At some point, I think we all have to question why we do what we do.  As a person, I am annoyingly introspective and yet in all of my self induced doubt and fear I sometimes forget that work is not separate from life but simply part of it.  I cannot separate myself into work me and home me, even though I try.  I am at my best as a person, and by extension a professional, when I am passionate about the thing that I’m doing, and this passion can’t be left at the office door.

It’s easy to be passionate when everything aligns perfectly.  Perfect client, perfect budget, perfect project.  But, seriously, when how often does this happen. Something else must drive us to get up in the morning besides circumstance.

I sometimes think about what drives me on. Why do I put up with the stress, long hours, ungrateful clients and disappointments that come with managing a creative agency? Is it the money? The quick answer there is no (believe me). The long answer is more complex.

Does it Matter?

I’m driven by a desire to be relevant. In a world that is filled a lack of authenticity, I burn with a desire to be genuine. The business world can be as disingenuous as a fairy tale sometimes, and it’s painful to see. But in all of the posturing and manipulation that occurs in the world of Marketing and Advertising, it’s seldom that we can have an actual impact. End the end, companies are too afraid of standing out to actually stand out. The problem with this thinking is that the company in question is most likely ACTUALLY DIFFERENT, yet too afraid to say so. This fear leads to failed marketing, and a distrust of the very consumer that they need to reach.

But people are desperate for the real thing. They want to care. I want to care. The greatest advertising is that which speaks to people on a personal level. It’s a marketing piece that drips of passion. The authentic can’t be faked, but the fake also can’t be made authentic. Having been inundated with marketing messages our entire lives, we can sniff out a phony from distance.

This desire for authenticity helps explain society’s love of sports. In it’s simplest form, sports can’t be faked. The process of achieving collegiate or professional success requires a rare dedication, and people are able to connect with athletes in a unique way. They buy their endorsed products, they chant their name, they tune in on the television when they play; all in the name of passion.

People are desperate to find help navigating the blitzkrieg of marketing messages they receive every day. An estimated 10,000 messages daily find people (ZAG, 2007), and the human brain is working overtime to filter for relevance. But if we can only help people find a reason to care, then we’ve achieved something.

Yep, it Matters

At FORGE, I dream of working with clients that will allow us to care about what they do. Our 2010 FORGE Your Dot Org (FYDO) winner is a great example of passion. The Other Place has a mission to end homelessness in Dayton, OH, and we are working with them to help clarify and enhance their branding and marketing message. As we work to serve the Dayton community, our FYDO program allows us to give our services away to one non-profit per year, but my hope is that we are given a chance to share this vision with our paying clients as well.

As I do my part to make FORGE vibrant company, I hope we have a chance to engage in projects with a strong cultural relevance. People are desperate to find products and services that connect with them on a higher level than just a commodity, and consumers (myself included) are just waiting for companies that we can care about.

This truth lies at the heart of branding, and it’s why I do what I do.

In one way, I guess I’m glad that every crap-tastic design firm in the world follows the lead of the innovative firms.  At some point in time, a company actually created the world’s first swoopy logo.  I bet it was radical at the time.  Perhaps at that time, every logo was Times New Roman, and the swoop was the wave of the future.  Maybe I should just realize that’s just the way it is.  Sometimes I think that I should just not watch tv, read magazines, or visit any stores.  All it does is serve to depress me.  Especially when I see how much money goes into advertising and promoting a brand that is basically a piece of clipart.

So if your a company and you’re looking for a new logo, brandmark, whatever.  Use a good company.  Look at their work BEFORE you call them and make sure that they aren’t going to just put a swoop next to your company name and call it a day.  If you’re going to do that, just pay $99 and don’t bother calling a good branding firm.

Image taken without permission by a company that does the crap I’m talking about

Ok, I’m done.  I don’t really feel better.  Vent Fail!

What makes us feel safe? Is it complacency? Ignorance? The truth is that our safety comes not from the past, as the past has little impact on the future. Preparation, education, planning; these things can all help the future be a bit more predictable, but just ask the many people affected by wars, flash floods, freak snow storms and a surprisingly bad economy if their plans were enough to secure their future. So are we ever safe?

For too many years I felt that my actions only effected me and my immediate friends and family. If I did well at work, I could keep my job.  If I was a good husband, I could keep my wife. My vision was limited to what was immediately around me.

The safety and security that I feel comes, not from a historical perspective, but from the faith that the future holds something great. Like the Israelites, I sometimes miss the blissful ignorance that can only come when you truly don’t think that you matter, but I’m also finding that the freedom that comes from dreaming is addictive. As I have become older, and a bit wiser, I am keenly aware that my sphere of influence continues to expand. I guess my only choice is to either run back to slavery or trust that God will lead me someplace exciting.

So I would encourage you to resist the temptation to run back to safety.  Embrace the feeling of the unknown. Trust that God has set you on a path that will scare you, force you to change, and ultimately make you happy.  Free indeed!

A False Truth

My original understanding was that the price that a creative firm charged was based upon an objective value placed upon the firm. This value was believed to be computed from the firm’s quality, reputation, availability, and timeliness, and other factors. I find that this is a common belief, as I hear it from both my partners and current and potential clients. It is believed that the higher quality of work will allow the firm to charge higher prices, as the demand will go up. The general thinking is that the best firms in the industry charge more because they are the best, and therefore demand a higher price.

The assumed link between quality of product and price is not as clear as you may think. One understanding is that price is the main way in which design firms control the supply and demand of the goods and services offered. A higher price would reduce demand, and a lower price would raise demand. It would then be the role of the firm to set a price that most accurately conveyed the quality of the service in question, as well as attract the type of clients that would pay this price.

While this may seem logical, it’s not entirely correct. In the design industry, as any industry, the role of price is to affect behavior, not to, as previously stated, control demand. This may seem like a crazy game of who’s on first, but in reality, it’s a different way of thinking.

A Slight Variation

Prices not only affect the behavior of consumers, but also of the firm itself. As a creative firm can’t possibly know what every client (both current and potential) want, prices helps us to gauge the demand for our services. It provides us with a road map in which to choose the details in the services that we offer. Price helps us to tailor our services more closely to the market demand.

As a point of discussion below is a list of some of the things that happen when building a website.

• Brainstorming Ideas
• Planning
• Competitive Analysis
• Content Strategy
• Content Creation
• Information Architecture
• Design (both user interface design and site design)
• HTML Coding
• Scripting (PHP, ColdFusion, Ruby)
• Database Work
• Content Input
• Testing

Now the above list is by no means comprehensive, but it’s a pretty good list. Early on, FORGE had difficulty breaking even on web projects, let alone making a profit. Typically, the reason has been our refusal to eliminate anything from the above list on a project that was priced way too low. In this case, price should have served as an indicator of what the market was looking for.

The small-to-medium business website market is typically only willing to pay for the following:

• Design
• HTML Coding
• Scripting & Database (if needed)

As web professionals, we recognize that this lack of proper planning will result in an inferior website. However, the truth is that there is a market for building websites at this price. Our job as a business is to choose if we are going to offer something for this segment.

In Conclusion

We are working hard to try and fully understand the demand for our services.  Our main goal is to put together a world-class group of creative professionals.  This journey (and the economic climate) has led us to spend a large amount of time working through the business realities of the creative industry.

Simply stated, price always perfectly brings balance to supply and demand.  It is impossible for somebody to “pay too much for something”, as if something is paid for then it must have been priced correctly for that transaction. As we try to find the proper price for our services, we hope to gain a greater understanding in the creative services industry.

How has price affected your business?  Comments below!

So I was wondering what it would be like if FORGE treated potential clients like we treat prospective employees.  Instead of us selling ourselves, we would let potential clients know if THEY fit the bill. Here’s my first draft:

INDUSTRY: Any

POSITION: FORGE client

JOB DESCRIPTION:
FORGE is looking for a client with a solid understanding of the world of business, and how design and the web effect their brand as touchpoints. This company must have relevant needs and be willing to discuss these needs with FORGE. This company must also be willing to discuss their budget with FORGE. Also, they must have a budget!

You know you’re the right company if:

• you know what a brand is (or are willing to learn)
• you know what a brand standards manual is (or would like FORGE to create you one)
• you are willing to actually put relevant, well-written content on your website (not just once, but many times)
• you are looking for a long-term partner
• you have a marketing plan (or would like FORGE to help you create one)

You know you’re not the right company if:

• you think that a website is an SEO project
• you think that the Yellow Pages = eMarketing = a good idea
• you just want somebody to draw you a picture
• you want a flash website cause somebody told you it’s cool
• you want to hire a company that “offers search engine optimization and internet marketing services”
• you want a splash page for your website
• you have a great idea for a website, and if we’ll partner with you and make it for free we’ll get paid once it takes off

DESIRED SKILLS/DUTIES:
Applicants must have relevant experience in the “being a client” industry. Although FORGE will consider applicants without experience, they must have a degree in french cooking, as we like to eat. A lot. Potential clients must like to surf (no reason, we just think it’s cool) and have no problem paying their bills on time. Good ideas are helpful, and potential applicants must show experience in approving designs and copy. A college degree is helpful, but not required.

Please send applications to FORGE.

West Virginia Coal Miners in 1908

My father represents a forgotten time and place to me. This time only exists in my head, as history and fact have little place in my vague memory. My mind is tainted by things like my childhood fears that I would one day have to come home black-faced and tired like him. These fears were reinforced by everything from the evening news, with stories from the daily coal soap opera, to the fact that most of my friends’ parents were miners. I simply didn’t have a frame of reference for a different life.

It’s interesting for me to visit Beckley, West Virginia now. While here, I am reminded of all of my insecurities of youth. I am reminded of how I could have been, had it not been for my encouraging parents. There is so much poverty, not extreme poverty, but an overall depression here that is simply heartbreaking to me. One has to wonder, of course, about things like the social aspects of poverty. The answer is never as simple as job creation, stimulus packages, or outsourcing. The blame game that is common, and one that Washington routinely plays on, is simply not robust enough to explain a problem that is deeply associative and complex such as the economy.

The pervasive redneck mentality that is common in places like West Virginia is based upon a purposeful separation from “the establishment”. Of course, the establishment in this thought process is also the pathway to economic prosperity, as it can only be through embracing opportunity that one is able to move up the economic ladder. One has to only look at the emerging economies of the world to see examples of how the social climate effects economic prosperity. Jeffery Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University and author of Common Wealth and The End of Poverty, has addressed these issues in great detail. The United States and most of Europe have been blessed by a perfect storm of opportunity. We have freedom, natural resources and social progression that allows us the chance to progress. It’s sad to me to see even pockets, like West Virginia, that have thus far been unable to create an environment of prosperity. I would encourage everyone to read the books listed above, which will give you a deeper understanding of economic truth, especially in these troubled times.

Of course, any mention of the negatives of West Virginia is really a contradiction of sorts, as it is a breathtakingly beautiful state. I was amazed the other day, as I was driving through the mountains, at the natural beauty here. A few snow flakes and it seems that Ansel Adams would be at home here.

View from Hawks Nest of the New River in West Virginia

As my path in life has brought me to live in Dayton, OH, I am glad to visit West Virginia on occasion. I enjoy spending time with my family and reminiscing. I love to stop and see the beauty that God has made, and to breath the fresh air that is uniquely home. When I tell people where I’m from, they always respond “I’ve been through there, it’s pretty.” I would encourage you to stop next time; find a state park like Hawks Nest or Little Beaver State Park, take a deep breath and enjoy West Virginia as it was intended. It is truly a perfect example of the adage: “It’s a great place to visit, but you don’t want to live here.” Unfortunately.

As much as I am glad to live in an area that is slightly more economically sound, I wonder what my life would have been like had I chosen the life of a coal miner. Still today, yound men head to the coal mines at the tender age of 18, hoping to land a position in a dying industry. The appeal of college or skilled trade is not enough to battle the weight of an instant career. With the encouragement of my amazing parents, I have battled my way to a college degree (B.S. in Finance from Liberty University). The difficulties that I faced in the process meant that it took me more than 10 years to finish. While I know that everyone has a different story, mine was an internal battle. I persevered to the end, and have found that my old way of thinking has died. In it’s place is a man who does not quit. I am proud of what I have achieved, and by the grace of God I hope to achieve more.

While I am also proud to be a coal miners son, I am more proud of the example that my father gave me. He works a job that he has never liked in order to support his family. He has taught me to love my family and to love God above all. The economic depression here in West Virginia is in direct conflict with the amazing people who live here. One day I am confident that this place will find a new identity. When it does, maybe it will start to more closely relate to the slogan “Almost Heaven, West Virginia.”

“Being brilliant is no great feat if you respect nothing.” ~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

As I work in the creative field, I am constantly interacting with people. While I sometimes think back to the times where, as a programmer, I found myself a bit secluded in my day-to-day routine, I generally like that aspect of my job. The work that FORGE does simply can’t exist without the insight and collaborative partnership of the clients that are paying us. This collaboration is crucial to a successful project of any type, and is dependent on things like trust, professionalism, and honesty.

While price is the universal leveler when it comes to economics, contracts are the glue that binds the relationship together. So while price is busy helping us (or hurting us), the contract is ensuring that everyone does their job. So why then do we find ourselves in the precarious situation at FORGE of having our contracts treated as a “mild suggestion” rather than a legally binding agreement?

It’s funny to me how things work out. We can plan, research, work hard, study, and generally we awesome at our jobs, but in the end the best work is produced when everyone is moving in the same direction to achieve a goal. In the book Good to Great, Jim Collins talks about the formation of a company being like filling a bus. HP, for example, started by finding the right people. While hiring great people may seem pretty obvious, they didn’t always have a position predetermined for them. HP just wanted to fill their company with the best people they could find, then figure out where the bus was going to go together. This is exactly the position that FORGE is taking. We are trying to fill our company with the most amazingly talented people we can find, then decide together where we want to go. The thing that makes this work is the unified push of talented people towards a common goal. When FORGE is hired to help a client enhance their brand, for example, why is the client not key to have on the bus. If the client has a separate agenda, then the project will be much more difficult, and the likelihood of spectacular results is diminished.

There is a level of trust and respect that, I think, must exist in the creative field between clients and the creative professional. This may seem obvious, but I assure you, it’s not. I have seen projects go adrift because of things like agenda and outright lies during the planning and production phases. While, this is certainly rare, I can’t seems to shake the feeling that misplaced personal agenda and power struggles are a detriment to the successful completion of creative work.

One example of this happening is on a web project. During the planning phase, we created a timeline schedule that was agreed on by the client. However, during the design phase, we were continually being bombarded by our client asking for us to “hurry it up”. At this time, we were ahead of our agreed-upon schedule, and the constant harrassment was beginning to wear on our designer. Our repeated questions on this were met with double-talk and manipulation. As it turns out, the reasons for the push were purely personal, as our client was trying to impress his boss by delivering the project early. We eventually delivered the project slightly ahead of schedule, but only after unneccessary strife, stress and some long hours.

On many occasions, we talked about the fact that, if he would only treat us with respect and not lie and manipulate us, that we would gladly help make him look good for his superiors. We routinely work extra hours for our best clients, because we like and appreciate them. We do the things that we don’t get paid for, and are glad to do it. We have, on occasion, made small changes and updates for clients and not billed them, just to say thanks for working with us.

At FORGE, we always put in the extra work to get to know our clients business (not a shameless plug, read on). We have found that an in-depth kowledge of, for example, the train industry will give us the ability to help make better decisions and recommendations for one of our clients, DPG. While we will never know as much as they do, we feel like it is our duty to know as much as we can. What winds up happening when you spend this kind of effort on a client? Relationship! The more you know about someone, the more that you are personally invested in them. You begin to care. You begin to put in extra effort without even trying. You don’t know why, but your’e going to go ahead and tweak the design one more time, just to make sure it’s as polished as it can be. This isn’t favoritism, or lack of professionalism, but the result of relationship.

People are desparate to care. In an earlier post, I talked about the role of project manager in a design firm. I talked about the fact that the people producing the work and the people paying for the work need to know each other. The traditional role of project manager keeps this from happening. It’s hard to care about someone that you don’t talk to.

Professionalism is not a removal of all things personal, but rather a combined focus on the task at hand. This unified focus, mixed with a high level of skill and desire, will always produce amazing results. Results that both client and producer can share in. Isn’t that what everyone really wants, to be proud of what they have achieved. If we are honest with ourselves, what else is there.

I’d love to hear some thoughts on this. A story or 2 perhaps (not all bad, of course). Be blessed!

At first glance the RFP could be considered a fair way to find common ground in which to compare different companies to do the same project. While I would mostly agree, I would question why this needs to be the case. No two companies are the same. If FORGE tried to mimic another design firm, we would at best be similar. The truth is, we are unique, whether we want to be or not (in this case we very much want to be.)

When we answer an RFP, we spend the majority of our time trying to make sure that we give the appropriate attention to the areas that seem most important. This is sometimes a very difficult process, as the questions are rarely framed in the same light as we would ask them. Our experience leads us to sometimes tackle technical problems by looking at the overall strategic approach and suggesting a change of direction. Conversely, a content problem is sometimes easily solved by utilizing correct programming in the right place. Offering unique solutions to problems at the correct time is perhaps one of the greatest strengths of an experienced and highly-skilled staff. However, by attempting to protect themselves from firms that aren’t able to handle the work, companies create an RFP that is so detailed that it doesn’t allow for unique approaches to the project.

So let’s assume that the RFP is an inevitable truth in our business. How is an organization supposed to determine if a design firm has the creative and technical ability to complete a project, as well as allow the answering firms to communicate their unique approach to problem solving and overall process? The answer lies in the RFP approach. While the following is certainly not a comprehensive, it is perhaps a good place to start. (Note: all of the below examples are for web projects)

Always Include in the RFP

1. A detailed explanation of who the organization is and how they got there. This is great to have and will only need to be created once, as it can be reused on future RFP’s.
2. The objective of the project. This does not necessarily need to include any suggested ways of solving any technical or other problems. Instead, describe the desired outcome of the project. Ex: sales goals, membership levels, increased website traffic, corporate pride, etc.
3. Describe the intended audience of the project. Who are they? List out the different types of audiences, including any internal audiences (board members, executive management.)
4. Request a detailed technical solution breakdown. Ask the proposing firm to explain their approach to the technical and strategic issues presented in the RFP.
5. Always give the firm a chance to present the proposal in person. This will allow the organization to get a feel for how the design firm represents itself.
6. Qualifications. Request a detailed description of the skills and qualifications that will enable the firm to complete the project. Specifically ask for qualifications and experience that sets them apart from their competition.
7. Proposal Format. If an organization requires a specific format for the proposal, PLEASE include all of the necessary details of this format (perhaps an outline or example.)

Leave out of the RFP

1. Any technical specifications that are not absolutely necessary. NOTE: There are many cases where language, database or other requirements are driven by organizational needs or mandates.
2. An unnecessary focus on SEO (to be clear, ALL well built, semantic, standards compliant websites are automatically optimized for search engines.)
3. Specific time lines, unless absolutely necessary. Also, don’t propose both a start and an end date to a project. It’s fine to propose one of the two, but allow the firm to offer suggestions or alternatives to help solve the problem of timing if one exists.

The most important thing to remember is that the RFQ process should always give the proposing firms a chance to show the qualities that make them unique. Companies spend a great deal of time and money on differentiating themselves from their competition. This focus on value proposition is also important in choosing a design firm to work with. This relationship can (hopefully) last for many years and it’s important to not only know which companies have the ability to perform the required tasks, but what other skills and potential qualities make the firm unique.

Again, the above list is nowhere near exhaustive, but I thought it would be a good place to start. Hopefully you can think of things that would improve the list. I’d love to hear some improvments and critiques in the comments below. Good luck and happy RFQ’ing.