great quote - from martin bishop

"Marketing specialists vs. generalists: Do marketing specialists have a perceptual advantage over those who bundle together a bunch of skills whether they are, in fact, any more qualified? Can marketing companies offering a range of skills use a Microsoft-like branding solution to overcome this perceptual disadvantage?"

I read Martin's blog - Brand Mix. I hope you enjoy.

Top eight, bottom 4 - october is over

So one random thing that I have learned at Matchstic is some basic HTML coding... It is pretty fun. I am still a nube, but I did write this whole message from scratch, without even copying and pasting. to show off, i am going to do one of the davidyetty staples, the top eight, bottom 4 in all html coding...

top eight

1. learning new things


2. carving pumpkins at work ( carv-o-rama )


3. people freaking out about the election


4. losing a battle of the bands to a creed cover band...


5. ryan adams new cd


6. having my picture taken by Bryan Johnson


7. tweaked job description at work, that gets me really excited


8. reading Tribes by Seth Godin

bottom four

• auburn football


• loosing the carvorama pumpkin carving contest


• falling asleep at 10:30 on halloween - i'm getting old


• sleeping in is now sleeping till 8:30 AM

my one political post ever...

So, my wife is a pretty opinionated person. She had a blog post the other day that i really appreciated. There are many reasons not to get caught up in politics, which I won't go into here... the best thought that I have heard in a while was on her blog the other day. But I will let her convince you of that point...

My political thought of the day comes with an analogy of religion.

If faith is the point of Christianity, and not Christianity itself, then the point of politics is the good of the country and its citizens, not the good of political system.

If religion is supposed to be a support for faith, and not the main point itself, then how does that change the way you see the church/faith. Politics, are to be the support system for consistently maintaining the good of the country... not the ultimate country club for people who think they are better than the rest of the country.

I think if any of us had been alive in the dark times of the church, with a system that gave too much power, wealth and recognition to the clergy, we would all be pretty burnt out on it. Luckily most people see that as a flaw in human kind, not in God, who they were claiming to represent. I currently see a similar situation in the political world around us right now. There is unbelievable amount of perks for being in politics, and most of Washington seems consumed with itself. Where is our Martin Luther, who will tell the system to shove it!

i try not to be this opinionated about anything, but maybe my wife is rubbing off on me. i personally think we need a system change. the two party system will be the downfall of this country.

Success and Commitment

I had a good bit of time in the car today (an actual car... not the moped) so I had some time to think. I now have my next 12 blogs so start tuning back in! I am back...

I was listening to Seth Godin's new book and he made an interesting comment that I wanted to share with you all. "If you expect success to happen before you are ready to commit, then you will wait forever." I think it is interesting the things that we don't do because of risk. The things that we give up on. Instead of fighting for. Instead of staying up late for, or even risking our bank account for.

If you could have a loan for 6 months with no strings attached to get something started, what would it be? Would you go to school, or start a business selling doughnuts, or make a movie? If all of your expenses were paid for a year in advance, and you could just live, what would you do? (sorry for the somewhat similar question to office space about if you had a million dollars)

There has got to be a way to make your dreams happen and still pay your bills. There is a way to take a step to your future and still put some money in savings... What are you willing to give up for your dream to happen? What are you willing to commit to see a step toward "Success"?

great quote...

Branding is in every single aspect of a business and should be experienced at every touchpoint.
It has to infiltrate every tiny corner of a business. Also, it isn't just about visual communication; it's
about accomplishing goals that are essential to success. If you don't see it that way, you could end
up being just decoration without definition.

hiatis

Hello everyone,

there has been quite a drought of posts from my end. I have taken the last 3 months off so that I can learn my new job. But don't worry, because as the great Jay-Z says, whenever there's a drought, get your umbrellas out because, that's when I brainstorm...


see you soon,

this just in...

Check out the new matchstic website. We have been working on this for a while, and well... we are all very proud of it.

www.matchstic.com

must read pt 2

so as i promised... part 2.

the brand gap - marty neumeier

this book hits a lot of topics, but the jist is that there is a gap between business strategy and design. it is in bridging that gap that you will find present day success

we all know the guy that is the company outcast... the weird IT guy, or the one that is way to into what computer chips intel is about to release...

well, i work at a creative firm and i am not a designer. i went to the art supply store the other day and had to ask what rubber cement was.... i don't do art real well... but that isn't why they hired me.

you will have to learn how to communicate with the other side of the brain people someday. learning how to do that efficiently and successfully will help your business dramatically.

(note to self - apply to marriage)

yetty

under the sun sphere

my friend and coworker just showed me his website, and i couldn't help but share it with all of you. (both of you that is)

how do you make a desk even craftier?