storm from the east

30 dos and don'ts for good press releases

In my line of work I get to see a lot of press releases, whether they be for publication, editing or writing, and although I don't claim to be an expert on these matters, I can quickly spot a good one from a bad one.

To save you wading through a long, tedious article on the various style, grammar and presentation issues, I have drawn up a concise list of 15 dos and 15 don'ts to bear in mind if you want to see your press release in print or online. For those interested, I plan to expand on these points in an upcoming podcast.

Eight branding mistakes and how to avoid them

The recent uproar surrounding the new Gap logo has reminded me to write about a discussion I had with a group of designers a few months ago. We got onto the topic of branding and there was a general consensus over eight points that everybody viewed as branding mistakes. They are:

Designing for yourself

To be honest, I have redesigned this and my other main site countless times. I have experimented with numerous colour schemes, layouts, fonts, images and logos and have tended to be dissatisfied with each incarnation. Basically, I am my own worst client and I know I am not the only one to think this way - Six Revisions, for example, wrote an article entitled 'How to Design for Your Worst Client: You' last year, listing ten rules to stick to when designing a website. While I agree with that article, my own experience has led to me trying to stick to 5 rules when designing for myself.

1) Learn from the experience

When you're scratching your head and thinking 'why doesn't this work?' or 'what's missing?', take notes and monitor what you did, why you did it, and when you did it. Take that experience and remember it when designing for a client: it will help you try to understand them better and (hopefully) help you approach the task with more of an open mind.

2) Ask other people

Before you change something, ask others for their feedback. Ask what they like and don't like about the current design. Ask them how they perceive you and compare this with how you perceive yourself. Listen to them.

3) Don't copy

Sometimes being 'inspired' by another design can go a little too far and the result will be a poor imitation. Be inspired, but be original.

4) Don't try to be something you're not

Anybody who has followed this site for any length of time will know that I have variously had it loaded with navigation and/or images and advertisements. I fell into the trap of trying to create a site that didn't really reflect me and it is an ongoing process to change that, both here and on my other site. I am currently paring both down because I tend to prefer minimalist design. I'm still trying to find the right balance.

5) Learn when to stop

Yes, I'm still learning this. At some point, however, you have to stop messing around with the design. Even with smaller sites/companies there needs to be some continuity so that people will not be confused each time they look at your site.

Loom: New logo

In 2007 I designed a logo for Loom, a small Japanese clothing company, and I am delighted to report that they asked me to redesign their logo to reflect their new direction.

Although they started out designing their own line of t-shirts, the Okinawa-based husband and wife team of Nori and Reina have turned their attention to recycling used clothing into innovative designs. They had four provisos for their logo:

1) It should be 'very simple'
2) It should be easy to hand-paint onto the clothing
3) It should embody the spirit of 'reduce, reuse, recycle'
4) It should resemble Japanese shodo (calligraphy)

They chose the logo above and will be painting it onto their clothing from this week. In keeping with their simple approach to business, they do not maintain a website and only create clothing for local clients.

If you would like to work with me, please contact me.

SFTE Agency: promotional music

I recently completed some promotional music for a Japanese client, which I thought I would share.

The client wanted a 'short, simple, atmospheric' piece that evoked 'a relaxing mood'. They selected the following short piece which is intended to be used for their website, TV and promotional events. (The client has requested that I don't mention their name as they are still building their brand, but they did give permission to share the music.)

SFTE Agency Promo