ideasonideas

Random observations - Part 3

Eric Karjaluoto — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 14:54:34 +0000

It’s a September Friday and it looks as though the sun may make an appearance. I’m in one of those “places” where everything seems to be moving along pretty nicely. As such, I thought I’d share another set of random observations (there are others here and here). (more…)

Microsoft ads leverage flaws in Apple’s strategy

Eric Karjaluoto — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 03:00:08 +0000

I’m a bit of a fence-sitter when it comes to the Mac/PC “thing”. At home I run Macs, while at work we use PCs. (We also use iPhones.) There are things that I like about both platforms, and aspects that I dislike as well. To be completely honest, a large part of me would love to only use Apple products, due to their beauty and simplicity. (more…)

Self-directed, Part 1: What they’re doing

Eric Karjaluoto — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:50:48 +0000

I’m a big believer in design firms taking on self-directed projects. They are a wonderful outlet and afford designers the opportunity to “own” something, which is rather rare in most client-driven projects. In fact, I presented a Thinkshop on this topic at the Y Conference in lovely San Diego last spring. (more…)

Running your own race

Eric Karjaluoto — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 18:08:24 +0000

In the past year we’ve been approached by six different agencies wishing to acquire smashLAB. Some were big players, two were regional firms, and the others were working as agents for other operations. Needless to say, we found all of this quite flattering, even if it wasn’t really on our agenda. (more…)

Idiots

Eric Karjaluoto — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 18:19:54 +0000

Marybeth from Orca Communications might be an idiot. I’m not saying she is; however, her behavior is certainly in-line with the kind of idiocy that some PR firms are practicing. I know I’m going to sound like a dink here, but there’s a hard truth to face, and it’s that these groups just aren’t “getting it”. (more…)

Aspirations, mistakes, advice and death

Eric Karjaluoto — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:37:18 +0000

It’s summer and I’ve been writing very little. (Lately the beach has taken priority.) A couple of weeks ago, Mark Dudlik asked me a few questions for a magazine he’s involved with called Fill/Stroke. Mark’s been kind enough to allow me to repurpose this piece on ideasonideas. Here goes… (and now I’m off to sit in the sun). (more…)

Random observations - Part 2

Eric Karjaluoto — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:16:36 +0000

A while back I posted Random observations - Part 1. This is a follow-up. As noted earlier, these are personal ruminations on patterns I’ve uncovered through my professional practice. Some are topical, while others may feel rather disconnected. That being said, they all circle around the same things in my mind. (more…)

Can you rescue your ideas?

Eric Karjaluoto — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 17:36:16 +0000

I used to think that a great idea was enough. We’d carefully run the process and develop a strategy and solution to help solve our client’s challenge. After all of this analysis, exploration and plain hard work, I figured that everything would take care of itself. In actuality, however, nothing could be further from the truth. If you can’t effectively sell your idea, it will die. (more…)

Random observations - Part 1

Eric Karjaluoto — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:46:43 +0000

I’ve now been involved in some kind of creative activity for the bulk of my life. From design to running a business, I’ve found that certain patterns have emerged. Clearly there are parallels, and I’m slowly learning a few lessons. About a year ago I started to document these thoughts, with little notion as to what to do with them. (more…)

Blockbusting

Eric Karjaluoto — Tue, 13 May 2008 21:32:27 +0000

A year ago I started to write a book on creativity. In it I discuss how we’ve made this notion so mythic that it has become ridiculously exclusive. This seems rather silly, given that it’s learnable, just like any other discipline. The point, however, is that all this time has passed, and I only have half a book ready (I’m a walking cliché—sorry folks!) (more…)