This came up recently over a project.
There was a vision… a dream.
The project had a soaring spirit! It was going to be the best thing we did all year. 

Then the changes started rolling in, and the deliverable started to change. Rather than soaring over the mountain tops, it felt like we were gently gliding over farmland. 

Ok. Maybe that’s a bit extreme.
But in the moment, that’s how it felt. 

The creative process can be frustrating. Particularly when you feel like your vision is no longer going to see the light of day. But at the end of the day, what is most important? 

 Really, I have been on the other side of that argument too. I have walked away shaking my head (and sometimes my fists) muttering epithets about creative egos and prima donnas. Maybe. You can’t prove it. 

The point is, how much did it really matter? The goal is king. Does the current execution accomplish our goal in an effective way? Well, does it? If it does, stop whining! 

And that’s the rub.
The creative visionary has (in his head) created an amazing ice cream sundae. With hot fudge, whipped cream, nuts, cherry, those crushed chocolate thingies that you used to get at Carvel as a kid but never had a name until you found out they were really just Oreo cookies... It’s an amazing sundae. Taking anything away makes it a less awesome sundae. 

When it feels like you are delivering nothing more than a bowl of ice cream, it’s shocking! Disappointing! A travesty! 

Yeah… but, was the point to make the sundae? Really? 

No. The point (metaphorically) was to deliver something delicious. And realistically, you are delivering a delicious bowl of ice cream to someone who has no ice cream. They have no idea that you planned something bigger. All they say is “Oh hey! Ice cream!” And they are happy. Possibly thrilled. 

So… sometimes the creative visionary (we’ll call it me, today) needs to just let it go and recognize the success it really is. Because, hey! Ice cream!

Letters. Simple, written correspondence. In paper form.

It's a client's project that got me thinking about this. For the past year, we have been lobbying clients to consider - just consider - adding printed communication back to the employee comm mix. Why? Because emails and intranet sites have lost their impact. Sure, they are cheap and quick, but they don't always move the engagement bar the way we need.

So, when a client came and asked me "what do you think about a printed employee magazine?" I almost exploded. I think it's awesome!

I love it for several reasons:

• What's old is new again. 10 years ago, we got excited about an email, and threw away our paper mail. Today, we trash the email and enjoy the printed communication. 
• Every employee that gets the magazine can share it with their family. Be genuinely proud of their company.
• They can keep it. Not to say every employee will, but there will be some that keep that piece lying around LONG after their email box is full of junk again.

At the end of the day, we need to ask the simple question: "What are we trying to accomplish?" I can pretty much guarantee that no matter what the answer is, it starts with getting noticed. And nowadays? Print is getting noticed again.

Feel free to send me your thoughts - for and against. I would LOVE a letter:

Eric Berrios
Realm Advertising
5901 Peachtree Dunwoody Road
Suite A550
Atlanta, GA 30328

I'm a glory hound. There it is.

And yet, somehow I landed squarely in client services at a company whose brand is "best service." It's an enigma.

On the one hand, every creative fiber in my body yearns for approval and recognition. While, on the other hand, I am in a role that probably gets the least of it.

That's not to say I don't work for some very appreciative clients. I do. And I couldn't ask for better. But it is a fact that the foundation of my, and my team's role is to glorify our client. To create a protective barrier around his achievement and make it a phenomenal success.

So where does that leave me? Where do you find my team? Standing there quietly in our client's shadow.

The funny thing, as I have gotten older and more comfortable with myself, I have found I like that spot! There is something spiritually gratifying to watch someone who you care about succeed. To watch them gather praise and accolades as they are cheered and regaled.

This actually happened about a week ago. Amidst a crowd of 300 senior management, my client was called out by the CEO for his hard work and great creative product - we had helped pull him out of a raging fire and created something pretty neat in the eleventh hour.

And as the lights turned on him, I happened to be standing there, coffee in hand. I stepped back, and let him shine, made sure the whole room focused on him, knew he was responsible.

When the moment passed he turned to me with a smile and indicated that I should have joined in the moment. We laughed as I literally stepped into his shadow and smiled along with him... It was then that it occurred to me.

I like this place. I am proud of this place. I am a service person through and through.

It’s been a tough year. The economic situation seems to be improving yet, corporate leadership is stressed and employees constantly squeezed. All-in-all one thing seems to remain true – honest, straightforward communication from the top down is imperative to keep the peace during this temporary insanity we call the recession. All employee team members deserve (and demand) to know what is really going on with the companies they count on for their livelihood. In the recent past, it wasn’t that uncommon for leadership to inform their employees that they no longer had jobs and the business is closing as of today. This sort of maneuver is so 2009.

A Look Forward
For the brighter days ahead in 2010, communication has to lift the spirit, fit into an ever-shrinking budget, not disrupt an employee’s workday and is ultimately environmentally responsible. If that wasn’t enough, it should also communicate timely information with the honesty and sincerity that your team and clients deserve. What’s the answer? At Realm, we think video.

Reality TV Turns Into Relationship TV
With droves of viewers flocking home to watch reality TV and browse their favorite YouTube channels, more raw, homemade video production has become accepted in the industry. At Realm, we’ve always used video as a weapon in the communications arsenal but typically, video production was cost prohibitive. It was also technically hard to find suitable playback environments without huge investments or corporate security concessions. Aesthetically, standard corporate video production felt a little disingenuous, plastic and even fake. Scripting down to every word made for a well-orchestrated video, but did not allow viewers to feel what the relationship between the executive and employee (or client) was really all about.

However, today video has turned into a fast, economical way for corporations to quickly and efficiently push out critical information to employees and clients. It’s about creating a deeper relationship. Starting an ongoing and open conversation that communicates “you are a part of the team; an integral means to a better end.” Employees feel that they are empowered to help “row the boat,” not just ride in it. Inclusive language that sets the stage that leadership and employees are in this together and a part of the solution is what people in today’s workforce really crave. Ownership.

I See Tools and Tech Everywhere
Great tools, tech and easy-to-use interfaces have made this all possible. Not only can you pick up great quality HD video cameras for a song, the software needed to import, edit, animate and compose has become less expensive and easier to use. On another front, the hosting environments needed for online playback has become more accessible and less expensive, too. Bonus.

The Bottom Line
Many corporations have clammed shut during the recession and kept their employees in the dark about where the company is going. What’s really needed is regular, sincere dialogue with your employees and customers. Let them truly know what’s going on. Not the churched up, corporate speak, Hollywood want-a-be kind, but something real, sincere and believable. Your employees and customers deserve to have a relationship with the leaders of the companies in which they work and do business. Let them see who you really are. It will build trust and ease the tensions that are rampant in today’s break rooms.

 

The time had come to design an official logo for the Atlanta International Soccer Fest (AISF) 2010. We’re committed to this event and to the children it will help through the SOS Children’s Villages charity. Everything is moving at warp speed and designing this new logo is no exception. Doing pro-bono work is always an adventure in time management as you must meet the needs and expectations of paying clients while squeezing in your brilliant “free” design during a snack of peanut M&Ms (or, in Carmen’s case, peanut butter and yogurt…but that’s another story). And don’t be fooled: the expectations are just as high but the pressure to perform ups the ante as you only have so much time allotted to mix, bake and serve your ideas. Let’s take a look at this process, the logos that were submitted for consideration and the eventual winner.

Day 1: Meetings, discussion, sketches, more discussion, research.

Day 2: Need some inspiration? How about this?

Michelle, Carmen, Winnie

Day 3: Creatives ponder the meaning of soccer balls in life. (“Which came first – the soccer ball or the egg?”) Ideas begin to take digital form.

Day 4: Creatives trust no one, jealously guarding their desks and shielding all but the most crafty from sneaking a peek. (“Can I see?” “No.” “How about a little peek?” “No.” “Can you just tell me the colors you are using?” “Black and blue, which is what you’re gonna be if you don’t go away.”)

Day 5: Only the Creative Director is allowed into the inner sanctum, offering advice and sympathy where needed. Finally, the first round of designs are ready for viewing. Oohs and aahhs commence. Designs are mounted on black foam core, ready for their official presentation.

And here we have our contenders:

Option 1


Option 2


Option 3


Option 4

Did you pick a favorite? If you’re like me, you had a hard time choosing one because they all have a great presence. But only one can be crowned the official logo for the Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010, and so much discussion ensues. What will appeal to the broadest audience? What has lasting power for the next four years (which is what we are anticipating)? What will reproduce the best? What conveys the purpose of this event? What about color choices? And we need to focus on the SOS charity aspect as well as the event itself.
 

After a few days, more discussion and pondering, we have a winner. And to ensure SOS receives equal billing, it’s decided that the SOS logo will always appear with the winning AISF 2010 logo. Congratulations to Realm designer Winnie Widastra on having her logo selected!

Why is this logo so important? Because the Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010 is THE soccer event of the summer. The South African-American Chamber of Commerce and the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southeastern U.S. are leading this initiative in honor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM. The AISF 2010 is a combination of two events. First, coinciding on June 11 with the beginning of the FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM, there will be viewing parties at restaurants and pubs around the metro Atlanta area. Second, a soccer tournament will be held June 12 at the Atlanta Silverbacks Park between bi-national chambers of commerce, consulates, the World Trade Center Atlanta and community organizations.

Proceeds from AISF 2010 will benefit SOS Children’s Villages, an independent, non-governmental social development organization. Since 1949, SOS Children’s Villages has been working to meet the needs, and protect the interests and rights of children. Operating in 132 countries, SOS Children’s Villages provides long-term family-based care for children who have been orphaned, abandoned or whose families are unable to care for them.
SOS Children’s Villages has three locations in the U.S.: two in Chicago, IL and one in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. A third location is being built in Chicago.

I hope to see you at the June 12 tournament, and around town at some of the viewing parties. I can guarantee you there are some soccer-crazed fans here in the city and a good time will be had by all. For more information about these events, please visit www.atlsoccerfest.com or visit the Facebook page for Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010.