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The Art of Business

The IMOCA (Indianapolis Museum of Contemporary Art) and IDADA (Indianapolis Downtown Artists and Dealers Association) have teamed up with "The Art of Business" to offer courses to help artists learn better marketing strategies for their work. The next session is September 27 from 5:30 - 6:30pm. Click the link above for more info.

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Indianapolis Has New Blog

IChooseIndy.com is a new Indianapolis resource to help others understand why business people or other locals choose Indianapolis over other cities to live and work. While Indiana has developed a slogan and new logo for Indiana to try to attract people to the state, IChooseIndy.com feels it will take more to attract the right people here. IChooseIndy.com hopes to be that resource that will give a more in-depth look at the why's behind people's choices to live and work in this great state.

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How Small Things Can Make a Big Difference

I was getting some carry out from one of the chain BBQ restaurants recently. While I was waiting for my food, I witnessed this very thing in action. As some of the customers were leaving, one of them said, “oh, no mints, well you used to have mints, shame on you.� Though it would seem like something as small and insignificant as not having mints for your customers when they leave wouldn’t make much of a difference, it does, especially if you have a loyal customer base. Even though it may not keep them from returning, that little inconsistency will sit in the back of their mind and might make them wonder where else you might have made a compromise.

Early in Scott Bedbury’s work with making the Starbucks brand what it is today, someone who thought it might not make a difference, suggested that they (Starbucks) change their toilet paper from the more tactile kind to that of the more wholesale variety. Fortunately, while this might have saved a few pennies, someone else suggested that even thought it came cheaper and in bulk, the fact that it was thinner than the nicer tp, meant that consumers would probably use twice as much of it meaning that there really wasn’t going to be much cost savings, not to mention that their customers were already used to the nicer kind. (From Scott’s book, A New Brand World.)

What it all comes down to is that your customers will notice if you take away even the little things that actually add to their experience with your brand. The more things you consider insignificant, the more significant they probably are considered by your customer.

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Great Design and Great Communication with a Great Designer a Must.

So, I know that this post has been around for a while, but Seth Godin does such a great job of effortlessly explaining what we (designers) wish you knew about working with us.

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A Few Simple Steps for Dealing With An Angry Customer

We’ve all had to deal with angry customers at one time or another, here are a few simple steps to being more successful in dealing with their issue.

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A Little Food for Thought: Are You Charging Enough?

In many ways, design, and in other cases the service industry in general are being sought after for price before value or quality. While charging more for your service is often difficult to justify because you may be afraid you’ll get evil looks, it will help you determine who your loyal clients really are, and those who look at your service through the lens of value vs. price. Many companies are discovering the value of increasing their prices in order to promote to a different level of client. This article goes through the many clues you aren’t charging enough and reasons why you want to be sure you aren’t charging too little.

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A Little Misnomer

The word “branding� has become so ubiquitous that many are using it to describe identity development, which is an incorrect association. Here is a short list of what branding is NOT, and what it really is:

Branding is NOT: Your Logo Mark, Your Tag Line, Your Color Scheme, Your Design Concept

Branding IS:The People in the Company,The Emotional Connections Consumers Have With Your Products, You, The Consistent Experience Consumers Have With Your Company

For more information on branding visit our Services page, or read Scott Bedbury’s book, A New Brand World.

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AIGA Indy Design Tech Expo

September 22, 2006 at the Pyramids III, Indianapolis, IN 9:00am to 5:00pm

For more info, click here.

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25 Above Water comes to Indianapolis

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, artists from across the country came together to offer aid through the creation of “25 Above Water�, a collection of posters on exhibit and for sale with proceeds going to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.

This exhibit will be making a stop in Indianapolis from September 25-30 at the Herron School of Art and Design. Click here for more information.

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