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!