Rothacker Reviews

Beyond Trend

Beyond Trend by Matt Mattus

Beyond Trend is laced with a passion for design.  It is sooooo inspiring!  Like little kids grow up and want to be police and firemen, after reading Matt's book (three times now), I want to be a designer!  If I were involved in an association for designers, I'd make Beyond Trend required reading for members.  If I owned a company that used designers and caught them reading Beyond Trend, I'd promote them.  Okay, that last one's a stretch.  But their value in my eyes sure would increase.

The business world today is paying attention to the wink of design leaders.  "Pssst guys!  Get on board.  Good design will capture your customer's heart and soul."  Whether you have companies that truly get the benefits of design or companies led by CEO's who have a vague idea of what design is: "Bob, I think there is something to this design thing.  Create a design department.  Stick it between the mailroom and accounting."...the field is opening wide up.  While more people are filling creative roles, the creative work-output is growing exponentially and growing exponentially vanilla.  An overabundance of design and an overabundance of sameness.  Matt:

...it is becoming increasingly difficult to tell a Target TV ad from a Sears ad.

Moving beyond trend is Matt's answer to his own question: "In an over-designed world, how does a designer design?"  How one gets there is what this book is all about.

Basically, Matt's book is written to and for designers, those in the trenches trying to crank out new and creative work.  But he sneaks in a chapter devoted to their bosses.  It is pure gold.  In very clear and concise terms, Matt delineates between the two styles of companies I reference above. 

There is one really strong theme that courses through Matt's work.  It is the foundation and framework for moving beyond trend.  It begins with a passion for design.  And it ends with the ability to explain your output.  What informed us?  Why did it?  And where did this influence come from?  Matt asks:

How can you problem solve, or create "new," or "get it" (and help others "get it") if you never did in the first place?

The ability of a designer to move beyond trend is directly related to the work that they put in between the passion part and the explanation part.  Matt guides the student of design here with a carefully created map on how to get there and how to become a culture creator at the same time.

Matt designed this book himself and infuses brilliant pictures, illustration and art to help tell his story. 

I smoked-n-signed Beyond Trend.  It is one of the best books I've ever read!

"Jeepers dave, that's a pretty strong statement!"

You know why I feel so strongly about this book?  Because I think it's not only a recipe for designers to elevate their game above status-quo, but it will also help other creatives like artists and writers!!

One Small Step Can Change Your Life

One Small Step Can Change Your Life by Robert Maurer.

Motivated by the questions, How do people succeed?  and How do successful people stay successful? Robert writes a book about change utilizing Kaizen, the Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement.

Robert's mantra is to perform small steps of continuous improvement.  One gaze at the chapters in his book and you will begin to get a feel:

Why Kaizen Works

Ask Small Questions

Think Small Thoughts

Take Small Actions

Solve Small Problems

Bestow Small Rewards

Identify Small Moments

Kaizen For Life

I like this book!  It is small, portable, digestible, believable and most importantly, doable.  You can crack it open, read five minutes and actually start to put it to work.  Really.

Rothacker Reviews has been going through some change.  I created a journal for guidance.  One thing that I try to write in it each day is...one thing.  What one thing can I do today that moves me into the direction of accomplishing my goal?  Thank you Robert for providing that one thing thing that has helped...your book.

Escape from Corporate America

Escape from Corporate America by Pamela Skillings

Do you get the Sunday-night blues?  For me the metamorphosis began around three o'clock in the afternoon and developed into a full blown stomach ache by six.  I was impossible to be around.  The Monday march to work was a march into the gas chamber. 

Jeeze dave, tell us how you really feel!

Sorry.  Raw nerves on this topic.  The title of Pamela's book was good enough to make me look inside.  Once I did, I never came up for air!  The first word that came to mind as I put Pamela's book down was PROLIFIC!  As in a ton of useful information and insight.  My mind's measuring stick: "Does this person, place or thing add value?  Am I better off for having crossed their / its path?  Have I learned something?"  In Pamela's case, yes, yes and yes!

Pamela provides a foolproof method to determine whether or not her book is for you.  Take a minute, visit Pamela's site and take this quiz.  The lower the score, the more you need her book.

Around interesting testimonials and case studies throughout her work, Pamela leads not only with the quiz, but a methodical discussion on whether or not escape is best for you.  Ok, after you return from the tattoo parlor with "I MUST ESCAPE" tattooed on your forehead, the transition into Pamela's various methods of escape provide quite an enjoyable read.  Pamela finishes with advice on obstacles that you will encounter following the jailbreak.  Finally, Pamela provides a resource guide at the end that is also available and updated here.

This book was smoked-n-signed.

Designers: How to Create

Ms. Designer, in a world of sameness, how can your work stand out; how can it be different?  According to Matt Mattus, Senior Director/Creative - Intellectual Development Property at Hasbro, you need to become a culture creator.

Matt recently wrote an article in the December isssue of HOW magazine titled: Become a Cultural Creator.  There is no available link to the article at this time, but I will say, this one article is worth the price of the magazine, which is available at most chain bookstores. 

To wet your appetite, I'll list Matt's top ten ways to become a cultural creator:

Have endless curiosity

Do research

Develop intellect

Be respectful

Gravitate to excellence

Develop expertise

Be interested in validity

Create fearlessly

Respect rarity

Be original

If as a designer, you would like people to connect with the meaning of your work, which is a layer below asthetics, you should embrace Matt's guidelines!

According to Wikipedia the word culture comes from the latin word cultura, stemming from the word colere, and means to cultivate.

If you look at Matt's list, every single item takes hold of the verb cultivate and envelops it.  Take for instance curiosity.  If as a designer, you do not ooze curiosity, you are going through the motions.  As a matter of fact, you should lay your body down in a puddle so those who pack their lives to the brim with curiosity don't have to get their feet wet. To be curious is to take the gas cap off of the tank.  To cultivate is to fill er up...with the discovery of new things. 

With each different picture taken; with each different experienced lived; with each different entry in your design journal, you are nurturing, growing, improving, tending and fostering the grist for your creative mill. 

Even if someone were able to stoke their creative mill with exactly the same stuff as yours, the product would never be the same.  You know why...there isn't another you.  (my wife would leave the planet if there was another me :)  What comes out will always be different.  The key however, is to get the stuff into your mill and then give yourself a chance to be different.

Okay, put down your keyboard and slowly back away from the computer.  Good.  Now go out and pick up a copy of this magazine today!

Here is a little inexpensive something to help you in the process of cultivating:

Jack's Notebook

Jack's Notebook by Gregg Fraley

Do you remember when the World Series games were played in the afternoon?  Do you know what a young teenage boy did with a hollowed out book......on one of those October afternoons......while at school?  Why listened to the ballgame of course.  I, errrrr he had to trick the teachers into thinking he was studying.

Do you know what Gregg Fraley does by writing Jack's Notebook?  He spins a tale about Jack, a young man who is tired of the daily grind.  He wants a job that has meaning, that makes him jump out of bed and look forward to the day ahead.  Jack joins forces with Dreadlocks girl - Molly, and together they set forth upon a page-turning adventure in search of a new job for Jack.  One key to Jack's success is that he carries a notebook around and journals the journey.  Mr. Fraley however, does something else.  He tricks us. Just when we think we're being held spellbound by an interesting story, we're really being taught how to creatively solve problems.

CPS (Creative Problem Solving) was developed by master creative guru Alex Osborn and now retired professor, Dr. Sidney J. Parnes.  Gregg weaves his own version of CPS throughout Jack's adventure.  He also provides a reference guide to the process in the back of the book.

Gregg says to not get too up tight about processes and methods.  He breaks it down into basics.  Make a list and then make a choice.  One part about this I really, really like.  Do not judge your ideas while making your list.  This will stifle creativity and imagination.  Instead just get the ideas out of your head. I have found that once you've created your list, it's best to let it simmer and brew for a day before beginning to make choices.

This book was Smoked-n-Signed!

Pick up a copy of Jack's Notebook, pick up a notebook for yourself --- and let the journey begin!

David Ogilvy on Advertising

Do you own a small business?  Have you figured out how to make it successful?  Did a person, Web site, seminar, book or course help you?  Did your brother-in-law help you?  Chances are you didn't have the luxury of striking it rich in one brilliant move.  You had to build your business through hard work, grit, determination and the ability to filter every Tom, Dick and Harry's opinion as to how you should run your business.  You did say your brother-in-law's name is Dick, didn't you?

Perhaps today you might consider the opinion of David, an advertising man.  He helped a few companies sell their products and become successful.  You might be familiar with some of them; Campbell Soup Company, Rolls Royce, General Foods, Shell, IBM, Merrill Lynch, etc.  In the world of advertising, David Ogilvy was an icon.  David passed away in 1999, but his legend lives on along with his words.  You need to pick up his book Ogilvy on Advertising. It isn't a textbook, it is a conversation.  I've read the book twice now and I feel as if David and I are sitting in a cherry wood paneled library in two big plush leather chairs looking out over a snow-filled meadow while a fire roars in the fireplace.  He talks to me about advertising and selling products while knocking the residual tobacco from his pipe.

"Wait a minute Dave, the companies that David worked with are all really big companies.  Mine isn't."

Ok, let me guess.  Your brother-in-law knows a printer.  He got you a good deal on printing out a flier.  You mailed a few out.  Or you recently bought Advertising for Dummies.  You are trying to follow it step by step.  Or you know that you should be advertising, so you ask Joe who owns the pool cleaning company.  Joe tells you.  But you're not sure if he understands the difference between pool filters and pepperoni pizza.  Or you listen blindly to the girl who sells ad space for the Neighborhood Newspaper cause you'd like to date her.  By the way, just how much business are you getting out of that ad?

The point is your advertising isn't working.  You either have to do it yourself or hire a company that works with small businesses. Ultimately you should hire the company.  Either way, David will guide you through the process.  But there is a catch.  This book isn't for every small business owner.  It is only for those with an open enough mind to carry on a conversation with a dead ad guy...albeit a charming and wise dead ad guy.  You see, David isn't only going to enlighten you about advertising, if you're open enough, he'll help you build the very core of your business.

"Dave, I ran over to Amazon and ordered up a copy.  It came yesterday.  Dude, this book is written for advertising people."

Well, yes it is.  Here, take this can of WD-40 and shoot a couple drops on the hinges of your mind.  Now, shake each leg a bit and straighten out your underwear.  Good.  Listen up.  Yes David's book was targeted for the field of advertising.  Published in 1983, he writes about getting a job in the business, running an agency, how to advertise for foreign travel and how to make TV commercials.  He also writes about how to produce advertising that sells, direct mail, how to get clients, research, competing with Proctor and Gamble, and six legends who went before him in the industry.  It is mostly in the last group where the treasure for small business owners can be found.  But you will only hear David's sage bits of wisdom if you pretend he is trying to help you run your business.

I know, I know, you're too busy trying to run your business to play pretend.  But if you made it this far here today, try this out...

You hire someone local to do your advertising.  It could be the girl who sells ad space for the neighborhood paper or someone who will design your ad or an agency geared for small business.  Now, listen to what David has to say about his internal operation:

"I never assign a product to a writer unless I know that he is personally interested in it."

As an Advertising Director, he never assigns a product to a writer unless he knows that the writer is personally interested in the product.  Now here's where you have to pretend.  David to you:

"Carol, does Bob the guy who is writing copy for your print advertisement, know anything about you or your products?  Matter of fact, does he use your products?"

See what I mean?

Ok, click on the link here, buy a copy of Ogilvy on Advertising and get ready to help market your business!

Trends: Trendwatching

Do you have unopened e-mail newsletters in your inbox?

"Well, errrr, yeah dave, I do."

And those are the ones that you allow into your inbox, aren't they?

"Yeah man, I just don't have time to read them.  But you know, I do pick one or two off every so often."

Do you use Google's GMail?

"daaaaave, I see where you're going with this...."

I let approximately ten e-mail newsletters through my front gate each week and a half dozen more per month.  I read one.  I need to prune two or three from this list. For the balance though, I lean on Google's search capability in my GMail account. 

"dave, that sounds good on paper dude, but how often do you really bring up old e-mail newsletters?"

Not often.  But let me tell you about how a person at a company that sends these newsletters broke through the din of white noise marketing and helped me out.  Michell Zappa, a trend analyst at Trendwatching.com, sent me an e-mail.  Her company noticed that I hadn't opened up their Trend Briefing monthly newsletter for quite a while.  Her concern was two-fold.  One, perhaps my junk mail folder was scarfing up the briefings and I wasn't getting any, and two, perhaps I really didn't want to receive them anymore.  In that case I could opt out and they wouldn't bother me anymore.

Now, of course Michell didn't personally send me this e-mail.  But the thought and gesture pegged out the dave "that's different" meter.  It was so Amazonian.  It meant enough for me to reply back and thank them for their concern.  Janna van Hasselt, from client services did personally reply back to me and thanked me for my note.

Guess what.  A few days later I opened the latest briefing and read it.  Man am I  glad that I did!  If you appreciate knowing what makes consumers do what they do, the pulse of business today, the various economy-related cultures and design (because their briefing is of most excellent design), then sign up for a Trend Briefing of your own today!

Tampa: Marketing Solutions

One more day at work for the MAN is one more day too many!  It's time to take your education and work experiences and put them to work - for You, Inc.  It's time to start your own business.

You hook up with your lawyer and accountant buddies.  They give you some good advice.  You launch.  You startup.  It's official.  It really is now You, Inc.  Cool!

The first day you hang out your shingle.  Boy did that feel good!  You get busy doing your thing.  It sure does feel good!  But then a stark reality begins to set in.  How am I going to get customers to my door?  You drive up and down Bruce B. Downs Boulevard and and a second cold, stark reality sets in.  There are four other businesses just like yours!  Yipes!  What do you do??

You call Jason and Jennelle.  That's what you do.  Right now. Jason Wilson and Jennelle Diaz Sherman own Full Circle Marketing Solutions.  Jason and Jennelle are two of the most passionate people I've ever met.  Their desire to help business owners just like you is off the charts. 

What I really like about these guys is that they're not going to storm into your business and tell you what to do.  No, they are going to sit down and talk with you.  They are going to learn what you and your business is all about.  They will ask questions.  You will sense their concern.  And you will feel their energy.  And you will begin to envision customers lining up at your door.  You will.  But they won't, if you don't contact them.  Contact them today!

 

 

Do You Matter?

Do You Matter? by Robert Brunner and Stewart Emery with Russ Hall

Why yes Virginia, you do!

Does your company matter?

Well Virginia, we're not sure about that!

Here is what this book is all about.  I've read the book twice and the authors do a nice, succinct job in describing it themselves.

I have already read somewhere someone whining about the author's excessive use of Apple as an example.  It did not bother me one bit.  As a matter of fact, it helps to enhance the book's main point. 

Here is a visual that I had twice through Do You Matter?  Robert and Stewart standing in front of an auditorium filled with CEO's from the world's top companies presenting a seminar on what the book is about.  The CEO's then leave the seminar, book in hand.  Back at their office, they shelve the book and go back to business as usual. 

It certainly is not that Robert and Stewart's message isn't compelling enough.  Delivered on the great white horse of Design powerhouse Pentagram, it's actually quite piercing.  The problem is that the CEO's minds are shelled in titanium.

If you work for a company that does not holistically embrace this concept of design, (read: titanium shelled cranium), I suggest you use this book as a What Color is Your Parachute? guide to escape.

The greatest value in my opinion, of Do You Matter? can be found in applying the question to You, Inc.  It could be You as a writer, You as a student, You as a worker, You as a sole proprietor or You as a mom.  In addition to the customer experience, do you matter to those with whom you interact?  Can you put yourself in their shoes?  Do you provide value?  If so, consistently?  In a consistent manner?

You can have a lot of fun using the complete, holistic design that the lads talk about here, to build a better sparkling You, Inc.  Tom would be most proud! 

This book was smoked-n-signed.  ...and I am recommending it to anyone who will listen!

Wake Up Your Mind

Wake Up Your Mind by Alex Osborn.

Alex was born in 1888, and published this book in 1952.  Wake Up Your Mind is about developing and using creativity.  A major premise throughout, is that the mind is like a muscle, it must be exercised to develop.  Although Alex wrote this book in the early to mid 1900's, he seared relevance in for a lifetime.

Wake Up Your Mind consists of twenty-six chapters with titles like:

• Soft Environments Saps Creativity
• Education - Its Appalling Neglect
• Little Children Can Spur Our Minds
• Reading - How to Go At It Creatively
• Hobbies - Which Ones Benefit Imagination?
• Writing is Mental Wrestling At Its Best
• Problem Solving - Creativity At It Best
• Job Hunting Calls for Idea Hunting

Alex was an ad man*, a businessman, but he writes for Mr. and Mrs. Joe Everybody.  Alex must cite a million people in his book, and that fact alone is a lesson.  To amass that much information one needs to be out and about in the world exploring, observing, learning and collecting grist for the mind's imagination wheel.

As you read through this book you'll encounter hundreds of road signs.  Today's creative gurus and consultants once read these signs...you can see them in their present-day work.

Wake Up Your Mind is available as a used book through Amazon's Sellers...which makes it value personified.

*Alex was a co-founder of BBDO, an advertising firm of about 1,300 people.  It has grown a little since then.