I am incredibly excited to officially begin my first term as President of AIGA Baltimore this summer, replacing the leadership of our amazing outgoing Co-Presidents, Jennifer Marin and Stacey Fatica.
I’ve worked with Jen and Stacey for two and a half years since I joined the board in February 2013 as Visibility Director. In that role, I connected with other organizations in the Baltimore community to build relationships, collaborate on events and create awareness and understanding for AIGA Baltimore’s goals. I’m so inspired every day by all the people who make Baltimore a creative, innovative, and fabulously quirky city.
As incoming President, my goal is to promote the value of design and design professions while continuing to strengthen the chapter’s programming and community involvement. Under Jennifer and Stacey’s leadership over the past two years, AIGA Baltimore produced more than 60 amazing events to bring education and inspiration to the Baltimore design community. In 2013, Design Week was also recognized officially by the state. I seek to continue to strengthen this legacy.
Assisting me in achieving this goal is a board powered 100% by volunteer AIGA members. Each one has a specific area of focus, and each brings a diversity of thought, talent and passion to the board.
Education Gary Rozanc, Education Director Vivianna Bermudez, Education Chair
Gary and Vivianna led a highly successful Ink & Pixels student portfolio review conference this past April. They are currently planning next year’s annual conference, and are working to develop new ways to engage with AIGA Baltimore’s student groups.
Programming Joseph Anthony Brown, Programming Director Jermaine Bell, Programming Chair Kerry Korrer, Social Design Chair
Joe and Jermaine are leading the planning for Design Week 2015, all while working to execute several special events as well as our regular monthly Blend and Converse events. Kerry leads social design programming, and she’s got a few key initiatives she’s gearing up for.
Communications Kate Lawless, Communications Director Meredith Burke, Web Chair
Spearheading our outreach online via email and our website are Kate and Meredith. They also manage a committee of dedicated communication volunteers who assist with our blog, social media, and other communications needs.
Membership Chad Miller, Membership Chair
The newest member of our board, Chad, will cultivate AIGA Baltimore’s relationship with you, our members, encouraging you throughout the year to engage with us, give feedback, and add your voice to our initiatives.
I am honored to lead and work with such an amazing team. But nothing we do would be possible without a strong community of people passionate enough to volunteer their time to this effort—people who volunteer to speak at events, offer up their spaces for us to use, review portfolios and serve on committees. There are so many people who have helped make AIGA Baltimore what it is today. A two-year term is not a long time, and I hope we can continue to carry that torch and serve the evolving needs of our chapter’s membership and the Baltimore design community as a whole.
I look forward to a great two years serving as your new chapter president.
Thank you,
Vanessa Ulrich
Ben Jenkins, founder of OneFastBuffalo, toured the East Coast hitting up six cities in six days to talk to six AIGA chapters about how he evolved his design business and his personal life into a more satisfying and fulfilling one. We laughed, we learned a lot about his concept of work-life balance, and we talked about how designers have a natural inclination to be designtrepreneurs.
“Twitchyness is contagious”
Ben Jenkins started his presentation with a disclaimer: “I can be a bit twitchy, and it can be contagious.” And as he continued through his talk, we watched him go into side tangents, witnessing just for ourselves how twitchy he was. We hung onto every word, anyway, as Ben told us a story about how he evolved his design business and his personal life into a more satisfying and fulfilling one.
About Ben
Growing up in the suburbs of Dallas, Ben Jenkins loved two things: art and baseball. He admitted it’s an odd combination; there aren’t many sports fanatics that are also into art and design. Following his dreams, he got a scholarship to play baseball at Mississippi State University, where he studied graphic design and architecture. After graduation, Ben went on to play for the Phillies in the minor leagues, and out on the road he passed the time working on small design projects for whoever asked him. These projects put him on the path to freelancing after Ben realized that his career as a baseball player was not going to land him in the big leagues. He continued his education at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, where he earned an MFA in Art & Technology.
Everything is Bigger in Texas (Including Partial Male Nudity)
In 1998, OneFastBuffalo (OFB) was born from the idea that conventional wisdom isn’t always useful. Using his competitive nature as a ball player, Ben grew OFB from a two-person operation to a boutique firm. OneFastBuffalo would move from one office space to another as they expanded, and each time Ben would strive to create the dream office that any agency and their employees would love to have, especially one that would impress clients.
Through the growth of OFB, Ben sought validation as a successful graphic designer. He felt strongly that in order to be considered a good designer, he needed a client list full of the big ones. He was collecting his own design trophies, so to speak. Over time, he would spend more energy managing than designing, more time at the office than at his home, and more time making calls for work. Those 10 years of trophy collecting took a toll on Ben. The man who had been good enough to play in the minor leagues had gained substantial weight and it showed (literally) in the photos his wife took of him just wearing gym shorts.
Slimming the Buffalo (and the Man)
In 2008, Ben realized that it was time for another renovation, and not just one of office space. He turned his work and personal life upside down after realizing that he could work better in a different way. In a period of purging, Ben reduced not only his weight and a large portion of needless possessions, but also the size of OFB as the economy took a downturn.
He even subleased his office space (with the furniture), enabling him to do more with less. Plus this allowed him to spend more time with his wife and three sons. Instead of just heading off to work in the morning and getting home late from the office, he wakes up and has coffee with his wife, takes his sons to school, works in his home office (or wherever he feels like working), and spends time with the boys after school, too.
As Ben simplified the external aspects of his business, his branding process changed, as well. Now, instead of giving clients multiple logo concepts, Ben focuses on just one concept until he gets it right. This allows for more concentration and energy to be put into that one idea, as opposed to spreading the creative energy and time across two or three ideas, he says. And, as an added benefit, the client never picks his least favorite concept. And this process works, too! Since Ben began presenting one concept to clients in 2008, he’s only had to go back to the drawing board a few times.
Since 2008, Ben shows only one logo concept to the client. This allows for more concentration and energy to be put into that one idea.
As his business evolved, Ben also stopped worrying about collecting trophies. He now focuses on creative work to help good people make famous brands, and he’s quickly learned that it’s more enjoyable and more fulfilling to work this way.
Where the Buffalo Roam (Have laptop, Will Travel)
While eating some authentic Mexican cuisine with his wife and kids, Ben came up with the idea of a Mobile Creative Lifestyle. Harking back to his days as a baseball player in the minor leagues and being out on the open road, Ben wanted to combine his passion for design and travel. Buying a 1958 Airstream trailer, Ben began to take his family out on “journeys” (not just vacations) and taught himself to “create big work in the smallest of ways,” by working within the confines of wherever he is at the time.
The OneFastBuffalo 1958 airstream mobile office.
You can now find Ben working on a brand concept in the back of his truck on a lawn chair, parked by a lake, while his wife and three sons enjoy some fly fishing or playing in a nearby playground. This is how “Live Slow, Make Fast” became his new mantra. Ben says that living and doing beautiful things that you enjoy while resting and relaxing will re-energize your work. Working in this way allows him to stay more focused and fill the eight hours (and only eight hours) with a more productive workflow. He uses the 8-8-8 principle to demonstrate this: 8 hours of sleep, 8 hours of play, and 8 hours of work make for a much more healthier work-life balance. There’s time to make and time to live, all in one day.
Ben quickly noticed that this new found freedom of working anywhere at any time made his work better, too. The famous brands that Ben used to chase around now just come to him because they recognize the quality of work he produces and the energy and focus he puts into it.
Designtrepreneur
With his new approach to working, Ben found he had the energy and focus to create brands for himself rather than for a client. He believes that designers are still artists at heart and that their ability to create and produce gives them a natural inclination to start their own personal brands. Armed with a passion for baseball, Ben started Warstic Bat Company, which produces handmade wood bats, baseball gear, and apparel. The company was recently featured in the pages of GQ and was even contacted by Coach to sell a limited run of men’s gear in their stores. Some other brands Ben has created are Treadsmith Board Co. (a snowboard producer), and INDIG (a strategic branding company for Native American owned companies).
Warstic Bat Company, one of Ben’s many self-created brands.
The Journey Continues
The takeaway from Ben’s presentation is that a well-rounded work-life balance can be beneficial to re-energizing a creative professional’s focus and drive. He says you do not have to allow the pressure and distractions affect you as a whole. Spending time away from the computer and spending quality time doing things that make you happy will help you to be a better creative.
On June 1, 2015, Ben will shut OFB down for the summer and not reopen for business until September 1, 2015. He will travel around the country on a journey with his family, enjoying some quality time together while resting and relaxing. When September comes back around, with the energy he will have stored up, he most certainly will come out swinging his bat of creativity. And we can’t wait to see what he does next.
Chad Miller is a Senior Graphic Designer for MedStar Health who enjoys all things design and all things caffeinated.
I began attending Ink & Pixels in my junior year at Towson University. At the time, I was preparing to screen into the design program in order to complete my BFA in Graphic Design. The screening requires a phenomenal portfolio from all candidates to secure a spot, and as I walked into Ink & Pixels I thought I had one. I remember thinking how blown away the reviewers were going to be with my awesome portfolio and design skills. So I sat down across from my first reviewer and introduced myself.
Shockingly, the reviewer was appalled by my lack of professionalism. Despite my best efforts to enhance my appearance that day—I wore a shirt tucked in with a tie to match my personal brand colors—my work and portfolio presentation just didn’t stand up to the test. Looking back, it wasn’t much better put together than a wet rat. But I was stupidly cocky.
After a few questions in, I warmed up to the reviewer and we found our level ground. She complimented my work where it was deserved while detailing every nook and cranny that I needed to change in order to create a quality portfolio. My reviewer took the time to ask me about where I wanted to be professionally after graduating. She asked what designers influenced me and gave me tips to make my goals easier to obtain.
In the weeks to follow, when I was accepted into TU’s BFA program, I decided that my reviewer’s tough love was the best advice I could have gotten. I appreciated the feedback so much that I decided to return to Ink & Pixels the following year, too.
The review sessions from both Ink and Pixels ‘13 and ‘14 allowed me the opportunity to talk with professional designers, some of whom were hiring managers and many of whom I am still in touch with. They told me exactly what I needed to hear and didn’t sugarcoat it. No one held my hand nor did I receive a lollipop at the end. These professionals were there to make a real difference in the way I think and create as a designer, and the advice they gave me extended beyond just presenting my work.
In December 2014, I graduated with my BFA in Graphic Design from Towson University. Before graduation, I put together a fantastic portfolio using everything I had gained from Ink & Pixels. I also used the connections I made with my reviewers to get invited to 10 different interviews. Yes, 10! Those connections got me a full-time job.
So, now it’s my turn to dish out advice: if you’re a student thinking about attending an Ink & Pixels conference in the future, don’t think; DO. It will change your future.
For Ink & Pixels 2015, I knew it was time for me to give back as a portfolio reviewer. I helped several students take a look at their portfolios from a new perspective, guided them on their work and their portfolio presentation, and dished out all the advice and lessons I had learned over the past couple of years.
I reached out to each student I was fortunate to meet, and have even been able to pass on a resumé here and there to hiring managers who may have a fit for the graduating student. It feels fantastic knowing that I am now able to help make a difference in their careers.
A few more words of advice: if you’re a student who has passed through Ink & Pixels and working as a professional, please give back. We can continue to make sure great design is being ushered out on to the world, especially in Baltimore.
Liam Clisham, an AIGA member since 2012, owns and operates Five31, completing motion and graphic design for a variety of large and small business, including Exelon/BGE, Keller Williams, and recently Discovery Communications.
Congratulations to Emilee and Tiff! They each won a 1-year subscription to Skillshare!
We’d like to give all our challenge participants a BIG THANKS for sharing your workspaces with us. We loved seeing where you work, your colorful walls, pretty posters, creative desktop backgrounds, and awesome adaptations of our challenge hashtag, #bmoreAIGA100. To see all the entries, head over to Instagram and search the hashtag #bmoreAIGA100, and stay tuned for more challenges and Skillshare giveaways!
Now that we’re feeling workspace inspired, how about joining us for a mix-and-mingle at Price Modern on Tuesday this week?
We’re getting together to dive deep into the topic of designing creative workspaces and we want you to come join us! Light refreshments will be provided, and we may head over to the Ottobar afterwards, too. See you there!
Baltimore Magazine was first printed in 1907 by the Baltimore Chamber of Commerce. It is to this day, the oldest city magazine in the U.S. In 1994, Steve Geppi, owner of Rosebud Entertainment acquired the magazine with the goal of reviving the publication by rethinking its content as a channel to celebrate the great things that Charm City has to offer. With over 50,000 magazines in circulation, its in-house creative team collaborates diligently to keep the look and feel of the publication fresh and dynamic. Amanda White-Iseli has been Art Director for the publication for the last 16 years and shares insight on her in-house team.
How far in advance do you start working on your next issue?
Baltimore is a monthly publication designed on a 4- to 5-week production cycle. My team and I work closely with each other and with the editorial team throughout the cycle. Work begins even before the previous issue hits newsstands as art directors and designers meet with editors and writers to discuss the stories for the next issue. As a department, we all rely on each other for collaboration and critique at every step of the process. We’ve developed a strong, harmonious relationship with the editorial staff as well as with our digital and social media divisions, whom we also work closely with.
Special Editions and Marketing Art Director, Staci Lanham designs our quarterly Home section, our annual Baltimore Bride magazine, and all in-house promotional materials. Our Design and Print Division—headed up by Art Director Vicki Dodson and Senior Designer Michael Tranquillo—is creating fresh, new looks for businesses all over the region including print advertisements, stationary, media kits, newsletters, brochures, and more. Jon Timian is our Production Manager and is responsible for the top-notch production of the magazine—color correcting, along with the image, print, and paper quality. Production Artist, Marina Feeser designs ads and manages ad production for the monthly magazine as well as Baltimore Bride. Craig Forbes is our digital designer handling our web design and many of our online videos.
Understanding the broad strokes of the story and the writer’s tone influences the direction of the design and helps with the initial concept stage. Stephanie Shafer, the editorial design assistant, is responsible for part of the front of the book and all of the departments. Sophia Belitsos, the assistant AD, designs the rest of the front of the book, some features, and our Local Flavor section. I design the cover as well as features, provide direction to the assistant AD and design assistant, and manage the art department as a whole.
The three of us meet weekly to review progress, discussing design direction and potential illustrators and photographers that would be a good fit for the stories. Each person is responsible for creating art assignments for the stories they are working on.
Baltimore’s Best Breakfast Spots. October 2013 issue. Photography by Scott Suchman.
Photography and Illustration have become a huge part of your publication, is all of this done in-house?
David Colwell, our Director of Photography, shoots a large part of the photography for any given issue. Front of the book sections such as “Charmed Life” are typically shot in our studio during the second week of the production cycle. The studio—which is a block away from our Lancaster Street offices in Harbor East—is a large, open space that provides an area where we can paint walls, build sets, and do whatever is necessary to shoot everything from fashion to portraits to product and detailed documentary photography for the monthly magazine as well as our annual Bride publication. (It was even used for a short scene in Season 2 of “House of Cards.”)
We also assign work to photographers in our extensive network of talented freelancers. We try to choose photographers whose style and aesthetic is a good fit for that particular project. We then send a detailed art assignment explaining the story and our design ideas, often including sample images that will help describe the look we are after. We try to give them two weeks to complete each assignment, although time is a luxury we don’t always have.
Baltimore magazine. September 2014. Photography by Mike Morgan. Hand lettering by Martin Schmetzer
We approach illustration projects in much the same way, providing art assignments and examples of illustrations that will help guide the illustrator’s concept and initial sketches. We have worked with renowned painters and illustrators from all over the world as well as those in our own backyard, including MICA graduates and even some professors. We find most of our illustrators either through artist reps or as a result of their own dogged determination to promote themselves via print mailings and email inquiries (yes, a well-written email or catchy postcard still works).
Can you give an example of a recent concept for a cover that you really enjoyed working on? What was the process?
October 2014 issue. Photography by Scott Suchman. Hand lettering by Lauren Hom.
We recently produced our October 2014 Cheap Eats cover which was a lot of work–but really fun to do. The food stylists who I usually work with were unavailable, so I tried my hand at styling the dogs myself. I worked with photographer Scott Suchman who is gifted at shooting food. It was a long process that involved lots of buns, lots of toothpicks, and a soldering iron! I was really happy with the results. I also worked with illustrator Lauren Hom who is amazing! She did the hand lettering for the piece. I provided sketches of what I wanted to include and where—and she worked her magic.
How do you coordinate what goes into your print publication vs. digital?
We meet monthly with digital team to maximize the capabilities of digital media and make the content fresh and dynamic. This can include everything from redesigning charts and incorporating infographics to shooting behind-the-scenes footage from photo shoots as a supplement to the editorial content. We are active on Pinterest and Facebook, posting contests, polls, and generally maintaining an online presence that further nurtures our relationship with existing readers and helps develop new ones. That relationship, and the resulting communication, helps us deliver designs that complement and support the stories and enhance the reader’s experience.
If there’s one thing for certain, it’s that Baltimore designers have some fantastic workspaces. This is only evidenced by the growing number of Instagrammers out there tagging #bmoreAIGA100 on their #workspace photos this month.
So far, we’ve seen that many local creatives have multiple screens:
http://instagram.com/p/zCoI_JN2w0
some expansive workspaces:
http://instagram.com/p/ysn6O3RHii/
and even miniature workspaces with big visuals:
http://instagram.com/p/y0fCtbLLMH/
Speaking of big visuals, we’ve got some inspirational walls:
http://instagram.com/p/yu9mZ6qAtg/
a few ‘remote’ coffee shop spaces:
http://instagram.com/p/y5aydMvgQb/
and some well-appointed cubicles, too:
http://instagram.com/p/zAwgnJOx_i/
And this isn’t even half of the postings on Instagram, so go check out the rest with hashtag #bmoreAIGA100.
While you’re at it, snap a pic of your own #workspace and tag it on Instagram with #bmoreAIGA100. We don’t care if it’s messy and cluttered or clean and dust-free; just do it by February 28th and you’ll be entered to win one of two year-long Skillshare subscriptions!
BONUS ROUND: Want to double your chances? Come up with a creative way to spell out #bmoreAIGA100 in your photo for a second entry.
Oh, and here’s one last Instagram with a lovely Bmore feline to leave you feeling cozy on a cold winter’s night:
rmadar1: My lil corner workspace, lots of orange, lots of cat. #bmoreAIGA100 #workspace #Baltimore
The key to designing for listening is to realize that it is not quantitative. It is not about what it looks like, but about how long a user is listening. It is not about the type, the pixels, or the grids that we love so much, but about how the user feels when they are listening. Users want to be able to open a mobile or web app and start listening right away. Much like a high-quality, award-winning loudspeaker, it’s designed not to be seen and a user will often pay more for a seamless experience.
The challenge is that users are busy—they’re multi-taskers—and user interfaces can compete for their attention, so we need a different approach.
Two: Flow
In not designing a visual experience, the goal is to instead design a flow that will keep the user engaged. A ‘flow’ can be described as a structure or a language similar to what you would find in music. Just as verses, choruses, and bridges combine to create the flow of a song, the elements of good audio design combine to create an engaging listening experience. In that way, success is already programmed into the user experience.
“So much of what we know, and what we think, and what we feel, and what we remember is affiliated with how it all sounded.” — Colonel Chris Hadfield
An app designed as a listening experience should be extremely basic—only what’s necessary and without anything to distract the listener. It needs to be as easy as turning on the radio. For example, NPR’s app, NPR One, is responsive and is made to be tucked away behind another browser tab if you are listening to the radio while at work.
Three: Complement
The final concept to designing for listening is learning how to correctly read the audience. Like a good DJ, being able to read and to respond appropriately to the listener makes a better experience. People are busy and listening is often a parallel activity, so the challenge is to engage the listener by delivering the right programming all the time. Users’ habits—how or when they listen—are subtle signals that can help us deliver the best content.
The challenge is that NPR gives away their formula. The Application Program Interface (API) is available for free, which means anyone can take it, use it, remix it, and even make money off of it. A lot of people do the latter, but what they don’t have is the science or the algorithms behind the experience. Programs like Pandora use metadata to deliver a playlist, but not always in a way that equals what the user had in mind. The human element that NPR has created, of metadata and experience, is what makes a difference.
Q&A with Benjamin Dauer
What’s the Future of Public Radio?
In the future, public radio (especially NPR) will connect you to a handcrafted, personalized stream of local and national stories, both from shows you like and some we’ll surprise you with. You’ll be informed, entertained and connected to your community in a way that fits your life.
What is the biggest hurdle to design around?
NPR headquarters operates independently from local stations, but local stations do have needs that we try to address. For example, they want the functionality of listeners being able to donate money within the app while ensuring those funds stay local. A workaround hasn’t been figured out just yet, but little steps like linking to a donate page on website are a push in the right direction.
What advice would you give to designers working with nonprofits who might be against riskier design moves?
Educate the stakeholders. “Design is education.” Don’t show them how it looks, but how it will work. Show them a working example whenever possible to help support your reasoning.
As a designer, how do you handle a bad stakeholder review?
Beer! Take your ego out of it. It’s not really about you. In the case of NPR, it’s about the listener. I think about how I can give the listener that thing they want with all of these other crazy requirements.
Shannon Crabill is a New Media Specialist at T. Rowe Price. Outside of the Internet, you can find her dancing, riding her motorcycle and binge-watching home improvement shows on HGTV. Tweet her at @shannon_crabill.
Mitchell Cole is the web sales manager at Service Photo Supply. Most of his free time is spent indulging in some sort of gaming, controller or dice never far from reach. Find him on Twitter at @mc_mittens.
Kicking off AIGA Baltimore’s Design Week 2014 at ADG Creative, the Ravens in-house marketing team sent in three of their best to talk about how Baltimore’s own NFL team thinks creatively about design and marketing. Bryan McDonough, Heather Blocher, and David Lang discussed how they target Baltimore football’s wide audience across print, digital, social media, and broadcasting in a fascinating presentation, all while showing off their flashy Ravens World Champion rings.
Marketing the Ravens
Emphasize consistency. That’s the team’s key secret for seamless collaboration. The Baltimore Ravens’ marketing team only joins forces with outside agencies occasionally. Almost all efforts take place in-house, even broadcasting. As a graphic designer for the Ravens, presenter Bryan McDonough described the group as being a “mini agency”.
The marketing team has to “churn and burn”—they’re ready to react. While most NFL creative teams ask “how does this help us sell tickets?”, the Ravens are always sold out, allowing more creative freedom. Each campaign piece still must work across all platforms, including print, digital, broadcast, and environmental. The organization also reaches a wide and inclusive audience of women, men, families, young fans, and seasoned fans.
If that wasn’t enough of a challenge, the NFL has strict geographical marketing regions when it comes to things like print collateral and tv ads. The Ravens are uniquely sandwiched between two neighboring teams: the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles. Luckily, there are no borders on the digital front. Even with the NFL limiting Ravens from print and tv in areas geographically associated with other teams, the web provides ways to market beyond these borders without regional terms.
How an idea becomes a campaign
Each season’s new campaign begins after the playoffs. The success of the players on the field decides when to shift focus to the year ahead. At this point, the design team’s first deadline is printing the next season’s tickets by May. During the summer months, the team prioritizes working with Ravens sponsors.
Ravens’ 2014 season tickets
From the very beginning of each campaign, the marketing department’s creative process includes senior management, creative, marketing, and board representatives. Several concepts are narrowed down to the best two or three ideas. The public relations, digital, and print teams collaborate to select which concepts should move forward. Polished into solid presentations, the concepts must be clear to the point where the executives—who don’t necessarily have creative backgrounds—understand the direction and ideas.
In charge of overseeing these efforts, event presenter Heather Blocher serves as Senior Manager of Advertising & Branding. Heather started as an intern and officially joined the marketing group as her first job after college, a prime example of how team members are given opportunities for growth.
The one surefire way to win a campaign? Have Coach John Harbaugh buy in. If creative and marketing have his vote, then the players and fans approve. John can be tough, however. Even with free lunch in the cafeteria, Harbaugh recently put everyone on a diet. No more “Pizza Friday.” It’s just salad. At least everyone gets cake after a win, though. On the other hand, losses do affect morale. The next day everyone is bummed right along with the fans—and a lot goes into game day behind the scenes.
How to “Play Like a Raven”
Give it your all, 110%, on and off of the field. That’s what it means to “Play Like A Raven”—the team’s tagline and annual marketing campaign since 2009. Praised by coaches, players and fans, the phrase remains one of their most successful campaigns.
Focusing on the human element and illustrating the off-the-field “Play Like A Raven” concept, new photo shoots show players training and behind-the-scenes. Quotes from Coach John Harbaugh integrate into the final design to reflect this more personal tone. Landscape posters using this imagery portrayed the players as heroes and role models. The posters were envisioned as inspirational collectables distributed at stadium practice events leading up to the season opening.
Their 2014 marketing both hints back to the original “Play Like A Raven” campaign and pushes the idea to the next level. Fan shots became a major part of the previous campaign’s success. The logical next step uses these even more expansively. Updated photography showcases the vast Baltimore cityscape. A new style guide allows visuals to easily translate from print to web, mobile, and broadcast as the team continues to improve the level of consistency.
Taking the campaign online
Hashtags for the Baltimore Ravens were once inconsistent with mixed messages and sources. Fans generated some with others in the marketing department. For example, #relentless is not specifically related to the Ravens alone. Rather than join these existing and wider conversations, their own threads were started specifically for the Ravens’ team. David Lang, as the Ravens’ Senior Digital Media Manager, discussed how he oversees the website and digital presence, including social media and broadcasting.
David Lang, discussed how he oversees the Ravens’ website and digital presence.
Tackling the confusion, the 2014 campaign includes just one hashtag: #playlikearaven. Since the Ravens are a newer team, creating an abbreviation like the Redskins hashtag—#HTTR for Hail To The Redskins—was deemed less meaningful and effective. Instead, #playlikearaven was trademarked. Beginning in 2014, posters and promotional materials added #playlikearaven, and this encouraged players and fans to share virally on social media.
The marketing team found creative ways to involve the players and the rest of the organization as the official hashtag gained popularity. The most positive and encouraging Facebook posts, tweets and photos were printed after sifting through thousands of social media posts. Displayed at the Ravens’ cafeteria entrance, these images help connect the staff and players with their fans. This interactive element that goes beyond an online “like” or “retweet” reinforces the idea that the Ravens marketing is not just a one-way conversation.
Outside of social media, President of the Baltimore Ravens Dick Cass is a driver for old school methods. Even though holiday cards are still printed, the marketing team did take to the streets late one night. With permission, the team stenciled graphics across the city using an environmentally safe paint from Germany to engage with their fans. But most often, the Baltimore Ravens leave street-level tactics to the fans themselves. They’re the ones who do guerrilla marketing best.
Shannon Crabill is a New Media Specialist at T. Rowe Price. Outside of the Internet, you can find her dancing, riding her motorcycle and binge-watching home improvement shows on HGTV. Tweet her at @shannon_crabill.
Brian E. Young is an art director and magazine designer by day and artist by night. When not painting, he’s helping unlock imaginations via his blog and The Uncanny Creativity Podcast. Ask him anything: sketchee.com.
“I love being in-house because I am tightly integrated with the teams I work with and have a deep understanding of a product’s full lifecycle.”
Benjamin Dauer is a Senior Product Designer at National Public Radio in Washington, D.C. and was recently the Lead Product Designer at SoundCloud in Berlin, Germany. AIGA Baltimore took a field trip to interview Benjamin about designing in-house for NPR.
How did you get started designing user experiences for audio platforms?
You could say it all began in 5th grade while learning music. As a musician I have always been drawn to the listening experience. Everything from how the sound was performed and recorded, to the equipment used in the process, to the components used to deliver the audio to the user – all of these tools and methods have been designed, ultimately, not to be seen.
While growing up I was a “backseat listener” of NPR. As a musician I have been using SoundCloud since their founding 7 years ago. I am very fortunate to be able to combine my love of sound and design while working with these organizations on their listening experiences.
SoundCloud app for iOS
What would be your advice for someone looking to improve their skills to be competitive in today’s job market?
Keep your finger on the pulse of the industry. When deciding which organization you want to work for, examine its maturity. By this I mean, startups typically seek generalists while more established companies have the flexibility to seek specialists. This will help you to focus on which skills are in demand. Then set to work teaching yourself what you need to know and surround yourself with people from whom you can constantly learn.
If I had to leave you with three things, I’d say: be humble – know when you’re right and know when you’re wrong; be honest – with yourself, with your team, and with your time; and don’t be afraid to fail – challenge yourself at all times and learn from every experience, both good and bad.
You recently received an Interactive Design award from Communication Arts for the NPR Music for iPad app. Can you tell me about that process?
From a high level, this was the first NPR app to be completely conceived, designed and developed in-house. As you can imagine, it generated a lot of excitement throughout the organization. While lots of feedback poured in during the process, from all areas of NPR, we remained sharply focused on the user.
Tactically, we operate using Agile/Scrum and Lean methodologies here. We have tight, two-week sprints involving research, design, development, user-testing, and QA. These processes encourage transparency and thus keep us honest and iterating. At the end of each cycle we demo our work to key stakeholders and solicit further feedback. Rinse and repeat until app submission.
NPR Music for iPad
Do you always design with iOS in mind?
No. For me, context is very important so there will always be some variation in how I approach a particular design problem. Different contexts require different solutions. This helps inform which platform (and/or OS) is most suitable to design for – desktop, tablet, phone, television, car, iOS, Android, etc.
In general my process involves some/all of these elements: framing the problem, asking the right questions, challenging assumptions, researching markets/competition/patterns, sketching, prototyping, designing, testing, iterating, iterating, and more iterating.
You’re currently working on the new NPR One listening experience. What’s your biggest challenge?
There are many. One of the biggest has to be the challenge of transforming a traditional broadcast framework into a digital, on-demand framework. In doing so, we are creating a new kind of listening experience for our audience: a seamless mix of local and national content that learns what you enjoy, allows you to make a habit of those, and relinquishes you from the clock. In this new framework, we can create the best show for you, no matter what type of listener you are – casual, regular, or power.
NPR One
What do you see is the future of streaming music/audio?
In my ideal universe, I would love to see an environment where organizations can continue to embrace experimentation, especially around the concept of personalization. There are several different approaches to this on the market already, but they all require active input from the listener. Those mood surveys, interest questionnaires, and settings pages full of checkboxes all miss the mark for me. There are lots of signals we can glean from a listener’s more passive activity – how far have they listened through a piece of content, what types of content are they skipping most, at what point during their listening session do they stop, or what have they searched for? All of these put the onus on us to work harder and be more mindful, not the listener.
Check out Benjamin’s portfolio site www.benjamindauer.is and follow him @benjamindauer.
The latest research suggests that people check their smartphones 20 ba-jillion times per day (appx). That stat completely describes me — I get the shakes if my phone is more than 20 feet way. However, I do accept this despicable condition as one of my own making and do hereby swear to help other digital/phone/technology addicts in their own quests to dial down their obsession… or at least relax a bit. I think it’s pertinent at this point to pull out a great Marshall McLuhan quote that diagnoses this state more aptly:
In the electric age, when our central nervous system is technologically extended to involve us in the whole of mankind and to incorporate the whole of mankind in us, we necessarily participate, in depth, in the consequences of our every action. It is no longer possible to adopt the aloof and dissociated role of the literate Westerner.
When we’re constantly connected to digital media we become thin and stretched in our psyche’s trying to see and sort all the information in all the world all the time. On a good day it’s that we’re fiddling with our phones too much. On a bad day it becomes insomnia and restlessness. So with this technologically extended hyper-state in mind, let me offer some lifestyle tips for tech lovers that might be a good first step toward getting our digital connectivity under control.
When you go to a restaurant with someone keep your phone in your pocket. If you’re a total psycho you can check your phone when you got to the restroom.
Give commercials 100% of your attention just like you do the show. This unifies the experience and (speaking as someone in marketing) gives credit to all the hard work that goes into making commercials. Honor them.
Watch the credits after the movie. Same reason as above.
Don’t channel surf. Spend the time sharpening your axe (aka using the show guide), then watch what you want to watch like you’re showing up to a doctor’s appointment (credit to LL Cool J for this one).
Yield to the largest screen in the room when tempted to play with multiple devices. The more devices you’re fiddling with the less you’re able to separate and absorb the content.
Put your phone in a different room during dinner time. And mute it. Is 30 minutes going to kill you?
Read right before bed instead of scanning Facebook or some other consumption-of-humanity social network.
Pick one day a week not to wear a watch. I don’t know about you but without it I feel lost and afloat in a dark sea of emptiness and inefficiency. But I need that feeling every now and then to remind me to chill the heck out.
Don’t use news apps. Ever.
Have a friend text you for 5 straight minutes but refuse to look at your phone. This will build up your “ignore that ding” muscle. Apple has gone Pavlov on all of us so yes, it’s going to feel great to get a Twitter update or text. Don’t instantly eat that candy.
Get out in nature. Without your iGizmo. Force yourself. Apparently a week in nature will reset all your human/time/sleep settings. If you can’t take a week then just get outside, even just for a walk here and there.
Do you have a tip that’s helped for you? Share it in the comments the next time you’re multi-tasking on your iPad during a video conference while watching TV.
Jon Barnes is the Director of Communications for ADG Creative and a heck of a guy. Read more over at ADG’s blog, Brain Juice, including that one time when we all went and took a crash course in Letterpress.
Would you like to be a guest blogger for AIGA Baltimore? Email Greg to find out more information!
