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Idea Design 2.0

Spring is, of course, a time of renewal. After six months, Idea Design 2.0 is here. And welcome.The revised site and blog really encapsulate all that we believe. Please take a few minutes and poke about, subscribe to the blog, email me your thoughts, critiques or to discuss what we can do for you.Thanks for coming by and we look forward to you inspiring us today.

Please update your bookmarks to: http://www.ideadesign.ca/the-naked-idea/

Moving The Naked Idea

I hope this is my last post on blogger.

I blogged a while back about the redesign of Idea Design. This has been a year long project with many ups and downs and has given me the opportunity to step back and really analyze what Idea Design has to offer to the sector of fund raising and more importantly, it's clients and customers.

I got to work with an amazing writer and designer, Kim McMullen of Flipside Creative from Vancouver who left no stone unturned in her search to understand what Idea Design does and who we work for.

I finally understood what it was like to be on the other side of the fence - I was now (deep breath) the client! A very scary prospect indeed, but unique in the sense that I could understand why some clients react the way they do and resist against some types of changes.

But Kim was gentle. She found the voice in my head, she got to the very heart of what it is that I do and my feelings for the creative I produce. And executed it flawlessly.

Other creative colleagues expressed surprise that I would allow another to rebrand me. I think like all clients, we know what's best for us and what the correct solution is - but we are blinded by those beliefs as well.

You'll have to ask Kim, but I believe I was a good client. I challenged her, I pushed her and I respected the hell out of her for what she was doing for me and my company. It's a tough job.

So now, I have been working with the uber-patient Paul Koehler, of Omega Station to make it sing. And it is thrilling to see all the jigsaw puzzle pieces fall into place.

The job of a programmer-designer is probably a thankless one. There is so much of the process that goes unnoticed and misunderstood (Paul has caught me going "huh??" on more than an a few occasions)... and yet so important.

And so, I hope to be relaunching Idea Design one week from today - and at the risk of offending all Christians around the world - almost to the day that Jesus rose from the dead. There's something symbolic in that I think.

I have tried to be a good client and let the talented people around me do their absolute best for me and I hope I succeeded.

You will be the judge on that. Stay tuned.

What's the big idea?

A few weeks ago I mentioned I was quizzing some colleagues about the importance of the big idea in fundraising. As always, you realize there is no easy or quick answer.

As a creative person, I think I am constantly challenging myself to think about something or execute something in a way I've never considered in the past. I really want to be a part of something that has never been done before and I think in my search of that "big idea" I have actually overlooked it.

Both David Love (E.D. of TRCA) and Steve Thomas (Creative Director of Stephen Thomas) see a lot of worth in Ken Burnett's Sofii project. Which I highly recommend you join - for free. It is a fantastic showcase of fundraising from around the world. But Derek Humphries (Director at Think Consulting) thinks it may have the opposite effect of what Ken Burnett set out to do - which is inspire original thinking.

"I don’t think inspiration or innovation comes from looking at other people’s work. It comes from inspiring yourself and having the courage to be different."

I feel I prescribe to both points of view. I can either steal other people's great ideas or let them inspire me to create some of my own.

But let me get back to my original point.

I think that the big idea is this: Make the small ideas sing.

My colleague Dean Hughes (Director of Direct Marketing) said it really well.

"Maybe a chef analogy is better. To make a fabulous meal, you have to ensure that every stage of it is perfect. Even down to chopping the onions and garlic. Most amazing chefs concentrate on the details to make something incredible. Read Bouchon by Thomas Keller... This is probably the world’s best chef and he spends all his time talking about peeling vegetables for stock and chopping onions properly. Because he knows that the finished dish can only be perfect if absolute care and attention are put into every stage. I’m sure that if he made you a bacon sandwich, it would taste incredible.

That’s how I feel about creative. Big ideas are important but they come as a result of perfection in the details."

Now that's food for thought.

30,000 children die each day...

My colleague, Gayle, over at the blog no shoes wrote a few weeks ago about how effective a statement like "30,000 children die each day". She writes how researchers tested an image of Rokia, a 7 year old starving child from Mali verses the same image along side significant stats that really demonstrate the famine and starvation in Africa.

You can read her whole post here.

Obviously I hope we all know what performed better. As I commented on her post, I know as an individual, I can't help 30,000 children.

But I know I can help one.

Make sure your problem is one that donors can help solve. It seems so "common-sense-y"... doesn't it? But I am amazed at how often organizations feel an avalanche of stats and figures will result in more donations.

My Two Cents: Death of Direct Mail

I just realized this is the second time in as many posts that I've used the word "death". Hm. Mental note: Next post think of something more original.

It seems to be that a lot of people are talking about the impending death of direct mail.

Direct mail donors are old and dying.
The rest - don't respond to it and are tired of the "wasteful" packaging.

If people had been blogging around the time of the invention of the TV - my post would have been called "Death of Radio".

It gets a little tiring, especially as I talk with the new generation of fundraisers who are being told "it's all about online fundraising" and direct mail is increasingly becoming a waste of time and money.

I've said it before - Direct mail is NOT going the way of the dinosaur - but it is changing. If you insist on mailing out the same packages, using the same formats, same ideas that someone came up with 5, 10 years ago - yes... your direct mail program will likely die.

It's like donors - they also are not becoming extinct - but they are changing. You need to rethink what you do and how you say it to reach out to them. Give them a relevant message they can get emotional about and involved with. Give them hope and appreciate them.

It will be like a whole new life...

Death by PMS 576

I know my lot in life. I am a designer. I am a graphics communicator.
But, I have a beef. A branding beef to be clear.
At the risk of offending, well, pretty much every charity I work with, please stop killing me with your "brand".

Too many charities have been told by too many brand experts that if their logo is not reproduced in PMS 123 and placed in a hallowed ground of concentric circles, set on top of a three rounded corner box (with the square edge behind on the bottom right).... well - the consumer or donor WILL NOT GIVE! The sky will fall and the brand manager will be out of a job.

Please...

I like how it is worded in the style guide for Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. "A brand is a combination of tangible and intangible attributes... Brands provide donors, customers, volunteers and the public with a means to choose which organization, which service, or which product to support..."

I've read it a few times now, it doesn't say anything about PMS 123... hmmm...

What if, as a designer and communicator, I wanted to raise money for your charity.
What if I focused on:
- a provocative message
- stated why you needed money
- clearly showed how the donor can make his or her donation
- designed it so the message was clean and readable and engaging

What if I didn't use Fruitger Bold Condensed for the headline and Adobe Garamond Regular for the body copy?

PMS colours, font selections, types of pictures are great supports for your brand - but first and foremost, focus on what matters...

The message.

What if I raised money for you if you like it or not?

Taking it to a new level

Last week I posed a question to some of those who I view as some of the top creative minds in the fundraising sector. I will share all of those thoughts with you in the future.

Part of the question was: What is GREAT creative fundraising and what do I have to demand of my clients to ensure we can reach the goal of creating a great fundraising piece.

Derek Humphries of Think Consulting reminded me it comes down to the basics.

Seek out great clients, demand clear and inspiring briefs, work for those who inspire you and make sure the message is creative and impactful.

Sounds easy doesn't?

My Two Cents: Direct Mail

At the risk of sounding completely "ranty", let me announce my frustration at the state of direct mail here in Canada.

I think Ken Burnett says it best. In an alert from plazapublishing.co.uk he says, “Sadly, most fundraising today is look-alike, stereotyped, aimed at the lowest common denominator, the victim of formulae and formats designed by marketing people for easy mass reproduction."

Amen brother.

As someone who designs a lot of direct mail, it gets tiring to see people doing the same things the same way they always have.

Yes - I know. You need to get your 8% response (or whatever your mathematically determined response is).
Yes - I know it worked last year and the year before that.. but have you noticed how the response rate has been dropping?
Yes - I know you have targets you need to meet - and you don't want to mess with a winning formula...

But - as fundraisers working in a industry that is rapidly evolving, we also need to evolve. Find, beg or steal extra money to try next things, new ways of communicating... get outside your comfort zone... For the sake of your organization. For the sake of the medium. For the sake of fundraising.

Burnett has launched a site that anyone who is in direct response or fundraising should join and be a part of. Check it out at: http://www.sofii.org/.

Your opinion!

Happy New Year to all!
I wanted to start 2008 off right by getting a better sense of the sort of content you would like to read more about. It's one thing for me to write about whatever I want, but how about writing about what you want to read?
Please leave your comments here or email me directly at jlepp@ideadesign.ca.
I really appreciate your input.

Coming soon! I am really excited to have my first guest blogger on deck. Sandy Rees, CFRE from the Get Fully Funded Blog has submitted a great article about basic tips to keep in mind when designing a communication piece for your donors.

If you or someone you know would like to be featured as a guest blogger, please let me know! Thanks.

Merry Christmas

I am only one,
But still I am one.
I cannot do everything,
But still I can do something;
And because I cannot do everything
I will not refuse to do something that I can do.
- Edward Everett Hale

It's been a great year for Idea Design and I thank all of you, whoever you are for reading and your comments and well wishes.

Early in the new year I will be relaunching my site - and I can't wait to get it live. Here is a sneak peek for you:
The blog will be moving to my site once I get it live.
I have to send a massive thanks to Kim McMullen of Flipside creative for her brilliant work on this as well as to Paul Koehler who is making quick work of all the coding.

The tag line says it all.

Inspire us today.

And I have been inspired by a lot of people and a lot of great charities this year and for that, I am truly blessed and thankful.

I wish you and yours a very happy holiday and Merry Christmas and will see you in the new year.

Thanks for reading.
John

My two cents: WSIB ads

I'm sure by now most of you have seen some of the print or tv ads for WSIB. There has been a lot of chatter about them being too over the top and gratuitous. And, in my opinion they are. BUT, sometimes you need to be over the top to make a point - with an exclamation! Secondly, in this day in age, we all know how bombarded people are with messaging... sometimes, in order to cut through, you need to go there.

It's sad to say that we, as marketers, need to go this far to make a point and get it remembered. But I deem these ads EFFECTIVE and APPROPRIATE. They have people taking notice and talking about it - and that's what a good campaign does. (Yes, hopefully it raises money and lowers workplace accidents too in this case - time will tell on those ones.)

Also my colleague Kim McMullen passed me a link for some other over the top and gratuitous PSAs - deemed the 5 Most Disturbing PSA's of All Time by Esquire. For all thoughts and commentary on the following ads, just check out the link.

WORKPLACE SAFETY


HUMAN TRAFFICKING

I Am Elena
Uploaded by ViaMedia

ANTI-SMOKING


GUN CONTROL


SAFE SEX

The importance of research

I was flipping through my Costco magazine and saw this ad:
What struck me were all the logos across the bottom. It's not often where you get to see so many similar charities in one place, but to me, the one thing that stood out were the five charities that used a bear in their logo. And similar looking logos/bears they are.

Yes, I know bears are the top visual cliché when representing children... I know. I also know that when I'm developing a new logo for a charity or organization, I not only spend a ton of time getting to understand what they do but also seeing how similar charities choose to represent themselves.

Currently I am working on a logo for an umbrella organization called Access Waterloo Region. Their site and mission will reflect their dedication to helping and providing information to people with disabilities. So what's the top visual cliché to represent people with disabilities?

Yes, gold star for you - a person in a wheelchair.

Like a former creative director told me, "I don't care if you use the obvious cliché... It's a cliché for a reason. But - find a new way to twist it or spin it to make it different."

So I will be providing a couple of options with the wheelchair but hopefully doing it in a unique way. And how do I know if it is unique? I try to look up as many charities as I can that help people with disabilities and see how they've done it. And I do the complete opposite. And I also go outside of that and find other ways to design the logo where I don't need to use a wheelchair.

So, yes teddy bears work. Just find a new way to do it. Or use bunnies. And/or chicks. And/or baby ducks. (Thanks to Steve Thomas for showing me that one!)

If you or the designer/agency you've hired decide to use the most obvious visual cliché for a logo, ad or whatever... make sure they've done their homework and spent a little time doing research - otherwise - you end up with something that is no different than all the others who didn't take the time.

Be appropriate

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we must, as communicators, at all times - be appropriate. I know I've said it before but time and time again, I see work, creative, ideas, statements and so on - that is not appropriate for the audience or the subject matter. Recently I was almost guilty of the same crime.

I was developing a package for a local hospital who wanted to use funds to increase the size of the ward where they treat children who have cancer. I was trying to be clever graphically with type and making it look nice. But - duh - I was overlooking RULE #1 as a designer - let the message BE the message - just make it clear. Here are a few of the BAD ones...




So, lucky these weren't approved. I did what I should have done in the first place - which is read the copy. And as I got half way through, practically in tears, I realized that I overlooked my OWN RULE. I was not being appropriate.

So after developing a more appropriate tagline, I wanted to give it a bit of visual ompf as well. Here is the final.


Its easy to get caught up in making it "look nice" and "using all the colours" and making sure that we "stick to our brand" - but you know what - the only thing we really should be worrying about is making the creative appropriate to the audience and to the subject matter. Donors respond more to the your message than your (or my) fancy design.

Don't believe me? Then test it!

BONUS: I'm getting this for all of my clients this Christmas. Make My Logo Bigger cream!

Good things coming

Thanks for coming by. I apologize for the lack of updates but have been busy working on great things. One of which, is this blog and my web site. I have one of the most talent writers and designers in the country helping me with a complete overhaul of the site - which, in the coming weeks - I will share some of the development with you.

For those of you who are attending AFP Congress this week in Toronto, have a great time!

Walking the walk... again...

I know I recently wrote about the importance of brand and making sure every person in your organization lives, breathes and eats it... but I was reminded of how effective a brand can be when that happens.
I flew to Vancouver last week with West Jet... the no frills carrier... and yes, the seats may be cheap but the service is not.
You've maybe seen the commercials, where the stewardess totally saves the business guy by bringing his presentation, which he forgot on the flight, to his meeting, and she set up the projector, and made copies, and she...
The schtick is that all employees of West Jet are owners and that's why they care. Even the guy in front of me, when getting on the plane, made a comment to the stewardess about how happy he was to be flying with the friendliest people in the sky...
And they were. When we stopped in Calgary, the pilot came out of the cockpit, chatted with a few of us who were still on the plane. He said he was going to Starbucks and asked if any of us wanted a coffee... The pilot!
When we were taxiing towards takeoff, I glanced out my window and watched the people who loaded the luggage, fueled the jet and the signal guy - stand and wave at us as we went by them - and they kept waving until we were well past...
These people really care! They really want you to come back and fly with them again.

Can you imagine if you and your charity (or business) could deliver a similar experience to your donors (or customers)? It's not impossible, but it certainly takes a lot of work. I think when people experience a brand like West Jet, they keep coming back for more.

I, for one, will fly with them as often as I can...

White Space

As a designer, I am a massive fan of white space. It can take a boring layout and make it interesting, especially if you have no images at your disposal or, an image just wouldn't make sense.

Without images, you have just two elements to work with. Black type and white paper. If you merely fill the page with type - it blends into a large field of gray. And it's visually boring.

You can pull in the reader but widening the margins and giving the mass of type some shape. And shape is what we are after.
Here is another example. A leaflet sized list of Patrons. No images, all type. Set in Times New Roman. It's pretty much filled out the way you would type it out. Visually this page is totally flat.

So let's add some white space to the leaflet and see what happens.


So now we have shape, we now have visual interest.


We now have a piece that begs to be looked at and read. We made the head bigger and body a little smaller and set it in a classic face (Adobe Garamond). The actualy text block is smaller but contains the same amount of information. Also by adding a neutral gray as the background, we make it a little easier on the eyes (as opposed to black on white).

Here is another way of setting it up. By turning the page we can add even more content and create a new type of shape.

Also, the stair step shape visually places your eye right into the top left corner...

Yes, sometimes we are at the mercy of content... But either cut copy or add more pages... without any visual interest (using white space alone or white space and images) your mail, brochure, newsletter will not get read and your message will not be heard.
Thanks to Before and After magazine for the inspiration.

Controlling the experience

I just got back from Chicago, where on top of doing a little shopping and relaxing, I got to enjoy some amazing architecture.
We visited the Robie House, a home built back in 1910 by Frank Lloyd Wright. This is the first home I've visited designed by Wright and – what an experience.
It was, as we were told, one of Wright's favourite homes built in the Prairie style.



Wright was notorious for his attention to detail and controlling how a person may experience one of his homes. He was even quoted as saying if he could design the dresses of the ladies who may live in the home, he would do so in a style to suit it.
He designed the built-in shelves, furniture, windows, light fixtures, chose the paint on the walls – everything – to ensure that the way a person experienced the house – was exactly the way he intended.


Do you think your company or charity is like that? That every experience or touch point a consumer or donor has with you is consistent and designed right down to the tiniest detail?

Should it be?

Does it make your customer or donor feel like a witness to something special but not a part of it?

Surprise!!!

This weekend I was reading a Q&A with Andy Nulman from Airborne Entertainment (Montreal) who writes about "Pow!" marketing moments in his blog. The Q&A was published in the Sept 24th issue of Marketing  - for those who are inclined to see the whole article.

The question is "What is surprise marketing?"

The answer is "People are basically bored and immune to most marketing. There's so much sameness. So surprise marketing really is "How do we cut through that clutter?" It is that event, the effect, the moment that basically just shocks the system... It hits you to that point where your eyes widen, your mouth turns into an "O" and you say "Wow, I never expected this." And what happens, first of all, is it cuts through all the clutter and number two, it generates word of mouth: "God, you've got to see this, it's incredible, you're not going to believe what these guys did."

I'm saying "Of course!"

You could change his answer by inserting 'donors' instead of 'people'. I have recently talked with a number of colleagues on the agency side and on the charity side and we all realize - donors are getting bored. We are not surprising anyone. We've become complacent with the norm. We just to need to make our realistic target which is the same as last year and the year before.

We need to snap out of it. The first charities that have the cahones to forget about achieving the usual - and try doing something that will snap their donors heads in attention will be rewarded. No doubt. But I'm afraid it will take a lot of convincing and a lot of people willing to take a risk for that reward for it to happen.

Thoughts?

7 surprising facts about direct-response fundraising: Thank you Donor Power Blog

This falls into the "Passing along great information" category.

From the September 5th, Donor Power Blog posting:

7 surprising facts about direct-response fundraising:

1. Blank carrier envelopes usually out-perform envelopes with teasers.
2. Longer letters perform better. Usually. There are exceptions.
3. The most-read part of a fundraising letter is the P.S.
4. Typos improve response. I can't prove this, but it seems to be true.
5. Mail recipients spend more time looking at the back of the envelope than the front.
6. Religious people give more to non-religious causes than non-religious people. Religious people give more to everything.
7. The most powerful predictor that a donor will give is the recency of her previous gift.

Here's my two cents on these 7:
1. I think I've stated before how far too often, adding a teaser does absolutely nothing to entice the donor to open the envelope. If you can come up with a tagline that is appropriate and tells the donor that there is something inside that they really need to see/read - go for it.
2. Longer letters often do better - it's true. Most often if it is a prospect piece. You need space to do more selling to that new donor, keep it focused on your mission. I've seen it tested - and again in prospecting tends to beat short letters. But I would bet if you were mailing a Renewal 3 mailing and it was 6 pages - a short one, 1 pager, would beat the pants off it.
3. The P.S. is your first/last chance to make that donor give - so reiterate the importance of the mailing and why you need their support.
4. Typo's: I've never heard of this... would love to know if anyone has ever had the guts to test this. I, for one, can't imagine trying to convince a charity that typos in their letter is ok...
5. I have always thought - if you have 2 sides to an envelope then you have 2 sides to convince the donor to open it. But back to point 1 - sometimes an "official" looking envelope with just a logo and return address or just a return address can do better for the mailing.
6. Sounds like common sense this one.
7. There are people in our sector who can tell you if there is such a thing as mailing someone too much or too often. But I think, if you have a need and you can express that need for a gift, then mail your donors. Do not mail for the sake of mailing. And I hate to say it - there are far too many charities mailing for the sake of mailing.

BACK TO YOU: I need your feedback. What are some topics you would like to see addressed here? Please send any comments you may have to jlepp@ideadesign.ca or post them here! Thanks.