we will have plenty of work for you! I’m attaching a flyer that shows the project plans as well as gives the details of the build day. Please feel free to distribute it broadly — the more the merrier.

There will also be three pre-build days — September 30 and October 1 & 2 — to prepare for the “raising” of the playground on the 3rd. We need 30 volunteers on each of those days
and would welcome your help. If you are good with tools or have some carpentry experience, you are especially needed during the pre-build. Finally, we need some real brawn on Friday, October 2nd when we will move gravel by the wheelbarrow-full to provide the subsurface for the garden beds and the playground.

Please let me know if you would like additional information or have any questions.
I look forward to hearing from you and seeing you on October 3rd!

Warm regards,

Ibby

http://www.logodesignlove.com/istock-logos

Today istockphoto announced that they are going to start a “competition” to build
an archive of stock logos. Designers are up in arms. We are wringing our hands,
crying foul, talking about how ill-informed this decision is.

And all of it will fall on deaf ears. Instead do one thing. Boycott them.
Hit is where it hurts- the pocketbook not the conscience.