6 Iconic Things You Didn’t Know Started As Marketing Campaigns
Some marketing campaigns will be remembered for years (How many licks…?, Can you hear me now?). Certain slogans become timeless (Just Do It, Got Milk?). Spokespeople become cultural icons (The Marlboro Man, Flo). Some brands even become so synonymous with their product they become part of the lexicon as verbs (Google, Uber).
And then there are marketing campaigns that have influenced our lifestyle to the point they’ve shifted the entire culture. We don’t question them, and we’re likely unaware that we believe certain things because marketing agencies want us to. (Why do we propose with diamonds, after all?)
Here are six iconic things that started as marketing campaigns.
10 Fonts You Should Stop Using Immediately
Most people don’t give typography a second thought when they see it. That’s ok. Fonts are like audio in film — you don’t notice it until it’s off.
Font usage is vital to a brand image, and amateur designers tend to not know (or worse, not care) which fonts make people feel aesthetically pleased, and which fonts make people think, “I hate that, but I’m not sure why.”
Whether they’re dated, overused, or just plain ugly, these fonts need to be deleted from your life like the phone number of that ex you keep drunk texting.
Branding Agencies Are Cool and Different… Because They Say So!
Banal buzzwords, meaningless platitudes, and hackneyed clichés that ironically make most branding agencies sound the same.
Acting Lessons That Will Help Make You More Successful
When I’m not drawing things or writing things, sometimes I’m pretending to be other people. From the moment I stepped into my first acting class I knew the lessons and techniques I learned would be beneficial to my everyday life. Actors are among the most driven people I’ve ever been around — but if there’s a profession where success and failure (and overcoming that failure) is in your face constantly, it’s in the world of acting.
7 Ways To Maximize Productivity When Working From Home
Freelancing, solopreneurship, outsourcing, and stay-at-home employees are on a dramatic rise. In fact, according to Silicon Republic, “remote working will rival fixed office locations by 2025.” If you have recently joined, or are looking to join, those of us who go to work in our sweatpants, you’ll need to make sure your productivity doesn’t slack. (Especially on casual Fridays — that’s boxer brief day in my office.)
Here are seven ways to maximize your time in the new home headquarters.
Lessons from Taking A Musical Improv Class
Have you ever had that dream where you’re standing on stage and people are expecting you to sing but you don’t know the words? Well, I lived that for eight weeks.
“Make Good Art.” Lessons on Business and Living an Artistic Life
Takeaways from writer Neil Gaiman’s 2012 commencement speech.
Learn by Doing: Jump In, Suck, and Figure It Out
“Musicians should go to a yard sale and buy an old fucking drum set and get in their garage and just suck. And get their friends to come in and they’ll suck, too. And then they’ll fucking start playing and they’ll have the best time they’ve ever had in their lives and then all of a sudden they’ll become Nirvana. Because that’s exactly what happened with Nirvana… and they became the biggest band in the world.”
— Dave Grohl, Nirvana / Foo Fighters
There is one thing preventing you from getting really good at that thing you’ve always wanted to be really good at. Your ego.
When Is It Okay (and Not Okay) To Work for Free?
If you’re relatively new to the freelance game, or even if you’re well-established with a lot to offer, you’ll likely get asked to offer up your services pro bono.
“We can’t pay anything, but it will be great exposure!”
This was my number one warning sign of a sucky client. No matter how much you like doing what you do, you work to make money, and if you don’t respect your own time no one else will either. That said, there are exceptions to every rule, for both rookie and veteran freelancers. So when is it ok to forget the invoice and work for free?