Every project brings a lesson. Every lesson contributes to perspective. The blog Re)verb is our perspective – on work and life. Be notified (through RSS) when it's updated. Be heard by posting a comment to an entry.
September 1, 2009
Calling all gardeners
Posted by Kathleen Turaski
Guerrilla gardening happens when someone seizes an opportunity to cultivate an otherwise unused or neglected public space.
I recently stumbled across this example in downtown Kirkwood. I enjoy that someone noticed this abandoned phone box and found a way to use it to add beauty rather than letting it remain an eyesore or be torn down for the landfill.
This “urban flower box” is also a reminder that we can find inspiration in unusual places. Most people would only see a broken phone booth on a busy street. But someone saw potential … and took the time to make a vision come alive (literally).
This work also makes me consider what else might be ripe for renewal.
The phone box had a purpose, but it became obsolete in the age of ubiquitous cell phones. Likewise, other communication techniques that have worked just fine in the past need to be reevaluated in the present media context.
The gardener who grew these flowers has also planted a fresh perspective in me.
In-the-box gardening (out-of-the-box thinking)
August 18, 2009
The nature of paper
Posted by Kathleen Turaski
I find Steven Siegel's artistic depiction of the life cycle of newsprint especially engaging and clever.
"To See Jennie Smile," a piece on display in the sculpture garden at the North Carolina Museum of Art, uses two trees as structural posts to hold together a towering stack of several tons of old newspapers.
Because the papers will slowly disintegrate, the installation is an organic, ever-changing commentary about man-made elements and their natural origins. And because the papers are literally made from trees, the sculpture feels just right within this wooded, natural landscape.
I enjoy the artist’s intention of returning these newspapers, these altered trees, to their native environment. That his sculpture resembles a tree is intentional. But the real beauty of the art is that his “tree” has just as much of a life cycle as the natural ones that surround it.
TO SEE JENNIE SMILE: This "tree" brings newsprint back to its original environment.
August 2, 2009
False Promises
Posted by Michael Baxter
A promise arrived in the mail the other day.
It appeared on the outside of a spring green envelope: This is not junk mail. The envelope had no return address – just a company name and logo.
We wondered: If it’s not a commercial offer, which is what our culture generally classifies as “junk mail,” then what was inside? A check? A letter? Results from blood work?
(We hadn’t had any blood work recently, so we figured it had to be a check.)
So we opened the envelope. The promise that “This is not junk mail” was clarified instantly: “It’s a way to get super fast mobile internet.” Three pieces of paper inside explained that this internet service is now available in our market.
In the view of the sender, mission accomplished. They got us to open the envelope.
In the view of the customer, game over. The brand looked bad.
The promise was false – the piece was junk mail.
The three pieces of paper were wasteful.
And the experience made it unlikely we would ever choose this provider if the need arose.
Our recommendation: Identify a promise of relevance and value to the audience, and lead with that.
June 17, 2009
Stepping into the client’s shoes
Posted by Kathleen Turaski
It’s not often that I find myself the client in a creative project, but for six months I did just that. I worked with People TV to film a short documentary about the Eastside Parks Network, a neighborhood project in which I’m involved.
1) A creative team needs to understand the ultimate purpose of every project. Compelling language and beautiful visuals mean very little if they don’t communicate the intended message. For my project, the editing team initially included some great interview footage, but it was only loosely related to the project. Reminding them that the goal was to build support for the park vision quickly brought the group back to the main focus of the film, and that portion of the interview was cut.
2) It’s not enough to know a project’s limitations – you have to focus on what can be achieved within them. Budget is a big one, but others include available resources and timeframe. For example, we would have liked an animation sequence showing that Kirkwood is on the subcontinental divide, which means some streams in our neighborhood flow into the Atlantic Ocean, others into the Gulf of Mexico. But creating such a sequence would have taken more time and animation skills than we had available. So we compromised by highlighting the streams on the one map we had available and using voiceover to describe where the streams flow.
3) It’s important to have a vision, but it’s equally important to have an open mind. The collaboration of inside knowledge (client) and outside vision (creative) can produce a stronger outcome. Originally, we planned to tell the park story through interviews with key participants taking place in the various parks. We wanted to include some footage of each location to give a sense of place. People TV helped us consider ways we could give a fuller sense of both the physical spaces and community involvement. We ended up showing a lot more scenes of activity in the parks with voiceover of the interviewees than initially expected – and that made for a much more interesting film.
On the other side – what I respected most about the People TV creative team was their patience and desire to educate us about the filming process. They created a positive experience that left all of us feeling good about our efforts.
And that’s what we’ll remember in the end.
Watch a 2-minute promo of the film >
FILM DAY: Chris Martin, an associate photographer with Resonance, worked with me as one of the camera crew.
June 2, 2009
Getting started with social media
Posted by Kathleen Turaski
Every day, more organizations roll out their Twitter or Facebook presence. Others aren’t really sure where to begin. If you’re in this camp, here are three “first steps” you can take:
1. Start the conversation. Ask your constituents which social networking sites they use and what they like best about their favorites. Encourage your employees to do the same. You need to have some idea how your audience is engaging with social media before you can put it to use for you.
2. Have something valuable to say or share. Social networking is all about creating a community of shared interests. But the information you offer needs to be worth your audience’s time.
One way to create value is by passing along interesting information gathered from different sources about a specific topic. Including your perspective adds to the dialogue.
Another option is to broadcast new content that you create. This takes more work, but other online personalities can amplify your message when they share it themselves. People who are interested in your viewpoint will become loyal members of your community.
3. Be disciplined about postings and updates. As you create or contribute to a community of shared interest, your brand benefits. But that benefit will never be realized if you don’t make a commitment to consistently add new content.
Knowing how to build a network is the easy part. Doing it well to have it pay off for your organization takes a little more forethought.
