Bigger IS better

It's colossal!  Sometimes things just hit me.  Sometimes they are the most annoying things in the world.  And, like a train wreck, I just can't look away.

Apparently that's how I feel about the Big Top Cupcake.  Doesn't everyone have the need for a cupcake 25 times larger than a typical cupcake?  This is cracking me up and I can't stop going to the web site.  Maybe it's the night owl inside me who likes the occasional over-marketed, uber-hyped, steroid-laden informercial madness.

I don't know which feature I actually like the best: that it is 25 times larger (or 25% larger, according to the ad shown here) than a standard cupcake, that you can pack it full of pudding, that it is supposedly valued at $55 or that in this online ad the cupcake looks larger than the woman—as though it wouldn't fit in an oven (even in two pieces).  You better believe this man-eating cupcake would make one heck of an unforgettable party!  Wow.

I know you'll all want to order this before next year's pink tree/monumental cupcake party, so check it out before it's gone and crank the volume on the sweet video here.

Shopping for the Green

Just a few days ago was my fantastic holiday open house with "Pastries, Pinot & the Pink Tree."  I am so thrilled that so many of you were able to make it and share a drink and some good times with us.  Before I share more about the party, I have to pass along some recent work to all of you.

Since we now find ourselves at holiday shopping time, I want to make sure you check out one of my incredible clients based in Lakeland, Florida.  Kristin's company, down2earth, sells earth-friendly products and gifts (and I just love the 
Tagua Rainbow Necklace , by the way--hint, hint).  Kristin's logo was so much fun to create with her vision and I wanted to make sure all of you get to see it as well as check out her great store at www.down2earthstore.com.

Happy shopping!

Zombies, awake

In many ways I feel like I am coming to you back from the dead, and, I guess, in many ways I am. I was swined and have managed to survive H1N1. I guess I don't need to fret about the vaccination any more, that's for sure. It was a miserable, long road to go, but I'm almost back to full energy and brainpower.

It feels invigorating to be back and among the living again. I am feeling refreshed with some fun, new projects and clients who have been patient enough to wait for me until I was no longer contagious and coughing all over my keyboard.

People talk to me all the time about my company name, aha creative, and it's really funny how everyone has such a unique take on their own "aha" capabilities. I love hearing about "aha" moments and how creativity and inspiration affect us all, even those who claim total lack of imagination. A friend just shared with me a wonderful article about how brilliant ideas come to be. This article is spot-on, in my humble opinion. Sometimes creativity comes in a flash, but, more often, it comes after much absorption, research, analyzation and idea-swirling. All those concepts and visualizations need time to brew and ripen. A fine wine or beer can't be made in a day, and, most of the time, creative ideas and inspiration require a process of fermentation and then they can come out and play.

Enjoy the article, and thank Joy for sharing it with all of us (I'm so glad I have a friend who regularly reads SmartMoney Magazine). SmartMoney-"Finding Your Next 'Eureka' Moment"
I will be back much sooner for my next posting!

An old favorite

It's amazing there are so many things out on the internet that were created and designed LONG before a computer was even a thought in someone's brain.
I have found another one of these gems that I want to pass along to you--in my apparent life obsession of vintage design and illustration. After taking a fun, very long train trip this year with my son, I have definitely had the rails on the brain. It was such a fun break from reality in so many ways. From the hymn-singing Amish families to the dining car at sundown while we crossed the Mississippi River, it was such a part from the norm of our lives, including the relaxed, slow pace of travel by train.
Last week, when investigating some map sources, I came across this incredible site of cartographic and railroad genius. Being a mapmaker and print designer in the 1800s had to be such a cool job. If I could travel back in time, that just might be what I would choose to try. Grab the DeLorean circa 1985... let's go.
The David Rumsey Map Collection has an amazing selection of historic maps and printed collateral. There are so many beautiful digital images to view here I hardly know where to begin. Make sure you take a couple minutes to browse this fabulous site--it is well worth it and the Luna Browser they have on their site shows such high resolution detail and makes it easy to get up close to these spectactular works of art and design.
I especially love the Birdseye View of the Great Plains by Union Pacific Railroad Co. from 1890, but everything on here is terrific. Enjoy!

The Social Media Special Commences

Well, here it is and summer is essentially over. It is high time I give you another great nugget to chew over, as apparently my two-storm-name-petition idea is getting quite the buzz these days. It may take you a long time to get in here, gosh darn it, but I'm glad to see you're being flogged and hope you'll help me with my petition drive.
Over the last couple of months, I have been spending as much time as I can, between Cedar Point trips, new logo and web designs and all the spectacular new clients I've met, acquiring and absorbing everything I can about the use and misuse of social media for business. I have been reading away, researching and diving in. In fact, right now I am reading a great resource about social media and marketing and wanted to share a couple tidbits with all of you, just to give you a taste of where we're headed. Unfortunately, I don't know many businesses around here who are using social media, or, perhaps I should say, using it well or to any advantage. It's not a pool to climb into by the ladder, holding on to the ledge all the way around. This requires a full-on-dive-right-in, take-no-mercy and get-completely-soaking-wet commitment to seeing it through. To do it well, you can't take as much time off as I do (oops) between postings. I just hope the entertainment value is high enough that you'll come back anyway and re-read the old postings, too (did I mention that you should check out my drive to get two names for tropical storms?).
The book I'm buried in now is Marketing to the Social Web: How Digital Customer Communities Build Your Business by Larry Weber. It really is action-packed and, though it may be more in-depth than you care to go, I would be thrilled to sit and have a conversation with any of you about how social media can and should help your business. In fact, I've decided in my late-night moment here that I am now offering a special to anyone who would like to have me set up a facebook (and possibly twitter) account AND create a plan of action for how it will be managed, by whom and recommendations for its success. Don't lose sight of your brand image when you make your social media marketing plan! Please email me at amy@aha4creative.com for details of the Social Media Special.
I'd like to leave you with one quote from Weber's book and that is his very clear way of describing how the social media dialogue is so very different from traditional channels of advertising and marketing by broadcasting a message. Weber says that unlike advertising that is "talking at customers, marketers should talk with them. And the social web is the most effective way in the history of the world to do that on a large scale." He continues to note that social media sources provide places where people with common interests can gather together and share views and opinions on a variety of topics—it is this sense of community and two-way communication that gives marketers such a personal way to reach their customers.
Now that I have you salivating for more....please let me know when we can get together and discuss your vision of social media's place in your business. Cheers!

Self-publishing plus me

You cannot imagine how many times, in the decade plus that I have been a designer, people have asked me about publishing their book. Maybe that's all some people think designers create. My friend who is an author tells me that almost everyone she comes in contact with tells her about the "book" they've been working on or are going to write and then they continue to ask about publishers, assuming it's just like looking in the yellow pages to find one. Ha. Not that easy. Of course we all wish it were just a phone call away to get our glossy-covered novels right there on the shelf at Barnes & Noble--but not so.
I am currently working on a project with a client who has prepared an academic research document and has been trying to decide on how best to disseminate the findings and generate some revenue at the same time, sans publisher.
Thanks to them, I am now engrossed in the service that is Blurb.com. This is amazing stuff! With either some graphic design templates or a creative like myself you can create amazing books, like coffee-table photo books and novels and more. Blurb.com takes it a step further and allows you to print beautifully bound, full color books from one to infinity. They even let you share, market and sell them right from their site so you can send it out to the masses and let them order and get their own copies shipped right to them. It's on-demand printing at it's finest quality, one glossy dust jacket at a time.
Now, when you come to me with your requests for book design and printing I have a great solution. It's by far the best one I've seen to get retail-quality book printing one at a time.

Win, win, win - if you're worthy!

For those of you who have been following my flog for some time now, first, let me say I'm sorry for wasting your time with this nonsensical blabber. Second, let me refresh your memory on last year's contest to win United Way benefit tickets for the Gem Beach Rock & Roll party event. Some of you were lucky enough to get some sweet tix in the mail from aha creative and I know you enjoyed the day. I am proud to be a sponsor again this year.
The Gem Beach Rocks...Again event is coming to you again live on Catawba Island, August 15th, 2009. I have a sweet little stack of tickets right here on my desk just waiting for you to write in. Please send me either an idea for a new flog entry--something crazy, silly, fun, inspirational and always creative--or write to me and tell me why you're worthy of these tickets. Make sure you include your name and mailing address, or I can't send the paper tickets very successfully! Please send your entry to amy@aha4creative.com, stand on one foot, twirl in circles and chant "color creates a memory" twelve times.

Identi-what?

Apparently, today is the day of the informative email. I received another good one I just MUST share with all of you. If you've ever spent a few moments talking with me about the fundamentals and foundation of successful image work, you'll know that it all starts with the properly planned, well-thought-out, market-appropriate and unique identity.

The email I received today just slaps that all in the face....and to that I say, ha! Try a cookie-cutter approach and see how well that works out for you. I will not name the gigantic corporation that sent this email, but PLEASE. Get real.

And I quote....

"Easily create a professional brand identity with free templates

Incorporate color into your business cards, letterhead, envelopes, and other collateral to further promote your brand with our free, customizable business identity suites."

FREE TEMPLATES! Identity in the format of a template? Seriously.
Identity Template = Oxymoron

Calling All Tourism-Driven Businesses

I haven't been on here for a while, and for that I do deeply apologize. However, today's post is a matter of function over fun or frivolity. I wanted to re-blog an email I received today from the Ohio Dept. of Tourism. If you're a tourism-based business, I suggest you get your free listing in. Not very often are there FREE opportunities in advertising, especially one so well-distributed as this:

2010 Travel Planner Listing Deadline July 23
Be part of the 2010 Ohio Travel Planner! All Ohio travel and tourism entities are invited to submit/update their organization's information in the Buckeye database by 5 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, to have your free listing considered for inclusion in the 2010 Ohio Travel Planner (400,000 printed). The planner is Ohio's primary tourism information fulfillment piece and is sent to anyone requesting Ohio information from DiscoverOhio.com or 1-800-BUCKEYE.

If your database entry is current, there is no need to re-submit. Please review your entries to ensure information is current and accurate. Due to space limitations, not all listings submitted and approved will appear in the Travel Planner, however, all approved listings will be available on DiscoverOhio.com.

The planner features listings for convention and visitor bureaus and visitor service organizations, attractions, recreation, restaurants, lodging and shopping. Each listing includes business name in bold, address, city, ZIP code, phone number and Web address. Enhanced listings and advertising services may be purchased by contacting Jillian LaManna, Great Lakes Publishing advertising coordinator, at jlamanna@ohiomagazine.com or (216) 377-3655. The ad close date is Nov. 19.

It's all in how you say it

I just love when my flogs hit a chord in my loyal readers. Sometimes it really surprises me which postings I will hear about when someone tells me how much they like the flog (sometimes I'm surprised that anyone even reads it). Some popular ones have been the Pantone Colorstrology, my petition for tropical storms to have first AND last names, finger gymnastics and the list goes on and on and on.
Tonight I received a particularly cheerful email from flog reader K.G., who has enjoyed the funny sign photos I've been posting. Luckily for all of us, she shared with me a great sign she came across today. I have no idea where this sign could have been, but this must be some neighborhood. There are so many things going on with this hand-made headache from a spray can that I can't even begin to speak about it without laughing. If you've ever attended one of my workshops on retail window design you've already heard my tyrannical rant about how much I loathe hand-made signs. You can enjoy this one for yourself and take what meaning from it you want. All I can say is that I'm sorry it's nearly 10 pm; that means you've missed the sale. (Thank you, K.G., for letting me share this with everyone!)

Green goes the world

I get questions all the time from clients about how they can be more green in their printing projects. It is a valid question--we all need to do more to ensure that the products we're consuming, creating and producing in mass quantities are as environmentally safe and friendly as they can be. Sometimes, however, when it comes to the printing process (something that few lay folks understand anyway-and why the heck would they?) and the green efforts being made in that field, people don't even know what to ask or what the answers would even mean.

I will take this opportunity to share with you a wonderful resource that explains it all, including details and specifics about the impact of paper production and printing as well as what it means to be an environmentally-friendly printer. If you've ever wondered about what the tree-guzzling printing industry is doing to meet the need, then you must read through the pages at Lovely as a Tree.

Funny Sign #1

Well, I promised you some more funny signs and I am delivering on that promise today. As I have my window open on this beautiful summer day, motorcycles constantly roaring below for Ohio Bike Week, I took a moment to look through some old photos and find some gems for you to kick off the weekend.
Here is the first one I will share and this one is by far my kids' favorite sign malfunction we've seen. Enjoy!

The State of Perfect Balance: from Senators on Pac-Man to kids on roller coasters

While Ohio's own Sen. George Voinovich was standing before a giant poster of Pac-Man and the ghosties to describe the national debt (see the video here), I had the distinct pleasure today to attend a town hall meeting/seminar by the lovely Ohio Department of Tourism. It was a really interesting session, about some new partnerships for tourism industry folks and, the reason I was there, a whole new foray into the social media pond. I was so interested to find out about the new social media angle and the recognition of the importance of the "young transitionals" demographic, that I did not know about the other ground-breaking development I would find out about at the meeting.
There is an amazing new resource, unparalleled by anything I can find offered in other states, for anyone in Ohio with a tourism-based business or those thinking about creating one. The new Ohio Tourism Toolbox is a joint venture among the Ohio Dept. of Tourism, The Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio SeaGrant Program. It includes all kinds of industry-specific resources, tools, business resources, educational opportunities and academic research--all free.
I wanted to make sure I shared this with you as soon as possible because I know there are tons of you out there who can use and really need the information provided by this site. I'm not sure how they're planning to get the word out to the small business owners in Ohio who rely on reaching those precious gems called tourists, but I'd like to do my part. If you'd like to check out the Tourism Toolbox, please click here. If you want to hear about any of the other things being done to keep it fresh for tourism marketing here in Ohio, drop me a line.

When I grow up...

Someday, when I grow up, I'd love to have a swell catering business so I can make my creations for everyone and watch as they enjoy the yummy flavors I've put together. In addition, I'd have beautiful floral creations on every table, created by me, of course. I guess both of those career "aspirations" come from the creativity in my brain. I can't help it.
I had the distinct pleasure to meet someone in my dream job recently. Her beautiful creations, designs, colors and fragrances graced the scenery and set the mood at the "Veils & Cocktails" event I attended at Leonardo's Bridal Boutique in Rocky River, Ohio, a few weeks ago. It was a gorgeous event, and, it had been so long since I had seen so many beautiful bridal gowns, sparkles and lace in one place. Having busy kids means I don't find myself in places like bridal boutiques very often.
I was so glad to sit and catch up with the owner of HeatherLily, floral and event designers in Cleveland. AMAZING is all I can say of her work. I was so jealous and told her so....she wished she could be a graphic designer (no one ever says that and actually MEANS it). It was so fun to discuss our creative perspectives on our jobs, as she had just recently been through a full suite of branding, identity, print and web design pieces for her business. She had an interesting perspective that only those who've been through it from start to finish--the whole she-bang, so to speak--have about designers and the creative process it takes to get where you haven't been before. Very insightful.
Mostly, I was just wishing I could have all those beautiful flowers and accessories in one room so I could put together my own floral masterpiece. Then, when I returned home, I checked out her web site and would HIGHLY suggest you do the same. The photos of her events and locations are absolutely stunning. Make sure you checkout HeatherLily and the portfolio of her productions of beauty.

Ouch, that would hurt

I thought you might want to see our new ad that's coming out. Watch for it in Northwest Ohio!

More reassuring tones

I must begin this flog by telling you I found out this week that one of you has actually attended the annual Duct Tape Festival in Avon, Ohio. Wow, I'm ecstatic! I really wish I had some photos to share with all of you, so, if you attend this year you must really take your camera or camera phone and get some photos to share with all of us. I don't think I will be able to attend that weekend, or I surely would be there.
Now, back on the topic at hand...I have heard from several of you about the interesting logo article in the NY Times. It was insightful and, no, it doesn't mean you should panic and redo that logo you've been using through the tests of time. A full logo/image redesign should be entered with caution and isn't for everyone. Nonetheless, the trends of large corporations to disassociate themselves with the "look" of a big corporation is an interesting thing to note.
It was fitting that after the logo article, I sat down this week to catch up on some design news and have been reading, investigating and thinking a lot about the annual fashion and design color forecast. It is always my favorite time of year to think about color forecasting into the future, but, more importantly, I really like thinking about all the factors that go into the new color scheme and how it comes about. This is definitely a year for less flashy, more toned-down colors and designs. However, we are still in the year of Mimosa, if you'll remember an old flog entry of mine, which is the color of the year for 2009. The warm, encouraging, happy color of yellow to brighten our spirits in 2009. If you'd like to read the 2009 Color Report by Pantone, please click here or on the image above. And I can tell you that I'm a big fan of Warm Olive, Majolica Blue, Iron and Steeple Gray.

In times of trouble, a soft, fuzzy ___ is in order.

If you said "blanket" or "teddy bear" or "Donny Osmond" you'd be incorrect, I'm sorry. Once in a great while there is a mainstream article for the rest of you non-creatives that exhibits a little insight into the secret world of creativity and image promotion. We don't like to give away too much of the mystique, but share just enough so it really looks like there is a plan to all the madness.
Yesterday's New York Times had a terrific article about the latest trend in corporate logos. In times of trouble we want our soft, fuzzy, warm, reassuring and happy logo (that fills in the blank above). Logo designs have gone from CAPS LOCK, bold monstrosities that signified power, power, power, power to the soft, lower case, friendly, rounded, freshened-up cousins we see today. There are many economic and cultural reasons to make the shift to softer, sweeter, kinder logos, which I'm sure even non-creatives can guess about 5 of them. Make sure you click here to read the article and catch the full slide show of logo examples (or stop in the aha office and see the paper copy) including corporate hulks like Wal-Mart (now using the friendly sunburst, no longer the regimented star) and Kraft.

Wordsmiths Local #101 Accepting New Members

So, I pulled the ol' vehicle in for a fill-up in Bellevue, Ohio, yesterday and was greeted to another treat for language-consumed folks like myself. Maybe there is a reason why gas was SO much less expensive here. Clearly there is either a shortage of wordsmiths in marketing/signage design departments, there are no proofreaders left in this world OR there is just a shortage of people who care about language, meaning, redundancy or the like. Unfortunately, I know the answer to that one, I just may not choose to accept it yet.
I'm adding this cause to my growing list that already contains adding last names for tropical storms and saving the art of the hand-written note by purchasing, writing and sending as many note cards as I physically can. Won't you put a little pen ink and brain power to these causes for me?
As a footnote for this...I really LOVE funny business signs and I have several photos I have taken through the years of signs that have nearly caused me to get in an accident when I saw them while driving. I will find some good ones and post them for you. If you have any of your own (unaltered photos only), please send them to me at amy@aha4creative.com with a story about where they are from and I will gladly post them here!

Oh, wonderful words

To honor today's kickoff of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, truly one of my favorite sporting events of the year, I am going to share a bit of a new nerdy love with all of you. Yes, I was a local spelling bee competitor decades ago. Yes, I have a journalism degree from the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University. Yes, I may be somewhat cursed with an obsession for words.
I have found something clearly created by someone with a warped mind, such as mine.

I dig using a thesaurus—always have, always will. Thanks to the "Internets" I don't always have to rely upon that paper copy from 1992. There are lots of great resources out there with different databases and words. I have found one that is just so much darn fun to use. If you like words at all, give a try to the Thinkmap Visual Thesaurus. See the photo I have posted here for an example of the word cantankerous. They claim that it "works like your brain." They also offer a fun word of the day email so we can all enrich and expand our vocabularies; I would suggest this at a minimum. It would do us all some good if we knew more words in this crazy English language of ours.

Nothing says fun like duct tape

As you know, sometimes I really enjoy sharing little tidbits from the great state of round on the ends and high in the middle, Ohio. I couldn't pass up an opportunity to share with all of you some of the things we do around here for fun in the summertime. You know about the boats I watch out my window, the lovely and always fun Cedar Point, but did you know about Avon's Duct Tape Festival? In addition to the standard Ohio festival fare of rickety rides, money-sucking games to win goldfish that will die before you get them home and grea-zy fried foods, this hotbed of activity features a Duck Tape Parade (the Duck Tape Company is located in Avon, Ohio).
However, most importantly, they had me at "Duct Tape Crafts." I'm so there. Catch ya' on the sticky side.

I am literally watching paint dry

Noisy, chaotic and inane. That's my brain today. I really am watching painters spruce up a ncie old building a block away. And it got me thinking about some of my famous posts o' the past. If you have read even a few of them (and why would you really?) you'd see how much I love vintage, classic designs. They are so clean, vivid and hark back to a ...... yada, yada, yada. Also, they're just fun to view. Simpler days of different pleasures abound in the fun designs that adorned stores, homes, publications and elsewhere.
Today I'm sharing a bit of parody on one of my favorites. That's just how I roll. Like I said, things are a bit noisy in there, so I'm trying to let out a little steam from my brain that is cooking my skull. Please enjoy Saturday's Bulletin where you will find some jeers and cheers with inappropriate, cruel and humorous captions added to early 20th century illustrations.

Words so tweet

I tried tweeting with Twitter ages ago, but gave up because I just didn't have time and had something like 2 followers then. I'm giving it one more shot on here before I write this off as some silly exercise in getting us to think our lives are more interesting than they really are, so I thought I'd invite you all to find me on Twitter and make it fun for us all. The more of you loyal floggers who follow me, the louder I will tweet (ha!).
You can find me there as ahacreative and I sure hope you will! I will even encourage you to email me some funny photos and I will put them up as my profile photo. I need some fun new virtual friends as it seems like any time I am not at Cedar Point or Fabens Park taking in t-ball/baseball in the next 2 months I will surely be on my 'puter working away! Tweet you soon.

Please accept this award as an apology...

How embarassing! I haven't been here to be in touch with all my loyal floggers for ages, and for that I do apologize. An avid reader and fan called me out on it today...so it is definitely time for a quick post just to let you know some things that are going on. Life sure is busy here at aha creative.
It's May and the view of Sandusky Bay and Cedar Point just gets better every sunny day. Okay, maybe it's a little distracting at times to watch a sailboat cruise past now and again, but, hey, I find it incredibly relaxing and inspirational. That's my story and I'm sticking with it. Maybe you'll want to come and have a coffee with me and check it out for yourself. Cedar Point opens tomorrow and so I know traffic is going to increase exponentially, but I sure don't mind. There's something vibrant and fun about summer in vacationland.
To let you know that I haven't just been sitting at my desk enjoying the view, I thought I'd share a little news about aha creative. I recently received 2 gold awards in the 2009 Hermes Creative Awards, sponsored by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals (www.amcpros.com). Aha Creative received a Gold Award for the identity rebranding and logo design for the Ottawa County Transportation Agency (OCTA). In addition, Aha Creative also received a Gold Award for identity, logo and web design for its pro bono work for the Port Clinton Arts Council (www.portclintonarts.org). This international awards competition is for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional and emerging media. AMCP judges are industry professionals who look for companies and individuals whose talent exceeds a high standard of excellence and whose work serves as a benchmark for the industry. Winners were selected from 142 categories in seven forms of media and communication efforts- advertising, publications, marketing/branding, integrated marketing, public relations/communications, electronic media and pro bono.
I couldn't be more proud of these awards and, especially, more proud of OCTA for the incredibly hard work they continue put forth in their rebranding and identity effort. They are all so committed to this project and making sure everything is done the best it can, within budget, spread over time and by including employee and user feedback. Kudos and congratulations to OCTA and the Port Clinton Arts Council!

Success for Windows (and, no, I'm not dissing my Macs!)

I couldn't take much longer to post a new entry on here; my deepest apologies to all of you fans out there. The AWFUL flu, a spring break train trip with my son and MUCH work have kept me away. Right now I'm focused on some really interesting and brain-busting challenges (my favorite kind), but I wanted to drop in for a quick note about last week's events.
Last week, Kim Godfrey (www.alwaysgenuineevents.com) and I finally gave our workshop on window and retail interior design techniques at the Port Clinton Chamber of Commerce. It was a huge success and we ended up with far more participants than we could have imagined. We packed in the front window-space area of the Chamber, looking out to the street and spoke about what we did to improve the window and interior space of that office. We shared some techniques, merchandising and retail tips and design methods to get the most bang for the buck and create a consistent, appealing look for the business. There was FANTASTIC interaction and dialogue amongst the particpants and some wonderful thoughts about getting my hometown of Port Clinton looking great.
Also, Kim and I seem to have hit a really fun niche for both of us to collaborate on this project (and maybe more workshops elsewhere, who knows?). We are looking forward to taking the show on the road and getting into some of these businesses that want our expertise and assistance to spruce up their images. I will surely keep you posted with some success stories and before/after shots as we get down and dirty and get going on some window designs.
If you would like to get a copy of the handout from our event with tips and information, please email me at amy@aha4creative.com and let me know so I can email or smail you a copy.

The luckiest color

A big congratulations to my dear friend Mimosa, who has recently been honored by being named 2009 Pantone Color of the Year! Wow, what an honor that must be. Beating out Tangerine, Blue Iris (who took the 2008 honor), Celery, Rose Dust and just barely edging out Super Lemon to take the coveted annual title.
Described by friends as "a warm, engaging yellow," Mimosa looked toward the future during her acceptance speech. "I embody hopefulness and reassurance in a climate of change," says Mimosa.
"The color yellow exemplifies the warmth and nurturing quality of the sun, properties we as humans are naturally drawn to for reassurance," explains Leatrice Eiseman, executive director of the Pantone Color Institute®. "Mimosa also speaks to enlightenment, as it is a hue that sparks imagination and innovation."
Congratulations, Mimosa, enjoy your time in the sun....
(source: Pantone)

Paper will always live

Sometime soon I'm going to take an entire month and read a book a day. Maybe you can help me plan out my reading list. Feel free to submit ideas. I would definitely need a good ratio of fiction to non-fiction, but would love to get some suggestions. I love books. I love time. Sometime I will have time to read lots and lots and lots of books.
My favorite interior design element is lighting. It can completely make or break a space. Thus, the recent post I had about compact fluorescent lighting. I can't handle it; I think it literally makes my skin crawl. That's no exaggeration. I tend to buy too many lamps. I have to really restrain myself when I see some great lighting on sale. I already have moved things around to fit too many lamps in some small spaces and have a few too many lights in storage. However, I'm still looking for the perfect lighting situation for above my counter/stove in my kitchen....I need a trip to a decent lighting store. But I'd surely be a kid in a candy store and would need to go with someone who could restrain my purchases to the urgent need at hand.
I found a fantastic design shop in The Netherlands that makes beautiful lighting from books. Wow....what a marriage of function, love and beauty. Okay, that may be a bit dramatic, but I'm certain my friends Mandy (the author) and Michelle (the librarian) will appreciate the aesthetic joy of these; they definitely give a new meaning to reading lamp.

Leave the camera at home

The last week has been filled with some odd occurrences, for certain. The topper on the cake was a lesson I learned on Monday......I'll set the scene for you: it was a very sunny, yet cool afternoon as I was leaving my office. I was thinking about how nice it would be to try to get a photo of the outside of my building, now that spring had sprung. Something you may not know about me is that I love architectural photos; I'm drawn to photos of building tops, corners, windows, doors, close-ups of interesting building elements. Oddly enough, there was a maintenance/repair person taking some close-up photos of the building just as I came outside the door. There must have been a light out or something near the door. Oh, and did I mention that Homeland Security resides in my building? Well, needless to say, the man with the camera was surrounded by a bevy of U.S. Homeland Security officers in just moments. It's nice to know I'm secure and sound, but I will prepare for an altercation when I bring my camera.
In honor of the oddities of the week, I wanted to share this advertisement I found. It is a massive floor sticker in a shopping mall in Jakarta, Indonesia. Viewed from levels above, all those people moving through the mall look like fleas moving around an itchy dog. I like it....can you imagine seeing that in an upscale mall in the U.S.? It is a funny thought.

Paper Zen

It has been a busy few weeks here at aha creative, with lots of fun projects and several new clients diving into the creative pool. If you're feeling buried in work or stressed out from tight deadlines, I have found the perfect artistic and Zen-like outlet for you.
When I came across the Instant Origami site, I was first thinking about my grandmother. She was the true artist in my family, across a number of media. My favorite works of hers are the most intricate and detailed pieces she did. Her painted Christmas sugar cookies were favorites among people I meet who knew her and received them as gifts; they were freehand-painted works of art and (despite the fact that they were also delicious) they were saved and rarely eaten. The cookies were not my favorite of her works, though. I loved her origami and paper creations. She and I used to sit and create intricately folded paper animals and objects. She created full-framed scenes made from cut, curled, rolled, folded and glued paper. Origami still makes me think of spending time with her, learning how to cut, fold and curl tiny strips of paper into amazing designs and scenes.
On that note....make sure you take a moment and check out the calm and serene of watching someone create works like "The Mask" and "The Octopus" on Instant Origami. Please let me know if you enjoyed the peacefulness of it as much as I did....

It's a disease

Advertising, at least when it becomes a plague on your brain, is a sickness. Those of us who live it, breathe it and can't avoid it (even when we want to) should probably be quarantined and sent to live on an island filled with peeling billboards, road signs, hand-made posters and crappy restaurant menus. Unfortunately, we become a menace to those around us and, eventually, infect them with this disease of mock and critique of life while we live it.

And I quote, from my daughter in the car this morning while she was browsing the first American Girl doll catalog I've ever let her see, "Mom, why is every person smiling in this catalog? Do they want me to like them and the dolls so I buy them?" She's three years old. Enough said. There's no hope left for my family...

Good green, bad green

I'd be the first to say that I'm all for green design, printing, production and products. I chose an office with wall-to-wall windows for that reason. This century-old building is far from the most efficient, but given my other options, this one requires me to use very little energy above what is needed to power my computer, a small lamp from time to time and this radiator stays off 80% of time in the winter. I try to do my part to conserve what I can.
I have installed compact fluorescent lighting at home, but am afraid it's all about to go out the window. I hate it. I hate fluorescent overhead lighting in EVERY application. Its headache-inducing, horrible light has lost my good graces and I'm going back to incandescent. I'm sorry. I just can't do it. I can't see in my kitchen anymore because the fluorescent lighting is so dim--and my family will be so much happier if the food looks good under proper lighting again. You sure don't see quality restaurants using fluorescent lighting to showcase their food. If I had it in on my office I'd lose my mind in about 30 seconds or less. So, I tried it. The experiment was a failure. I will leave the fluorescent bulbs for other folks and wait for something better to come along, as I'm sure it will eventually. Apologies.
However, on a much better note, I just read about what my community is doing for recycling efforts. I couldn't be more excited about this endeavor. We are already the only city in the county to offer curbside recycling. And, just the other day, I was beginning to wonder if that would continue, given current economic conditions and what I have read about recyclable materials being in very low demand. Not only will recycling continue to be strong here, but we are soon going have curbside collection of organic food waste and paper-based packaging waste, which will be recycled into compost material at a local nursery. Wow! I am so excited about this prospect. One local restaurant/hotel has been doing this for a year now and, because it went so well, the city of Huron has decided to expand the program for residential collection. As far as I can find, we are the first city in the state of Ohio to get a program like this. Let me say kudos to all invovled--great work. Here is an article about the program. The Morning Journal

Obsession du jour

Decking out this new office has been so much fun. However, anyone who comes in just notices the wall-to-wall window view over top the downtown and into the bay and Cedar Point. The décor is mostly for my own creative inspiration, and I have made the space that fits the bill. It is such a great working environment and I still welcome all those who have not made the trek through the icy sidewalks to come visit. Feel free to wait until spring when you can actually wander downtown and take in the sights and sounds of budding trees, dry sidewalks and seagulls galore. I've already had several seagulls look me in the eye as they float past my window...it is really something to be at their eye level up on the 6th floor.

Anyway, the seagulls are a digression from what I really wanted to share here. In my long, arduous quest for just the right fit for the empty walls in my retro building, I came across something I am just in love with. Of course, it is my newest obsession, and I am sure you're shocked by that. Maybe it's because they are created by designers of all styles--funky, beautiful, creative and artsy. Maybe the black bookshelves and books just fit the style of this office. Maybe I'm just a dorky designer with a penchant for new, cool and trendy décor that goes outside the frame. Maybe I just want to put funky decals everywhere—in my drawers, on my file folders, all over my cat, on my mailbox, on my driveway....okay, I'll stop.

You'll see my faux bookshelves and stacked books in the photo here. You'll also see the cool "gears of creativity," as I have deemed them in 603. If you want to get some rockin' wall decals for yourself, then make sure you check out blik surface graphics for some awesome decorating ideas if you like to go a bit outside the ordinary in your home or office. I'm still working on where some of these are going in my house because they WILL be going somewhere. The tone on tone color combinations with colored walls are stunning. I just knew there was something for those of us who hate wallpaper. It just took far too long to find it! My dorm room at 429 Boyd and the creepy house on Mound Street really needed these.

Twist-tie terror and clamshell calamity

As a designer AND a consumer (especially one with small children), I am always intrigued by package design. What a fascinating job that must be—sketching, wrapping, folding, opening, testing on a shelf, placing merchandise inside, wow, it makes my head spin. I love walking through a store, scanning the shelves for interesting packaging concepts, colors, shapes, sizes and textures. Then I bring that crap home and have to open it. Yikes. Recently, I opened a toy that was already assembled and even had the stickers strategically placed on the toy (thank goodness for that), but getting it out of the 32 twist-ties and 27 rubber bands took me the better part, or actually the worse part, of an afternoon.
Maybe design has come too far for packaging efficiency. In 2006 Consumer Reports coined the phrase "wrap rage" to describe what it feels like when opening frustrating and consumer-unfriendly packaging. Things have improved, if at a snail's pace, since 2006 and a few good options have made their way into the marketplace. This 2007 Consumer Reports article touts some of the useful newcomers, such as the perforated clamshell (sorry, it is still a plastic breadknife to me and my sliced-up hands), single-dosage medications and resealable food bags.
As all good things do, fancy-schmancy, wasteful, inefficient packaging must come to an end (if for nothing else than our sanity as parents so we don't slit our wrists with the open clamshell). Amazon.com's CEO announced their "multi-year initiative," yes, that's correct, an initiative, called "frustration-free packaging." (Click here to read the CEO's letter.) In fact, one of their children's toy sets arrives, sans colorful scenery, with all the parts of the set loose (no blister wrap) inside a recyclable, uncoated, unprinted cardboard box. I guess packaging designers will need to start designing colorful, green-friendly labels for those brown boxes and some beautifully detailed (not in Chinese) assembly instruction sheets that can accompany the products.
Hallelujah!

Windows on the World... or, at least, Port Clinton, Ohio

I am embarking on another very fun project coming in April and wanted to share it with all of you first. Yes, this is breaking news. Kim Godfrey, a fantastic mind with a background in big-business merchandising and retail visuals, and I will be hosting a seminar at the Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce titled "WOW your Windows and Bring Customers in the Door: Techniques to Get Your Window Displays Working for Your Business."
This is such a fun pairing for the two of us to work on this project together and really bring the principles of design and merchandising together to help. I know that I had posted another blog many weeks ago when we did some window-shopping research and photos all along the North Coast of Ohio. We have been going over photos, pulling concepts together and having a blast.
We are also putting together some packages for PC Chamber members (and others!) for further consulting, planning and actual window display design and set-up, so please inquire if you're interested, because we're excited to get out the glue guns, light strings and bargain bedding and get down to work.

Here is more information about the seminar:
WOW your Windows and Bring Customers in the Door
Techniques to Get Your Window Displays Working for Your Business
Window displays are silent sales associates who are working to promote your business 24/7. Are you getting the most out of them you can?
Come to the workshop on April 22, 2009, hosted by Amy Heflinger of aha creative and Kim Godfrey of Always Genuine Events, to learn how to make sure you are! We will be sharing insights, techniques and creative, budget-friendly ideas to get the most out of your best asset to bring customers in the door. For times and more information, please contact the Port Clinton Area Chamber of Commerce at 419-734-5503

Thank you, thank you and thank you again

Cathy Allen at Creative Option C did an amazing job with our recent customer satisfaction survey. It was insightful beyond belief, from what you value most important when looking for creative services, all the way to a wish list of services you’re hoping we offer someday. Wow, this was incredible. It is such enlightenment to know if you really are doing well at those things you hold so dear that they begin to get out-of-focus and slightly fuzzy in our peripheral vision—such as treating people well and making creativity a joint proposition that doesn’t involve unpleasantries like tooth-pulling and miscommunication. But I digress…
Thank you to everyone who took the time to give authenic, constructive and worthwhile feedback on how we’re doing and what we’re producing. I can’t express to you how much I appreciate every single comment and rating. Please know how happy we are to continue to put the power of creativity to work for you.

Bravo, bra-vo....and push aside the negative bull!@#%

This week I am feeling incredibly inspired by the success, as well as the generosity, of others. My clients are doing some amazing things for our communities, our environment and, YES, the economy. Those who are doing a good job, have continued, secure funding sources and are exceeding expectations are having such a difficult time talking about their blockbuster successes when others are hitting tough times, losing their jobs unexpectedly and when the media portrays very little positive about the state of affairs here or abroad. They shouldn’t be embarrassed to be successful and we should embrace and applaud those who are doing well despite external forces, negative words and even more negative feelings by so many people. In fact, we should all take a lesson in success and adaptability. Let me be the first to applaud, now more than ever, those who are doing well, and if I played even the smallest part in that let me express how proud that makes me to be a contributor and a ride-along.

It's not Spongebob I'm looking for...

While other moms are out there looking for the latest Dark Knight and Hannah Montana Valentine's Day trading cards, I was sent on a quest for Barack Obama or presidential Valentine's cards. Great, I'm so glad I was given the option of one president or all of them. That makes it SO much easier on me, here in no-man's-shopping-land. Well, that keeps me on my toes for sure, and since I'm such the computer whiz around here, my son assumed that I could just find some cards online tonight and have them magically appear at our door tomorrow--ready for him to personalize and sign for all his buddies. Right.

Anyway, since I am the computer whiz, I decided I would create some customized kiddie-style Valentine's Trading Cards featuring our president Obama himself. If you want to send them to your friends, too, I will gladly send you the file--just drop me an email. They are ready to print out on card stock, cut and drop into the cutely decorated shoeboxes around your office and let the jealousy begin...

A full weekend with me...lucky you

I'd like to take this chance to shamelessly plug, I mean, cordially invite all of you (ladies, that is) to attend the herstory on business retreat Feb.20-22 in Marblehead, Ohio. I am one of the organizers and one of the presenters during the weekend. It is a chance to learn from and share with other business women and specialists the tools you need to be successful in growing, developing and managing your business, while enjoying a relaxing weekend, with friends old and new, to refresh and recharge your drive and confidence. In the time of an economy that tests our will to succeed, we need to focus our energy on keeping our business strong and learning the tools to pull ahead of the crowd. Please view our web site for the full weekend schedule and information on presenters and workshop sessions -- http://herstory.aha4creative.com . I'd love to see you there! Make sure you let me know you read it on the flog...

Furry sir, i am sorry, but you are just incorrect

I am sorry, furry Phil, but you are just certainly, positively, emphatically wrong. I shall share my official proclamation from this morning....

Hear Ye Hear Ye
On Mudbrook Road this glorious sparkly-snow-covered day, February 3rd, 2009
Amy Heflinger, Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators
Awoke to the call of her 1980s talking alarm clock
And greeted her sleepy-eyed children, Jack and Addi Bee
After casting a joyful eye towards thousands of her faithful followers,
Amy proclaimed that her beloved coffee would be coming soon
And the bright sky outside my house
Showed no shadow beside me.
So 6 more weeks of winter it will most certainly NOT be.

What a racket/Chris DiMarco rules on the Wii

After some time with Tiger Woods on the Wii and landing on the Tennis Channel (who knew?) during the Australian Open, I thought I'd share with you the very nice logo from down under. I loved the graphics as I watched the competition on the VERY bright blue courts, while the players were sweating their butts off in the heat. Apparently it was reaching over 100 degrees on the outdoor courts during the day, and indoors, under the roof, it did not look any cooler. Phew. Needless to say, this logo is great representation of the blue court color and the sun and heat of the outdoors. I loved it and the graphics kept me watching; well, that and the sweat dripping from every inch of Serena's big hoop earrings while she smoked some great ones over the net.
When I went to the Australian Open web site to look around today, I found this fantastic photo of a hospitality tent from the event. Check out this great work of art on the ceiling.... I absolutely love creative lighting and this one takes the cake for sports lighting--it's racke-tastic!!

Improving the report card, one design at a time

It has been a busy couple of weeks at aha creative, and the next several weeks shall be more of the same. We are so fortunate to have some amazing projects going and in the works right now. I did want to take a quick moment, though, to share with you some news about us. We are now proud to be an Accredited Business of the Better Business Bureau serving Northwest Ohio and Southeast Michigan. The Better Business Bureau has changed their accreditation process and now rates companies based upon several factors, using a grade-card-type scoring system. Please feel free to check out the aha creative report card by clicking on the BBB logo here. As a side note, the results are almost in on the customer satisfaction survey we did to ring in the creative new year. I will share more about that soon. Thanks again to all who gave their feedback!

A quick thought for Monday

I received a nice postcard today from my friends at Touché Wine & Martini Bar (my favorite bar north of Columbus). There was a terrific quote on it that I thought I would share with all of you while I post this on my Great Wall of Ideas so I can think of being there while I'm sitting in my office....but I digress.

The quote reads "Quality always trumps the lackluster." For some reason that just struck me today, I don't know exactly why, but I wanted to make sure I shared it with all of you. I think that was really a great summation of this Monday's philosophy.

Then, after that great inspiration, I turned the postcard over to find a very interesting statement. "Now Open Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays 5 p.m. until closing." Now open until closing is what really stood out to me. Ha. I'm glad to know they're open until they close. Anyone want to meet at Touché for martini drink specials on Friday?

Show me the color

Well, it couldn't be much colder and any more blinding with the sun on the frost, snow and ice encasing northern Ohio. On such a monochromatic day, well, week, for that matter, I thought that everyone might need a little color in their day like I do. Here is a purely useless site that could mesmerize you for hours, just waiting for some text or navigation. Check out colorflip and see how long you're sucked into the vortex of page-turning excitement. And, by the way, there really are some great web colors on there.

That's what I get for trying to be a productive citizen before coffee

It’s just 8:30 am and it’s already one of those days where I feel like I’ve been sucker-punched by advertising messages. The first hit came from a billboard I drive past every day when I go to the office. It has been slowly changing and building up to the final version that is now up and I’m trying to get some artwork on that, so I will keep you posted. I hope they will share with me so I can post it here for all of you—it really was a good use of the billboard message in many ways, so I will let you know once I have heard back.
The second hit came when I went past a bar (known for the occasional shooting, thus, no photo) and on their marquee it reads “Reality Stops Here.” Boy, does it ever. I don’t know what else I can say about that.
And the final blow came when I made a quick stop at the gas station for a bottle of fruit juice to start the day, pre-coffee. The delivery truck for a local meat packer was just parking. Sausage really is one of those things I can’t think too much about or I just couldn’t eat even the little bit that I do. However, I’m not sure I’d choose the phrase “Meat type pork” to advertise my product. Maybe that’s just me, pre-coffee. I can accept that.