Why?

‘’Whoah, that is powerful!’’ he said to me, nodding his head and thinking. He is a software engineer employed by a client of ours.  And I was talking about the most important thing one should ask a designer, or a design team.

Why?

If you own a corporation then you have a Brand manager who knows this already. But if you own a SME and ‘’all you want is some’’… logo design, a banner, a flyer, a website or a newsletter, when the designer returns some mock-ups… ask them WHY?

With branding is crucial to know the answer to why.  Why a certain font, certain colour or colours, a certain shape, a motto or character. If there is no reason behind the why… then you have a problem.

Creating a new website and the designer cannot explain why he or she decided to put the menu on the left or on the right, why your social media icons are in the footer and not the header, why your call to actions are in the middle and not on the side and which call to action is more visible than the other and what message goes where?

If there is no good enough reason behind how you communicate then you have lost before you opened your mouth.

‘’Yes, we know we should invest more into marketing’’.

But it was not marketing we were talking about. It was and it wasn’t. But mainly, it wasn’t.

See… the world is changing. Smart technology - phones or tablets have created a paradigm shift. Social media has done exactly the same. 

What does this mean? The way the world is interacting has changed and it is continuing to change, technology is pushing us towards different avenues of behaviour, social media has changed how we do things online, how we see things online, how we share things online… but it has done a lot more than that… it has been creeping into the way we do business online. Sorry. This last bit about business is wrong. And THIS is where our big challenge lies, when we really do want to help our clients SEE. Actually, the whole things is wrong. Scrap online and just think... life.

The world has changed. And this is affecting your business. Not your online business. Scrap online.

‘’Yes, we know we should invest more into marketing’’… a client was agreeing as we sat in a conference room not long ago. We were talking about rebuilding their online/digital presence.

Broken down into different services, we were talking about development and SEO and design and branding and advertising and business strategy. But if one took a good honest look at what we were actually doing… it would have concluded that we are bringing their business into 2012. It is an update, an upgrade, a strategic position that will insure, first of all: survival and... continuity.

It was not about marketing, or design or development. It was about being current. About being where the world is in 2012. About being functional. 

Understand that and you will see the rest as tools to grow your business. Not your online presence. The difference is key and thinking of your www as ‘’something up there’’ is something that you need to reassess. 

Day 30.

One pic or series of one thing, for 30 days. This is my final day of the task: day 30.

This was not about photography. Clearly. This wasn’t even about blogging. This was about something I read a while ago. About changing behaviours. About discipline. And self control.

So what did I learn in 30 days? One of the things I learned was something that I knew already. I learned that when I HAVE to do something, I will do it, but I will not put 100% into it. Force me, get me into a rut, give me this MUST DO task and I will do it. But it will be a copy/paste. It will be dry. Lifeless. It will not move me. Excite me.

I need the opposite to flourish. This is why I am unemployable. Sometimes selfish. Bratty. 

Stubborn. Give me time, flexibility and no boundaries and it works for me. It doesn’t for everyone. Some people need structure. They perform better within boundaries. And that is fine too.

I also learned that I can do whatever I set my mind to. Well... I knew that already too. Sometimes, people like me need structure too. It’s painful and less than fun but it works.

Do something for 30 days and you can do it for a lifetime. But pick carefully. I definitely do not want to blog everyday for the rest of my life. *laughs*

Do something for 30 days and you’re behaviour will change. Try it.

You want to stop over eating? Don’t go on a diet, just don’t eat after 6 or 7 pm for 30 days. See what happens there. Don’t want to say things, do things, think things but you can’t stop? You have read all the self help books in the world and they are useless?

It’s simple. Try something for 30 days. See if you can do it. Seriously? What do you think? That you CAN’T? Really? You are that weak? That you can’t do this or that for 30 days? I doubt it.

In these 30 days I have learned something else. That whatever other 30 day task I will put in front of myself, I will not fail. I just know that. How amazing is that? Mhm.

My next 30 days are without sugar. And day 1 starts tomorrow. I will not blog about it every day, I will just do it.

But I am happy I started this 30 day thing in front of you guys. Why?

Because it seems I have inspired a couple of friends to start their own 30 day somethings.

This is it. I will go back to blogging, real blogging, when I feel like it. 

30 days and subtracting. This is day 29.

One pic or series of one thing, for 30 days. This is day 29.



Sheila Rock.


I look at one of her photographs every day, as I go from the kitchen to the bathroom or one of the bedrooms. I never really put much thought into who she was, her name visible on the very romantic print hanging on our wall.

Today, I decided to Google her name.


She is a well know photographer with a lot of merits to her name (see below).


This photo cover of Enya’s 2000 album called ‘’A day without rain’’ also belongs to this very talented photographer. 

Interesting what you discover when you start looking around in your very close proximity. :O)

30 days and subtracting. This is day 28.

One pic or series of one thing, for 30 days. This is day 28.



Dinner time is nigh. Open fridge. Have a look around. Sigh. 


Scratch your head. Yawn. Stretch your back.


Open your cutlery drawer. 


Look at the contents for a while without doing anything else.


Stretch your back again and mumble ‘’f***en hell’’.


Look back at the rest of the people in the room. Wait for their approval.


Get the main ingredients out:

Pick your food.

Bonne appetit!

Day 27

One pic or series of one thing, for 30 days. This is day 27.

Our kitchen mats from the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo. 

If you feel helpless, go and help someone.

Good advice.

http://www.volunteeringireland.com

Day 26

One picture or series of one thing, for 30 days. This is day 26.

This blog is about helping. Please help if you can.

Cognitive Semiotics is science of recognizable signs. Cognition relates to the process of thought, and the word "semiotics" is derived from the Greek word "semiotikos" meaning "interpreter of signs (or gestures)." Cognitive semiotics can be said to be the study of how meaning is constructed and understood through the communication of signs and symbols.

The main research areas in semiotics are meaningful gestures and symbols, while recognizable gestures and symbols are a part of cognitive semiotics.

Usability has much interdependency with cognitive semiotics. Users can relate to most easily understandable signs and symbols.

John Locke would define cognitive semiotics as doctrine of recognizable signs.

Emmm.... ok... you all got that, yeah?

Well this guy here (look down) is a brilliant mind that is off to study cognitive semiotics at an official elite masters course in Denmark. There are a few thousand masters courses in Denmark but only 6 official elite courses. Yes. Elite.

Help him find a summer job in Dublin so he can try and go study cognitive semiotics. Some of us should stay brilliant. For the sake of humankind. :O)

Pass it on. Thank you.

P.S.: He also happens to be my brother.