Are you managing “up”?
I’m two weeks into my MBA program at Suffolk University and the amount of my assigned reading for the semester rivals the amount of cumulative reading I’ve done over the past five years. I’m finding it especially interesting, and I’m realizing that most of it relates to business situations I’ve already lived through [...]
Continue ReadingOff Topic: Cord Control
In a perfect world, every office gadget would be wireless. We’re not quite there yet as most of us are still stuck with an OCD-nightmare of cables and wires behind our desks. In the past, I’ve gone the route of zip-tying all of my cables together (or forcing them into one of those cable sleeves), thinking that “this time [...]
Continue ReadingPut Design in Your Company’s DNA
“Corporate Design Foundation, a non-profit education and research organization, was founded on the belief that design can make a major contribution both to an individual’s quality of life and to a corporation’s success, and that both individual and organizational interests can be served through the effective use of the design [...]
Continue ReadingQ&A: How can I market my in-house team?
I got an e-mail from a reader yesterday that asked me for advice on marketing her in-house design team. Unfortunately, she didn’t provide too many details on her exact situation, but thankfully there are a lot of ways to do this. The first thing to keep in mind is that generally, in-house creative services will be cheaper to your in-house [...]
Continue ReadingAvoid In-House Burnout by Getting to Know Your Customers
Something that I’ve been thinking of a lot recently is the importance for in-house designers to not only know the product (or service) their company is selling, but who is purchasing those goods or services. A lot of times, in-house design is just that; creatives supporting the external operational functions of a company. Unfortunately, [...]
Continue ReadingNotes on Creative Culture
Brendon Derr of Cella Consulting describes it as “the elephant in the room that nobody knows is there until it moves in the wrong direction.” “A healthy corporate culture”, Derr explains, “can be one of the most, if not the most, valuable assets to a Creative Executive. The quantifiable outcomes of a healthy corporate [...]
Continue ReadingLessons Learned: The Corporate Creative
I’m pleased to announce that I just finished The Corporate Creative: Tips and Tactics for Thriving as an In-House Designer by Andy Epstein. I had the pleasure of attending two of Andy’s seminars at the 2009 HOW Design Conference in Austin, and it’s worth reporting that Andy is responsible for my current quest for knowledge [...]
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