s2dzine.com >> stephanie spencer

ideas
A place for my random thoughts & observations. Here you'll find a variety
of things that strike me for one reason or another. Cheers!

06.10.2011

		Ode to My iPad 2 To My Dear iPad2, How I love you so. I long to carry you wherever I go. I don't miss the bulk of your predecessor, when I place you in my purse you're light as a feather. For those creative epiphanies in the middle of the night, you're within arm's reach, collecting my thoughts so clear and bright. You've become an appendage, I'm lost when you're not there, although it annoys me that you have a tendency to glare. I know your release was a Samsung Galaxy foray, but oh how I wish Apple made you with Retina display. My friends tease me and give me grief, for my unrelenting admiration and belief…that Steve Jobs IS THE GREATEST, I shout with glee. My friends say I speak as though he's a member of my family. Yes they continue to joke, but I don't care, the genius that is AirPlay magnifies this love affair. I create, I read, I blog as we speak. I love to customize my news on Flipboard, it truly makes me weak. I am emphatically addicted to my iPad 2 and I'm not ashamed, to express my love for this gadget may seem insane. The thinness and the speed just make me twitch, the first gen is no comparison, I'm so glad I made the switch! iPad 2, I love you, can't you see that is until next Spring when I'll leave you behind for the iPad 3. Forever Yours, XOXO Stephanie
05.21.2010

		Seattle's Best? I'm Not Quite Sure. A colleague shared this interesting article with me about Starbucks. Having acquired Seattle’s Best, Starbucks seems to be repositioning the brand as a product for cost sensitive joe drinkers. Part of the marketing strategy being a logo redesign. My thoughts… why mess with a good thing? Why diminish the brand equity and run the risk of putting off an already established customer base? Perhaps an evolution of the logo would suffice, thereby keeping many of the distinct characteristics of the established logo, but applying a more modern facelift. But not a complete departure from the familiar. Citing Pepsi’s very costly debacle with the redesign of the Tropicana logo and packaging, as well as, Gatorade’s profit drop after the adoption of “G”, the author, Jeff Reeves, makes a great point. Albeit preaching to the choir here, he concludes that design has a direct effect on brand loyalty, but more importantly, the bottom line. Check it out here: Unpopular Seattle’s Best Logo Could Hurt SBUX
03.18.2010

		Must Read: The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier What every Designer in an integrated marketing group should learn and what non-Designers in that same group should understand...this idea that the most successful brands are those that Neumeier defines as “charismatic”. They are deemed as having no substitute among their consumers. These brands do an outstanding job of being clearly differentiated, as they "bridge the gap between logic and magic, strategy and design". I believe in this book and it's principles fervently. For a quick review, there's a presentation deck online, but definitely get the book, it's a quick read and has great personality.
03.04.2010

I Have Photoshop & Dreamweaver at Home...It Can't Be THAT Hard! Every Designer can attest to hearing that, or something similar, from a client or even a Manager at some point of their career. I firmly believe that often times, Designers don’t get the credit we deserve, and that is making the intangible understandable. I recall some years ago, a sales rep giving his feedback on a project saying “Any kid in a basement can do what you guys do”… likening us to glorified color pickers. What he failed to understand and what, unfortunately, many folks can’t grasp, is the science behind what we do. I came across this article on doshdosh.com, titled 11 Ways to Influence People Online and Make Them Take Action. It speaks to the psychology behind web design; exploring the patterns of human behavior and thought. Designers, in turn, leverage those patterns and marry them with fundamental design principles to not only create pieces that we’re most proud of, but from a business perspective, we use that formula to increase reach and awareness of marketing campaigns, foster new product development and create “Brand Fans” which makes companies profitable… a far cry from a kid in the basement.
02.28.2010

		iPad Debate If you know me, you know that I heart Apple more than any other brand. After expressing the sheer joy I have in being able to purchase my iPad soon, a friend of mine questioned my (and other Macheads) loyalty to Mr. Jobs. Later during the exchange, he says “If you’re willing to just buy EVERYTHING Apple, then Mr Jobs has done his job”. EXACTLY, That’s what innovative design and targeted consumer marketing is for! Absolutely Mr. Jobs has done his job well, as expected. That’s why we as brand marketing professionals get paid to do what we do every day….create innovative and differentiated products/services that shape consumer perception, enhance their experience and ultimately influence their behavior. We thereby maintain loyalty among our repeat buyers/visitors and establish positive brand awareness among those who are not. Apple does just that and they do it very well. People scoffed at the idea of iTunes and digital downloads with the iPod. Apple revolutionized the music industry by redefining distribution and changed how consumers purchased and stored it. Not to mention the rockin’ marketing campaign that accompanied the product launch that captivated folks and made them say, ‘hey that’s cool, I want that!’ Brand marketing at it’s best! Apple probably saved the music industry to a certain degree, or at the least stopped the hemorrhaging. They could very well do the same for the print media with the iPad, changing how consumers engage with newsprint and magazines, a troubled medium at best. Sure you have your Kindles and your Nooks. But from a UI design perspective…. they somewhat lack the sexy sizzle that consumers are accustomed to having. Not to mention all the other features of the iPad from gaming to web browsing; it, in my opinion, is a far superior product. But then again, I am biased. So as a brand loyalist and tech geek, I applaud the iPad and will be one of the first to cop one! Thank you Steve, keep on keepin’ on!!”