Branding Michelle

Developing Your Graphics Library

2009-05-17T16:57:00.008+04:00

Every designer must have a great graphics library. A well-stocked library of images, icons, tears, textures, and objects will help out when trying to make deadline, or even when you’re lacking inspiration. These elements can help pull together a final composition that would otherwise be lacking that “certain something”.

While in college I discovered this fact, but I also had very little money to build a decent graphics library. So I composed this collection of resources to use during times of little money, or none at all.

The content of your graphics library is open to interpretation and content should be compiled at your discretion, for your own needs. However, here are some general guidelines for how I organize my library. (Note: Within each main folder I separate vector and raster graphics into their own folders and then begin to organize by category within those folders.)

Here are the main folders within my library:

Objects
Paperclips, balloons, stickers, electronics, coffee cups, trees, airline tickets and other common objects can spruce up a design.

Brushes
Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop brushes come in handy when you need to create grungy textures (such as dirty up an image of clean paper), or when you need to create a beautiful starscape using a scattered brush.

Effects
Effects are great for cloning away unwanted objects in an image. You can stock up with things such as clouds, grass, and wood for just this purpose. Using shattered glass, rips and tears can also add depth to a composition.

Fonts
Although fonts aren’t graphics, it is good to have a quality stock of diverse fonts. Handwritten fonts can be used for catchy headers to add a sense of realism, or technical fonts can be used to back up a very mechanical layout.

Type
The Fonts folder is for electronic typefaces (True Type Fonts, Open Type, etc). In comparison, the Type folder is for images of lettering such as, wood or metal type, scrabble letters, and computer keys. These elements can add something unique to your design or layout.

Framing
Polaroid frames, distressed photos, torn posters, old books, post-it notes and gold frames make perfect frames for text, images, or layouts that really need to stand out.

Photos
Keeping stock photos that you’ve purchased previously is great to have on hand for a quick placeholder, background element, or to simply tweak with.

Textures
Keeping photos or scans of quality textures can add life to your work. Stock up on textures such as denim, wood, metal, rust, concrete, corkboard, paper, paint, water and brick.

___________________________________________________________________

Graphics Libraries take some time to build upon, but you can always find free resources online that can help you get started. I’ve compiled a large list of free resources that will help jumpstart your graphics library in no time. If you know of any more free resource sites or other sites that belong on this list please let me know and I would be happy to include them.

Free Resource Tips:

• You should always save the elements you create when designing other projects. You never know when you may be able to reuse them. They will come in handy!

• Most stock sites offer a freebie monthly. Sign up to download these free items and also to be part of their newsletter so you’ll remember to grab the freebie while you can. Such sites include VectorStock.com, iStockPhoto.com and Crestock.com, but there are many more.

• You can submit your work to most of these freebie sites to be distributed freely if you would like the publicity. Also, a lot of sites in the pay-site list you can actually make money by submitting your photos, vectors, etc.

• Most government organizations do not copyright their photos because they are not a commercial entity. For example, you can use photos from the NASA website with no worry of repercussions. There is a full list of governmental resources at Wikipedia (see link below).

Free Vector Sites:
vecteezy.com/ Large library of quality vectors.
gomedia.us This company puts out great sample packs.
vectorportal.com Simple vectors for download.
designerstoolbox.comdesignresources CD covers, folders and more templates.
freevectors.net Large selection.
vectorvault.com Register to access the “Free Downloads” section.
freevectors.com Small selection.
createsk8.com Browse blog posts for a lot of great freebies.
vectorart.org A small quantity of vectors, library is expected to grow.
vector4free.com Good selection of vectors.
free-vectors.com Large selection of simple vectors.
brandsoftheworld.com Vector logos from companies around the world.
logotemplater.com Great starter vectors for logo inspiration.
david.bellot.free.fr Deck of vector playing cards.
aiga.org Simple symbols.
all-the-flags-of-the-world.c.la Vector flags of the world.

Free Photo Sites:
sxc.hu Stock exchange site.
stockvault.net A large selection of amateur photos.
dreamstime.com You’ll need an account to access the free photos section.
imageafter.com A small selection of amateur photos.
commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page Wikipedia has created what is called Wikimedia. It is a database of 2,695,602 freely usable media files to which anyone can contribute.
bigfoto.com A large selection of low quality images.
free-pictures-photos.com Free photos

Free Textures:
textureking.com A large database of quality textures.
freetextures.org
cgtextures.com

Free Fonts:
fontfreak Over 5,000 free fonts.
urbanfonts.com Excellent quality and large selection of free fonts.
dafont.com Excellent quality and large selection of free fonts.
bvfonts.com A small selection of unique fonts.
321fonts.com A large selection of fonts.
fontreactor.com A large selection of fonts.
fonts101.com A large selection of fonts.
logotypes.designer.am Free Logotypes.

Great sites containing mixture of different freebies:
bittbox.com/category/freebies Brushes, Fonts, Vectors, and much more.
browse.deviantart.com/resources Large selection of quality vectors, Photos, Tutorials, Textures, Fonts and a whole lot more. You have to have an account, which is free.
adobe.com/cfusion/exchange Adobe exchange. A great database of actions, filters, gradients, brushes and more.
brusheezy.com Free Photoshop brushes.
blog.spoongraphics.co.uk Vectors, Brushes, Tutorials and more.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Public_domain_image_resources Here is an extensive list of Public Domain images, logos, music , stamps and more from Wikipedia.

Free Tutorials:
ndesign-studio.com Illustrator and Dreamweaver tutorials.
psdtuts.com Photoshop tutorials
pshero.com Photoshop tutorials
photoshoptalent.com/ Body enhancement Photoshop tutorials
aiburn.com Illustrator tutorials
smashingmagazine.com Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver and more.
3dtotal.com A great list of 100 Photoshop tutorials.

News and Inspiration:
adage.com
digg.com/design
designflavr.com
justcreativedesign.com
designfloat.com
smashingmagazine.com

If you are able to purchase I recommend:
crestock.com
shutterstock.com
istockphoto.com
vectorstock.com
gettyimages.com More expensive, but excellent images.

If any of these links do not work please report them to me and I will fix them immediately. Or if you have any other useful links to add to these please let me know. Thank you!

High Dynamic Range Imaging

2008-07-21T20:40:00.013+04:00

Note from the author: While I have been researching HDR imaging for a while now, if you have any additions or corrections please don’t hesitate to email me or comment. Even though it feels like I’ve soaked in an incredible amount of information, I know there is always more to learn.

HDR (High Dynamic Range Imaging)
HDR photography is the utilization of several techniques in order to display a greater dynamic range of exposure (the range of values between light and dark) than is capable with a normal digital image. The intention of HDR photography is to accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes ranging from direct sunlight to shadows. The resulting image more accurately mimics the incredible ability of the human eye to see wide ranges of dark and light areas in a single scene.

Here is the very first HDR I made with my little Fuji FinePix, proof that even the lowliest of cameras can benefit from this technique. The image on the left ("Before") is the image as would have been taken regularly. The image on the right ("After") is the HDR version of that image. Notice how you can see the detail within the lamp and in the foreground.

___________________________________________________________________

Taking the Photo:

• Take pictures in RAW format.
• Set your ISO 400 or below to prevent noise.
• Use a sturdy tripod to prevent camera shake between pictures.
• Use a shutter-release cable or remote if you have one.
• Take at least 3 photos.
• Each exposure should be separated (bracketed) by one to two stops
• Only vary the shutter speed or exposure value (EV).

Exposure Bracketing Examples (using 7 photos):

Using varied EV: Take photos at -6EV, -4EV, -2EV, metered EV (master setting 0), +2EV, +4EV, and +6EV.

Using varied shutter speeds: Set your primary exposure (master setting 0). If the settings for picture 0 are (shutter speed) 1/125 and (f-stop) f/4.5, the settings for the remaining pictures are as follows:

• Picture +3: 1/250 f/4.5

• Picture +2: 1/200 f/4.5

• Picture +1: 1/160 f/4.5

• Picture 0: 1/125 f/4.5 (master setting 0)

• Picture -1: 1/100 f/4.5

• Picture -2: 1/80 f/4.5

• Picture -3: 1/60 f/4.5

Note: The darkest of these exposures should include no blown highlights in areas where you want to capture detail. The brightest exposure should show the darkest regions of the image with enough brightness that they are relatively noise-free and clearly visible.

Here is a sample of what a line-up of 3 exposures for potential use as an HDR should look like. Take a look at the lamp and the foreground. See the how the lightest picture brings out the detail in the foreground while the darkest picture brings out the detail in the lamp. HDR imaging combines these details into one high dynamic range photo.

___________________________________________________________________

Initial Editing (optional):
Select your range of exposed photos in Bridge (Adobe CS3) and drag all files to be used for the HDR image into the Photoshop icon in your dock (Mac). The Camera Raw box should appear. Using the dialog box:

• Make sure that all photos are the same color temperature and tint.
• Make sure that you turn off ALL the automatic check boxes.
• Adjust the color temperature to accurately portray real life temperature.
• Click “Done” and save.

Dialog box as seen in Photoshop CS3 on a Mac:

___________________________________________________________________

Merging the Photos to an HDRi (High Dynamic Range Image):
Note: There are two options in this section. Choose one depending on your level of expertise, or mix and match to find the best option for your photo. You’ll find that your results can vary. One set of pictures might look best merged in Photoshop, while others might look best merged in Photomatix.

Using Photomatix to Merge:

• Choose: HDR> Generate.
• Choose your bracketed images.
• Click OK.

• Do not check the "Align Input Images" unless you think the images are not aligned (camera was bumped etc).
• Click OK.

• HDR image appears.
• Save as tiff if you are moving onto Photoshop to edit and tonemap, otherwise keep the HDR file open in Photomatix.

Using Photoshop to Merge:
• Open Photoshop: Choose File> Automate> Merge to HDR
• Choose your photos (3 or more)
• Do not check the "Align automatically" box unless you think the images are not aligned (camera was bumped etc).
• Click Ok.

• Image appears, click ok.
• Save as tiff if you are moving onto Photomatix, otherwise keep the HDR file open in Photoshop.
___________________________________________________________________

Tone Mapping the HDRi:
Note: This section of the tutorial contains two options. Choose one depending on your level of expertise, or mix and match to find the best option for your photo. Your success can vary from program to program. Use programs for tone mapping at your discretion.

Use care when violating the image’s original tonal hierarchy; do not expect deep shadows to become nearly as light as a bright sky. In an outdoor arch, the sunlit building and sky are the brightest objects while the inside of the arch remains in shadow, and they should stay that way in a final image. Overdoing editing during HDR conversion easily can cause the image to lose its sense of realism.

Tone Mapping in Photomatix:
• Merge images into an HDR using one of the two methods explained above.
• Have your HDR image open in Photomatix.
• Choose HDR> Tone map
• Move sliders until you have the results you are looking for.
• Save as tiff

Note: You can make your photo look more or less illustrated at this point. Use your own judgment and style when it comes to this. If you find that Photomatix has left your photo with weird blackened and whitened areas, adjust the settings to lessen them then dodge and burn in Photoshop to fix these.

Tone Mapping in Photoshop:
• Open tiff
• Go to Image> Mode> 16 bits per channel.
• A box should appear, if you saved your tiff as 32 bit previously in Photomatix or Photoshop.
•Toggle Histogram arrow at bottom to show histogram.

Work these menu items to your liking (HDR Conversion Menu):

Exposure and Gamma: This method lets you manually adjust the exposure and gamma, which serve as the equivalent to brightness and contrast adjustment, respectively.

Highlight Compression: This method has no options and applies a custom tonal curve, which greatly reduces highlight contrast in order to brighten and restore contrast in the rest of the image.

Equalize Histogram: This method attempts to redistribute the HDR histogram into the contrast range of a normal 16 or 8-bit image. This uses a custom tonal curve, which spreads out histogram peaks so that the histogram becomes more homogenous. It generally works best for image histograms, which have several relatively narrow peaks with no pixels in between.

Local Adaptation: Unlike the other three methods, this one changes how much it brightens or darkens regions on a per-pixel basis (similar to local contrast enhancement). This has the effect of tricking the eye into thinking that the image has more contrast, which is often critical in contrast-deprived HDR images. This method also allows changing the tonal curve to better suit the image. The main problem with the local adaptation method is that it cannot distinguish between incident and reflected light. As a result, it may unnecessarily darken naturally white textures and brighten darker ones. Be aware of this when choosing the radius and threshold settings so that this effect can be minimized.

Note: A good place to start your tone mapping is in the Local Adaptation menu. Go into menu at top and select "Local Adaptation". Move the black point slider to the leftmost edge of the histogram peaks in order to see all the shadow detail. Move the white point slider to the rightmost edge of the histogram peaks in order to see all highlight detail.

• Image> Adjustments (adjust settings, use your judgment)

• Tone, Filter and adjust to your liking.

• To remove unwanted objects, use healing brush.

• Stamp tool> Stamp out oversaturated pixels and halos, which happen often in HDR imaging.

• Make sure to save a tiff version to preserve quality.

_____________________________________________________________

HDR in Action:

During my career as a graphic designer at Better Homes I have introduced the photography team to HDR imaging. So far these are the results we have achieved. While our knowledge is still in it's infancy I feel that we are off to a really great start. Here are some images that were a team effort. The photography team took the exposures, and I tone mapped and edited the photos.

Dubai Marina

Discovery Gardens in Dubai

Villa on the Palm Jumeirah in Dubai

Here are some very useful links for discovering more about HDR:
HDR Tutorials Roundup
Backing Winds: How to create professional HDR images
Before the Coffee: Bracketing and number of images
Cambridge in Color: Digital Photography Tutorials
How to take HDR Photos: Tips and Tricks
Lou Haskell: HDR Imaging
Memoirs on a Rainy Day: Modern HDR Photography
Earthbound Light: Photoshop HDR
Photoshop Cafe: HDR Tutorial
Cybergrain: The Future of Digital Imaging

Here are some great sites to look for HDR inspiration:
Smashing Magazine: 35 Fantastic HDR Pictures
Flicker: HDR Group
Cambridge HDR Photos
Before the Coffee
Digital Picture Zone: 25 Truly Stunning HDR Photos
Abduzeedo: 20 Beautiful HDR Pictures
Web Ecoist: 25 HDR Nature and Landscape photos

The Sky Over Dubai

2008-06-01T21:23:00.004+04:00

On May 19 I did something that scared the be-jesus out of me. I went on a 45 minute helicopter ride over Dubai.

Lately I’ve been getting to know the photography department at Better Homes, teaching them HDR imaging (or trying to at least, since I’m so new to it). The photography team booked a helicopter so that they could get some new photos of Dubai for the Better Homes Magazine and other media. So when the photography team had one more seat to fill on the helicopter ride, they thought of me! I was very hesitant to agree to this because honestly, I’m a big pussy-willow. I knew that I needed a push so I went to talk to Erik, knowing that he would not let my fears get the best of me and urge me to take the opportunity I had been given. So, after a few words I agreed to take aerial photos of Dubai.

When the day came I was ridiculously nervous. I was thinking... This is it. This is probably the last time I’m going to be alive (I know dramatic, right?). I arrived at the international airport with 3 photographers at 11am. They handed me my camera, locked and loaded. We were escorted by an airport employee to a small building on the side of the runway. Our pilot greeted us. He was an Aussie! I don’t know what it is about Australian accents, but I love them and they put me at ease!

So, I got in the helicopter strapped in and we began lifting off. What a feeling that was. I felt like a feather being lifted by an upward breeze. I loved it! I was no longer scared. It was unbelievably fun crawling along the runway 15 feet off the ground, preparing to officially take off. That may have been one of the coolest parts. It made me want to learn how to fly a helicopter so I could do it everyday. Imagine all the time saved during the morning commute... especially with Dubai traffic!

After getting into position, we lifted up high into the sky. The pictures pretty much tell the story from there.

Helicopter! 5/19/08 9:20 PM

Photo Update

2008-02-11T14:53:00.005+04:00

Don't forget... the Camel Goodness is Camelicious.

Apartment 1/28/08 8:55 PM

The Beach : Valentines Day 2/14/08

Feline : Round #2

2008-02-11T13:31:00.004+04:00

For the past month I have been dealing with "demon cat". My previous cat, Sheba, ended up being a major problem. I don't really know what it was, but she did not like living with Erik and me, so consequently we did not like living with her. Her unhappiness manifested in many different ways including obnoxious excessive meowing, defecation directly in FRONT of litter box every morning, refusal to be held, among many other things. I tried for weeks to change these habits and subsequently became pretty well versed on feline behavior and especially on litter boxes. I tried everything I could to make Sheba happy and she was still miserable. I became even more confused and upset when I found out that at her previous "foster home" she was fully litter trained and very affectionate. I decided the best thing to do was to return her to Feline Friends where she could find a new home and hope for a better life. I obviously couldn't give that to her.

On Saturday I returned to Feline Friends for the monthly "Open House" where Feline Friends brings all the homeless cats within their care together to have an open adoption day. My eyes teared up as I put Sheba's kennel on the table, beside all the other cats up for adoption. While I was waiting to speak to the adoption coordinator about the situation I had to turn around so I couldn't see her looking at me. She proceeded to hiss at the other cats surrounding her and when being put into a new kennel by a staff member, scratched and hissed at her as well. I felt somewhat better at that moment thinking I was justified in re-homing her, but somewhat worse. Was I the cause of her anger?

While I was trying to hold myself together, Erik set off to look for a kitten. He was convinced he wanted a kitten, while I was done with the obnoxious-hyper-defecating-behavior that kittens can often display. That is until we found Cesar sitting in his cage.

His description read, "a total lap cat"... "very clean"... doesn't make a sound"... and on and on with EXACTLY what I wanted to hear. He was really the exact opposite of Sheba. We fell in love with his demeanor and adopted him immediately, of course fighting of others who were jockeying for position to adopt him. I wasn't able to stay long to see who took Sheba home but I hope she found a home that she is content with.

Erik named him Cesar. I call him Cesar Salad. He is 10 weeks old and is very small and is very fragile. He doesn't make a sound. He tries to but we have reasoned he doesn't know how to meow yet. He makes the motions to and it is very endearing. This is common with kittens. Whenever I am on the couch he lays in my lap and sleeps until I need to move around, then returns when I am back again. At night he sleeps in between Erik and I at about knee level. I worry about one of us rolling onto him as we sleep since he can't make any noise! He has not had an accident and is very good about using his litter. In short he is the perfect cat... so far!

Caesar 2/11/08 2:20 PM

Furniture Boy

2008-02-09T18:02:00.000+04:00

While most people still believe that the entirety of the Middle East is shrouded in conservative religious fervor, Dubai is an undeniable contrast. This is reflected in every magazine, mall, billboard, and television commercial. Barely dressed mannequins peer out from lingerie shops in local mall windows, existing in close proximity to completely veiled Muslim women. This is the dichotomy that is Dubai.

Take this advertisement for example. Take a good look.

If you understand this advertisement you will realize why this cheeky ad shocked me. This ad was a supplement to the weekend edition of Gulf News, the regions most widely read English newspaper. It was the first page spread, giving it maximum exposure. I can't imagine that an ad like this would ever be placed in a major American newspaper supplement, as it would raise some moral issues. Other than in US "Men's Magazines", a.k.a. Maxim and the like, ads of this variety are few and far between.

Dubai's moral promiscuity baffles me.

Sheba

2008-01-14T22:37:00.002+04:00

I have a new kitten! Erik and I adopted her on Saturday from Feline Friends. They are a non-profit organization that operates with the help of volunteers. They are helping Dubai with the stray cat problem which is a big issue, so feline Friends says. A woman at Feline Friends said to me that one major reason Dubai has a stray cat problem is because pet stores breed pure-breeds to sell in their stores, while there are many other stray cats that need homes. Now, I don't think the pet stores would be breeding these pure-breeds if there weren't a demand for them. The people who buy those pure-breeds probably wouldn't want a "mutt" cat, whether there is a stray cat problem or not. So, that doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I'll get back to you on this one if I find out more.

Her name is Sheba. She is 8 months old. She is very inquisitive, and always getting into things and making us laugh. Erik likes to think that she is smart, and that's why she's so curious. I am hoping it's not the exact opposite. I mean, she did run across the living room into the solid side of a cardboard box... twice... in quick succession. She's very hyper, but she's a kitten still so it is expected. She purrs a lot and loves to have her belly rubbed. Someone at the shelter almost got her before I swooped in and called her my own. Now I'm happy she is here!

Flaming

2008-01-12T18:43:00.001+04:00

Yesterday Erik and I had just finished eating breakfast in our apartment when from the corner of my eye I saw something moving in the sky. Since we are on the 17th floor this was odd. I looked out the window and could see a large plume of black smoke making it's way across the sky. We looked for the source of this smoke but could not see it since the building next to us was blocking the view. So we ventured out of our apartment and walked down to the site only to discover that Erik's school was on fire! He doesn't plan to attend until the fall, but maybe later now. The fire wasn't very big and it was extinguished within 15 minutes, but still it was really funny watching Erik's school on fire.

Smokey the Bear... we need you! 1/12/08 6:34 PM

Solace

2008-01-09T15:46:00.003+04:00

Recently I moved across the world. How often does a person get to say that? Well I say not enough! This experience has been many things, but it has not been mundane. I've experienced the full range of emotions in record time.

The day before my flight to Dubai on December 28th, I was 220% positive that I was prepared for the trip of my lifetime. After all, I had shopped for plane snacks nearly 2 weeks before my flight and was packing suitcases a month in advance. Little did I know that most foreign airlines actually feed their patrons. I never want to fly on an American airline again! You can see pictures of Erik and I mid-flight at my Picasa Web Album.

Itinerary: The first flight on December 28th was a short skip across the US from Denver to Washington D.C. then from D.C. a very long stride to Doha. After that grueling 13 hour flight one very small hop across the Arabian Gulf from Doha to Dubai. The flight from Washington D.C. to Doha was very loooong and there were two syncopated crying babies. We will leave it at that... moving on.

I arrived in Doha (in the country of Qatar) at 11pm and things immediately felt different. The air, the smells and the people felt very unfamiliar. Believe me, the smells were something that could not go unnoticed. The people in these parts burn intense incense and perfumes are everywhere. It is so pungent, just walking past it makes me cough. It's a nice smell, but moderation is key. Despite large amounts of sleep deprivation (see syncopated babies) I was very alert on the final 1 hour flight from Doha to Dubai. Looking out the window as the lights of Dubai began to appear over the dark ocean was quite a moment. I took pictures but they do not do it justice.

When I stepped into the Dubai Airport everything looked so new and shiny. This is something you must adjust to in Dubai. It will happen a lot. Amongst all this new shiny stuff, every several feet there were pods of Indian people sleeping in the middle of the airport floor... some on marble, mind you. This is normal for them and weird for me.

Erik and I walked to the baggage claim with our fingers crossed hoping that by some glitch all 6 of our bags had made it to Dubai. Numerous bags circled around the carriers waiting for their owners, each similar bag taunting us and driving our hopes up. After awhile the bags stopped coming onto the corral and ours never came. Not a single bag came. How does an airline lose all 6 bags from 2 people? This is where my picture taking spree stopped for awhile. Who wants to document the bad times? Although, now I wish I had. After nearly an hour of trying to explain to the lost baggage counter what our bags looked like and what was in them, we finally made it to customs with not one of the 6 bags in our possession. We swiftly made it through the lines and passed customs after once again trying to communicate with the people at the customs counter who are very hard to understand. Arabic and Indian accents, I have declared, are the hardest to decipher.

After getting through a long taxi line we were finally on our way to our hotel. Driving through Dubai for the first time was very exciting. Arabic and English were always paired together on every sign and on every store. I've always seen English and Spanish together, but never Arabic. Arabic looks like scribblings of someone who is attempting to write while riding a galloping horse. However, I was so glad to see English everywhere. I was thinking, how those who speak Spanish in America must feel. It made me feel more welcome and at ease in a foreign country.

We arrived at our hotel and immediately wanted to shower, to much dismay. Apparently water heaters have to be turned on to use them around these parts. Needless to say the shower was lukewarm. I've since learned my lesson. I've also found that these pungent aromatic smells are not only present in the air, but in their bathing products as well. At the hotel that night I used the body wash as a facial cleanser and had a choking fit. Seriously, the smell was that strong. It was somewhat like hyper-active laundry detergent. That type of scent is very popular around here for every kind of product you can imagine. After recovering from the body wash and a few moments of excitement and smiles, Erik and I passed out.

That bed seemed to be the most comfortable bed in which I had ever slept. My opinion should be discounted at this point considering I had been trying to sleep on a plane for the previous 13 hours and was unsuccessful. We woke up to a sunny day and saw children playing cricket in the parking lot across the street from our hotel.

We scurried down to the restaurant and had our free breakfast. After that it was time to hunt down our apartment key! We arrived at the Vakson Realty office in the early afternoon and after numerous unmentionable problems finally received our key. That's the thing about Dubai. Everything I seem to do comes with it's own little set of problems. From those issues, more problems spring. It's as if it's a virus here, and I've caught it. The problem virus.

The drive to our apartment was surreal. After seeing pictures of the buildings in Dubai for so long, seeing them out of a taxi window just felt like a dream. It was hard to soak it in for awhile. This due in part to my jet-lag as well.

We arrived at our apartment in the afternoon and Erik was beaming. He should have been too. He found a great place for us to live. He worked so hard on finding us an amazing apartment and he was finally reaping his reward... and so was I! Our view was something to behold. Unfortunately, our electricity and water was not on yet. Thankfully, Derry (Erik's mother) gave us a small flashlight when we were on our way to the airport. Little did she know she was really saving us from total darkness later that night! We set our couple of carry-on bags down, then roamed and poked around our new place. All over the apartment on every surface there was very fine construction dust. Erik liked to call it the "virgin coating" that ensured it's newness. I saw a dusty mess that I was going to have to clean up. It got on everything immediately. My hands, our bags, my shoes, and pants were all covered. After we had enough of the dust we set out for cell phones. When we came back around 7pm I fell asleep on our air mattress with little thought. In the early morning I woke up at 4:30 unable to sleep any longer. Erik was restless too. We still did not have any water or electricity (thankfully the health club had showers and toilets). So we did what any new apartment owners would do at 4:30 in the morning, we lit 4 candles we purchased the day before and started cleaning. There we were at 4:30am cleaning our apartment by candlelight. That was a sight to behold. Our mothers would have been so proud of us. Later that day we set out to IKEA so we could set up our home.

The next few days are a blur. Flipping your schedule ahead 12 hours, so you're sleeping when you should be a awake and awake when you should be sleeping is not so easy. I felt like I was sleep walking most days, but at least my sleep walking was productive. We went on a shopping frenzy. Within about 3 days we had gotten nearly everything we needed for our home. However, we needed to build it all! All IKEA furniture comes unassembled. That was a ball.

So here I am, in my new home about to cook dinner. That's another thing... the stove. It's a gas stove but the building does not have gas lines. So instead Emirates Gas company comes to your home and brings you a tank of gas, hooks it up to your stove and puts it in your cupboard. We are getting an electric stove as soon as we can. The whole gas tank in my kitchen thing really freaks me out. So all in all, there is a big scary gas tank in my cupboard, but I'm getting used to it.

Allo

2008-01-03T12:19:00.000+04:00

Quick Update! I am here in Dubai! All is well aside from the airline losing all 6 (yes 6!) of our bags. I will explan more later and post all my pictures when I make the next post. I am waiting for internet at my condo. I am at an Internet Cafe right now. Check back soon!

-Michelle

Hit Me Baby One More Time. . .

2007-12-22T02:03:00.000+04:00

In life occasionally things will hit you. For example, "OMG I am America's Next Top Model" or "OMG I have cancer"... those really crisp times in life where something big is happening. These things take time to ferment within your mind and suddenly they pop up as a realization. Recently my "OMG" has been "OMG I am moving across the world in a week".

Yes! It is true. I am venturing off into the unknown... the linguistic, cultural, culinary, social, professional, and geographical unknown. I've been talking about this for nearly a year and no one really has believed me up until the point when I said goodbye to them. Then they were hit... "OMG Michelle is moving across the world". I can't blame them for being shocked. After all, talk is cheap and who would really travel across the world without ever even seeing the place? So now that everyone knows I am serious the sad goodbyes have become more frequent and even some still can't wrap their heads around what I am doing. I suppose they either think I am absolutely insane or very courageous. I am hoping for the latter.

So "Where am I going?" you may ask. You may have heard of it. It's a little place on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula called Dubai. Dubai is located in the Middle East in a small country called the United Arab Emirates (UAE for short).

Now you may begin to realize why people never believed me. The Middle East?! The typical response I get goes like this- First the eyes grow very large, then this slowly morphs into a look of complete confusion, then they ask if I am going to be dodging pipe bombs at the local market... No! Now, would I really move to a place where I was unsafe? Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world. Dubai does have its judicial and social problems, but it does not have the problems that most of the Middle East faces currently.

So, with all of that said, the majority of this blog will now be a mix of blogs about Dubai and Advertising. It will be interesting and useful, so stay tuned.

Oh, and Happy Holidays!

Globalization's Notorious Reputation

2007-08-15T02:14:00.000+04:00

Economist and managing director for the International Monetary Fund Horst Köhler defines Globalization as, “a process of increasing international division of labor and the accompanying integration of national economies through trade in goods and services, cross-border corporate investments, and financial flows.” There has been much resistance to the idea of Globalization in recent years as more people become concerned with third world poverty, but the fact is that Globalization makes economies much more efficient, helps to eliminate war, actually pulls people out of poverty rather than hurling them into it, and enriches life culturally.

Looking at the last 50 years provides enough ample evidence to present Globalizations positive economic advantages. Economics and International Politics major Erik Voorhees states that, economies from the very start were only able to grow with the enactment of globalization on a smaller scale. In a small town people had to make their own goods. There were not varieties of products available for the people within each town to buy. At that time, nearly everyone was a farmer. When the farms grew, so that less people had to farm, people began to specialize in making certain products such as metal. This specialization created a better product, since everyone didn’t have to make the metal themselves and the metal maker could spend time learning how to make the best metal. Specialty skills made it necessary to find a larger market because the original investment used to create that specialty product needed to be more economically feasible. For instance, the sword maker (for his original investment) needed a place to make the metal and a supply of tools and materials. So to make this investment worthwhile and profitable, the sword maker found a larger audience by spreading his business to the next town, or next country. That was globalization in its infancy. Globalization creates more products at cheaper prices (because they are mass produced) that become available to more people, providing quality and variety.

Legendary economist Adam Smith explains it perfectly:

As it is the power of exchanging that gives occasion to the division of labour, so the extent of this division must always be limited by the extent of that power, or, in other words, by the extent of the market. When the market is very small, no person can have any encouragement to dedicate himself entirely to one employment, for want of the power to exchange all that surplus part of the produce of his own labour, which is over and above his own consumption, for such parts of the produce of other men's labour as he has occasion for. – The Wealth of Nations. (Chapter 3)

War is tremendously expensive as we have seen in recent years, and Globalization, in fact, helps to eradicate war. Similar economic interests between countries and mutually beneficial relationships, deter countries from going to war with each other. To that extent, isolation between countries makes them feel as if they need to compete, which often leads to war. Globalization also creates the opportunity to share cultures. Where would we be without Chinese take-out, Toyota Hybrids, and European fashion? Through intense competition it increases our productivity, our innovation, and our efficiency. Finally, Globalization brings the poorest people of the world out of poverty. It provides jobs to those who do not have any available to them. Globalization benefits the absolute poorest of the poor.

Now on the flip side Globalization does have one disadvantage. Some people get displaced, some people lose jobs, and some people can no longer compete when their companies find cheaper work outside of their home country. That’s how every market works, not just the employment market, this includes companies. Companies fail everyday because of competition. Employment is a competition and should be treated no differently. The movement of jobs overseas actually provides other opportunities within the United States for different jobs and better jobs that would be more appropriately executed within our own country. The movement of jobs creates a more fertile and less stagnant employment market in our society. Köhler states, "It is necessary to shift employment away from shrinking sectors and towards growth sectors. Innovation has always been and will continue to be the driving force behind our economic strength and ability to grow.”

Any publicity is good publicity.

2006-10-13T21:38:00.000+04:00

...as long as they spell your name right.

I uncovered an article titled Is Any Publicity Good Publicity?. It essentially is a guideline on how to cover your behind when negative publicity smacks you in the a$$. There were no real articles I found that really gave good information about good publicity. I suppose this is because "If it isn't broke, don't fix it".

However, when it does break here is what you do:

-Acknowledge the situation quickly.
-Take responsibility for the situation.
-Devote resources to fix the situation.
-Provide a timetable for fixing the situation.
-Provide consistent updates about your progress in fixing the situation.
-Stick to the schedule and meet your deadline for fixing the situation.

Bad Publicity can be a good thing for the following reasons. If you do happen to stumble into some negative PR, the public loves a comeback story, and will in most cases give you another chance to start again. This only rings true if you handle the situation correctly (see above). If you do follow these rules and remain calm, you could potentially turn a frightening mishap into a media feeding frenzy. "We all dread being known as a loser. At the same time, it's happened to the best of us. Maybe the loser designation is a wake up call to start doing things differently and letting the world know that you're doing things differently. Better yet, actually do something different and tell the world about the results. It's a good way of celebrating change and recognizing your public and corporate responsibility."

Worthwhile quote found during reading:

"What looks like a long, convoluted path on paper actually takes only seconds to register in the minds of your customers." Veronika (Ronnie) Noize, Marketing Coach.

Let's Compare for a Moment.

2006-09-08T05:31:00.000+04:00

comparative advertising
1. (consumer behavior definition) An advertisement in which there is specific mention or presentation of competing brand(s) and a comparison is made or implied. (http://en.mimi.hu/marketingweb/comparative_advertising.html)

Here is a GREAT article on comparative advertising.
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3694/is_200107/ai_n8956137
“Although not directly examined, exposure to a comparative ad presumably increases the likelihood of consumers holding mental impressions about the similarities between the advertised and comparison brands. This associative effect is thought to prevail regardless of whether the comparative ad discusses similarities or differences between the advertised and comparison brands. As Johnson and Horne (1988, p. 213) note, ‘the general effect of comparative advertising is association. Whether the ad appears to associate or differentiate competitors, the end result is association.’”

The proper time to use comparative advertising is when you already have an established brand. You can assure that putting your brand next to another brand for comparison would not completely over-run your message. You do not want to become hidden in the shadow of your large competition. Sometimes the product you are putting it next too can be too recognizable so that people lose all sight of what you were trying to tell them in the first place.

There is a flip side to this. If you are established enough and you can work the right angle, you can squirm your way into the limelight. You simply have to approach it in the correct way. Usually humor will do. For instance, Alltel wireless has recently released a string of commercials that feature the other major wireless providers represented as their own logos, celebrity endorsers or mascots. These characters are gathered to hear the news that Alltel is dispensing. The announcement is that “You can call any number on any network for free. You choose which people”. This is met with a slight attitude from the mascots that respond “But we don’t do that”. The Alltel guy counters, “You do now”. You can see it here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PuftRh3QUsU

Brain Brain go away.

2006-09-08T04:19:00.000+04:00

Short term memory stores a small amount of information for a short period of time (approximately 15-45 seconds). Long-term memory stores an apparently unlimited amount of information indefinitely. The information held in short-term memory is usually recently handled sensory input; items recently retrieved from long-term memory; or the result of recent mental processing, although that is more generally related to the concept of working memory.
Short-term memory is a temporary potentiation of neural connections that can become long-term memory through the process of rehearsal and meaningful association.

Coon, D. (2004) Introduction to Psychology: Gateways to Mind and Behavior Tenth Edition

Short term memory plays a significant role in the decision process because this is where you process your sensual information. This is where design, smell, feel, taste, among other factors come into play. This is the part of the brain that will determine what box the consumer picks up because it is designed well, or because it is shaped ergonomically and fits well in the hand.
Long term memory is also important for this is when the consumer usually makes a decision about whether or not to try a new product or not. They weigh the pros and cons of trying a new product when they know one already works just the same. They take all of their learned experiences into account and based on that strategize about which product would fit their needs best.

The mind is a fascinating gadget.

The More you Know

2006-04-07T07:02:00.000+04:00

Initially when I decided to dive into the study of Advertising I would proclaim to all of my friends that I was going to work for companies that were non-profit, or start my own firm that did. Since then I have become jaded, and no longer see that as my main source of income. Advertising is not a horrible green monster devouring America’s morale. It is a mystery to me that I ever even assumed I would have an income doing that sort of work anyway. However, this is still of an interest to me. So, I was thinking…

In pursuing Advertising, it is my goal to have a desired effect on the audience. This is not just any effect, but one that reconstructs one person’s regular way of thinking about things. For instance, the Public Service Announcement (PSA) entitled “Lucky” is an advertisement that drills into your mind what the effect of driving too fast can have on a pedestrian. The announcement should be recalled in your mind during that crucial moment when you find yourself speeding, and with any luck the thought will slow you down. This is the crucial moment in time that you want your PSA to become effective.

This is the goal of a PSA. To do that one must draw from outside resources and pull themselves into that crucial moment. You should ask yourself “What would I remember when the moment strikes?” and submit an answer.

Here is how you can view “Lucky”.
This is not for the faint of heart, but you can find it here:
Bear with me. It’s well worth the trouble!

go to www.the-mill.com
1. Click on search archive
2. Type in: lucky dft accolades
3. Click on the first result.
4. Now click on the green type on the bottom left that says “View on Beam TV.”
5. There are two little boxes under the Quicktime controls. Click on the second one. (There are two advertisements here and the one I am talking about is the second one) (You can also play this back in double size if you click that option near the middle right.)

Smell-O-Vision

2006-03-15T08:46:00.000+04:00

Television Smellovision.

Bear with me, I feel like a mad scientist today.
Our nose is one of the strongest triggers of memory. Scents travel directly to the center of our brain. Starting off with the olfactory system, the scent molecules then travel to our limbic system. Our limbic system is the epicenter of our emotions. This is why scents can become so powerful. Depending on the familiarity of the scent, these memories can be extremely vivid and full of emotion. Haven't you ever smelled your ex's perfume or cologne on someone else? Weren't you immediately struck by thoughts of your ex? I remember the smell of sulfur well water (yes, ha-ha, it wasn't a good smell) reminds me of my grandmother’s house. They would run the sprinklers daily and it always smelled so pungent. Eventually this smell was associated with my grandmother’s house, and I LOVED being there. Even the emotion tied to the smell, no matter how bad the smell may be, can overcome the rankness of it.

This is a great avenue for advertisers to start exploring. Imagine if chemists could concoct a juice that could be molecularly transformed into any scent possible. Since scents are made from many different molecular combinations, this couldn't be impossible. It's a matter of finding the right substances and the right combinations. After all, that is why Gap Grass perfume smells like fresh cut grass... do they even make that anymore? Anyways, if a TV could be produced that would waft these high quality scents in the air during television and commercials it would be incredible. You could simply buy a refill once you ran out. It would be a super intricate "Glade Plug-in" for your television... am I smelling co-branding? Scent is simply another dimension to the surround sound and ambient lighting systems that have already been developed. Now it is time to explore another one of the five senses besides sight and audio. As silly as this idea is, there is a lot of potential capital involved. Do you understand...watching the beach, with the smell of the ocean, and wind in your living room, along with HD and Dolby Digital 5.1.

WOW.

With each and every advancement in this sector of technology, the intent is to mock reality. So why not add another layer?

Golf Balls Orbiting the Earth

2006-03-06T09:42:00.000+04:00

Astronaut Pavel Vinogradov is scheduled to hit a golf ball into space from the ISS (International Space Station). The deal between a Canadian golf club manufacturer and the impoverished Russian Space Agency (RSA) has become an interesting publicity stunt, in which there could be significant danger imposed upon the astronauts and surrounding space equipment (satellites, etc.). You can read the entire article in depth here…http://dsc.discovery.com/news/afp/20060227/spacegolf_spa.html

What is even more interesting is the noted attempt to take advantage of the uncharted marketing potential of space. We all know that this is the next obvious leap of marketing, and we can already see it starting to extend its muscles into the heavens.

Launching a golf ball into earth’s orbit is brilliant. Even more brilliant, the golf ball is “fitted with a small radio transmitter. The ball can be tracked by golf fans on their home computer, says the company, which says it will give the (gold golf) club to charity.”

It is exciting to imagine all the promotional opportunities available in space beyond golf balls. This is an entire new way for advertisers to use their creative noggins. After all, the rules that regularly apply here on earth do not apply in space (gravity, time, etc.). There have been attempts to tap into this power, i.e. the coca-cola drinking stunt in the 80’s, however it has yet to be thoroughly explored.

Miniscule Sunsets

2006-01-19T09:53:00.000+04:00

I recently decided to move to a new apartment to save money. It completely surprised me initially why I was so hesitant to move. I was oddly concerned about not having a view anymore. This was simple enough for most people, however my view of Denver is not great. I can only see the tops of a few small buildings and a couple other large buildings that most people can see from almost any point in Denver. So I was perplexed as to why I was so scared to lose my “semi-view”.

As I walked into my dark bedroom the other night about to go to sleep, out the window were the lights of other homes and businesses and I realized that my attachment isn't about the aesthetics of the view, it is about the feeling of connection to other people out there by being able to see that they exist. It was an affirmation that I am not alone in this big city. Perhaps that is why people enjoy views so much, or maybe I am one-of-a-kind?

After that I decided to think rationally and weigh the benefits of saving money against the benefits of having a semi-view. I quickly came to realize that I should move and remove my dependence of these strangers. I can be OK living in an apartment that overlooks a parking lot. Maybe I can figure out a way to feel connected with cars now? Haha. It can be done.

Either way, it feels really good to know how to step out of myself and examine why I feel attached to something that is so miniscule in my lifetime. I think that ability to understand and manipulate emotions comes with age and only sharpens with time. When you’re young and you feel something, you don’t stop and take the time to analyze your emotions. When you are young you let your emotions affect you and overthrow you. As you age you are able to control them more steadily and you can often choose whether or not to use them. Perhaps emotions are not needed as much as we think. We glorify emotions through dramas such as Desperate Housewives and stories such as Titanic; but really… are these emotions necessary for the human race?

Sure the sunsets were pretty sometimes, but that was only a fraction of why I was so attached to the view. Letting go of emotions will often lead to bigger and better things.

Just in the Niche of Time

2006-01-17T07:13:00.000+04:00

It came to my attention not too long ago that Marketing guru Seth Godin has a blog. I would like to comment on his November post "The inanity of the American Consumer". You can see it here: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2005/11/index.html.

Seth takes the time to talk about the balderdash that Target is selling for the Holidays. It is a multi function toaster that also poaches an egg while you wait for the bread to pop. Seth sees this sort of product as "useless". He states,
"It seems as though we've marketed ourselves into a corner, where the only way to grow is to find increasingly narrow niches of decreasing utility. The consumer portion of our economy is now dependent on a four-week long debt-fueled race to buy the useless."

Even though I am aware of Seths supposed "genius" I can't help but wonder if he is really thinking about todays consumers. The one thing that people cannot buy or sell is time. Time is the most valuable thing that we can never fully obtain, but only manipulate. When a product is made that consolidates activities and "gives" extra time, it has value and it has use.

There is a certain niche for this product, however, that is not a negative thing. Niche advertising and products are clearly on the rise. Taking into account that mass advertising is starting to loose it's appeal, advertisers realize that there are alternatives and new frontiers to explore. On the large scale of things these niche products are generally the same as any other product, with a few tweeks here and there to fit a tighter demographic.

Example: a toaster with a little cup added on the side to cook an egg.
Average Toaster=mass product.
Toaster with egg cooker=niche product.
So what's the big deal?

Tweeking products is what we do now to give more and more people exactly what they want. We have come a long way from the one kind of bar soap and the single type of hair pomade. These kinds of niche products are finding their way into individuals homes who actually can use them. Perhaps you have time to kill Seth, but I certainly know a few people who could really use the extra help.