The art of constructive criticism is a talent that you don’t find on anybody’s resume, but this specific skill is very useful where design work is involved and specifically design work with a multitude of parties each having the correct solution to the problem. Maybe Constructive criticism is not quite the right fit, more a doctorate in Spin, were you need to explain to a client that there idea is like looking at a solar eclipse without one of those boxes with a pinhole in it.

If you pull this off and everyone agrees on a solution, say for example that you need 5 categories in your website architecture for a particular product and then create a website design around this new menu and then hold everything…wait… now after seeing it they decide they need 8 categories and another whole section, because that is what xyzproducts.com is doing, “I saw their site over the weekend.” So now you have to explain to them how wrong “mistaken” they are all over again, subtly of course…. Unless by some freak event you yourself are wrong on this one??!??

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”
Winston Churchill

As a Project Coordinator at Dynamic Digital Advertising (DDA), I work closely with clients and all members of our team - from graphic designers and programmers to copywriters and animators - that are involved in a given project. In my experience, I have come to realize how important it is to take the necessary time and word correspondences correctly to convey a clear and straightforward message. While some of our clients consist of well-established companies with extensive experience in all forms of advertising, others are innovative start-up organizations that lack the knowledge on the best way to proceed in a project, whether it is a website design or a video production.

Bottom line, it is not our clients’ job to automatically understand, it is our job to provide all pertinent and relevant information in an easy-to-understand format so they, in turn, can make wise and educated decisions. That said, it is critical that every form of communication be well thought out and that important points, issues, or potential problems are discussed internally beforehand in order to ensure that everyone is on the same page and there are no discrepancies. Anticipating complications and misunderstandings prior to initiating a response and doing our best to avoid them helps things flow from one stage to the next as smoothly as possible.

“More important than the quest for certainty is the quest for clarity.” ~ Francois Gautier

Some projects are clear cut, others are not.

As a full-service company, we see a lot of versatility in the work we do — video production, animation, website development, illustration, brochures, catalogs. I could go on but I think my point is clear.

There’s one constant variable throughout it all — the client steers the project. Our ability to provide any service needed, from programming to copywriting services, means that we can go in any direction a client wants.

If they call about a website and through discussion decide a video would also be appropriate, we can do it.  If they want to add a certification or training component to a CD-ROM, we can do it. Tracking usage, logo design, tradeshow banner, video script — we can do all of that too.

A prime example of our ability to meet just about any need, is a client we are currently working with on a variety of projects. They began wanting marketing and branding, and from there it’s mushroomed. We have gone from logo design to video to website development and back to video again. This client’s business is growing rapidly and as his needs and focus shift, we shift with him, providing exactly what is needed to meet his vision.

Not all projects are like this. Some are straight forward.

But regardless of the size or scope, through our vast ability and focus on customization we are establishing relationships, not just providing services.

Whether it’s a DVD or a little bit of everything, our clients are getting a partner not just a vendor.

I just received my new WD 500 gig My Book this morning. I immediately started setting it up so I could begin the long process of transferring my data. I don’t remember if I mentioned this before, but my current HD takes forever to transfer data! It once took me a whole day, from 9am-5pm to transfer 12 gigs. 12. My beautiful TB HD I have at home uses her super fast fire wire connection to transfer 12 gigs in a matter of minutes. Even my 500 gig HD, which has a USB 2 connection, transfers really fast. On a side note, when I bought my 500 gig HD over a year ago, I wanted to get the firewire version. However the sales person at Best Buy convinced me to get a HD with an eSata connection. He also assured me that I could acquire the card for my mac when they had them in stock. It wasn’t until a month later that I found that eSata cards were not made for macs. The archiving session I had a week ago was painful only because it took me forever to back up my files via external HD. I am really hoping that this HD will rise to the challenge and be able to transfer my data at the speed of light. Yes, the speed of light. Perhaps I should name her the Millennium Falcon? Naah, too cliche. On another note, completely unrelated to my HD, I am closing out a number of projects due to my upcoming travel. (I will not be in Thursday or Monday.) I just uploaded a newsletter for print production, translated three web designs into html expandable pages for the client to see and approve, and finished various website updating/alteration projects. Today’s tasks are to start and complete concept sketches of a town setting, get further in the DDA Sketchbook, take some product photography, make a few graphics/roll overs for websites and complete some other site updates. I need to finish these before I leave today.

When I was a little girl, I was roundly scolded one winter morning because I took the blanket off my bed and gave it to a man knocking at our back door for help. He looked so cold, his lips were blue, and to a five-year old, it seemed getting him warm was more important than feeding him. Besides I was not allowed near the stove, and there were no grownups around when he knocked on the door. That was my dramatic introduction to random acts of kindness. I felt good about what I did, and the admonition “never talk to a stranger” soon vanished along with the angry words from my Dad. 

Today, as a business woman, I am often surprised at how indifferent and self-absorbed people can be. Surely, there is time to say “Good Morning” and “How are you?” and mean it. And surely, there should be more warm reactions to all the little gestures of kindness you encounter in your work day. Or is kindness missing where you work? Ah ha, the paradox. There are NOT too many work cultures that encourage kindness and cooperation among staff. Rather the norm is for everyone to out do the other with selfish agendas.

At Dynamic Digital Advertising, we have a very open door policy. We encourage teamwork among the graphic designers, advertising copywriters, and project coordinators assigned to a website design and seo content development job, we discourage  ”I” statements. Our more senior staff help guide and teach informally, and no one in that position be it our Lead Graphic Designer or our Director of Interactive Media ever behaves arrogantly with peers or clients. We have a very robust cc: system to keep all concerned in the loop.

A statement on our wall sums it up best “NO AVERAGE PEOPLE WORK HERE.” And by extension, no one unkind or petty.  Throughout our four-day work week, I hope each of us takes the time to practice kindness (even if we have to grit our teeth or pull our hair at some stupid occurrence). Let’s resist the temptation to be self-absorbed. Remember, it only takes seven muscles to smile.

With a staff of degreed copywriters, DDA has the unique ability to write custom content to help optimize your website for search engines. One of the many copywriting services we offer are press releases and news articles. Why should you care about these often overlooked services? Here is how custom articles and press releases can help your website in search engine optimization:

• Promotion. Best of all, these articles and press releases offer free promotion for your company or website. It can tell the world the various services you offer or just help explain your company. Either way, it is additional quality content that can link back to your website.
• Back links. News sites are one of the easiest ways to gain direct links from other sites. Not only does Google rank you higher based on the amount of quality back links your site has, but it also likes when the website receives a constant, ongoing series of back links.
• Relevance. Not only does the article provide your site with additional content to use, but it also makes your site much more relevant to the present time. If you submit multiple articles, to constant movement of updates and news releases will show Internet users that your company is relevant to today’s fast-paced environments.

There are many ways articles and news feeds can help improve your website. Let DDA and its experienced team of copywriter’s help promote you with the full variety of services we offer.

My boys were on a mini vacation at their grandparents this weekend. I was really looking forward to having time to catch up on the things that are difficult to do with two very active, curious boys around. I suddenly discovered when the house was quiet and there was no one around to make a mess to clean up and no breakfasts or lunches to prepare, that I started to miss the little guys. My husband was at work and it was just me left to do as I please, and I had no idea what to do.

I have been so accustomed to having my boys around and keeping my eye on the clock, making sure that we stay on schedule… breakfast at 8, nap for the youngest at 9, take the 3-year old to the potty every hour or so, lunch at noon, naps for both at 1. Without my schedule and craziness, I felt a little off and wasn’t sure what to do with myself. Quickly, I put a plan together and I felt secure again. I went grocery shopping.

Similarly, I always prepare a plan of my day and week at DDA. I know what projects need my attention and which ones can wait until the following week. Website design concepts - for a returning client that we created (4)  trade show graphic panels for - are due in about 2 hours.  Then, two other projects that were being reviewed have been approved and interior magazine layouts for a flipbook project need to be tackled along with an interior website page design for a kitchen cabinet company.  So, I have my plan, my schedule, and know exactly what to do with myself.  

When we make websites, we have the keen eyes of our designers make the website design and styles. They use Latin text as a placeholder on the pages. Our awesome staff of writers write the content and search engine optimization keywords for all of the pages to be. Once the design is approved and we are ready to move forward, the design and content have to be put together. We call this building out the pages and it can be a long and tedious process, depending on the size of the site, but it can be done no other way.

At DDA we have a large number of people who are capable of taking on this task, so it is an easy type of workload to manage. It is actually a useful thing to have around when workloads need to be managed because is a versatile job to be assigned that can assure that everyone is able to stay busy and productive at all times. Plus, it is essential to creating websites, so it has to be done.

At DDA, we are proud to offer fully integrated advertising campaigns. With the wide array of services we provide, from video production to graphic design and copywriting to programming, we can provide any company with complete digital advertising services. We can build any marketing campaign from the ground up, design company logos, build custom and unique websites, and promote products with brochures, or we can work with established businesses looking to extend their marketing efforts with print designs or trade show ads.

But most importantly, everything at DDA is customized to fit your company’s exact needs. Our websites, for instance, are not created from templates and are custom built. And with the knowledge of our programming department and video production team, your website can be molded to exact specifications, integrating high-end video, search functions, and anything else you need. The sky is the limit when you choose DDA!

DDA’s Sketchbook is on the way. We are currently making the template for all the sketchbooks. I need to talk to Rob about making a flip book with an image background so it will seem as though the viewer is flipping through a full book. I think that I may have an idea on how to accomplish that, but since flash isn’t my forte, I’ll have to rely on Rob if my idea doesn’t work. Next on the list is to round up all the samples of different projects we want to show. There are so many to choose from I don’t know how we are going to decide what gets put in first. I also hear that the sketchbook will start in the logo section and then expand. I guess we’re going to have to find all those brochure, website and trade designs that were turned down!