Last night’s Fashion Group International panel discussion was insightful and informative, with Sheri L Koetting successfully leading the panelists through a wide range of Social Media topics. Much light was shed on innovative techniques the panel used for their clients using platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to turn strangers into fans, and fans into customers with a loyal following… and turning into sales.
Despite the frigid cold after a giant snowstorm, a glimpse of spring was in the air today as I walked by the Anthropologie flagship in Rockefeller Center. Their store window displays were not only spring-themed, they also have a wonderful eco-theme, too. They’re made from plastic bottles collected from their customers.
MSLK’s two eco-art installations “2663 Urban Tumbleweeds” and “Watershed” are featured in a new art compilation entitled “Urban Interventions – Personal Projects in Public Places.“
The editor, Matthias Huebner, states:
Evolving from graffiti and street art, urban interventions are the next generation of artwork to hit public space. Using any and all of the components that make up urban landscapes, these mostly spatial works bring art to the masses. They turn the street into a studio, laboratory, club, and gallery and challenge us to rediscover our environment and interact with it in new ways. This is the first book to document these very current, personal art projects in a comprehensive way. It shows the growing connections and interplay of this scene with art, architecture, performance, and installation as it turns public spaces into surprising and provoking individual experiences.
To order an advanced copy, click here.
For more information, follow the jump…
We just produced a short video about our environmental commitment. You can see it above, or on our fresh, new site: www.mslk.com.
Let us know what you think!
Like many companies, our holiday card is our number one opportunity to connect with our busy clients on a more personal and emotional level. Traditionally, we like to create a design that is also a mini gift, something everyone can either use or hang on to. This year, we were invited by the non-for-profit group, Robin Hood Foundation, to create a customizable, limited edition design that companies and individuals can purchase online and use as their own holiday card. In the spirit of giving, 100% of the proceeds goes directly to fighting poverty in New York City.
The Challenge
The challenge for this year’s card was to create a simple, festive, non-denominational card that appealed to a wide target audience. Sounds easy, but for designers who are met with the same staid seasonal imagery and themes year after year, the trick is to stay inspired. See how our idea was informed by experimenting with simple shapes.
Sheri and I finally got a chance to view the High Line, the latest large-scale project from renowned architects Diller, Scofidio, and Renfro. If you haven’t heard about the High Line, it is NYC’s newest public park, although the story runs much deeper than just that.
Originally constructed in the 1930s to lift dangerous freight trains off Manhattan’s streets, the High Line is a 1.45-mile-long elevated, steel structure originally designed to carry freight trains. According to the High Line’s website, it currently runs from Gansevoort Street, in the Meatpacking District, through the West Chelsea gallery neighborhood, ending at 34th Street, next to the Jacob Javits Convention Center. The last train ran on it in 1980.
We went with members of Spark and arranged for a private tour led by our good friend, the insanely smart and talented Ben Mickus, an architect at DSR (who also was MSLK’s project manager for our studio’s renovation, and a prolific furniture designer). While Ben did not work specifically on the High Line, he arrived armed with more facts and figures than you ever could have hoped for.
Click below to see my photos, although they’re no substitute for the real thing.
Instead of my usual bike ride to the beach, I decided to walk with some visiting cityfolk who were not as adept on two wheels. As a result, I was able to notice the gray Impala with a “C LUVS F” license plate I always see from the road has a companion gray Impala, with a “F LUVS C” license plate.
Pretty cute, eh?
See folks, design opportunities are everywhere… yours for the taking. If only more people took these risks. Imagine how effective this can be for companies? All you need is an idea… and a little vanity.
MSLK put our party and chef hats on to host the 3rd annual Spark BBQ. Spark, an organization made up of independent designers, holds a summer and winter event open to everyone, allowing for networking opportunities in addition to its monthly events specifically geared for creative professionals.
While I manned the grill for the most part, it was great seeing Old Guard members mingling with new members, who mingled with printers, copywriters, and business coaches.
One of the things which made this event so successful was the idea of name tags which had a pre-printed “Ask me about…” to spark conversations. A perfect fit for an organization named Spark.
Favorites “Ask me abouts…” included
“my new book”
“environmental graphics”
“learning to surf”
“Elvis” (which turned-out to be work-related)
and…
“California”
Maybe you’ll drop by for a veggie dog (or two) next year?
This poster series for the Bronx Zoo seems like a case of a great concept that probably never saw the light of day. The concept is so simple, yet captures the spirit of the Bronx Zoo so well. The designer simply uses the textures of the city to bring simple silhouetted die cuts of animals to life. The result creates a beautiful play between the city and the animal. It’s a great example of a designer considering context as part of the total design. Even better, it’s timeless and can be hung essentially anywhere.
My guess, however, is that these are only concept sketches and the design did not get produced. The downside to the concept is the cost of production. The design is deceptively costly, since a series of large die cuts can be very expensive.
Your chair is always there for you, day and night, 365 days a year. It never gives you any lip when you toss your coat over its back after a long day it without so much of a thanks. Think of all those times it’s supported you when you were feeling tired.
What about all the times you’ve strained it by forcing it to sit on its hind legs while you brag to your mom about how sweet your Facebook wall is looking these days? Nary a complaint from the stoic chair, the most loyal of our four-legged friends.
So why do we make these poor things live out their days standing naked on a hardwood floor?
(HD) A More Perfect Union from Andrew Sloat on Vimeo.
The Macktez Summer Stipend back again for it’s 5th season. Started by our good friend, Noah Landow, the stipend is a grant for creative development. Each year they try to reach out to junior designers, interns, and other creative individuals for whom a little extra cash could be the difference between a great idea and a great, finished project. Andrew Sloat won the stipend in 2007 and filmed the video above.
They have a simple set of criteria: originality, relevance, and conviction. They’d also prefer a project already underway that $500 would push across the finish line. If you can wow them with your great idea, you’ll get $500 from Macktez to make it happen. It’s that simple. Apply online at www.macktez.com/stipend by July 24.
File this one under: how did I miss this?? Elena Brower, one of my yoga teachers, held a class within an art installation at the MoMA back in February. The class was held in one of the upper atriums of the museum, where the exhibition Pour Your Body Out by Pipilotti Rist was installed. The experiential installation encompassed the entire atrium with 25-foot video projections of soft, feminine, abstract imagery. The artist also designed a circular couch as part of the exhibit to encourage visitors to fully absorb the piece. On the closing day of the installation, they held this yoga class to allow a handful of lucky participants to physcially connect with the art.
As I end month number four of my no-bottled-water kick, my count for water bottles consumed in 2009 is still at a meager two. I’ve heard a few Reactions readers out there have also started their own efforts, so keep up the good work! I’ve just received notice of a few other efforts going on here in NYC that should make your plastic-bottle-free life a little easier.
Tapit, a water bottle refilling network, had just signed on its 100th ‘partner’ agreeing to provide free water to the public. These ‘partners’ are cafes, restaurants, shops — anyone agreeing to allow people to come in and fill up their own bottles with tap water for free. You can find them by using Tapit’s participant locator here.
Websites have become the most essential marketing tool for businesses. One click from a customer is a valuable opportunity that can make all the difference. If created properly, a Website should instinctively lead visitors where you want them to follow.
In spite of the known value a good Website can bring, take a moment and think about just how many poor Websites you encounter every day. While not every business needs their site to be a high-budget multimedia extravaganza, every site should be effective, and properly targeted to a company’s audience.
Too many times people rush into putting up a quick site, thinking this will hold them over until they get around to the big launch. This is a fallacy—it is almost always far more difficult to rebrand an existing Website than to start with a good one.
In many industries there seems to be a huge gap between resources devoted to “old-world” marketing strategies and newer forms of media. Great Websites result from an ideal combination of marketing, branding, fresh content, and matching the right technology to the right design.
The biggest—and most common—mistake we see is that people begin their redesign without clear goals for the initiative. Most sites are redesigned for purely cosmetic reasons, overlooking the more crucial content, navigational, and marketing challenges that lie underneath.
Here are nine tips that can help ensure that the site you design today will be an effective investment for years to come.
1. Start with a plan. Just like blueprints in architecture, a properly executed wireframe shows you how the new site will function before it’s built. As you know, it is far easier to move a wall during the planning stage, as opposed to an actual wall during the construction phase.
Those same principles apply to Websites. Intense focus should be placed on a site’s functionality and content before the more subjective design phase begins.
2. Don’t be seduced by technology. A Website that is well thought-out and easily navigable will always outperform the latest technology in the long run. Hot technology features should be integrated only if they serve the needs of the site.
Don’t feel that you need to include the latest feature du jour just because everyone else is doing it. Forget about dancing babies and dazzling light shows. In the end, it’s the clarity and overall “stickiness” of the content and ease-of-use that will make the best impressions.
3. Get buy-in from all stakeholders. Too often we see one person or division within an organization pushing for a Website overhaul without seeking a buy-in from their colleagues.
Website redesigns are an enormous investment of time, and the late entry of a key decision maker almost always undermines the intentions of the group. Anyone worth getting feedback from at all should be involved during the planning stage.
4. Consider the writing on the wall. This is no time to go it alone, and certainly not the time to rely on gut instinct. Take a look at the statistics on your current site traffic. What pages are visited most frequently? Where are visitors becoming disengaged and exiting?
Seek feedback from your audience about what is and is not working on your existing site. Send out a questionnaire, conduct a phone interview, or form a focus group–whatever it takes. You need to hear what the people who use the site are saying, even if it’s not what you want to hear. Again, it’s far better to know this now, rather than after a costly overhaul.
5. Guarantee freshness. One of the biggest challenges with any Website is to keep the content fresh and encourage repeat visitors. Plan specific areas on the site that will be updated regularly, along with designated areas that can be freshened-up seasonally. This flexibility will allow your site to evolve naturally over time without changing its fundamental structure.
This can tie into larger marketing plans as well. When refreshing your messaging to match current trends, your Website will be able to round-out campaigns, and connect the dots.
6. Be memorable. Our philosophy is that Websites should give something back, rewarding the visitor with every click. That means turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. In the online world, it’s all about first impressions. In the minds of Web users, a better impression translates into a better reputation.
Be aware of this notion and strive to stand out. This can be an interesting navigational element, an engaging feature to set the tone, or simply the way the content is written with soft sell techniques. If people are looking at your site, they’re probably also looking at your competitor’s. Be better.
7. Plan to promote from the beginning. If you don’t tell people about your new site, trust me, no one will ever hear about it! We have seen others invest significant funds to launch a great Website, only to see no results.
A detailed marketing plan will enable you to create innovative promotions, online and off, that will drive traffic towards the new site. A Website is the mere beginning to a chain of marketing tactics and while engaging features on your site will spread the word, marketing in other medias will help drive them to your site in the first place.
8. Search and succeed. These days we search online for information about anything and everything under the sun. That’s why your site needs to be in the top 10 when people are searching for you. The best Websites are ones making effective use of search engine optimization practices.
The Internet has a plethora of information out there, and the higher ranking you have on a search engine, the easier it is to get noticed. Scoring higher rankings on search engines is an elusive art, although there are standard practices which should be considered from the outset, as it can affect the site’s very content.
9. Hire a professional. Your Website will likely become your most important marketing tool. So why would you hire your nephew, ask an intern to learn HTML, or in general trust your success to anyone other than the very best?
Websites are very complex pieces of software requiring an ever-increasing level of expertise to build. That’s why you should interview qualified teams to lead this initiative. The best way to evaluate their work is to see examples of their sites, and speak to their previous clients. Search for someone who best suits your needs and personality. The time it takes to find the right fit will pay off in the long run.
Following these steps will ensure that your investment of time and money is successful, generating income for you, and interest for your audience. Your Website is the greatest opportunity to engage and educate consumers about your products and services. Now, more than ever, you cannot let poor Web design and navigation cost you sales.
This article originally ran in iMedia Connection, and has since been picked-up by a number of other publications in print and online, including Multichannel Merchant, Melissa Data, Business Management Daily, FuelNet, Cool Life Systems, X-Cultural Marketing, Commercial Investment Real Estate, and Lead Masters USA.
In these tough times it is easy to feel like one person can’t make a difference, especially when the difference we are talking about is on a global scale. After watching a special on glacier melt the other night on PBS, I’ve been feeling particularly grim. How can we ever inspire the world to make not just small changes, but the large sacrifices that lie ahead?
Then along came a little ray of hope, Earth Hour, just a small example of a grass roots idea that has inspired people everywhere to make a statement.
Many of us in the office have experienced the challenge of riding a bike in the city. Though there has been some progress made to help make bike riding safer in New York, anybody who’s ridden a bike in the city will tell you it’s not enough. Bike lanes are still pretty scarce, and cyclists are given little to no presence on the road. Lightlane is a new concept that allows cyclists to bring the lane with them.
Last weekend I stopped by the recently opened Green Depot on the Bowery. The products they sell are similar to those found in most environmentally friendly aisles, ranging from household cleaners to baby and pet products to books on being green. The most impressive part of the store is the way they’ve merchandised their products. They’ve placed a huge emphasis on education by creating stations that engage shoppers and encourage them to interact with the products for sale.
When it comes to selling environmentally-friendly products, the element of education is key. Essentially, the packaging and retail environment surrounding the product need to convince shoppers of the added value of buying green. This is especially challenging now that consumers are keeping a close eye on the bottom line.
We’re big fans of Valentine’s Day here at MSLK. In keeping with tradition, we’re sharing some of our favorite things to set your heart aflutter. Whether you’ll be spending the 14th with your sweetheart or rocking it solo, we’ve found a little something for everyone to love.
I guess it is the end of the party. Following the amazing courtyard design last year by Work Architects, last week PS1 announced that the design above, by MOS architects Hilary Sample and Michael Meredith, would be gracing the courtyard this summer. MOS wins the 10th annual architectural invitation to design the courtyard space that houses PS1’s summertime outdoor dance party. An honor that grants them $70,000 to fulfill their dream design.
Perhaps it is just my intense love of last year’s exciting proposal, but personally, I can’t help but feel like the architects may have run out of things to do.
