New Blog - Filtered2

As mentioned in April, here is a new blog...

http://filtered2.tumblr.com 

It still needs some tweaking here and there but it's alive!

 

This Means This. This Means That.

Within my design education, many years ago now, a topic I always found interesting was
semiotics. I believe it to be of great benefit to any creative or marketing person working
professionally, or student. It often strikes me that more people don't know about semiotics 
and have never heard the term. I'm not saying that you can't be insightful or a good designer
without knowing about the subject (that would be snobby) but it will certainly add to a skill set.

I asked and got this book for xmas, to top up on the subject as there aren't so many books
about the subject. It will form the main chunk of a talk I'm giving next month to 60 people, 
my biggest group so far. I'll be posting any relevant and useful things while reading ;-)

Joining The Dotes, 2013 and beyond! Part 2

continued from the 19th January, 2013.

Personalisation

One of my favourite subjects, mainly due to the positive results it can receive if done properly and something which 

can be achieved through greater analysis of the customer, behaviour, buying history and other individual differentials.

Over the last few years we've seen advances in personalisation and tools to create it, be it online applications that

allow you to design your own sneaker design, wine labels, watches, bikes etc to mobile apps that suggest restaurants based

on your location, a friend, your other check-ins etc… the list is endless. It still surprises me how many companies don't

do anything, they don't even look at their own website analytics to study usage patterns, the tools are there today for free.

They still use models from the last century of ploughing money into a brainwashing formula. I'm not saying that doesn't

work in the short term, it just doesn't have the long term value of building brands and long term relationships that people

are looking for today and the next 30 years of advertising, brand marketing and media is and will be about.

Sure make snappy, disruptive and creative TV spots, but connect it to a bigger brand picture and steer that connection

into something more meaningful, a bigger experience, greater knowledge through interaction etc.

With the increase of personal data flows, tagging, liking and our sharing behaviours the potential for only being targeted
with relevant information, products and services is a must. By tapping into who we are, friends with, what we like, our
behaviours etc I hope that advertising can become more personalised. Facebook has be able of push it's IPO worth
back up recently by putting ads into mobile, tablet and phones. But I've only ever seen one advert that interested me,
why can't they suggest things based on my likes or what my friends like? I guess this is coming very soon. 

Using information to predict things based on you is something Google and other major players will be bringing more
into play and you can see subtle signs of this elsewhere. Prediction communication, advertising and third party tools
that help predict patterns through algorithms are set to become big. But I hope this does not defuse creativity!

A brand I seem to always use in presentations is Nike, but not because they are Nike. Yes sure they have the money to
do things on a large scale, but more importantly they tap into the right things. Over the last 6 years Nike has been able
to slowly bring other products and services into force, digital things that are personalised and take your own personal
content into a more meaningful context. They build experiences and products around people, enforcing a more
people centric model. Nike+, workout with the Xbox, mobile personalised workouts and now a real shift with Nike+ fuelband. 
They weren't the first with this type of health device but it's the potential the device holds to connect the brand to new audiences. 
Healthcare is a big sector which will grow dramatically in years to come. By using personal data to track your own health, 
the positive brand effects this can create within a consumers mind can not be bought. Obviously this feeds back into buying 
sneakers and tracksuits to workout in ;-)

Although I am referencing a large brand and case above which has been scaled over time to create spinoff

products, brands and companies need to start somewhere with personalisation and better digital databases 

to create more personalisation. Start by asking things, so to create more tailored email newsletters, use cookies,

allow users to adjust content positioning on their web experience, the list is endless. The good mobile

application and startup companies have been very good at this, but more importantly it is the behind the

scenes learning, the personal data collected and the usage (what and where they click) that matters. 

More about content to context coming soon!

Data

Data is the new oil (or so they say) and as the internet of things continues to grow pulling ever more data

information and insights, how to use the data for better becomes ever more relevate. On the surface this field

has a lot to do with personalisation (above) how to use data to learn about behaviours or your service, what is

working or not. To adjust quickly, rather than just saying it didn't work, let's never do that again, time to do something else.

On a personal level, I'm not just interested in how we can use data to create better communication, but also
how can we use data to actually improve peoples life and society. As cities become more and more
populated and with the vast increase and population growth of cities in the years to come, how can data
improve the functionality of the city, or road safety or eduction, the environment, energy discovery or healthcare.

The healthcare sector is set to increase dramatically and by combining healthcare with digital tools we'll be
seeing much more personal data via healthcare apps, mobile devices, digital doctors, DIY healthcare and home
hospitals become more mainstream. Predicting illness and disease will disrupt the pharmaceutical companies in
the years to come unless they can react. Illness and death is big business which is set to be vastly disrupted.

Many companies are sitting on data that can actually benefit their business, but few are using it. The ones who
learn how to leverage it will be the winners, it's not about creating fancy info graphics! Create info graphics to
help your customers understand your business, their progress, their account, a topic in big numbers… 
don't do it for the sake of it. But use the knowledge and insights to leverage and improve services or to relay 
a complex communication, learn from the data to create better instructions or UI design, products etc. 

The evolution of personal data is something the masses are becoming more and more aware of due to services
and tools which focus on it and use it as a subtle selling point. It is natural for people to be attracted to this type
of information (if easy to understand) as it gives new insights, understanding and knowledge. Believe it or but
knowledge releases Dopamine, which might explain why people are addicted to social media or the internet or
constant connection, to gain knowledge or to not miss out on something. But that's for another blog post ;-)

Building in digital tools that allow users insight into their own behaviour has a huge benefit to companies 
(in the right areas of course). Sharing content is not going away and we're starting to see apps and products
that will do this automatically. Why? Well it might be various reasons, ego, remembering moments, to lazy to
press buttons, forgets to press buttons.

The term lifelogging has been around for a while, but devices, apps and services will start to ship mainstream,
such as Google Glass, Autographer and Memoto. Obvisiouly this will take time to catch on, but has potentials as
well as downfalls. I will be exploring more about this subject in connection to AR Evolution later. 

Back to TV

As media spend finally starts shifting more towards online and social media (finally) in 2013, the really exciting

place for digital application in the future will be on our TV. Or TV combined with mobile. As more people get

smart TV's and start viewing the web via their TV, the clever companies will be the ones connecting

experiences via your 2nd screen (mobile & tablet). Content will be the most valued commodity, but great UX

and UI design will add another deciding factor. Extensions such as social and interactivity should also come into

play later down the road. It's TV but not as we know it.

The popular shows on TV these days are the live ones and these create the most buzz socially. Building apps
and online (TV) experiences which enhance the entrainment is an exciting media evolution which will turn things
on its head. This will probably be more hyped this year and break into the mainstream in 2014 sometime
hopefully, or whenever Apple is ready to fully get into the game. Cable companies still make huge profits and
retain control on their models, although companies such as Netflix have moved the goal posts. How those
cable companies create new revenue models is set to become an interesting sector over the next few years.

By 2015 I hope there is more experience based communication and interactive programming via our TV. 

Xbox 360 Kinect or another player may be able to jump ahead within these fields and have done already 

to a certain degree. Microsoft on the whole can use the knowledge gained from the Xbox and pump it into more

products, on TV or making desktop interaction more gesture controlled, taking (HX) Human Experience to another level.

In the meantime If you are a brand you should probably start thinking more about your content in TV terms,
making your video content engaging enough to be a TV show etc. Although probably not the master plan from
the beginning, it's been interesting to see the evolution of Vice, from underground raw print magazine, to media
partner for larger brands, to the Vice TV hub, a content supplier to CNN and very soon content supplier to HBO.

Part 3 coming soon, including; AR Evolution, Collaboration and other hopefully interesting things.

Joining The Dotes, 2013 and beyond! Part 1

2013 looks set to be an exciting year and one of constant twists, turns and shifts for brands and agencies to keep on

top of. Due to the never ending and accelerating technological advances, brands and agencies need to plan and focus

on what is coming, rather than just adapting to what is needed or happening today. Having the ability to be agile and

execute fast before others will be based on good R&D, greater knowledge and pre-planning…

with consumer eyes and ROI even more focused on, relevance, innovation and brand betterness.

Below are some topics that I will be exploring more in 2013. Many of the subjects I have been talking about on this
blog before and with clients over the years. The interesting thing is how they have become more revenant today
and are maturing faster than ever, the future is now and how and when brands adapt is the key. 

Mobile is now fully here… there is no should we, but rather… how do we? When it comes to mobile and tablet
development or marketing through the devices, it is not so much about the device themselves, but the power they contain
(such as location tools) and importantly when creating communication or services, relate and design systems around
people's behaviour and lifestyles.

The subjects below are interconnected, so bare with me if the same references or connecting term comes up.

Humanisation

The Internet of things (everything), is a buzz term at the moment and we will be hearing a lot about it in 2013… 
but what about the humanisation of things??? 

As everyone is now using digital and everything becomes digital and connected, how can we humanise technology 
and digital experiences more? It is only natural there will and is a counter culture, perhaps not mass… but niche. 
You can already see signs of companies and brands acting on this, be it the rise of boutique hotels to companies 
that encourage you to disconnect… or companies that create selling points, products and services based on your 
over connection and ability not to handle it. Time is the most valued commodity today!

Building products, services and communicating to people on their terms and around there life is more important than
ever, creating people centric brands and the humanisation of digital is vital to be competitive. To be continued!!!

Authencity also plays a big part of communication to humans. I will be reexamining some cases that handle
these issues well, from brand perspectives through to design aesthetics, semiotics, positioning and message.

Return on Design

Design is back!!! But it never went away I hear you shout! That is true, but there seems to be a greater emphasis
and approach to design which the masses are now aware of and appreciate much more.

The masses and consumers now value and recognise design in other areas than just cars, houses and the everyday
products and household appliances. Obviously this has been fueled by the rise of Apple and it's shift into consumer
products. References can be made to other technology shifts throughout history, such as the car, once a new technology,
just a machine, an engine on wheels that functioned, the form and beauty came later through design and this seems to
be what is happening, especially within electronics, technology, online and digital design at the moment.

One of the most relevant places for this to be seen is within app design and in online generally. Due to the usage
and adoption rates we're seeing UX and UI design become more important to brands, products and services.
Design is being seen as a selling point and a way to build stronger brands and relationships. Companies that offer digital
services have seen their usage rates jump are now building stronger internal teams that constantly improve the experiences.

App development (especially mobile) is seeing fantastic innovation in both function and design, due to the restrictions
in screen size and greater behaviour analysis. App development and UX companies are prototyping, launching, learning
fast and adjusting fast. This model has worked well for Google over the years and is something brands could and should
adopt, instead of redesigning for a year just to find out a rival has got there first or there is a new faster way, technology etc.

Other interesting steps away from pixels in terms of navigation and UX, is gesture control with new products such as
Leap, eye tracking navigation, voice control and something we've been seeing more of in the toy and gaming industry,
brainwave control. We're currently moving into an exciting time where more humanistic approaches are finding there way
into user experience with the use of haptics instead of buttons. Responsive online design will start to become more wide
spread, partly as a way to cope with the never ending devices and systems that are appearing. Digital within the retail
environment also has huge potential. This all adds up to communicating to humans, business to humans and HX...
Human Experience.

To be continued!


Part 2 coming soon, including; Personalisation, Data, AR Evolution, Back to TV, Collaboration
and other hopefully interesting things.

INFLUENCERS (FULL VERSION)

via vimeo.com

When I saw the trailer for this last month, I thought I would have to wait and
catch it at a film festival, or buy it on DVD. Nice to now see it so quickly ;-)

Looking forward to seeing more clips, seems this could be much longer...
A full documentary would be nice :-)

Paul Rand - Logo Thoughts & Tribulations

Paul Rand is the master and godfather of logo and identity design! Just came across these wise words above ;-)

More about Paul Rand here...

Best Buy - E-Cycle

The environment, green, recycling approach is a strategic approach that many brands are jumping on at the moment.

Doing something good and talking about it, should have a positive effect within consumers minds... leading them to

be part of that brand, movement etc. All brands in the near future will have such a positioning of some sort... making

it the norm or standard. One problem brands have is continuing to talk about it, or making it stick in some way...

often a brand has spent years marketing and advertising other benefits of a company or product... thus becoming

known for those (good or bad)... Explore Brand Tags...

What I like about Best Buy and what they are doing with their Greener Together e-cycling program, is the fact they

are now starting to really get behind this concept and market it, although having it in place for a year now. I guess

it's hard to put such a program in place, from a logistics and cost perspective. But the idea that you can bring in your

old electronic goods, even if bought elsewhere is definitely a good idea worth talking about. I'm sure it is a problem

many people face when moving house or having an annual clear-out etc. Knowing your old stuff will go to the right

place then feeds back to the consumer in a positive way and leaves a feeling of doing good from both parties.

People want to be part of something good! And make a difference! Involve them ;-)

CAT London 2009: The New Creative Rock Stars

Those of you who have worked with digital projects/agencies for sometime, totally understand the main points

in this clip and have done for many years. What's good about this clip is all the main topics are covered and gives

insights into how the new agency (all agencies) should operate internally and how they should also steer the client

into understanding the new working ways to obtain great solutions. As the world has changed and how we function

in it also (as consumers)... the processes in creating good, engaging and unique creative must also change.

Fortunately the day and mindset of traditional vs digital has now disappeared (nearly) with traditional agencies now

understanding that technology plays a huge part in creating solutions today. But it's not the idea!!! It's a channel,

a platform or a part of the idea, adding to the creative solution and client brief or problem ;-)

Understanding is the first step into making change ;-) Seth has the solution and wise words (as usual)

if you're having problems...

JAPAN - 2009/2010

Hello everyone. Thought it was time I posted a post after an extended holiday from blogging ;-)

Hope everyone had a great xmas and New Year and the start of 2010 isn't too painful. I was in Japan for the holidays,

which was an amazing experience and a very different way to spend the holiday season. Planning the next trip now ;-)

Below are some photos and images from the trip...

8 Ways to kill an idea!

via iamdns.wordpress.com

I'm sure if you work in any creative industry, you can relate to at least one of these 8 ways to kill an idea, if not more!
You're probably better off being an artist and being the master of your own concepts ;-) But some ideas are worth fighting for.

Breakthrough Learning in a Digital Age - Day 1

via youtube.com

Finally Google get behind something that really matters, not just creating cool apps that help people (yes good) but

now they are creating a movement for the future and our children. They are really enforcing a platform/concept to help

education in a digital age... and opening it up to creatives and technologists to help create the tools and ideas to do this.

Informal schooling Vs formal schooling is a hot topic in the world of education, mainly due to the shifting world we're

living in. Both from a technology perspective but also a mindset. Sesame Street was also born out of this shifting

world and media (TV) in the 60s. If you have a spare 1:44:56, then check out this clip! Or make the time!

Have you got what it takes to add to the movement? Get more info here...

INTERNET: Costs/Speeds Around The World

Rory Sutherland: Life lessons from an ad man

A refreshing look at perception from an ad man in this new TED talk.
The sign off points are great to bare in mind and take forth...

Posted via web from Greg's posterous

Stefan Sagmeister - 7 year itch

I was lucky enough to hear Sagmeister talk at Offf 09, last May in Portugal. Although he is one of those speakers

who seems to be at all the conferences, the way he articulates his presentations and the simplicity of the themes

are always really impactful and memorable. A must see speaker!

In this new Ted talk above, he talks about the break he takes every 7 years from commercial work and puts a lot of

great rational behind it. I had a similar break for 6 months in 2003, really beneficial... hhhmmm roughly 7 years ago ;-)

Where are we on the social media hype cycle?

Interesting if it pans out like this! Now go fourth and show your clients and brands ;-)

Not my model BTW, it would be better designed... which I'll do if I get the time, probably around year 2-3 hopefully :-)

BRAINSTORMING - Food For Thought

I'm all up for brainstorming, to create as many ideas or thoughts as possible. It is often a great way to get different

thoughts from different individuals in terms of sub-cultures etc. But how these are developed is the main thing, above

is a thought which I have always felt, but I never really knew how to express it or put it into words.

RECESSION MARKETING - Approach

True words here from Alex Maclean of Airside. This clip is from April 2008 and although this approach has been

talked about in many ways, convincing clients may still be an uphill struggle. By focusing on innovation and new 
channels this may cost more budget but the exposure and effect within consumers minds should gain results if done
in the correct ways. I'm currently working with and researching relationship brands, where innovation is one key to this.

DAN GILBERT - Exploring The Frontiers Of Happiness

My first post of the year from TED. An interesting talk/presentation from Dan Gilbert, well worth watching all the way

through if you've got the time. Some focus on why people buy things and errors in value, comparing with the past...

or possible. He touches on the emotion level of buying into things without saying it which I feel is missing, but a guy

in the audience brings it up. Stand out quote...

''What space is to size, time is to value'' - Plato

YO SUSHI - Service Provider

I was back in the UK during the holidays and one thing I always do is pop into YO! Sushi for a bite. Not only do they

have a vast fresh menu (not just fish) but the fact that it goes round in front of you, giving you more choice to try

different things is appealing. The colour plate (cost) system also makes the experience quick, easy and simple.

One of the best elements is that if you find you want to order something hot and can't get the chefs attention in the

middle, there is a BIG red help button right in front of you to call the waitress. These attentions to detail and great

service is something many brands and companies should take note of, especially in these current times.

Good service and customer care is a classic and proven strategy, especially if there is no budget to produce fun,

innovative ideas and concepts, I guess some of the best innovation comes from no money ;-)