Standing desks and workstations

Do you want to boost your creativity and improve your health? Try standing more while you work at your computer.

For full disclosure: I work for Ergotron and we make all kinds of computer mounting solutions, including stand-up workstations (those are my arms in the photo at left).

It is a very simple equation: standing a little more each day burns extra calories, tones muscles, improves posture, increases blood flow and ramps up metabolism.

On the creative side, being freed from a "desk-sentence" (I can't take credit for that reference to "death sentence" I read it on a blog)... where one is usually hunched over and stuck in one place, and then freed to stand and move around sharpens the mind and creative juices. I can't fully explain it but you have to try it... I have, and I love it.

The standing workstations that Ergotron makes allow the user to stand or sit so if you get tired you can still sit. I think this form of standing while you compute is going to catch-on big in ad agencies and in corporations... we are receiving an enormous amount of positive feedback at Ergotron saying how standing at work is improving their health and productivity.

L’Etoile du Nord French Immersion School

My good friend and fellow creative designer... along with his wife have devoted themselves to their two young children and have made countless sacrifices for their education and care. For example, Steve, stayed home and cared for his young girls and forfeited his salary and seniority at his workplace. He and his wife changed neighborhoods/home for his girls and as parents they spent countless hours choosing the right school for their girls.... and their choice was L’Etoile du Nord French Immersion School (which is in their neighborhood). The school is the crown-jewel for the St. Paul school districts (highly rated, excellent parent involvement...) yet St. Paul wants to move it.

Read more here and please sign the petition to keep the school where it is. Help keep the school where Steve's girls.. and their friends live and where it is dearly wanted.

http://www.eastsidepride.com/petition/petition-to-keep-the-lnfi-school-in-its-current-location

Infographics

Infographics have become an important marketing vehicle on the web. Most everyone is familiar with the concept, it goes back to the old print publication technique found frequently in Time and Newsweek and even local newspapers. In short, an infographic boils down all the essential elements of a story or message into an eye-catching graphic that has few words and is contained usually on one page.

In this internet-age, they are very much the same in how they look, the difference is more in how they are delivered. Infographics are often designed with a very broad/open copyright position (see creative commons). By opening the infographic to the public domain the creators hope the bloggers, web content authors, tweet-ers, news-aggregators and such will use the infographic in their content and the message will be pushed out organically to their audience, sometimes called, "going viral".

Take a look at a few infographics...  juststand cause campaign from Ergotron (the company I work for); infonewt an infographic marketing group and a money blogger.

Monetizing Twitter?

The 2009 FTC regulation change that was directed at bloggers and product endorsements seems like it could offer some insight into Twitter relationships/endorsements as well. Read a more complete review of this FTC action in this NYT article.

Sometimes we forget that the new media, such as Twitter, is an effective and aggressive tool of capitalism. Slowly more people are becoming aware that famous twitter personalities, are getting $ to gently endorse products. Adding to these planned/tainted motives are bots cranking out the tweets every 5 minutes vying for your precious attention and buying power. BTW, can anybody really keep up with and follow more than 60 twitter persons? Doesn't following 2000+ tweets seem excessive, especially when some are tweeting around 5X a day?

It appears the pure stream of real people and their opinions is beginning to suffocate in the crowded and frenetic pool of strategic commerce.

Twitter is a great way to briefly communicate with a bunch of people. But just like our parents said, "don't believe everything you read or hear".

Photo is of a classic Minnesota fishing boat tied to the dock and ready for an adventure.

Hot video topic: Using new SLRs for HD video

I've had the pleasure of working with two very skilled director/cinematographers/producers from LA over the last 3 years. Teaming-up with our marketing team at Ergotron, and a local Twin city actor, we have produced some very fun product commercials (see left side of TesterGuy videos).

In our last film the guys from LA recommended they shoot the whole commercial on a new Canon 7D SLR. As many of you know, the new SLRs now have HD video capability and the Canon 1080p! The canon SLR's extremely sensitive capture system combined with some sophisticated lens action makes for some cinema-like footage. Check out our new Ergotron LX LCD Arm commercial which is completely shot on the Canon 7D SLR.

SLR videos are the rage, and for good reason (capability and affordability compared to high-end video camera), check out these great SLR video blogs/articles.
http://vimeo.com/6759220
http://www.dpreview.com/news/0909/09090105canoneos7d.asp
http://photofocus.com/2009/10/19/learn-5d-mark-ii-canon-cinematography-with-philip-bloom-mini-review/ (mostly addresses Canon 5D MK II, but relevant for 7D)

Creative ramblings on Social Media

Photo at left is of Blackhills bison in S. Dakota. I enjoyed the trip as much as our kids!

As consumers, we still need to ask a question of social-media... is the content organic/authentic/accurate/what I need? Subtle yet persuasive distortions are difficult to detect in what is heralded as "your pure stream of truth". Many bloggers ran out of fresh meaningful content and also were influenced by monetize options. Tweets, although tiny and brief, sometimes lack integrity.

I've also noticed, people who have FB sites/groups and tweet now are web content creators and this neophyte audience is getting targeted by savvy marketing machines. The marketing snake oil says to the new web content makers "You can reach more customers if you do/use this" and the B to B or B to C.... or even niche or mass market categories often go unaddressed and misapplied.

Perhaps the prospect-pie isn't growing for some... but rather, the pie is shifting in how it finds information.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog on Social Media, the challenge is to not get bogged down while making use of the benefits.

A couple positives in this new trend: Many marketing groups that have embraced twitter, blogs and are active out in web-communities are reaching their audiences at a fraction of the cost of years past. The $8,000 4C ad for a 1 page ad, for one month, in a decent trade magazine is looking like yesterday's excesses. Inexpensive home-made youtube videos are becoming as influential as the big-coin professional video content.

Digital Slide Shows: Nikon Coolpix S1000PJ

In my generation, many remember the old slide-shows Mom and Dad and Uncle Harry projected on the wall. This manner of showing photos is alive and well in the digital world thanks to Nikon and other manufacturers of micro-projectors. What's unique in this example is that the micro-projecter is integrated into the digital camera.

See Popular Mechanics article

Sounds like a great addition for the family, but also it offers an improved workflow in some digital photography and design settings. If you have several people needing to review a set of images a micro-projector could be the answer... especially if a large display is not around.

A walk in nature increases one's memory

Have you read about the new study that shows a walk in nature can increase your short-term memory by 20%.

Here is the study (I haven't read it fully yet... but I saw it linked from a couple web sites and psych blogs). http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/121570660/abstract?CRETRY=1&SRETRY=0

Here is a psych blog introduction to the findings.

Personally, I find most any exposure to natural settings of trees, mountains, fields, heck... even a marsh area, can be invigorating for my mind, memory and general creative energy. So if your latest design/creative project is stagnant and your mind is slow....get outside!

Pic is from one of my family camping adventures into remote Northern MN. It was 19° F in the AM and rose to 70° F by noon... yes, our short-term memory was very sharp.

Create your own stock images

One of the great benefits of today's digital cameras is their affordability. For only $110 one can purchase a very capable Nikon or Canon camera that has 8+megapixels, huge playback screens, custom white-balance, exposure controls, macro-lens options and other manual over-rides. This is the price and feature range of the old Pentax K-1000 in the late 80's... plus the ability to process one's own images right in their home/computer at no cost. With this accessibility most anyone can create great pics, especially the thrifty graphic designer. With a little trial and error one can learn to create great abstract images from common objects that work great in brochures and flyers.



The photos show the results of my macro lens (extreme close-up focal length) option of my 2 year old Canon A600. Above photo captures coffee in my cup. At left, a 1.5" tall figurine.

Apple's iMovie is amazing!

I've been a user of iMovie for years but now my kids are cranking things out too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx_8zZY41o0

The fact my kids can record video (via the iMac's built-in camera), add audio clips, make transitions, crop, edit and build a full video story shows the easy-access and power of this brilliant software. There are many neat PC apps out there... but Apple seems to consistently and creatively lead the way.... and with FREE software (when you buy an Apple).

One word of caution, use the old iMovie HD version (you can still download it from Apple), the 08 version that shipped this last year with the Apple OS has less features and is geared towards quick and less sophisticated productions (Google this topic for the details). iMovie 09's reviews are more promising. Interesting, the NY Time's Tech personal tech writer, David Pogue uses iMovie and produces his own video segments.

Pink, flowers and Men

To the men out there.... don't be afraid to use florals and traditionally feminine colors/themes in your graphic designs and paintings. I know it can be a bit uncomfortable having ones' creative output referred to as... shall we say, masculine-challenged. Good design and beauty should win over our subjective perspectives, besides my hunch is more females appreciate good design then men, so why not play to your audience.

To the females out there... vice-versa.

Photo: This is a close-up of a water color painting I completed back in the 90's