I’ve been delving more into the beauty of information design; and recently I chose two sets of data to rework on my own — the Milky Way and the Periodic Table — based on casual interests in science and space exploration (thanks Popular Science!): One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is trying to recognize design limitations and seeing how to remove them while still staying true to the original… Continue Reading
Categories / Insight
September 14, 2011
August 30, 2011
What Your Company Means For Your Stomach
In my years in New York City I’ve been fortunate enough to experience the gamut of companies. From large companies to the tiniest of tiny startups, I’ve seen the company landscape and let’s just say it’s not always pretty. Understanding what each type of company is like can help you understand the ideal company you eventually want to work for. I’m going to break down each, but I’m going to do so by equating them to desserts because, well, that’s… Continue Reading
June 23, 2011
Understanding The Pew Report on Social Networks
Last week the Pew Internet & American Life Project – a project of the Pew Research Center – released their latest report detailing the social web, titled Social Networking Sites And Our Lives. The report is not concerned with consumer-brand interactions, but rather is a larger investigation of “How people’s trust, personal relationships, and civic and political involvement are connected to their use of social networking sites and other technologies.” What I found so valuable about the report was that it… Continue Reading
June 22, 2011
Producers: Keep Calm and Manage On
The secret of many a man’s success in the world resides in his insight into the moods of men and his tact in dealing with them. — G. Holland One of the most exciting aspects of my role as a producer is getting to know the different personalities and quirks of every person I work with. On the client side, sure, but even more so on the team side. Producers have to interact daily with designers, developers, strategists, account directors,… Continue Reading
June 14, 2011
The Pursuit of Profit
“90% of this game is half-mental.” – Yogi Berra The same applies for creating and capturing value for social media. It’s a constant Jedi mind trick. It requires multiple mindsets and the ability to combine ideas from many disciplines within an organization. However, many companies are failing to connect the dots while they let various business functions take ownership without direction. Even worse, we’ve been told for years by the social media mavens, ninjas, rockstars, or whatever the hell you… Continue Reading
June 10, 2011
3 Reasons Why Strategists & Creatives Should Be BFFs
It’s been more than 150 years since American entrepreneur John Wanamaker said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” So why, in an era of unprecedented access to data, do agencies continue to silo their creative and strategic talent? At Carrot, strategists and creative directors sit side by side because as an agency we understand that ideas need to be innovative, but also need to move the needle in the desired… Continue Reading
May 24, 2011
Social Media’s Unspoken “No Booty Dancing” Policy Still In Effect
Exhibit A: Current landscape of fan-to-brand interaction on Facebook. Someone has got to make the first move. If brands and fans are ever going to get down to business, social networking venues need to call off the chaperones and get more booty dance friendly. So much of brand interaction on Facebook revolves around making initial eye contact (getting “Likes”). But then what? And why? Fans say “Yes” to “Do you want to dance?” They’re willing to hold each other at… Continue Reading
May 4, 2011
Using Tech & Design to Reenvision NYC Subway Displays
As a frequent rider of NYC’s mass transit, I believe it’s time we find a more effective approach to showing stops and providing alerts/vital updates. Also we need to stay updated on the latest technology—that means getting rid of the analog displays, which are imposing unnecessary limitations in the visual & information design. The displays need to be flexible enough to hold any type or amount of content. Here’s my proposal: Use the interior space more effectively Promote interaction (ex:… Continue Reading
April 13, 2011
Bringing Augmented Reality to the Ballpark
Here’s an idea that brings together three of my favorite things: AR, mobile apps, and baseball. Find your seats on the map and the app will align the players on your screen. Selecting the player will bring up their stats along with other goodies. Imagine the other possibilities that can be added: real time predictions, trivia, contests, fan chatter, check-ins, etc. I don’t know if you can see, but Tommy Hanson has 19 earned runs.
January 11, 2011
Do You Have an App for That?
Last week, I was in Las Vegas for CES, the major, mind-blowing trade show centered around consumer electronics. Besides going for the barrage of product previews and launches, I was asked to speak on two panels to share my expertise on mobile apps: “Apps, Apps Everywhere” (moderated by Veronica Belmont) and “Do You Have an App for That?” in Kodak’s K-Zone. The “Apps, Apps Everywhere” panel happened on Thursday morning and we touched on several key points that were very… Continue Reading
