Here at Splinter, we look forward to every Ignite because we are the lucky ones who get to design the ever-evolving Ignite Phoenix programs! This time around, we did our best to take things to the next level by transforming a once static piece of paper into an interactive conversation starter.

The back of the Ignite Phoenix Program, with instructions for folding and playing the conversation starter.

Based on the grade school game commonly referred to as a fortune teller (aka cootie catcher, chatterbox, salt cellar, or whirlybird), we created a new diversion aimed at sparking conversation among attendees. Once folded, the person initiating the conversation would ask their new acquaintance to choose a category, pick and number and then answer one unique question. While not everyone seemed to have encountered the game during their childhood, it definitely made for an intriguing display of amusement shared by all.

The front of the program and matching CD face design inspired by old school mix tapes.

For the past three Ignite Phoenix events, the team has included with admission an amazing collection of local music on CD. We did our best to entice with a design inspired by old school mix cassette tapes. Matching the modernist style of the program design, the CD was imagined to look like a tape reel using very basic geometric shapes and colors.

Were you one of the lucky attendees of the last Ignite Phoenix? If so, did you engage others with your program?

Every designer dreams of working with clients who value design, provide constructive feedback, collaborate in a productive fashion, and yet at the same time, know when to step aside and let the experts do their thing. While this is ideal, it’s not the most typical behavior, especially within small design firms. Dealing with a customer that feels they are the “authority” on design can be problematic, especially if their opinion rivals the principles of good design.

The knowledge a client can provide on their business and industry can be invaluable, so I’m not trying to argue with their authority. Everyone is, or strives to be an expert in their own disciplines – But what weight should their opinion carry as it relates to design? At what expense of the final product? These are often the same customers that self diagnose problems. They know their problem, they know exactly how to solve it… So why are they hiring a design firm?

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.” Red Adair

Contrary to popular belief, I don’t believe the customer is always right. So how does one handle a customer who wants you to design a pile of garbage? If you can flush that out in the beginning, the answer is obvious – don’t take the work. But what happens when you find yourself thinking, “Please go away, I just want this project off my plate”? You’ve already lost interest in the success of the project and now relinquish creative expertise to become a “revision robot” — which can ruin creativity, morale, client relationships, and the overall quality of work.

Now, let’s take a look at the underlying problem; there comes a point when any designer or creative team becomes disconnected with a project like I’ve mentioned above. As a project manager, I get to see the frustrations and elations from both sides. If a business owner is adamant about his or her opinions, it’s likely that no amount of research or expertise can persuade them, and it typically goes something like this: “I’ve started oodles of successful businesses, I know what I want, and I want to pay you to execute what I need.” Seems pretty cut & dry, right? Try approaching your creative team with this (and make sure to bring a helmet). All kidding aside, it can be a very tough position for a project manager, especially if the design team has already lost interest. And as a PM in this situation, you’ll definitely earn your paycheck.

Ever had feedback like this from a client?

Client: “It doesn’t do it for me.”

Project Manager: “Can you tell my why? Or describe what you’re envisioning and why?”

Client: “Not really, I just don’t like it.”

Project Manager: “But we feel that the design follows the objectives outlined in the brief and represents a solid visual solution for you.

Client: “Do you have any other designs for me to look at?”

At this point, half of me does not want to fight a horse that won’t drink, while the other half of me wants to dunk my head under water and scream. If it gets to this point, I know I probably did something wrong. To avoid this happening again, it’s important to go back and try to pinpoint when it might have slithered away from my grips. Sometimes this situation may seem unavoidable, but there’s always something(s) you could have changed or approached in a different way. Luckily,  there are oodles of resources out there to combat this, including the AIGA. It’s a great resource for designers and project managers to reference when working through tough situations. Check it out. The AIGA offers helpful insight for everything from contracts to ethics to client management. You might be surprised what you learn.

In all reality, no process is bulletproof. Although we strive for a perfect process, there will always be hurdles. That’s just life as a project manager. But at what point does one feel a professional responsibility to steer the customer from the perils of a really bad idea and/or execution? We all have a boiling point – so when is it okay to pull your rip chord in the middle of a project? Is that an acceptable way to get out? How much time is reasonable to spend educating customers about what good design is, your process, or how it can help them? For me at least, it seems dependent on our workload, the size of the project, and the relationship with the client. How much “good” work do you have already? Can you afford to turn them away?

We’ve all dealt with customers that flat out don’t care about the design process, but still expect award-winning work to somehow be miraculously conceived. The obvious thought would be to not work with such clients. But let’s be realistic. Bills need paying, you’re contractually committed, and this problem may not have been obvious during the proposal or discovery phases.

Here are few of my thoughts on how to prevent being “butchered”:

1. Explain your process up front and make sure they understand what you do and don’t expect from them.
2. Keep them involved as much as they desire or as much as the project requires them to be.
3. Get approvals in small, incremental phases. This will prevent any surprises. If they are approving each baby step, it’s much more difficult for them to change directions on you. It’s also much easier to bill more when they do.
4. Provide an explanation of how the proposed solution fits the problem. This should already be outlined in the brief or in a Scope of Work document.
5. Don’t work yourself to death trying to educate or explain to someone that believes they know everything. Do what they ask and move on. Even if you’ve provided this type of client the best solution in the galaxy, they wouldn’t know it.
6. Take deeper breathes. Keep it professional and stay poised. Complete the project per their instructions. Then, once all the deliverables are completed, refer them to another firm. Make sure to explain why you may not be a good fit and thank them for their past business.
7. Go back through your process and change something to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Learn from it!

I recently received feedback on a logo proof we spent a considerable amount of time on before presenting initial concepts to the client. The response from the client was, “It doesn’t look like you spent any time at all on the logo concepts.” Given that the client requested a clean and simple logo, I took that as a compliment. This was the same client that didn’t complete the creative brief – because he was “too busy.”

“Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication”
- Leonardo Da Vinci -

Your first inclination might be to start explaining how design works. Go ahead and stop yourself right there! Your time would be better spent putting your shoestrings into a French braid.

I can’t imagine any project manager or creative professional achieving very much fulfillment from being a “key stroking slave”. Continue seeking customers that are engaged in the process, value good design, and have a genuine interest in the success of the project. This type of client provides a critical perspective needed to arrive at the best solution. And to be honest, I just don’t want to live any other way.

So how do you deal with a project when the client doesn’t know what they want? Or when you’re expected to keep designing until they “see something that resonates?” Feel free to weigh-in with some of your own experiences. I know I can’t be the only one that has trouble getting the client to “take the butcher’s word for it”.

While the old site contained a lot of valuable information, the design was cluttered and the site flow was unorganized. We wanted to take the existing content and present it in a more engaging and accessible environment.

CRUZ Tequila has a broad range of clientele, from punk rockers and rodeo fans to affluent doctors and animal lovers. We wanted their site to speak to everyone, so we created a presence that was fun, honest, and approachable to a wide range of people.

After months of research on the adult beverage industry, we structured the content to highlight several important elements for the end-user including drink recipes, spirit awards, and where to purchase CRUZ Tequila. The end result is a site that offers clean, easy-to-access content that can be comfortably built upon over time.

To compliment the website design and overall painless navigation, we set CRUZ Tequila up with a content management system to make updates on the fly. The CMS gives CRUZ the ability to edit most aspects of the site, most importantly their upcoming events and list of retailers.

All that being said, what are your impressions of the new CRUZ Tequila website? Love it? Hate it? We’d love to hear your feedback in the comments section.

If you think the Cruz Tequila website rocks, and want us to help out with your next web design project, drop us a line.

We began by condensing the main navigation options and re-organizing the flow of content throughout the site to be more user-friendly. We removed unnecessary content that was cluttering the site, such as weather widgets, a search bar and event specific menus that were more confusing than they were helpful.

Once the site map was worked out, we developed a wireframe that was more suitable to the functionality we were looking for and began thinking about the design. A style was created that blends the formality of the catering company with the friendly, laid-back BBQ cuisine they are best known for serving.

We limited the color palate, focusing on blending formal event catering with casual backyard BBQ. The majority of images on the site were replaced with impressive photography that represents Great Caterer’s style and selection. We kept the interior pages clean and accessible, with text that is easy to read and graphic elements that enhance the user experience.

Overall, we feel that the site better represents the company, while functioning in a way that is easy for users to find the information they need and get in contact.

Working with the existing 3-dimensional red W that, strangely enough, seems to be the only red W anywhere in the hotel. We created an illustrative graphic element that captures the essence of the hotel’s water features and wraps all five sides of the acrylic box. Visitors to the W are now welcomed by a serene splash of purple and blue, accented by a pop of red! You can see the dramatic transformation in the before and after pictures above and below.

On the new Dos Gringos website design, you’ll find it’s easier than ever to find exactly what you’re looking for. Trying to find directions to the closest Dos Gringos location? Curious if they’re pouring your favorite drink specials this evening? In the mood for some late night grub? Want to scope out the menu with your co-workers before lunch? Or perhaps you need to setup a party for Larry’s 30th birthday after work on Friday? All this and more can be accessed with just a couple clicks and a few minutes of your time.

Complete with a super easy, “my Grandmother could do it” content management system, Dos Gringos can now access their site and update it from any computer, anywhere. This permits both the marketing personnel as well as the owners to make changes to specials, the menus, photos, and more, all with a simple internet connection. A huge asset indeed for such a fast-paced company.

The biggest hurdle with this project was determining the best way to organize the content. While every Dos Gringos has a happy hour, serves food, and pours tasty beverages, every location doesn’t offer the exact same specials at the exact same times. After doing some research and beating up a few layouts in house, we determined it would be most effective to post an all-inclusive specials page, along with some location specific tidbits that went into more detail… And judging by the analytics over the first couple weeks, it seems patrons are now easily navigating through the site to find the content they want.

All in all, we were able to have some fun with the design and content, and it was a pleasure bringing the new site to life. The hardest part was fighting off the day-dreams of being on the patio at Dos, munching some nachos, and sipping on some coronas. Damn distractions, no wonder it took an extra week to complete

Let us know your thoughts on the design and navigation in the comments below. We’re always open for a good rogering.

This year, Twestival is aiming to highlight eight areas which are preventing some of our poorest youth around the world from going to school and getting the education they need and deserve. Events hosted on the same night around the world will be selecting a specific area to donate to, and Phoenix has put its best foot forward to aid in the building of schools to help those less fortunate.

As part of our sponsorship, we whipped up a couple new snazzy t-shirt designs that Brand X will be printing and delivering to the event. Big thanks to Charles for setting up the online shopping cart so attendees can “pimp” out their shirts with a custom Twitter handle.

Along with the shirt designs, we’ll also be hooking up some signage for the event to show the sponsors some love, and a large and in charge step and repeat banner to capture the moment for attendees.

Twestival is a 100% volunteer organized event, and wouldn’t be possible without great folks like Chris Lee, Wesley Novak, Heather Lee, Jenny Carnie and many more. Everyone has really chipped in once again to help with the logistics of the event as well as raising donations. We’re slowly inching our way towards the goal of $7,500, and hope to beat out Twestival San Francisco after the night of the event. It’s going to be a close one, so all the help we can get is greatly appreciated!

I mean, could you think of a better way to use social media for social good? I sure can’t

How it works:

Once your digital billboard space has been purchased, you’ll need some eye-catching creative to ensure your message gets out to the target audience. On the Phoenix outdoor network, each billboard has eight rotating advertisements at eight seconds each. As with printed billboards, you’ll want to keep your message short and sweet as viewing time is at a premium. After getting the design aspect squared away, your outdoor ad can be up and running in as little as 24 hours. So not only are printing costs wiped away, but the ability to get your ad displayed is no longer restricted to a monthly basis. Want your ad displayed one day per week? One week per month? Wednesdays at 5pm? A great example is the way various television stations use the medium from around the valley. Got a hot news segment showing on the nightly news, or does Oprah have a special guest on today? As the advertiser, this is about as flexible as it gets, and you can even switch out an ad during the course of the campaign should you feel the results are below targeted expectations.

While some may argue that digital billboards aren’t all I’m cracking them up to be due to exclusivity issues, it all depends on how you approach the situation. Who ever said the advertiser could only buy one eight second spot? With eight spots, each running eight second ads, couldn’t one purchase all eight spots on a billboard? I think so, and with those eight spots, you could display eight different messages that are not only branding your company, but highlighting several important factors of your campaign… And for all my stats people out there, even with 1 spot every 64 seconds, at 17 hours of up time per day, that’s 187,376 spots over the course of a 4 week period. Not too shabby if you ask me.

Digital Billboards in Phoenix, Arizona

All this being said, we recently finished an outdoor digital billboard campaign for London Gold. Being that this is still a somewhat new technology, we were excited to experiment with different color contrasts, and make those diamonds “pop” off the screen as so many clients request. We worked with London Gold to create a variation of ads in order to keep the consumer engaged. Just think, you can hit drivers with variations of the message all while strengthening your brand and gaining exposure. It truly is the new era of outdoor advertising.

I’m just waiting to see when animation will come into play on digital billboards in Phoenix. Is animation something digital billboards can support? If so, are there state and federal laws against motion graphics due to motorist distractions? When I spoke with a rep at Clear Channel, I didn’t really get a definitive answer, and when conducting a search on Google, I came up empty. If you’ve got an answer for me on this one, I’d love to hear it.

Several months later, Chris contacted me to see if we’d be interested in helping out with other Phoenix events including Twestival Local. Without hesitation, we jumped on board and look forward to making a difference by providing support to Twestival Local and the St. Mary’s Food Bank. To get started, Chris wanted us to give the logo a little Phoenix love… So I fired it over to our lead designer, Patricia, and turned her loose.  Switching out the tree with some traditional Phoenix attire (cacti) and rearranging a few elements, our first mission was complete. As we get closer to the event and get more sponsors locked down, we’ll be providing design and printing for signage along with other materials that will be on display and distributed at the event.

Event Info – Save the Date!

Twestival Local (Phoenix) will be held the evening of Friday, September 11^th 2009.

According to the Twestival Phoenix website, the hosts of various Phoenix Friday Night events have graciously offered to combine efforts and make this event one to remember.

Twestival Phoenix Local will be a tweetup for everyone complete with food, drinks, raffle and silent auction. This will be a great opportunity to meet new people from all over the Phoenix valley and have some fun, all while supporting a local charity.

Sounds like a win-win situation if you ask me. If you agree, show your support by adding a “twibbon” to your avatar. You can do so here.

While the event location is still up in the air, you can follow Twestival Phoenix for updates, or check the website for more information as it becomes available.

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As a designer who works mostly in static media, I’ve always wanted to delve deeper into understanding Flash and the ActionScript involved in creating dynamic visual elements. This week I began my exploration into learning basic Flash elements to improve our client’s ability to communicate in an increasingly web-centric market.

I am starting with a basic knowledge of how Flash works, but I also understand that what goes on behind the scenes is a much more complicated thing. If you’ve ever tried to learn another language as an adult, you know my frustration in learning ActionScript for the first time. I know what I want to say, now I just have to figure out how to say it in AS! My first assignment was to develop a basic Flash image gallery with scrolling thumbnails. This is an element that many companies with a web presence could find useful, from displaying examples of their own range of work to showcasing event photos, etc. You can see my work below!

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What is astounding is the amount of scripting that goes in to something that, on the surface, seems so simple. I’ve pasted below only a small portion of the language that sits behind the visually pleasing surface of this basic Flash gallery.

If you are unfamiliar with any sort of web development, this might surprise you. (If you are familiar, go easy on me, I am just starting out!) In any case, creating Flash elements is, to say the least, a time consuming endeavor. If you are in the market for something like this, be sure to expect a legitimate turn-around time if you want your message to be exceptional. One lesson to take away is that there is a lot more than what meets the eye when it comes to moving messages!