Friday, August 13, 2010

Book Review: Crush It!

2010 seems to be the year of many, lofty goals that I've set for myself. Ok, maybe lofty isn't the right word here, but I have set quite a few goals, and it's only taken me 7 8 months to start checking a few off the list. One goal, if I can even call it that, is to read more.

No problem, I read my Twitter stream and my RSS feeds daily (if not more frequently than that). I can check that off my list...oh, I didn't finish spelling out the goal. Read. More. Books.

Ok, I can handle that. I've read books before, granted it was years ago and they were mainly dealt with Sci-Fi and Star Trek, but this go-around I wanted to do things differently. I wanted to improve myself, get aggressive with my creativity and focus myself on my...goals. The first book that came to mind when I laid out that plan was Gary Vaynerchuk's Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion (affiliate link).

If you're not familiar with the name, you should get to know it. Gary is a one-man army of focus, drive, and determination. He's genuine, he's authentic, and he's honest. Three great qualities, if you ask me.

In Crush It, Gary tells a compelling story of his entrepreneurial beginnings selling baseball cards in mall swap meets to growing his personal passion, WineLibrary.tv. But this book is more than an autobiography, it's a roadmap and a how-to guide to getting the most out of your passion and your life.

I guess this is going to be less of a book review and more of a push from me to you to run out and buy this book. Whether it's in traditional paper-book form (affiliate link), an eBook (affiliate link) or as an audiobook, you need to give this book a read. Gary's passion radiates from within the pages and into your soul. If you're not affected by what he has to say, check your pulse. I mean it. This book is THAT good.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

How to make an engaging and dynamic desktop/wallpaper image.

I'm guessing that most of you have a wallpaper or desktop image on your computer. They let us express ourselves and customize what would be an otherwise bland experience. If you have a custom desktop image for your brand, there's no doubt that you'd like it to say more and do more than show off your logo. Below are some examples of how you can use your desktop image as a tool as well as a decoration.

Make a date with a calendar.
If you're like me, your always looking for a calendar to see what the date is or working to estimate a timeframe for a project. Adding a calendar to your desktop is a great way to help with that.

There are a few ways to add add dates to your desktop. There are software add-ons that will dynamically update the calendar to he current month and can also highlight the current day. These add-ons come in many flavors, so you're bound to find one that works for you.

• Windows


• Mac OS X


• Linux

If you're looking for a more customized look, you can add your own static calendar to your wallpaper. The only drawback is you'll need to swap the imaged out every month, but you can craft the calendar to match any look you choose (like your branding perhaps?). Check out some examples.

To-do list or project board.
Another great way to benefit from your desktop image is to create compartments that can hold folders, apps, or whatever you need to help you with a project.

Taking this to the next, crazy step would be to develop something like Panic did for their project board. You could call it desktop image-ishe-sque, or you could just call it hardcore.

Create a mini-portfolio or a featured work board.
You've just designed an amazing Website and branding solution for a client and can't wait to show it off and generate more business. Why not create a scene, on your desktop, and make your recent projects the highlight?

By displaying your work on your desktop, you can quickly and easily give an example of what you can do to help an organization reach their goals.

I've even gone as far as posting projects that are in-progress to my desktop for critique and examination. One of the best ways to decide if a solution works is to see if you can live with it.

Add a QR code.
A new technology that is slowly crawling into mainstream view is the QR code. Simply put, a QR code is a barcode that many mobile phones are able to read and decipher using a variety of apps. When the code is scanned, it can redirect someone to a web page, twitter profile, a SMS message, email address, or other forms of digital content.

In a recent project for Escape Route, I incorporated a QR code into iPad and iphone wallpaper images. Now when the client is at a convention or trade show, they can display their iPad and let a prospective customer capture the code for later use. In this case, it will direct someone to the Escape Route site. Think of it as a business card on steroids.

I'll be the first to admit that QR code use in the United States is just in it's infancy and there's no telling how long it will take to catch on, but it's a great way to add some cutting edge tech into long-standing piece of static imagery.

Friday, July 02, 2010

Mobilizing Me

When I launched my new-look brand late last year, I had a list of goals that I'd wanted to accomplish. One goal at the top of my list was to create a mobile version of my site which would allow me to quickly display my work when on the go.

Even though most modern smartphone browsers can display a full-featured website without many issues, I think the user experience could be improved. The way people interact with touch-screen devices is much different than the point and click method that we've know for years. This is differnt, more intimate, more tactile (even for a digital medium).

Mobile just means smaller, right?
I'm a believer in the mobile platform and the future that it has for both creators and consumers of digital content. We're entering into a new era of user experience, and some changes are in order.

With mobile, you're dealing with a whole new way of thinking. Designing for traditional PCs (Windows, Mac, Linux, you name it) has always relied on the use of three things: a monitor, a keyboard, and a pointing device (mouse, trackball/pad, what-have-you). With the latest trend in mobile devices, these separate units have morphed into a more compact space. Devices running Android, the iPhone OS and other touch-screen reliant systems are changing the way people interact with their chosen content.

Designing a mobile site for point-and-click use won't work. Let me rephrase that, it will work but the experience isn't as great as it could be. The contact points are small and usually, there is too much content crammed into a compact space, so you're left to zoom in and out to find what you're looking for. This is what I wanted to avoid when building my mobile site.

What stays and what goes?
With many of the distractions stripped away in a mobile site, you can put your content "under the microscope" and focus heavily on it. The question is, what do you keep and what do you leave off? You don't necessarily need to transfer every bit of content from your standard site over to your mobile site, but that's up to you. It also depends on the size of your site. With the mobile sites I've done in the past, I relied heavily on the usage stats from the traditional site. What content were people consuming using mobile devices? Once I had a clear understanding of what people wanted, I began building the mobile counterparts.

This mobile site is different. For starters, I don't have a lot of content categories, so everything that's on my standard site would fit on a mobile version. Secondly, I've designed my mobile site with certain goals in mind, namely the ability to show my work, contact info, and articles quickly and at any time I choose. That settled it, I threw everything I had into this site. Literally.

Another fresh start.
Mobile Web sites are relatively new and with the wide array of devices that can view them, there are many new ways to conceptualize a site and how people can view it. I see room for experimentation in the navigation and presentation areas of a mobile layout. It takes me back to my time in college when anything was possible and the Internet had yet to be tamed. Fast forward a few years and there is even more ground to be broken in this area. This is my sandbox, and I'm bringing all of my toys. Without further introduction, I give you m.tiglu.com.

I've already started working on version two.

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Four Tools To Get Your Business Noticed

In an increasing world filled with information and overflowing with details, it can be a challenge to have people notice your business.  So much so, in fact, that it can seem like a full-time job.  There are many options and avenues to choose from, but which choice will help your business the most?  Here are four great options that will get you going in the right direction.

Google Local Business Center
Chances are, you've used Google Maps a time or two to find the location of a business or event that you wanted to go to.  Did you know that Google Maps (technically Google Local Business Center) offers great tools and stats for the owners of those businesses?  If you're a business owner, you can take advantage of this too with Google Local Business Center.

If your business is already listed on Google Maps and Google Local, you can claim the listing and access information about your Google Maps/Local listing.  You may also create coupons and offers that will be displayed when someone searches for your business.  To claim your listing, you'll need to verify ownership by either phone or postcard.  If you have multiple locations, the process can be a bit tedious, but it's well worth the effort given the information and possibilities that exist.

Yelp
A site that's been at the forefront location boom is Yelp, a site built on not only showcasing busniesses in a given area but also giving customers the ability to write reviews and rate them.  Like Google's Business Center, Yelp allows business owners to claim or add their own locations.  You will need to verify their ownership by either a phone call or postcard.  You might think that adding or claiming your business on only one of these services is necessary, but to get the most out of these services, you should set up a presence on as many networks as possible.

Location-aware Social Networks (Foursquare, Gowalla & Brightkite)
The latest trend in social networks are services that are aware of your location and let you share that location with others.  While this sounds "big brother-ish"...it can be.  It is also incredibly beneficial to businessowners and their customers.  You can check in to the bakery down the street and let your friends and followers on other networks (such as Twitter and Facebook) know where you are.  They can meet you or learn about that location if not already familiar with it.  There is also a game element baked into these networks, rewarding you with virtual badges, check-in points, and mayorship designations for the most visits.  Some great services that are evolving this new trend are Foursquare, Gowalla, and Brightkite.

Yowza
Finding deals and offers that are near you, right from your mobile device.  There's an app for that.  Put a Hollywood star like Greg Grunberg together with a great designer (Rick Yaeger) and a great developer (August Trometer) you've got Yowza!, an app that can show you what retailers are offering deals in your neighborhood.  As a consumer, this is a great app and as a business owner, it's not too shabby either.  You can easily set up a merchant account on Yowza's site and begin to create offers for your products and services.  Consumers will see it appear when they have the app open and are near your place of business.  The offers can have expiration dates on them and customers can be notified of new offers via messages on their device.  While not free, this is a great way to get in front of your customers and behind a service with some star power.