Blog

Predators on the Game Grid, a look at viral marketing for summer blockbusters

This morning the internet is abuzz with thoughts on Robert Rodriguez' announcement that several minutes of footage from his highly anticipated reboot of the "Predator" franchise will screen here in Austin Texas for the South By Southwest (SXSW) festival. As someone highly anticipating this film as well as the Tron sequel, I'm in a unique position to compare their viral marketing campaigns.

Wonderland Vs. Pandora, What is 3D for?

I had the great fortune to see an advanced screening of "Alice in Wonderland" at the IMAX theater here in Austin, hosted by Harry Knowles of Aint It Cool News. Watching the events in Tim Burton's latest venture with Disney led me to ask some real questions about the 3D format, and what value lies in making your audience wear those ridiculous goggles for two hours rather than presenting a normal film.

Who's Driving the Car?

As a professional working in the world of advertising, I've encountered my fair share of opinionated clients. Of course, given the choice, I'd rather have a client with a strong opinion of their brand and their products than work with someone who has no idea what makes their company unique. Unfortunately, opinionated clients tend to make aesthetic decisions, which begs the question: "Who should have the final word about visual marketing?" Should marketing professionals, graphic designers, or clients have the ultimate say in how the brand is presented to the world?

Interview with William Reynolds at Reynoldswriting.com

I was interviewed recently by William Reynolds of ReynoldsWriting.com for my opinions about graphic and web design. What follows are a few excerpts from the interview. For the full article, click here.

Many people think that if something looks “good” it is well designed. But there is a profound difference between an image that is aesthetically pleasing and something that functions as complex visual communication. The term “graphic design” has come to denote visual imagery that is not only appealing on some level, but also crafted to communicate a specific message to a particular audience.

The second misconception is that any person with an aesthetic sense can execute design. True design requires an understanding of very specific terminology and techniques. Without this understanding, a designer is likely to confuse and alienate his target audience.

Finally, some amateur designers think that a good static or “flat image” type of design will work well as a web page. A well-composed graphic may appeal to a viewer’s sense of aesthetic, and might even function as a piece of printed material, but there are dozens of technical considerations before any graphic can function as electronic media.

What's the Difference