Rick Howard

Smashing Magazine, which may be my favorite read every two weeks, has added a new post on Style Guides.

If you don’t know, a style guide is essentially an instruction manual on the usage of fonts, colors and logotypes a company should use. Usually a product of a brand redesign, these guides can be pieces of art of themselves.

Do all guides need to be so thorough, not necessarily. If a 1 on 1 relationship with the client is in place, then an elaborate style guide may not be needed. Especially if the client plans on using your company for all of their design needs. (This is where a real Design Agency comes in handy.)

It is still important to implement good design into these guides. Even the best logo can be made worse by having distracting art around it.

Simplicity is key and that is one to grow on.

It has been a year since I have drank a soda. Not including the very minute amount of Jones Holiday Packs as if you could drink more than a teaspoon (Brussel Sprouts soda anyone?)

Today as a celebration, I plan on getting a Root Beer Float. Its been the only thing I have missed during the last year.

Also In celebration I offer a PDF of a speech I gave on the how to stop drinking soda including the supplemental guide.

You can click here to download and read it.

Mind you it could probably use a little polishing, but you will get the gist of it

Enjoi.

One of my favorite things to design are holding pages for websites. Mind you I love designing websites, but a holding page relies on minimal information and minimal graphics. Therefore the attractiveness of the design becomes more important. I have done two of these pages recently, one for World Impact Ministries and another for On Point Paralegal.

Soon I will be doing a one pager for a new organization, but more info on that when it comes to fruition.

This week represents a challenge, we have 2 days left to attempt to launch 8 sites all with one arm behind our back (One of our developers, Adam, has to zone in on 2 specific projects).

I know we can do a lot together, but this will push us to the edge. Mainly because our copywriter, Amanda, and our part-time developer, Landon, are also centralized on specific projects. So that leaves Ashley and I to really work it out.

Not a problem.

It’s going to be a boy!!!!

While reading a post on client answers at fadastic, I came across the question/answer:

Please can you make our website Number 1 in google?

The simple answer is yes you can. When asked this question, I always think to myself, “Yes, I could could get you to #1 in Google for the phrase “yellow pyjamas for cats” - but sarcasm probably won’t win over the client.

Although I would like to think sarcasm answers everything, it doesn’t help reach an end point to the discussion. It will either infuriate your client or give them the impression you don’t take them serious. It is important to handle clients as if they were porcelain. One mistake and you have a shattered relationship, but be careful with the relationship and you may have a lifetime client.

I played soccer for the last two weeks and was in a great deal of pain.

I am pleased to announce that after last night’s game I have minimal new pain and may be getting used to the continual exercise.

Now if I get into shape, my new arrival in January wont run me ragged before im 35!

Not a Bush or Good Charlotte, although the former is a great song.

Today we had an interoffice email pointing out some details we needed to touch up on a recently released site.

With a company our size doing the amount of work we do, it is easy to lose sight of producing the absolute best work as opposed to getting it out the door. A lesson that can be simply ignored on some days.

Wake up calls don’t make you feel good, but eventually you realize they might just be right.

In a comparison no one asked for I am gonna compare businesses to football players.

Microsoft is Ray Lewis - The big bully who is slowly getting past up by younger players
Google is Vince Young - Still in its infancy, but adapts quickly
Enron is Michael Vick - An utter collapse
Yahoo is Peyton Manning - Still has the big gun and the fundamentals but moves slowly
Myspace is the entire New England Patriots - You recognize some faces, but there are plenty you don’t know. Even though some claim to hate them, no one can deny their power.

What comparison can be made for ARC Design?

I would compare ARC Design to Brian Westbrook, Small, yet versatile.

Brian Westbrook is 5′ 8″ and 203lbs, a small number compared to the NFL’s bigger players. Yet he possesses an uncanny ability to move the ball with his feet and with his hands. He can defend his QB and block receivers down field.

He has all the skills needed to succeed and is still moving forward in his talent level. A veteran mindset in a young body.

ARC Design is similar, there are only 11 of us, yet we can take on any clients need. You name it and we can handle it, from Web and Print design to video, copy-writing, 3d rendering to Multimedia DVDs. We may not be as big as some of the larger design agencies, but when it comes down to it, we can hang with the big boys.

While the company is still in its infancy, the talent has been honing its craft for years.

When Brian Westbrook came into the NFL, scouts and players alike said he was too small to play and was just going to get hurt. They were right, he did get hurt, but the old adage “What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.” is what has driven him to be the top talent he is now.

The same can be said for ARC, we may be trying to grow out of what is deemed a minor city by America’s standards and we may be hurt by the slow months more than a large agency would. As you can see, ARC Design has survived through it all and is growing stronger by the day.

The dream is always to be the leader, but sometimes it’s better just being the best.

Westbrook’s supporting cast of players, coaches and trainers have brought him to that point, the same way our clients have brought us.

There is no substitute for good skills just there is no substitute for good design. That’s why we are building you design solutions for a better business image.

Eminems Music Publisher Sues Apple

In a move that will anger the RIAA, Eminem’s music publisher has decided to sue Apple for illegally selling his music on I-tunes. The premise is that his label Universal Music Group worked out an agreement with Apple, unfortunately for them Eight Mile Style, Eminem’s publisher owns the rights to the music.

Apparently the record labels get paid 70 of the 99 cents you pay for a song, while the publisher only gets 5 cents.

It does seem partially unfair until you take into account the publisher will own the music if the artist left the label and could sell the catalogue for millions or license out songs individually for even more.

The biggest loser in this lawsuit I feel is not necessarily Apple who will probably get sued by every music publisher, but the RIAA.

They have spent millions suing random people for downloading music, now a legitimate store is getting sued.

What kind of message is this sending?

“People who download music may be in the wrong, but the places that are selling that are just as criminal.”

This is definitely going to make an already thin line thinner.