El Gaffney

You Say You Want a Transformation…

Well, you know, we all want to change the world.

Wow. That’s just about the cheesiest way to start off a post whose purpose is to link you to one of the most inspiring reads I’ve had in a while.

My friend, Leland Maschmeyer, now the Director of Strategy at COLLINS: (soon to be Director of Concept Design and Storytelling, I believe, as it is a more appropriate description of his job there) has recently posted “On Life Support: A Transformation Design Speech”.

Let me start off by saying, it is fantastic. And not in a “Man, that Leland is a smart dude…I got through 66% of that post and understood 39% of it and of that 39% approximately 90% was f-ing brilliant” sort of way. I read the whole thing, comprehended all of it (I think) and found it very compelling. And I’ve been trying since our breakfast yesterday morning to figure out a way to expand on his thoughts. But just as Lee feared he’d never post his speech if he waited for every element, I fear I’ll never pass on this link if I take time to build on it.

His observations/examples range from JFK to DJ Dangermouse, from Sao Paolo to Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, from Target to BP to tell the story of transformation design. Which he defines as “the process of developing a system of activity that enables organizations to support or create in individuals the positive change he or she desires.” Because as he posits:

The companies that will thrive…will not be those with a great sales pitch. It will be those with a great support system.

He started out just wanting to make better marketing. But the opportunity seems quite a bit bigger (like changing the world bigger).

Enjoy reading the speech here.

Tags: design, Friends, planning

Design Based On Insight

As I sit on my couch multi-tasking (watching World Series of Poker, writing a brief, eating dinner, and making my way through my feeds), something clicks (pun intended). My coffee table is pretty bare (with feng shui in mind but mostly for aesthetic purpose). I’ve got a candle and a couple books and magazines that make me look interesting and well-rounded. Oh yeah, and my Time Warner Cable remote. Necessary ugly. (“Uglies” for the many people who don’t have the universal remote and are still working with one TV remote for the power ON and OFF, one for the channels, a remote for the stereo, another for the DVD player, and who knows what else.) Necessary ugly – or so I thought.

I came across this link from Russell Davies’ delicious feeds. The choose to use design to solve the problem of remotes getting lost. So they made a remote that’s really fragile, so you won’t toss it around/you’ll take better care of it and thus not lose it. The brief could easily have been: Remotes ruin the living room look.

It reminds me of Method’s insight into cleaning: People squeeze cleaning in between doing other things, so having to go into cabinets and search for cleaning products wastes time and is a part of the annoying process. So they designed their soaps, etc. to look nice so that people would keep them on their kitchen counters/out next to their sinks. Just a reminder of how design is a powerful tool for building insight in products.

Tags: design, home, planning, remote

Vitamin Water, Packaging, Coincidence

Here’s a post I never would have made had it not been a coincidence.

Well, those who know me like Top Friend on Facebook well probably know that I’m all but addicted to Vitamin Water. I got hooked—I suspect but unconfirmed like many other Gen GuYs (see left-side for description) have—hearing in college that Revive (fruit punch flavor in the purple bottle – think the fact that there’s at least 3 ways to talk about the product and probably 4 if you include leading ingredient) was great for curing hangovers. One successful trial later I was hooked. Then I started trying other flavors convinced that getting my daily reqs of vitamins so easily was a godsend. (Beer + Wingos didn’t feel like my source of vitamins A-C.) I liked the way I felt afterwards – never too full. And gradually I started to truly prefer the taste, replacing more sugary OJ and Gatorade, which had occupied close to 75% of my fluid intake other than water. So for about 6 years or so now I’ve been as I said a real fan.

Today on my way up to a client meeting I grabbed a Multi-V (still my V-dub of choice). In the car I drank and chatted just like every other time. I glanced at the Nutritional Facts like I always do to reconfirm I’m making such an intelligent beverage choice. And I turned past the witty paragraph story about the Jetsons and the pill that’s a 3-course meal…and wait, I’m actually not satisfied. Seriously, 6 years of being content reading the same nonsense and today I got a bit frustrated that Vitamin Water has not updated its package. Not frustrated enough to remember when I got back to the office…

But then I went over to my friend Leland’s blog to see if he’d written anything about last week’s conference. And to my surprise saw this post. This is probably the post I would have liked to write, but may have just ended with something like this: Is it time for Vitamin Water to change its packaging?

I have used Vitamin Water as a clear example of a brand that understands the value of its package as its most important form of communication. Now I wonder if they just got lucky. I wonder if they are scared of change because of its success. I wonder if by the time people have consumed so many that the package starts to annoy them, they are so loyal to the taste and the behavior of getting their daily vitamin intake each day through this source that they wouldn’t change – I don’t think I’m going to wipe Essential out of my life tomorrow. OJ was still found guilty. But still I’m ready for some new entertainment – and hey, I don’t remember the last time I talked about VW (recommended a flavor or had a conversation about the brand other than the “It’s bullshit” comment from a med school friend every so often). I think getting a more positive pass along going would be worthwhile – and new stories would be an easy way to do it. And I’m not talking about David Wright and Kelly Clarkson stories. Weird me out. Please!

So read about people’s new expectations for brands and communication, packaging in particular, there. And tell me what you think – Should Vitamin Water change the stories? Any other part?

Tags: brands, design, packaging, storytelling, vitaminwater

F’ It, Green is Back

Dear Rob,

If you’re reading this post, you already know. The blog has been boarded up for 9 months. The windows, the doors, the links, everything. We’re at the Comfort Inn/Uptown City Apts. Room 112.

I love you.
Frank

I am actually in apartment 112. Weird. The old design is back. It’s all about “going green” these days, and I did it back in the day (2006). Plus, I’ve been DJFroggy since the 7th grade. For the newcomers, explore at your own risk. Mom (Vail and Jake), you made the record (Superman pic), how cool is that? What up Dash (Derm). Name the track.

Tags: blogging, colors, design, jay-z

Site Redesign

Or more appropriately, I picked a different template. It used to be really green. Then I realized I couldn’t “own” green. But I kept it anyway until I got sick of looking at it. This has more white space, which works for Tropicana and Google (until I customized the simplicity out of it – I can’t even find the search box anymore… but I do know how to “Convert an Old TV into a fishtank” thanks to Wikipedia How To’s.

Tags: blogging, colors, design, wikipedia