Jack’s Whiteboard

musings of a visual thinker and unremitting creative

My City Listens

ABOUT A MONTH AGO I wrote a post entitled, Orem City Paints Our Curbs... Sorta. I was disappointed at the sloppy way in which our fair city had painted the red curbs in our neighborhood.

Within a week, I received an email from Trent Mallinson with Orem City. His message read, “Thank you. I will take a look at it and I will do what I can to remedy the problem. Thanks for the concern. It does not meet my standards either. There may have been some issues with the equipment at that time that had not been resolved. Could you tell me the address where the photos were taken? Thanks again.”

I returned his email message and included the address.

About a week later, I was driving to work and saw an Orem City maintenance truck parked near our neighborhood. I pulled over, pulled out my phone, and shot the following video:

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Thanks, Orem City. Far more important than the way in which curbs are painted is the fact that you listen...  And then act. Nice job.

Can “Design Thinking” Make Design Big Again?

Tim Brown calls for a shift away from artsy-fartsy, pompous design attitudes to collaborative, participatory "design thinking" that makes a difference.

Here is a quote I took from the video presentation:

“Somehow, design has gone from “systems thinkers” who were reinventing the world in the 19th century to a priesthood of folks in black turtlenecks and designer glasses preoccupied with creating nifty, fashionable, small objects. As industrial society matured, and as design became a profession, it focused on an ever-smaller canvas, until it came to stand for aesthetics, image, and fashion.”

Thankfully, some believe that this is changing.

I have been a first-hand witness for many years to the disservice rendered to graphic design students coming out of programs that simply don’t get it. Hopefully those who are teaching in these programs will wake up, take off the turtlenecks, and actually help their students prepare for real, meaningful and lasting career success in this new world.

What do you think?

An Ad Worth Watching - Amex’s Take Charge

I DO A LOT OF RANTING about lousy advertising. Too many advertisers have moved away from straightforward, creative presentations that educate and inspire (yes, I used the word “inspire”).

So when I see something as beautifully conceived and executed as the commercial below, I feel an obligation to talk about that too. The art direction in this spot is remarkable. The copywriting is simple, clear, and benefit driven.

A shout out to companies out there (like Kraft Foods) doing crappy stuff....

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The Power of Visual Problem Solving

A FEW MONTHS AGO I attended VizThink ’09 in San Jose, California, where I learned tons from the best visual thinkers in the world. One of the workshops I enjoyed most was with Dan Roam, author of The Back of the Napkin—recently named one of the best business books of 2008. Dan is a fascinating guy and his book is simply brilliant.
Dan spoke a lot about his next book, and I’m anxious to summarize my notes from that lecture and will post them here. In the meantime, if you believe in the power of visual thinking to solve business challenges, pick up his book. It isn’t an easy read, but if you’re fascinated (like I am) with organizing complex information, and then distilling it in ways that help people communicate, you will enjoy the book.
By the way, this comic doesn’t have anything to do with Dan Roam or the VizThink conference, but I couldn’t resist its application to visual problem solving!
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Four Tacos and a Pumpkin Shake

WHY DO THOSE OF US who live along Utah’s Wasatch Front have to drive four hours south, to St. George, to go to Jack-in-the-Box? What’s up with that? Surely, we could support ONE up here. No?

I am working here in Phoenix for a couple of days, so I stopped by for a few of those greasy tacos I will never tire of. The girl at the counter recommended the pumpkin shake.

Yum.

Is Targeting Children In This Way Ever Justified?

Each time I walk through the Salt Lake City airport I’m reminded of how much I dislike this ad from worldwildlife.org. Today, I just had to stop and snap a quick photo.

When it comes to the debate about the causes of global warming, I understand, and have read a great deal from both sides of the discussion. I get it. And, I understand that there are a lot of people who are very passionate about the issue.

However, when either side simply ignores the debate itself, and instead chooses to target children in an effort to influence, it just doesn’t seem right to me—or smart. It makes me wonder if the human-caused global warming advocates have very much confidence in their position. If they did, they would stick to discussing the issue in an rational, adult-directed manner.

Children, for the most part, live in the present. It’s hard for them to understand how time works. Instilling fear in them, by making them wonder if next season’s little league games will be cancelled due to mass flooding, seems irresponsible.

I don’t know what the answers are in this debate, but I do know that manipulating children for political gain feels wrong. What do you think?

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