our thinking for February 2008…

1. February 27th, 2008

   You can’t dismiss the importance of inspiration.

   “…if you are talking about trying to lead a movement, trying to change the world, then you sure as hell better be an inspiring figure. You don’t have to be slick or polished… but you do necessarily have to connect, inspire, and motivate. That’s what leaders do.” Great post over at Presentation Zen about the role inspiration, emotion and motivation play…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Inspiration

2. February 26th, 2008

   Comps? No… concepts.

   Let’s get this straight: comps are not concepts. Designers… we like to make stuff look good. And comps (short for compositions) show the visual representation of a concept. But to execute big thinking, it isn’t what something looks like, it’s the idea – the concept. It’s the thinking before you create what “it” is and what “it” will do. It’s the…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Inspiration

3. February 21st, 2008

   Digital brand strategy? What’s that?

   Digital brand strategy… or, what exactly is it that we do around here? (The sarcastic remarks about drinking coffee and Rock Band aside.) Most often people assume, “oh, you guys design web sites.” Well… kind of. But not really. But sometimes. See? It’s confusing. Let’s try and clarify. It starts with brand. “A brand is a person’s gut feeling about a product,…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Brand Strategy, Inspiration, The Way We Work

4. February 14th, 2008

   I choo-choo-choose you.

   Love. It’s one of those terms you don’t hear much with digital brands. But you will. Digital branding is, after all, a way to build a relationship between a brand (a company, a political candidate, an organization) and a person (a consumer, a voter, a member). Seth Godin had a post on February 4th that talked about 3 ways to build relationships…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Inspiration

5. February 12th, 2008

   Come work for Substance!

   Substance is roaring into 2008 with lots of exciting projects for lots of great new clients. As a result we’re looking to round out the team here at SWHQ (that’s Substance World Headquarters) with the best of the best. First up: designers. You need to have considerable traditional design skills (type, color, composition) and know how to translate those skills to…

   posted by Todd Moritz

   thinking about… News, The Way We Work

6. February 11th, 2008

   Coffee with Likemind / February 15th

   Think of it like Valentine’s Day for people that love coffee and conversation… it’s coffee with Likemind. Friday, February 15th / 8am Stumptown Downtown (128 SW 3rd) Same protocol as usual… come on back to the couches, grab a name tag, get your beverage, then join in the conversation. p.s. Unfortunately, the sponsor for Likemind is in transition, so it’s going to be a…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Events

7. February 7th, 2008

   Travel Oregon believes in Substance.

   Our friend Mo at Travel Oregon read about our recent trip to Mt. Hood and asked if we would write something up for the Travel Oregon blog… how could we pass that opportunity up? You can check it out here: The Opportunity of Dreams – Travel Oregon blog It turns out the story wasn’t really about the snow conditions (decent), it was…

   posted by Stephen Landau

   thinking about… Life and Culture