The Blog

How Consumers Use Mobile

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By On November 18, 2011 In Blog With No Comments Permanent Link to How Consumers Use MobilePermalink

Taken from the GoMo Agency Guide, I really like this infographic and think a lot of the statistics should be considered for not only agencies or small businesses, but also us designers. In addition, since your clients look to you to keep them abreast of current consumer trends, this is a great way to introduce them to mobile. This infographic shows how consumers are using their mobile phones to communicate, search, and shop–24/7. Share this with your clients during your next presentation and introduce them to today’s constantly connected consumer.

Some interesting statistics:

  • 50% of American adults will own a smartphone by the end of 2011
  • 81% use it to browse the internet
  • 77% use it to access a search engine
  • 48% use it to watch videos
  • 79% of mobile users use their smartphone to help with shopping
  • 48% use it to get promotions or coupons
  • 49% use it to compare prices
  • 44% use it to read reviews or product info
  • 54% use it to find a retailer
  • 39% use it while going to the bathroom

Note: I played a large role in the creation of GoMo (short for Go Mobile) and the GoMo Agency Guide. Both the GoMo site and the Agency Guide were created at Mullen.

33 Ways to Stay Creative

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By On August 26, 2011 In Blog With 13 Comments Permanent Link to 33 Ways to Stay CreativePermalink

You can find inspiration everywhere at @mullenunbound. Just saw this the other day and thought I’d share. Hope these thoughts inspire you too.

  1. Make lists.
  2. Carry a notebook everywhere.
  3. Try free writing.
  4. Get away from the computer.
  5. Be otherworldly.
  6. Quit beating yourself up.
  7. Take breaks.
  8. Sing in the shower.
  9. Drink coffee/tea.
  10. Know your roots.
  11. Listen to new music.
  12. Be open.
  13. Surround yourself with creative people.
  14. Get feedback.
  15. Collaborate.
  16. Don’t give up.
  17. Practice, practice, practice.
  18. Allow yourself to make mistakes.
  19. Go somewhere new.
  20. Watch foreign films.
  21. Count your blessings.
  22. Get lots of rest.
  23. Take risks.
  24. Break the rules.
  25. Do more of what makes you happy.
  26. Don’t force it.
  27. Read a page of the dictionary.
  28. Create a framework.
  29. Stop trying to be someone else’s perfect.
  30. Got an idea? Write it down.
  31. Clean your workspace.
  32. Have fun.
  33. Finish something.

If you think these tips could help someone you know please pass them on!

New Work: The Day Baby Was Born

By On August 3, 2011 In Blog With 2 Comments Permanent Link to New Work: The Day Baby Was BornPermalink

In September 2010, Mullen’s Tommee Tippee client issued a challenge: come up with a game-changing digital idea that engages new and expectant moms in an emotional way and drives purchase consideration. After 10 months of tireless devotion, The Day Baby Was Born has finally launched. With this site, leveraging the intimate connection between mom and her baby, social media and data feed technology, expecting moms and dads can journal their pregnancy experiences, collect Facebook well-wishes, write personalized messages to their baby and capture all the news and facts from the day their baby was born — and, with the press of a button, create a personalized storybook that captures baby’s story. It’s fun, beautiful and intuitively simple.

Congrats to our team and a job well done!

via Mullen

How to Find Your Nuggets

By On July 13, 2011 In Blog With No Comments Permanent Link to How to Find Your NuggetsPermalink


By Dan Roam, author of Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems with Pictures illustrates the difference between using Alltop and Google.

Am both honored and excited to have my blog included in Alltop under the category Web Design. You can find my posts aaaaaall the way down in the first column (next big question is how to move up). Have been trying to share and write semi-decent content (I am an Art Director after all) and am glad to see it being considered helpful. Hope you find my content and everything else Alltop shares under Web Design useful and inspiring. Thank you Alltop and readers of my blog.

About Alltop

“It’s not information overload. It’s filter failure.” – Clay Shirky

The purpose of Alltop is to help you answer the question, “What’s happening?” in “all the topics” that interest you. You may wonder how Alltop is different from a search engine. A search engine is good to answer a question like, “How many people live in China?” However, it has a much harder time answering the question, “What’s happening in China?” That’s the kind of question that we answer.
We do this by collecting the headlines of the latest stories from the best sites and blogs that cover a topic. We group these collections — “aggregations” — into individual web pages. Then we display the five most recent headlines of the information sources as well as their first paragraph.

In a nutshell, Alltop is an information filter to help you find your nuggets of gold.

How to Work Better

By On June 16, 2011 In Blog With 2 Comments Permanent Link to How to Work BetterPermalink

I saw this info in an image on the Glue Isobar blog and immediately typed it up, printed it out and placed it near my desk. In three short (okay, somewhat short) days these thoughts have already saved me more than a few times.

  1. Do one thing at a time
  2. Know the problem
  3. Learn to listen
  4. Learn to ask questions
  5. Distinguish sense from nonsense
  6. Accept change as inevitable
  7. Admit mistakes
  8. Say it simple
  9. Be calm
  10. Smile

Hope they can help you too.

Be More Creative: Sketch it Out

By On May 19, 2011 In Blog With 5 Comments Permanent Link to Be More Creative: Sketch it OutPermalink


We’ve all been there. A project arrives, ideas pop into our heads, and then a rush of energy floods in. The computer calls. This time ignore it. Now grab a pencil and paper and sketch. Sketching is a fundamental approach to my design thinking and creative process. It will help you regardless of where you are in a project. Here are 3 easy steps to get started. Follow them and they will give your creative process more impact.

Shoot for a minimum of 12 ideas.

I try to think of it as gesture drawing. 30-60 seconds per idea. Don’t worry about being perfect. Don’t kill an idea half way through because it isn’t quite making sense. Instead, move on to a new idea and let the other one sit. Challenge yourself to think outside of a single execution (your typical web site, banner ad, etc.) and more on the big idea.

Sleep on it.

Don’t worry about hitting all 12 ideas in one session. Do 3 or 4 to start (they will be the easiest, seem to work well, but can end up being obvious). Take a break. Jump back in when your energy returns. Continue to push.

Make decisions.

After you’ve hit your minimum, decide on your top 3 ideas and start working through them. Again, don’t worry about being perfect. It’s more important to get your ideas moving and see where they take you. Spend an hour per idea and walk away. Check your composition from across the room. Move on to your next idea or take another break. Turn on your computer after you’ve reached your limit and bring your ideas to life.

To sum it up, give pencils and paper their rightful place in your creative process. They may seem elemental, maybe even archaic, but if you add these back to your arsenal of design tools, they will boost your creativity.

Be More Creative: Help or Hinder?

By On May 17, 2011 In Blog With 2 Comments Permanent Link to Be More Creative: Help or Hinder?Permalink

Feeling stuck with your layout? Here’s something you can do that should help you immediately. And it should only take you around 10 minutes.

Print out your design, grab a pen or pencil, find a quiet space (alone if possible), and analyze each design element on the page. Ask yourself if it helps the design or hinders it. If it helps your design — keep it, if it hinders your design — lose it. Explain to yourself why you added a gradient to your sidebar. Is it because it looks cool? If it is, well, that’s fine for now, but you should ideally find its purpose. Think about why you designed it in. Does it help guide your eye to a call to action? Does it balance the left and right columns? Each element plays a role in communicating a message and should be able to be explained.

This also comes in handy when you’re presenting your design to a client (what client doesn’t love knowing why you did what you did?).

Sometimes it’s as simple as that.

Note: This is a repost from an earlier date. Earlier post wasn’t working correctly.

Five Epic Surfing Ads

By On May 8, 2011 In Blog With No Comments Permanent Link to Five Epic Surfing AdsPermalink

Whether it’s boards and beer or real vs. fake, these are all places I’d like to be. Enjoy.


Guinness – Surfer. Epic.


Corona – From Where You’d Rather Be. Love this.


Powerade – Very Real Power. Fun.


GoPro HD. Nice camera angle and music.


Hamms – This is the freshness you feel in Hamms. Old school awesomeness.

Lastly, this isn’t an ad but had to include it only because it’s insane.

Any other ads you’ve seen that you think should be on this list? If so, let me know!

Does the Internet Care?

By On April 18, 2011 In Blog With No Comments Permanent Link to Does the Internet Care?Permalink

What makes a great campaign a great campaign? See what Benjamin Palmer, Co-Founder and CEO of The Barbarian Group has to say about their creative process and making a campaign great.

Thoughts that I found interesting:

  • Everyone is invited to the idea sessions (including the office manager).
  • You have the ability to keep score in regards to your campaign.
  • Brands have to do things that people actually like.

Also, if you are doing anything YouTube related, YouTube’s Show and Tell is an invaluable resource for know-how and inspiration.

Be More Creative: Do More, Be More

By On February 22, 2011 In Blog With No Comments Permanent Link to Be More Creative: Do More, Be MorePermalink

I’ll keep this one short and simple. Do more than is asked. You know anyone can do what’s asked. Few go beyond. Enough said.

If you liked this post, you can find some additional ideas below:

Okay, a bit much but you get the idea.

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