I had driven past the yard sign several times before curiosity got the better of me. Was it really an abstract watercolor in shades of gray and rose? What was it doing in someone’s yard? So I parked, walked up, and studied the sign. It promoted a community event having nothing to do with watercolors. … Read more
Years ago, a wise boss told me that the most affordable attorney I’d ever hire is the one I called before making a decision or taking an action. I’ve since come to realize that the same holds true with writers. I’ve often seen organizations decide to tackle writing a new website, blog, or other project … Read more
I’ve always wondered why people who are confident and comfortable with who they are become something entirely different when they produce a website, write a blog post, or create a presentation. Time after time, I’ve watched owners of reputable, high-quality businesses walk away from their hard-earned reputations and present themselves as something other than what … Read more
As a writer, I tend to become involved in the graphic design process only peripherally, but I still manage to learn useful lessons from it. One of the most instructive design lessons came from someone who knew absolutely nothing about typography and color theory. I’m fascinated by the process of logo design – not the … Read more
No, you didn’t read that wrong. I have a new gas meter … and I’m kind of proud. It’s not like I picked it out or anything. One day I walked into my back yard and startled a woman wearing a gas-company vest. Three days later, I received a letter informing me my ghastly, archaic … Read more
I have a solid understanding of how plumbing works. I know how to use a pipe wrench and have wrapped Teflon tape around pipe threads. I’ve often explained the mechanics behind a water heater, and even taught a group of curious Cub Scouts how toilets flush and why they’re designed that way. But when a … Read more
Whether you think of yourself as a skilled writer or dread reaching for the keyboard, writing probably plays a critical role in your daily work. You may not be authoring articles for professional journals, but you probably have to create emails, reports, and other items that require some writing skill. Following a few simple, easy-to-remember … Read more
Want to know the biggest single misconception about advertising and marketing? It has a lot to do with our obsession with weight loss. Every few months, a new diet appears. Suddenly, people are binging on grapefruits, drinking 24 glasses of water a day, living solely on turnips, or eating yellow foods today and red ones … Read more
We’ve heard it more times than we care to remember: what we need is some out-of-the-box thinking. We could solve this chronic problem if only we could step out of the box. Golly, J.P., that’s a really out-of-the-box idea! Apparently, if we’re brave enough to step out of that bad, bad box, we can accomplish … Read more
Companies often develop materials such as white papers to target marketing and communications objectives, but forget to go back and make edits as their marketplace or products and services change. When developing a white paper, new web copy, or other communications tool, most marketers start with some sort of objective and develop an outline covering … Read more