I’d like to call-out a few recent items from Grant:

1. A prototype for an HTML5-based Video player. It’s great to think that we’re only a year or so away from offering video without the use of Flash or Silverlight plugins. On a related note, at the end of January Google announced that they would no longer support IE 6 for Google Docs or Google Sites.

2. Jesse Bennett-Chamberlain’s design work. Jesse did some top-notch work for the redesign of Campaign Monitor in 2008-09.

3. The CGI work of Alex Roman (via IS050)

Grant is featured on my “Best of” list on Twitter — that list is always evolving, but I will quickly say that he would be the last person I’d remove from the list. Lastly, after all of the linkage above, you will more than likely appreciate his office space.

Grant Blakeman's office (photo by Grant)

I build stuff. I create stuff. And life’s too short to not be building and creating every day.

Soon I will step into a new position as Interface Designer at Garmin (GRMN), a position with their online user experience team. Since my early days in college, I’ve always been provoked to design for users, not clients. Working on the Garmin team should allow me to balance the challenge, tact and necessity for addressing the needs of both parties. Strategy, thought, design, user-testing and front-end development are all things I want to do daily. All are essential to the job description.

Budgets restrict good thinking.

To re-think how customers interact with your brand only when marketing dollars are allocated to such a project is the wrong way address business needs. Unfortunately, this is a side effect of the client-plus-ad-agency model. Inside of recession, less marketing dollars equates to less agency-driven thought and strategy in driving sales. Time and money should always be allocated to the effort.

Time well spent increases sales.

With this in mind, the best fit for me is a team where questions are continually asked of design and user experience. The primary budget is one of time. The primary question is, “Does this initiative merit our time?” Making sales is important to any company. When you’re ringing the cashbox for a company like Garmin, the products sell themselves.

Garmin's Forerunner 305, a watch for runners.

Grady tells me that Olathe means “beautiful.” It’s fitting. Well, not the suburbia part. Suburbia is beautiful to some, but I’m more of a midtown Kansas City guy. The opportunity to design for potential and existing Garmin consumers is direct and immediate. And that’s beautiful to me.

This Friday is the last day I will ride the elevator to the ninth floor at 4600 Madison Avenue and step into the hallways of Bernstein-Rein’s creative department. Soon I will make my last flavored latte at the coffee bar on fifteen. It’s been a great three (nearly four) years at the Kansas City ad agency.

Hours upon hours of time with mentors and friends.

My experience at BR has been deeply rewarding both personally and professionally. So many team members have mentored me — I don’t know where I could possibly start or finish, so please understand that this paragraph isn’t comprehensive:

Anthony has shown me that creativity doesn’t exist merely on-screen, but it’s everything we live, sing and do … from day one Adam believed in my work. He also taught me how to create practically for clients in Photoshop. He’s great at communicating ideas and strategy from the creative perspective, while addressing tough client problems … Nathan’s approach to asking questions and creating design solutions has stayed with me … in my earlier days at BR, I continually studied HTML/CSS solutions from Brandon and Bobby … And Travis showed me that coding things from scratch and meticulous attention to detail aren’t silly concepts, but rather essential craftsmanship for those that want to be the best.

Bernstein-Rein’s work for household brands like McDonald’s, PetSmart and Hostess Snack Cakes will continue to receive recognition within the national ad community. The agency is capable both digitally and analytically – they dig deep to understand both consumer and marketplace. Most importantly, BR is a place full of great ideas that drive retail sales. I am blessed to have played a small part in our last few years of work.

So what’s next for me?

The ad world has been great, but the best fit for me is a position where questions are primarily asked of design. I have something lined up. More to come!

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Sean: You’re based in Colorado, right? What’s the best part of living near all of that adventure?

Brandi Stanley: I am in Colorado! I’m actually literally in the heart of Denver, living it up in the city. The best part about living here is likely what most might guess: the Rockies don’t disappoint. Nature here is constantly inspirational.

Sean: If I have a few days to kill in Denver, what should I find myself doing?

Brandi: I’d like to say something besides the mountains here, but they truly are worth the trip. Denver isn’t known for any food specialty and it’s not a huge city, relatively, so while there might be some fantastic things to do here in the city, your time is still best spent in the mountains. As a local, one of my favorite things to do is head to the top of Mount Evans for a good hike and drive, and then eat lunch at a local pizza place called Beau Joe’s. It’s a Colorado favorite. A tour of the Coors Brewery is a good add-on for that trip, as well.

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Sean: How did you get into graphic design?

Brandi: In undergrad, I majored in Advertising. About halfway through my program, I took a typography course and fell in love. From there, I never really looked back. I was hooked on design — and though I didn’t officially get a design degree — spent a good portion of my time at school in the design department. After graduating, I went straight into the printing industry. It was a bit unconventional, but working in the print world gave me a better understanding of turning brilliant concepts into practical pieces for clients.

The creative work of Brandi Stanley.

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Sean: Your business plan is different than most. How did you get into the non-profit space?

Brandi: It is a bit strange, but a few things really came together to drive me into the non-profit world. For years, I’ve been involved in social justice and human rights issues and have always wanted to find a way to meld my personal passions with my professional expertise. I remember when I saw a few non-profits start to design and communicate well. I felt like the non-profit sector was a great way to tie these two things together.

Once I started working with organizations, I saw a serious need. Most non-profits can’t afford to hire an in-house designer or someone to handle branding for them. I saw it as a perfect opportunity and specialized niche in order to begin my own freelancing practice.

Sean: Who are a few of your clients right now?

Brandi: I make a concerted effort to stay in the non-profit realm as much as possible. Since I work on my own, it allows me to keep costs down for them, while still maintaining my income. This isn’t to say that I wouldn’t gladly take a job with a for-profit, but my passion really lies in helping non-profits.

The majority of my clients are in Denver, but I’m beginning to work with some national organizations, as well. Most recently, I did an entire organizational re-brand for the Colorado Youth Corps Association. Now I’m working on projects for a local domestic violence shelter and a breast cancer awareness organization.

Sean: How do you communicate new ideas to your clients?

Brandi: With as much confidence and enthusiasm as possible. Most leaders of non-profits have little feel for design and branding. Honest input about both my experience and my expertise really helps. They usually appreciate that I’m looking out for them and not necessarily my bottom line.

Logistically, the method I do this changes from client to client. Sometimes it requires a phone call. Sometimes it requires showing a sketch — it really just depends.

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Sean: How has the economy affected your life as a business owner?

Brandi: To be honest, the only way I’ve truly been affected by the economy was being laid off from a previous desk job. I’d been working in a local university’s marketing department on their design materials. When enrollment dropped drastically for them due to the economy, they went through massive lay-offs.

I’d only picked up the job to get more steady pay, but since coming back to freelance work, things have picked up for me. I’m not sure whether to attribute it to my non-profit niche (which you would assume would be taking the worst hit), or if I’m finally just at a place where I’m well-connected enough to maintain consistent jobs.

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Sean: If I recall correctly, you built your own site as well as a blog called Social He(art). To consider yourself a graphic designer, you’re pretty web-savvy. And that’s quite nifty. Have you done additional projects in web design? Do you prefer one medium over the other?

Brandi: You know, I’ve spent a lot of time in the last couple of years delving into web work because I see it as a necessary “evil,” if you will. Both my clients and myself understand that the web is the best, most-efficient, and cost-effective means to reach an audience at this point. I’ve done several web design projects over the last year, but I really just stick to design. While I know a great deal of xHTML and CSS, I prefer to hand projects over to others who enjoy it more.

Sean: Are there any challenges that come with delivering on both mediums for clients?

Brandi: At heart, I like to say, “I’m a print girl living in a web world.” Print is a bit like developing your own film in a dark room for me. Even though it’s not always the best or fastest way to get things done, there’s still something so incredible about the medium. Nothing really beats holding something tangible in my hands, working with paper, and seeing a print project done really well.

I started Social He(art) because — like myself — I’d run into so many artists who had a passion for social justice and were using their talents to make change. I thought it was important to show support for these people and to help get their stories out, not only for them but for the organizations they were helping. At the moment, I’m taking a temporary leave from the site just to maintain my sanity while finishing my graduate degree, working for my freelance clients, and interning for a local anti-trafficking organization. But, I hope to pick it back up in the near future and really expand its scope.

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Sean: One thing people don’t know about you. Go.

Brandi: Only my close friends know that I’m a diehard sports fan. I grew up in Dallas and was raised on football and started to love hockey when I was in high school. I used to want to be a SportsCenter anchor, and I remember in high school that guys had no idea how to react when I knew more about sports than they did. I’ll watch or attend pretty much any sport other than golf. It’s a weird combination, since I can be happy spending one night at a basketball game and the next at the theatre.

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Sean: Do you work with other designers? In what capacity?

Brandi: I work with other consultants and freelancers more than I do specifically with other designers. I outsource things I don’t normally handle — things like web development, illustration, or photography. It’s not that I can’t handle those things, but I think it benefits both parties when I know they can do it more efficiently and with more passion than I can.

I would love to work with more designers on projects, so that we can all add our perspectives. I think it’s important to challenge yourself in working with other people who see things differently than you do — people who stretch your creativity to places you normally wouldn’t.

Sean: What’s your workspace like?

Brandi: Goodness. I just moved, and my workspace honestly doesn’t look all that “creative” at the moment. The last place I lived didn’t even have a table anywhere in the house, so I’ve spent almost the last couple of years heading to coffee shops or bookstores to get my juices flowing and get out of the house. I’m almost at a point where I can spend some time to intentionally create a workspace that gets me motivated.

Sean: Who inspires you?

Brandi: I’ve actually been incredibly inspired by a lot of local artists lately. We’ve got some great talent in this city, and it’s exciting to see them all succeeding. Denver artists like Jason Thielke, Nathan Crutchfield, Amanda Marie Ploegsma, and Josh Wills have really been getting my creativity flowing for awhile now. There’s a great band out of Denver that I love, too, called The Autumn Film, whose lyrics have pushed me and inspired my art, as of late.

Specifically, Brandon (@thecontrabrand) has worked with several swim, snow and skate brands doing apparel, product, graphic and web design. He’s an incredible talent and I’m better for working with him; the countless hours of craft he puts into his projects are rare. Brandon is also a great mentor – in my time at Bernstein-Rein he’s been my primary mentor in all things CSS.

Identity work by Brandon Todd Wilson

So check him out and stayed posted with him as he’ll be adding more work in the next few weeks and months.

And since we’re on the subject of online portfolios…
If you visit this blog every so often you may have noticed the subtle design changes. Along with these changes, I have been designing and building a new look for bergrbergr.com, which will re-launch as my updated design+code portfolio in weeks to come.

In discovering his site yesterday, I happened upon an interesting interaction between Dustin and a certain “Mr. X” from AmericanAirlines.com in May of this year. The exchange of letters is a great description of enterprise-level marketing/business operations. Having worked for three enterprise clients in the dot com space, strategy is sometimes undercut by process. No matter who you are nor what line of work you find yourself in, you’ll value the description of corporate hierarchy by the American Airlines employee. Enjoy. And thanks Dustin!

An open letter to AA (from D. Curtis)

The reply from AmericanAirlines.com

1. BEST NEW CAMPAIGN: Avis: Your Other Car

This campaign works really well for Avis. It’s utterly clever. I’m not sure if it’s because the idea is so brilliant or simple, but it’s both. And I appreciate the same music bed throughout the campaign. Each time I hear that music, I’ve been conditiioned to know it’s an Avis spot. Nice work.

2. BEST NEW SPOT: Bob Knight for Volkswagen

I was surprised twice in this spot. First surprise, Bob Knight. Second surprise, well just watch. This spot is way better than VW’s run at David Hasslehoff. Borrrrring.

3. BEST NEW GEICO SPOT (yes, it’s own category!)

I giggled like a school girl when I saw this. Co-branding. Wow. The nerve. And in-campaign, too!

Activism

Amnesty International: Tear It Down
Boost
MakeMeSustainable
The Point
World Without Oil

Amusement

Bitstrips.com
Elf Yourself
HotEmuLuv
LeapFrog FLY – Give Someone the Finger!
The Mentos Intern

Art

Karen Collins Photography
Magazines and War
People’s Design Award
Viscosity – the modern art generator
We Are DAG

Blog

Bad Ass Ideas
The Big Noob
Light and Liberty Go Together: Library of Congress Blog
Passive-Aggressive Notes
True Office Confessions

Business

Daisy Marc Jacobs
Design My Room
Getty Images
iMakeOver
Wikinvest

Classic

GOOD Magazine
Independent Lens
Revision3
Scene 360
Wired.com

Community

Behance Network
Current
Emptees
Ficlets
Flock The Social Web Browser

CSS

Ficlets
FiveRuns
Galloping Inn
Love Winter Park
Stayokay

Educational Resource

Ecolect
MindBites
Only Human
The Story of Stuff
TED.com

Experimental

Defy All Challenges
Issuu
MetaNotes
UpNext
Voki

Film / TV

30 Days of Night
Animoto Productions
Sweeney Todd
Ustream.TV
Wired Science

Games

Kongregate
Launchball
Moshi Monsters
Quadradius
Sharkrunners

Mobile

DialedIn
Kyte
Leaflets
Mosio
Mozes

Motion Graphics

Buder Engel and Friends
HL2
Rapp Collins Website
Seduction By Light
WeeWorld

Music

BoomShuffle
Burst Labs
Minuit
Songza
Uncensored Interview

Portfolio

BradKayal.com
Brandcentral
JLern Design
Leinz
Sushi & Robots

Student

Daisy Dai
Dragon Interactive
The Dreaded Grove
JobKillers
Paper Critters

Technical Achievement

Daylife
Drop.io
Feedhaus
Twiddla!
Webot

My only beef is that there should be a loader for images as the user waits for them as the photos somewhat unexpectedly appear or lag once thumbnails are clicked. Contact form is a little funky, but beyond that the design allows for well-played functionality throughout.

They do great work and should be commended. Not for the big client list (Style.com, jetBlue and a few others), but for being quite transparent with their process. No, not that process. Not the “WHO WE ARE” and “HOW WE DO IT” pages that every other design shop features on their portfolio site. But their user-interaction and identity process. I love it.

They show screen grabs of in-progress Illustrator files and war rooms filled with battered and duly-annotated printouts. It reminds me that usability shouldn’t be overlooked and that there are people in the U.S. who are passionate about usability. When I took my first class on usability, I read seven chapters of the required course text (Jakob Nielsen, of course) before the second day of class. Usability has resurfaced as a growing passion of mine.

So keep up the good work, HUGE. I love it: you’re not nerdy and you remain to be usability experts.

To put it more accurately, productivity is on the rise for our team of 13. And here’s why. Better printers. Closer printers. More creative resources beyond printers (an entire studio, if you will). Increased creative collaboration amongst interactive, print and broadcast teams. A creative environment in which to do such.

Three days ago as I was hammering away on a mid-afternoon project, I reflected further as to what increased collaboration yields; I have started saving the agency a lot of money. Not just over the past two weeks nor for just the reasons above, but because I — nearing my second full year of employment — am an investment for the agency. And I — know more about this company, its vision, its mindset and its goals than someone on their first day. And I understand the personalities of those around me.

I know the people to find if I want to get something done; I know our leaders and the initiatives for which they take ownership. I can take the reins (no pun intended) of projects assigned to me. Why is this? Because the talented people who surround me have invested time and energy into teaching me the culture of my work environment and the personalities of those who work in it.

At only two years of employment, I don’t stand as a major asset to the company, but have been wired up for productivity. I’m not saying I want to head-up several new projects, run everybody over with a personal agenda or pad my resum’e. But I want today to be the day that we get something done in Kansas City for the industry.

I think Lowe’s puts it best with their new campaign, “Let’s Build Something Together.” Let’s mark the ad world with some great creative.

I just became aware of a great usability designer. His name is Garret Dimon. Though I’ve only read a few of his entries thus far, I can already see that this guy has a lot to teach us about software and web-based usability standards. He’s brilliant.

He’s an all-in-one art director, well-accompliced animator, brand & packaging specialist, typeface-maker and environmental designer. How’d you like to have one of those on your team?