Posted by admin on Aug 14, 2009 in
Uncategorized So- it’s been quite some time since my last post. A lot has happened. I quit my job in the middle of a recession and couldn’t be happier about it. Since then, I’ve done some cool stuff and it all happens, generally, from a creepy little remote location somewhere. A coffee shop? Panera? My couch? Or, most frequently, my office. I even cruise down to this creepy little taco shop (with supergood carnitas) down in Logan Heights (yes, Barrio Logan for all you SD hoodlums) and work from this little birds nest from time to time. There are some Rails guys that hive downtown that I check out every now and again as well. For the most part, I just cruise wherever, whenever I want and make shit happen.
Got a few peeps I work with on a day to day basis. Some others I work with less frequently. Even some I do work for as one off projects or picking up someone else’s slack on something. It’s really cool. It also allows me to travel a bunch, cuz I can work from anywhere that has a WiFi or even ethernet connection. I think the term for it is “Digital Nomad” or something. I read a cool article in the New York Times about it. People get all tripped out cuz they can’t break the mindset of people working while they are not “At Work” – when actually people (certainly not all people) work harder while they are not there. Guess it takes a unique personality to really make it work. But if you think you can, DO IT! Cuz it’s rad.
Hopefully more soon, kinda forgot about this blog for a minute there. Hit me up to remind me to post some of my recent work. Some pretty cool stuff.
Shameless plugs… (click them please!)
Pool Supplies
Pool Filters
Funny T-Shirts
Funny Shot Glasses
Tags: contract, design, designer, interactive, matt, mow, simpson, update, web
Posted by admin on Jan 6, 2009 in
Uncategorized Ok, to begin with… sorry. I have to preface this post with an apology because this day has been testing my patience to say the absolute least. This is the year for me to make some changes and I am beginning to have a feeling that the changes are going to made sooner than later. Fine with me!
So the point to be made in this post is that print designers should stick to print and web designers should stick to web. I am not saying this to offend anyone. The thing is this — my Creative Director here at work has been slowly and surely (in my eyes only) diggin himself a hole. He does not know web. I’ll go a step further. He still asks me if he needs to put a ‘www’ in front of a URL and can’t work a mouse with a right click on it because it’s just too much. No offense if you’re reading this.. you know who you are, but you just ain’t up to speed with some stuff.
This lack of knowledge has brought me into this downward spiral here at work. I kinda feel like it has gotten to the, no, it has gotten to the point where he is asking me questions that are just so damn stupid. Like the person that is so ignorant to design that they think there is a button in Illustrator that makes logos. Or a button in Photshop that makes pictures perfect quality and clips them out for you. “Well, can’t you just grab his arm and put it on her?”
Today he asked me why it would take so long to move a button on a Wordpress Template, change the style of it and make it take you to a different place. “Well, it won’t take that long but there are a lot of steps involved” I told him. To which he responded, “Oh, you mean you can’t just grab it and move it like in Photoshop or something?” It just makes me cringe.
I like to be in management positions. I always have. Probably due to my experience as a retail manager. However, every time a project comes through that is web related, it get’s estimated by people who have no idea how to do any of the things that it takes to make that project a reality. I end up getting stuck in the middle of it because I do know what it would take to accomplish the project so everyone turns to me. Again… Fine with me! What ends up super sucking though is that the CD comes in after I estimate the project as best I can and starts slashing hours and prices syaing “we can do it in less time than that!” And then the AE on the project comes through and says, “I don’t think the client will go for it, let’s figure out how we can cut some hours!” So the estimates get slashed all over the place. And then the mighty hand of God (owner of the agency) comes through, “Come on you guys… I KNOW we can do it for less than that!”
Next step, project goes into production and I get tasked with managing it. I am the Interactive Art Director, “no problem!” Not exactly. You see I’m literally trying to make a dollar out of fifteen cents on all the projects we take on. So the project is in production with not even enough hours to bang out the design. Then goes into programming production. Then the mighty hand God (owner of the agency) comes through after the CD, AE and client have checked off on design and says something like, “Ya know, I think we should change this around a bit?”
Well… that makes sense! Not exactly.
Sum it up a little quicker… the path here at the agency is a pretty damn convoluted one. Sometimes I feel like I work inside of a giant pinball machine and the mighty hand of God (owner of the agency) is just flicking those damn flickers around all over the place without even caring about where the ball is headed. It spins me out when things come up that seem to be so common sense to figure out yet they do the opposite and end up losing clients and projects over it. And not just once, then learn the lesson and move on. It’s all the time. I feel like I’m not even getting any good portfolio work here anymore because none of the projects I work on even make it to production. The client gets frustrated and leaves or they fire us before we can make any money. And you know who the finger gets pointed at when that happens? me! Makes me feel real nice.
Oh well. Like I said, this is the year for change. When I do make a change I will be taking things into my own hands and developing a stream lined process for projects to move down. No more AE’s coming through and having to check things off. No more CD’s who don’t know what they’re talking about. No more mighty hand of God slopping the whole thing up just get his thumbprint onto everything that comes through here. It’s too many steps. Too many people. And the client has to pay for all those hours that all those people spend messing things up. It’s crazy. Projects can get done twice as quick or faster for half the price or cheaper. Who doesn’t like that? Everyone wins!
Hope the New Year is treating you and yours well and getting off to a great start. Mine is full of inspiration and realizations at this point.
Tags: agency, art, california, contractor, creative, design, director, freelance, freelancer, graphic, interactive, matt, process, production, san diego, simpson, web
Posted by admin on Dec 29, 2008 in
Uncategorized Here is an article I stumbled upon through a new Twitter feed that has some very useful advice for anyone looking to make the leap from a “Real” Job to a consultant position. The leap is a big one that should not be under estimated. But from most people I know that have made it, it’s a leap that you’ll never jump back from. Check out the link…
http://www.unixwiz.net/techtips/be-consultant.html
Tags: consultant, design, feed, freelance, twitter
Posted by admin on Dec 29, 2008 in
Uncategorized So this video came my way about a week ago. I laugh pretty hard every time I see it. While I don’t know it’s original play context, this has to be some viral video that played in Europe or something. Sounds like the guys with the camera are speaking German? Either way, check it out. Like I said, it makes me laugh every time I watch it. For more info on how viral marketing works, contact me and I’ll give you the run down.
Click Here to View Video
Tags: design, marketing, matt, simpson, video, viral
Posted by admin on Dec 24, 2008 in
Uncategorized Technorati Profile
If you have not seen this type of post before contact me here and ask me what it’s about. I am in the process of bringing my blog up to speed with some of the current social media marketing platforms. This is a great way for you to gain exposure on teh internet and reach lots of minds very quickly.
Tags: blog, claim, marketing, social media marketing, technorati
Posted by admin on Dec 24, 2008 in
Uncategorized Well, the holiday is here. The weather is colder (even here in San Diego) and yes… it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. This past year has been moumental for me. A great year. I got married. I got a dog. Couple really fun projects to work on. Couple really big projects to work on. Lots of new contacts and friends and family and fun. What I am really looking forward to, though, is 2009.
I’m looking forward to building a business for myself and using my marketing skills to make it succesful. I’m looking forward to expanding my family and having kids. I’m looking forward to taking advantage of the low housing market and buying a home for my wife and I with a backyard for the dog. I’m looking forward to seeing my brother in law get married. Big changes! Big changes.
So, while I’m not in the full Christmas spirit this year, I am in the spirit of growth. And that is exactly what I will make out of 2009.
Tags: 2009, design, marketing, matt, san diego, simpson, web
Posted by admin on Dec 23, 2008 in
Uncategorized My thought for today is slightly sinical. It’s actually very simple. You ready for it?
Don’t market stupid products or ideas. Let them go! Far too often I see, hear and experience marketing that is nothing short of blatant gimmick. Why? People get caught on an idea or a product or a service that really has no place in any current markets. But they’re stuck. They can’t get past that idea. They think that they are going to “hit it big with this one!”
So – what do they do? They go to an Advertising Agency or a Branding Agency much like the one that I am currently employed by and share the idea or whatever the case is. 9 times out of 10 the Agency will encourage the person/company to explore filling their heads with promises of Brand growth and Market placement and do it all with excitement. What’s not to be excited about? This person/company is about to spend a lot of money to Brand this idea and push it to the limits. “We’re gonna hit it big with this one!”
The sad truth is that 9 times out of 10 they will not “hit it big with this one.” Matter of fact (this is the sinical part) they’ll more than likely spend their life savings or entire business loans or entire investors bank roll trying to make it work. All the while the Agency keeps the promises and dreams alive. More than likely executing decent work for the person/company, but never telling them that their idea will not work. Instead, they come up with little gingles for radio ads. Over designed billboards with no real message. Top shelf magazine spreads that people quickly flip past. All cheap solutions. Ha!
You want to get some attention? You want to get some public interest in your product or idea? You want to send a message to people that they just can’t ignore? Here it is. Here is the solution. Get involved with or develop something that isn’t a gimmick. Put something out there that will make life easier for the masses. Or something that the kids (the kids of today — not the kids of your era) will not be able to live without. Something that doesn’t suck.
And if you have already have your widget and want more people to buy it. Or you want sales to increase and get more public awareness. Or if you just want there to be more hype on your idea/product/service. Give people incentive. Give them a reason to respond. A discount. A free trial. A promotion. Something.
I just get tired of hearing and seeing and experiencing advertising for things that suck. I get tired of hearing radio ads that try and sell me something I don’t need by singing about them. I get tired of seeing bus stop signs that I can’t read from 12 feet away and even I could read it, it would be for something stupid that sucks. I get tired of seeing billboards on the freeway with paragraphs of text on them.
Dumb advertising for dumb products/services is dumb. Don’t market stupid products or ideas.
Tags: advertising, dumb, sinical, stupid
Posted by admin on Oct 31, 2008 in
Uncategorized Check out this spin on the Rubix Cube with all the pantone colors on it. Thought it would be something cool to have on the old desk while I work. Might be a little tough if the color you’re searching for is on one of the inside walls though. Even still, looks pretty damn cool. I’d buy.
Pantone Color spin on the Rubix Cube
Tags: color, cool, cube, pantone, rubitone, rubix
Posted by admin on Oct 31, 2008 in
Uncategorized So inspirational! This trailer for the new Mack Dawg Snowboard video “Picture This” is insane! Shot in all High Definition HD video the cinematography is simply amazing. Leave it up to Mack Dawg productions to take everything a step further by delivering such crystal clear content… not to mention that the content is clearly insane.
Nice work Mack Dawg — I’ll be buying two
“Picture This” Mack Dawg Productions New Snowboard video trailer
Tags: crystal, dawg, definition, hd, high, insane, mack, picture, productions, snow, snowboard, this, trailer, video, videos
Posted by admin on Oct 29, 2008 in
Uncategorized Well, it’s been a while since I entered this whole bloggin world. To be quite honest, for this site at least, it hasn’t worked out too well. Prolly my fault more than anything for using the blog for alternative motives and link optimization for other sites. Not really sticking to the point I guess is what I am getting at, or at least off subject a bit.
So, I’m starting fresh. I kinda felt like I had to when I logged into the comments tab of my wordpress admin section and saw that I had 57 thousand comments awaiting approval. I figured I was either going to spend 3 days marking all messages as spam or, the route I decided to stick with, give my database a swirly. No harm, no foul though. Nothing really worth keeping in that database either way. Like I said, I used the old one more as a repository for link builds and more useless than anything information.
Gonna try to make this time around work a little better and suit my actual interests though. We’ll see how it works. If you’re out there, reading this and human… give me some topics to cover here on the blog and I’ll do my best. If not, I’ll just start freestyling and see where it takes me.
Either way… Enjoy.
–Mow
Tags: art, blog, design, designer, director, freelance, freestyle, interactive, link, links, matt, san diego, simpson
