July 2009 Archives
Those of us who provide fee-based services live and die by our ability to build an ever-bigger "platform," as the book trade calls it—a stew of branding and reach that generates a critical mass of ubiquity and trust in a given domain. Thus we can all take notes from Marty Neumeier who, through a series of books and a recent video, artfully demonstrates how to construct a mechanism that not only drives revenue up front but more importantly feeds the enterprise, hungry for clients, that lies behind.
Readers with elephantine memories will have no trouble recalling that last summer in this space I launched a jeremiad against the freshly-minted graphical identity for the French Government Tourist Office. Those just arriving, or regulars now scratching their heads, are encouraged to wade through the gory details. Note that there will be a short quiz at the end of this post to ensure you soaked up all the historical bits.
Who amongst us has not been tempted to make use of an image found via Google Image Search? In the past, you would have been wise to avoid that temptation, since in most cases this would have run counter to the intent of the image creator. But Google has recently added the ability to determine the usage rights connected with such images, which is good news for those either seeking or creating imagery.
It was about half way through the tour of the Château of Germolles that our aimiable and erudite guide—who it turned out was one of the current owners—ushered our little group into a darkened room. The shutters on the large windows were almost closed, allowing just a few rays to penetrate what seemed to be a high-ceilinged chamber. There was just the hint of a smile on our guide's lips as he admonished us to not bump into the walls.
