The Girl Effect - an awesome video by Nike. I love animations like this. 

The Swagger Wagon via Patrick.

Pretty awesome that Toyota understands that its market has changed. Most auto companies have dated approaches and messages. They are too afraid to do anything interesting because they fear that they may alienate an audience.

Well done, Toyota. This is awesome advertising.

Look! My sock has a racing stripe on the bottom of it! Pretty awesome. 

With today’s technology, it is not only an option to have a great home office, but also a mobile office. If you take a peak into my mobile office toolbox, you probably won’t find anything unexpected, but you might notice how little I keep in there. I actually need very few things to execute my job as a writer and communication strategist effectively.

1. Laptop
A laptop is essential for almost everyone, even if you aren’t working for yourself. Unlike the older computers, my MacBook can do just about anything that I need. Also, it is super portable, allowing me to work from almost anywhere, including Julius Meinl, my favorite coffee house around the corner.

2. iPhone
I can’t take my laptop with me everywhere, but I can take my iPhone, and that is almost as good. Having constant access to email, information and clients is an amazing resource. This allows me to be so much more mobile. I can go out, explore and experience life without missing a beat.

3. Sketch book
Ideas come to me all of the time, and if I don’t write them down immediately, they are likely to disappear forever. For these occasions, I keep a small sketch book with me at all times. The content of my sketch book is extremely disjointed and really is all over the place, but without it, none of my ideas would ever come to fruition.

4. To-do list
I may be a creative, but I also love a good to-do list. Even more, I love crossing items off my list. By making a list each morning and prioritizing the day’s activities allows me to start each day organized and ready to knock things off my list one by one.

5. Hot tea
Last but not least, my toolbox if full of hot tea. Like so many others, I rely on my morning caffeine. I find that it helps ease me into the day and allows me to think a bit more clearly. I understand that most of this is probably psychological, but I don’t really mind because I love my morning tea!

Armed with my laptop, smartphone, sketch book, to-do list and hot tea, I am ready to take on any project, anywhere.

What do you need for your mobile office? Are there any tools that you rely on to streamline your workflow?

Looking for a bit of inspiration? These sites are pretty cool.

If you can find someone who can single-handedly write, design and develop marketing materials, good for you, but rarely can one person expertly execute this process on their own. Writers are typically not designers, designers are generally not developers, and developers are almost never writers. So, it looks like you are probably going to need a team of people with complementary skills to produce quality marketing and promotional materials.

Whether you are a business owner looking for people to help you create your materials, or you are a freelancer looking partner with other creatives to supply well-rounded services to clients, a good team is critical.

First, you need a project manager to take the lead. It is essential to have someone coordinating the project with the other team members as well as the client. This person creates a schedule and works with the team until the project is complete. A completed project typically results in a happy client, and happy clients are more likely to return for more work or refer you to a friend.

Next, you need and great designer. I’d encourage you to find someone who collaborates well and has a similar creative style and process as you. Check out their portfolio to see if you like their work, but also talk to them about their goals and how they approach projects. Young designers are fresh, but a little experience goes a long way.

Now that you have a manager and designer, you will need a developer for all of your web projects. When looking for a developer, don’t just ask them about their skills (because it will probably sound like Greek to you), check out sites and applications they’ve developed. Also, if you can find a developer who can break down the technical language and explain the development process or issues, you have hit the jackpot. Once again, communication skills are so important.

One of your best communicators on the team should be your writer. Be sure to check out their samples to see if they are able to take on a range of tones and if their style is in line with what you are seeking. Also, talk to them about their ideas and thought process. Don’t worry if they don’t have experience in a ton of media or industries. A good writer will be able to take the information supplied, do some research and hit your mark every time.

Finally, look for partners that have a similar work ethic as you. Are they goal-oriented? Motivated? Creative? Easy to work with? Those are the real questions you need to be considering when putting together a successful team. Skills and talent are important, but if the working relationship isn’t there, good luck.

I found my awesome team. Check out The Creative Outfit at www.thecreativeoutfit.com.

Wouldn’t it be nice if you could just say to your designer, “I want something engaging that will speak to my audience and increase my business.” Well, duh. Your goal with marketing materials should always be to engage your audience and increase your business. Saying that to a designer is about as good as saying nothing.

While a good designer can make all of the difference, they are not magicians. You need to give them a little direction so they understand what they are designing needs to say. Developing your copy before the design phase begins ensures that your message is highlighted appropriately.

I am not just saying that the copy needs to come first because I am a writer though. Ask any designer, and they will likely tell you that it makes their job a million times easier if they know what they are designing for and with what content. Having approved copy before the design process begins can help inspire and direct the designer too. With little to no knowledge on what the materials should say, you are setting the designer up for failure. Try creating something in the dark and see how well you do.

This doesn’t mean that your copy cannot be revised during the design process. Nothing is set in stone, and your content may even spark some recommended revisions from the designer based on the layout. Work together to generate copy and design that support each other. Collaboration is key. (Note: By no means am I recommending that you art direct your designer. Please let the professionals do what they have been trained to do. Plus, for the most part designers hate being told how to design by people who are not designers. And you don’t want to deal with a cranky creative.)

In the end, please try to come up with some if not all of your content before moving into the design phase. Remember, while design can be beautiful, ultimately it is a vehicle used to tell your story. And if you don’t have a well-crafted message, it doesn’t matter how beautiful your design is.

I am Erin Knitter, a writer and online communication strategist. What does that mean? And why would you care? Well, the writer part is pretty self-explanatory. I generate creative content for a variety of applications including web sites, blogs (obviously), print materials, social media accounts and really anything else you can think of.

The online communication strategist sounds a bit more fabricated, don’t you think? To break it down, it really means that I am a problem solver. I leverage my creative background and expertise with online applications to devise strategic solutions for my clients and readers. Fill me in on your business and objectives, and I will help you meet your goals, speak to your audience effectively and achieve success online.

I will share my experiences and expertise in writing, marketing, social media and creative problem solving to hopefully inform and inspire those of you feeling a bit lost online. Be on the look out for tips, case studies, personal experiences, best practices and so much more to help you sift through the mass amount of information and endless options online.

While I will probably do most of the talking, I encourage you to chime in with experiences, thoughts, questions or other bits of information that you find useful as often as possible. I’d love to talk with you as opposed to at you.

Finally, for anyone looking for my online journal, I Hope This Makes You Smile, I will have it on its own URL shortly. Sorry for the delay, but if you need something to smile about today, here is a quick story on my experience at a recent baby shower. Imagine my confusion when I found out that you can no longer put blankets on babies due to increased chances of suffocation. To prevent tragedy, now new parents put their children in ‘sleep sacks.’ All of my life I thought you couldn’t put kids in bags, and now it is recommended to bag them up so they don’t suffocate… good thing I am not a mom yet. For now, I think I will stick with something that makes more sense, like the Internet.