You should have a four-year degree in design or a related field, a minimum of five years experience in design and production, highly developed project management skills, deep knowledge of production — especially in POP/merchandising and packaging — and competency in Adobe CS 3 for the Mac.

Go East is a brand, design, and digital media firm located on the east side of the Twin Cities. Go East brings brands vividly to life, both for internal and external audiences. We help our clients define and articulate their brands, develop integrated communication programs, and create powerful creative solutions and relevant experiences in all media.

Send cover letter, resumes and samples of your work (URL, copies or PDFs accepted). No calls, please.

Go East
403 Hayward Avenue, North
St. Paul, MN 55128
Email: tdeis@goeastdesign.com

You should have a four-year degree in design or a related field, a minimum of five years experience in design, excellent design sensitivity, knowledge of production, and competency in Adobe CS 3 for the Mac.

Go East is a brand, design, and digital media firm located on the east side of the Twin Cities. Go East brings brands vividly to life, both for internal and external audiences. We help our clients define and articulate their brands, develop integrated communication programs, and create powerful creative solutions and relevant experiences in all media.

Send resumes and samples of your work (URL, copies or PDFs accepted). No calls, please.

Go East
403 Hayward Avenue, North
St. Paul, MN 55128
Email: tdeis@goeastdesign.com

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Props to Nigel Tufnel.

Both print and on-screen typefaces are designed to look best in their native environments. Typefaces designed for print take advantage of the high resolution achieved through the printing process. Typography designed for the Web is designed so the letterforms and other elements looks best on a monitor. The biggest difference between print and Web typefaces lies in how they are constructed. The printing process relies on circular dots of ink to construct typeface elements, while images on your monitor are made up of square pixels.

Sometimes typefaces cross from one realm to the other. Most recently, IKEA decided to change its 50-year-plus typeface used in the printed catalog from a variation on Futura to one designed by Mircosoft — called Verdana — for easy on-screen legibility. According to the design blog idsgn, one of the biggest reasons for the switch was the accessibility of Verdana to all IKEAs around the word. Another reason was to create a cohesive look from catalog to Web site.

The decision to go with a typeface designed by Microsoft for use on-screen has not gone unnoticed by the design community. It was met with an outcry of criticism almost across the board, culminating in an online petition to revert back to the original.

I believe all typefaces have a purpose; those designed for on-screen use should stay there. What’s your opinion?

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As 2009 comes to an end, here are a few tips to help stretch your marketing budgets:

Use social networks to talk to your customers; it’s free! Social networks have become a huge part of everyday life — Facebook and Twitter are the most popular. But in order to leverage social networking successfully, it’s a good idea to act quickly and maintain your networks. Tweet frequently to get people’s attention. And keep your Facebook fans current with regular updates. You have to create and nurture any social network — it’s kind of like a pet or a child.

Write articles and blogs that will appeal to your audience. Have a new Web site? Write about it. Launching a new division? Spread the word. Have a new product? Blog about it. Get the word out through well-written press releases and Web content. Just be sure they speak to your audience.

If you don’t have a GOOD Web site, get one. A Web search is one of the first things I do when looking for a business or service and most others search the same way. You should have an effective Web site, and aim for one that’s professional, not cheesy. The quickest way to turn away customers is with a cheap, shoddy-looking Web site. A good Web site doesn’t have to cost a lot; just a few well-designed pages with your contact information, location, philosophy and what you are offering will work well. And don’t forget to make sure your site is search-engine savvy.

Get creative with your marketing. Do you have a unique product to offer? Give it to a local radio station to give away in exchange for either an interview or 60-second radio spot. Do you sell a service? Offer it to your accountant in exchange for accounting advice, or provide it at a discount to guests at a nearby hotel. Have something to promote? Place a flier on the bulletin board at your local coffee shop. Want to expand your customer base? Partner with non-competitive companies that share your audience and offer something unique.

Network, network, network. Get involved with your Chamber of Commerce or local business associations. You’ll be surprised who you’ll meet and what they might need.

Marketing is as important as any other operation within a company. Finding affordable, thoughtful and relevant ways to get in front of your audience can help improve any marketing plan and give it more impact.

What are some strategies you have implemented to help stretch your budget this year? In 2010?

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Whether you are writing in blood or regular type, don’t forget: You must purchase fonts and license typefaces. The process is similar to purchasing stock imagery, and can get tricky. For example, agencies like Go East can buy various types of licenses. The licenses listed by Fonts.com include the standard end-user license, an extended multi-user license, and a Web server license, as well as other commercial licenses. The one to purchase depends on the number of users and how the font will be used. Most sites that offer fonts have roughly the same types of licenses, but the cost of fonts can differ widely. In fact, price tags can range from free to thousands of dollars, depending on the font, how it will be used and how many people will use it.

So have fun with your typography, but don’t forget to lock your door … Oh, I mean, don’t forget to lock up your licensing.

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• Hey, pal; so I guess we’re here to talk about writing and setting type, right?
• That’s right, Susan — and what’s more exciting than type?
• Nothing … except possibly words.
• Isn’t type words?

When you tell a story, you don’t cast your eyes downward, speak in a monotone voice and keep your hands and arms stiff by your sides. To engage your listeners and retain their attention, you change the speed and volume of your voice and you gesture.

So it is in a layout. Writing matters; however, typography is an equally important piece that helps reinforce the message. Good typography helps the reader move beyond the words and into the meaning. Good typography engages readers and helps them understand the information (and its importance).

Typography should perform these functions:
- Invite the reader/audience
- Reveal tone/meaning
- Clarify the structure/order of the content
- Link the writing with other elements

Typography can be like background music; some people only notice it when it is undeniably bad. When it’s good, however, typography calls less attention to itself than to the story it’s telling, the mood it aims to create and the meaning it seeks to express. When it’s great, it acts as an integral part of a piece.

Type can also be a major part of the layout. In my opinion, some of the most compelling and beautiful designs use type only, or use it as a major part of the art/aesthetic. (See “The Fisher King,” the Urban Outfitters ad, the Fossil watch tins and the “When the Water Rises” book cover examples below.)

Which example is your favorite — and why?

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Asking a designer to “make the font bigger” when you want the type to be larger is like asking someone to make a stereo speaker bigger, when you actually want the volume to be louder.

Example of a font

Example of a typeface during the design phase

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My top-10 list — and the fonts are arranged alphabetically, not in order of preference — is based solely on how I feel at this moment. Ask me tomorrow and I may say, “Ugh; what was I thinking?”

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Images courtesy of pixelelement.com.

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Let’s assume you find yourself with some funds that are tagged “use it or lose it.” What are you going to do with the money? Consider one or more of these five creative ways to spend surprise year-end marketing dollars — even if they are minimal:

1. Maximize your search engine optimization (SEO). This can be as simple as investing your time to rewrite some of the content on your Web site and incorporate words and phrases that users actually use in their searches.

2. Seventy-eight percent of marketing professionals polled in Coremetrics’ annual “Face of the New Marketer” survey saw that social media marketing was a way of getting an edge on their competitors. However, on average, their total online marketing budgets allocated just 7.7 percent to it. Consider investing in a strategy that will help you understand how to better leverage the opportunities around social media marketing.

3. Perform an audit of your visual assets library. Compare your assets to your upcoming marketing objectives and determine if you have what you need. Then, work with your agency to develop a complete shot list. Keep in mind things like this: You don’t have to do photography now if it doesn’t fit with your budget — but evaluating your needs now will keep you a step ahead!

4. Invest in research! This could include a general communication check for literature, advertising or packaging, or it could be a more targeted effort, one to help you better understand your target audiences from a qualitative standpoint (versus a demographic) position. Do a shop-along. Find out what consumers think and how they feel so you can create a rich profile. Your results will help you maximize your marketing efforts in the coming year!

5. Instead of doing one sell sheet or brochure, do two! Developing more than one of the same type of tactic actually saves money. When you work on project simultaneously or consecutively, you save in meeting time and project management time. Don’t be fooled — the savings can be quite significant.

These five ideas are all about investing in the long-term success of your brand. And that’s good, because a marketing budget should be thought of as an investment, not an expense.

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Do you know where your brand will be and where it needs to be to justify your marketing budget forecasts for next year? How will you get the greatest bang for your buck in 2010?

In the past, you may have reviewed your sales history simply to report it, and then forecasted for the year ahead by depending on gut feeling. But this year’s economic situation has been so extreme that this method may no longer work. Given the current recession, how can you be planful in order to avoid disaster and stay on course to be profitable?

Below are five helpful steps that will help you get on the right track:

- Stay focused on sales and goals

- Create an analytic framework

- Use simulation

- Anticipate your competition

- Refine your activities

In essence, don’t go for the gut; look to analytical reporting to guide you in the direction you wish to head. Trend reporting can provide helpful ideas, numbers and feedback for your planning and can provide the outlook you need to get your brand where you want it to be.

Carefully and deliberately determine your goals and objectives for next year and plan now. Stay firm with your objectives and stick to the brand strategy that conveys your messages to your target audience. Above all, stay on course.

Here we come 2010!

Reference: http://social.eyeforpharma.com/story/planning-marketing-budgets-and-allocations-measurable-profitable-brand-growth

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I’d be happy to.

At Go East, part of our job is finding the most efficient way to bring projects to life. One of our favorite methods is showing the cost savings for a series of projects (that is, for projects completed simultaneously). Perhaps your immediate need is to get your next e-newsletter out. Of course, you likely have a series of e-newsletters that you’ll need to publish. Have you considered developing them simultaneously instead of as individual projects? To move forward, all you might need is a coffee or lunch meeting to knock out a rough editorial calendar.

Hmm … having coffee with a friendly agency person to save money on my next project? I’d invest that.

Projects that are ideal candidates for this type of savings effort include the following:

• Regular print advertising
• Monthly e-newsletters
• Banner ads
• A series of related brochures
• Product sell sheets

This approach seems like a no-brainer. The truth is, you have to be willing to invest some time up front to develop the plan. Depending on your campaign, developing that plan could consume a few hours (over lunch or coffee), or more.

When clients “gang up” project work, I’ve seen cost savings range from 10 percent to 36 percent.

It’s a win-win-win situation:

Your brand wins because it benefits from thoughtful strategy AND you can use the dollars saved for even more initiatives!

Your agency wins because it worked on additional projects proactively (vs. reactively).

And you win because you look great to your team and your boss.

Which of your current projects can you “gang up”? What will you do with the savings?

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I believe the holiday card has been the single most important marketing touchpoint to our existing clients. It is our way of saying “thank you” for the business, while at the same time showcasing our personality.

Over the years, I’ve heard it makes a difference to our clients. I enjoy seeing the smiles that our card triggers and hearing stories about how the card affects their day. Mostly I hear about how excited people are to see it, how they share it with their co-workers and even take it home to show their families. When I visit our clients’ offices, I see the card hanging on their walls throughout the entire year. My favorite story about the card is from the client who admitted that they use our card as a template for their personal family card the following year…what a compliment!

As far as those who work with me (a.k.a. the wonderful team here at Go East), they start passing bribes to me in June to ensure a spot on the card concepting/development team. Who wouldn’t want to work a project where showcasing the creative talents and personalities of the entire company is the Number One objective?

There have been so many great cards over the years that I can’t pick an absolute favorite. Let’s have a little fun: Vote for your favorite Go East holiday card.

I’d like to know which is your favorite and if you have a spare moment or two, comment about why it’s your choice!

Thanks for participating and I hope this will spark a little early holiday spirit in everyone.

Bonus: Can you find the tobogganer whose legs were left out of the picture? Be the first to put the correct answer in the comments below.

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Then I remembered, at Go East, we’ve already completed 50+ projects for this holiday season ranging from online campaigns to in-store merchandising.

It’s true. If you are a marketer and you haven’t begun planning your holiday efforts, you are behind. This, according to the emailINSIDER, is a proven fact: 8 percent of major online retailers have already mentioned the holidays in their e-mail campaigns.

Read blogger Chad White’s post about the 18 phases of Christmas and then tell me, are you ready?

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