DART's bold move to pull the Atheist signs off of the buses yesterday caused quite a controversy amidst an already unsettling time for DART. Was this a good move?

I  recently started training for the IMT Des Moines half-marathon in October. As I was preparing for my run, I thought about how similar training for a half-marathon is to planning your marketing. Bear with me and I will explain how.

With the end of the economic recession looming, what can you do to ensure you don't fall behind your competitors? 

So often in advertising we get hung up on finding the new fancy way of saying something. Obvious Adam reminded me that I am in the business of finding the obvious answer.

A recent trip to Homemakers proved that the message you are trying to send to your audience may not be the message they are receiving, which can cost you more than money. Read More »

 "Create an experience worth repeating". What a great quote. Let's expand on that a little in this post. In the end, businesses succeed because they build one-to-one relationships with their customers and create loyalty and preference—which ultimately translate into revenue. OOO there is that magic word revenue. Everyone wants it, but not everyone is committed to doing the things to earn it.

In light of the recent decision by the Iowa Department of Economic Development to allocate a significant portion of their budget to an out-of-state firm, I wanted to take the time to highlight all of the great things happening within the Des Moines communications industry and across the state.

Companies need to care about their looks.

Ya gotta look good. No, I am not talking about your belt matching your shoes (okay that is a big deal too), I am speaking about what image your company or business puts forward to its audience. From logo, website and sales collateral to television spot and outdoor signage, these are all things that are effecting the perception of your company. So it better be great. 

So what is great? Oh no, you're thinking, here is another designer ranting about subjective aesthetics. Perhaps, but lets look at it another way. Great happens when your message and vision are communicated on terms that you have carefully chosen. These choices need to make sure that your target audience(s) get a clear picture of what your company does, why it does it and most importantly how your customers and prospects will benefit from what you are offering. And you thought all designers do is fight over what shade of blue best co ... Read More »

Product Placement: is a form of advertisement, where branded goods or services are placed in a context usually devoid of ads, such as movies, the story line of television shows, or news programs. The product placement is often not disclosed at the time that the good or service is featured. -From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The topic of product placement might seem an odd choice for my debut blog post. I am a designer right? I should be wooing readers with a long dissertation over what sans serif font accurately portrays the brand message of my own ego.

I decided to give you a game to play instead. The next time you are watching a movie or television show pay attention to how many products are shamelessly being wav ... Read More »