Use better design to gain attention for your communication Stringer Bell, the drug kingpin on “The Wire” played with finesse by Idris Elba, tells his troops that he doesn’t want to see any more 40-degree weather. After a medium-sized week, he says, “That’s like a 40-degree day. Ain’t nobody got…

Why a good middler is a good leader. — Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm recently featured a dinner party where the conversation was sagging and the party was dragging. Larry knew what the problem was, the person in the middle must be able to say, “I see you. I acknowledge you. I connect with you.” …

Can artificial intelligence ever really take over design and communication? — Will algorithms rule the world? How much of our human work will be replaced by artificial intelligence? Artificial intelligence gets close to being real — sometimes too close — but it never really completes the task. George Carlin had a joke where he examined the expression, “near-miss,” and said, “Shouldn’t that be a ‘near-hit?’” Carlin explains, that since it didn’t actually hit the target, it was a “miss,” not a “near-miss.” That’s how artificial intelligence and the digital revolution are acting in our lives. Close, but…

Writing for digital vs. print audiences is different. Here’s how you get the most out of your online headlines. Every Sunday I settle into a comfy chair and read the New York Times — in print. I snap open my favorite section (The Week in Review) and read and pontificate to my wife who sits across the room doing her Sunday Times reading on her iPhone. We frequently discuss…

Here’s how two clients used the pandemic as their reset button. — After a year of remote work, limited interactions, and lots of time for reflection, it’s time to decide who you really are. Now is the time to seize the moment by reintroducing yourself to your public. …

Create a rallying cry that resonates with your supporters and engages new audiences. Client: “I’ve got hundreds of photos for you!” Designer: “Thanks, but I need six. Six good photos that reflect six values of your organization.” Clients often have a wealth of material but have not really examined the wealth in their material. Taking a hard look at what your content and…

What’s missing when we plan for our future. My wife and I started streaming the old tv series, Battlestar Galactica — which is supposed to take place in the distant future, but like most sci-fi shows reflects the times (2004–2009) in which it was made. It’s a thrilling adventure story…

Good communication strategies evolve over time. Rome wasn’t built in a day, but it did start one day at a time. To position your organization for 2021 and beyond, consider our tips: 1. Rome wasn’t built in a day. Abraham Lincoln popularized this phrase to evoke the idea that great…

Consider the design of the whole customer experience. — I was stuck in a long queue of cars trying to get into a mall parking garage so I could take my son to get a COVID-19 test. We were waiting while cars cut each other off trying to get in and out of the garage by the same entrance…