It’s 6:40 a.m. The alarm on my iPhone 3GS is singing and it’s time to drag myself out of bed to face the world. What is happening out there, anyway? I tap open my Twitter application – Twittelator for iPhone – and within seconds, I am flooded with a sea of intelligence. Before my feet hit the ground, I’ve already read about the daily forecast, the latest political debacle, the sale at Nordstrom, the state of the housing industry, the latest Golden Girl to pass away, and every CNN breaking news story is on my radar. It only took me around 5 minutes… less than the average “snooze” setting. I’m ready to start my day on the cutting edge!

Is it really THAT quick and easy? Absolutely. Twitter is a microblogging service; a tool that allows the user to broadcast brief messages (140 characters) to a diverse community that has grown to nearly 100 million users since its birth in 2007. You pick and choose who you follow… and you have the option to sort them into manageable lists (i.e. Friends, Media, Business, etc). Imagine the success that business owners alone can achieve through being active on this site. How? By directing traffic to your website, building your brand, obtaining constructive feedback, sourcing information, or simply networking with like-minded folks! Better yet, there is no cost to use the service. Yes… we’re talking about FREE (and incredibly effective) advertising. Not only are you proving that you have an innovative marketing plan… but you’re putting yourself directly in front of your sphere of influence. Did I mention that Twitter is approaching 100 million users…? “I’m out there, Jerry, and I’m lovin’ every minute of it!” -Kramer, Seinfeld.

The most common objection to Twitter is predictable, “Do people really care what I’m doing right now?” While the original rollout was arguably self-indulgent (I’m eating lasagna – I’m playing video games – I’m washing my car), let’s fast-forward to 2010. The perception and value of Twitter has transformed immensely. While personal touch is certainly important (who wants to read article after article, anyhow?), it’s no longer a platform to continuously applaud yourself. Today’s casual user will post links to their favorite websites, share recipes, contribute to polls, network with potential employers, dispense advice, whatever… Gone are the days of “I’m petting my cat” and other useless announcements.

Want tips on how to utilize this great tool for your biz… or how to manage your feed and understand the lingo? Do not hesitate to get in touch with me… I’d be glad to point you in the right direction. I would also recommend taking a peek at the ultimate Twitter guide book.

“It will be hard to wait out Twitter because it is lightweight, endlessly useful and gets better as more people use it. Brands are using it, institutions are using it, and it is becoming a place where a lot of important conversations are being held.” –Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody, a book about social media.

Tweet, tweet!

-Blair

Two sides show the artists’ two personalities!
Design by Anna Lee Larimore & Keleigh

Blank on the back for writing notes, measurements, appointments…
Design by John Aylward & Keleigh

Card teasing the adult half of Jake the Alligator Man’s Birthday Bash; Used as a hand-out at similar venues.
Design by Wendy

Birthday Postcard
Design by Keleigh

It’s not nice to tease you, talking about the Lost Roo before she’s solidly open.  But I just couldn’t wait to show you the fun things Roo Keepers Mark and Helen Johnson have been working on.  Helen put a lot of detail focus on getting her logo roos just right and her perseverence has paid off.  You can see these increasingly familiar forms atop the silo on the building now and they’re starting to pop up amongst the rocks in the yard.  Once inside you’ll find these happy hoppers most everywhere–if you look closely!

Mark and Helen are quite smart about their branding and identity development and it has been an absolute joy to work with them on a variety of branding projects as they’ve prepared the restaurant for opening.  Wendy and I can honestly say we’ve never made 8-foot roo patterns before.  Stay tuned; our web hounds will be giving you a peek at the newly designed Lost Roo website any day now.

~Keleigh

Menus usually pose the challenge of putting a lot of information into a comparatively small amount of space.  Menus should be easy to read by all ages in mood lighting and most restaurant owners want to include a fair number of graphics and images, as well as use an interesting font or two.   As a designer, I want to create lots of space for the eye to rest, and keep consistency of brand.  The challenge compounds when a restaurateur needs to be able to edit the final product themselves, meaning I need to use a tool like Word instead of professional page layout software.  It’s not always an easy puzzle, but it’s usually fun!

Don Shaw of Don’s Portside Cafe and the Loose Kaboose is easy to work with because he gives quite a bit of freedom to design once he dictates the page count and provides the text.    By putting me in charge of more elements of the puzzle, Don saves money because we go through fewer revisions.  His full-size menus came out very readable and engaging this year!  The take-out menu is half the size of what you read in the restaurants, which makes it affordable to get it in the hands of the many visitors to our beach without losing integrity of design.

This site started its life as a template.  We changed the header to include the Willapa Harbor Helping Hands logo and made a flower out of the cancer ribbon.  We also adjusted the page templates a bit to accommodate presenting the WHHH material well.  Beyond that, building the site was as simple as creating web site text out of existing print materials, finding some appropriate stock photography, and putting it all together.  A final pass to do some light search engine optimization and we were ready to launch.

Another of Keleigh’s “working too late brainstorms”, this site was knocked out in a couple of hours after Keleigh received an email from Cathy saying she was running for County Commissioner.  The look and feel came from a “theme”, a WordPress template, and the text and photos came from the email from Cathy.  It’s grown a bit since, as the campaign team has added their magic, but is a great example of how a good-looking site doesn’t have to take a lot of time & money to get started, or web experience to grow and change.

Tides West Community Association worked with Karl to customize a theme and make it their own.  The end result bears little resemblance to the original theme; the function and spatial layout of the theme remain.  This made it quick (read “inexpensive”) for Karl to develop a full-featured site for the group that they could maintain on their own –without breaking their bank.

It sure looks like a custom site, doesn’t it?  Look closer.  Keleigh drew the logo based on font specification and design concept from the site owner, and also turned it into a background tile.  Karl chose a theme with the appropriate color palette and function, added the text and images from the client, give him a brief tutorial on WordPress by phone, and whoosh!  A site was born on a tight budget.