Invention – The Ideo Way

I’ve just been watching a program about Ideo (an amazing design company), after Dave Stone mentioned it on Twitter (thanks Dave!).

It’s incredibly interesting to see how Ideo tackle design challenges.

My favourite thing from the program is the way Ideo employees are allowed to change their work areas. One guy rigged up a rope to lift his bike into the air, reducing clutter. Nobody complained, so someone else did the same. Soon, everyone was storing their bikes in mid-air. The process of innovation was not started with consultation: somebody tried something and waited to see if anyone complained. Nobody did.

I like that. Sometimes, life’s too short to consult everybody on everything. So if you want to dangle your bike from the ceiling, just do it. And ask forgiveness if anyone complains.

Tags: ideas, Ideo, innovation
Posted in ideas | No Comments »

Literary junk food – why you shouldn’t limit your vocabulary

“If you consciously restrict your vocabulary – and some companies do this – you end up with the linguistic equivalent of junk food…”

John Simmons - We, Me, Them & It

I’ve previously blogged about the importance of not dumbing-down corporate communications. It’s clearly a difficult balance to get right; I’m also a big fan of clear, easy to understand writing.

So how do you get it right? How do you communicate clearly with your audience but retain some depth and idiosyncrasy?

Sadly, you’ll have to decide for yourself which words will help your cause and which will baffle your reader.

But I would suggest you make sure that anywhere you need to convey information, make it clear. Be more free and playful with anything less critical. Let your corporate personality shine through when there’s less risk of ambiguity – or someone missing a key fact just because they don’t know what an unusual word means.

(Picture courtesy of Marshall Astor)

Tags: copywriting, corporate communication, vocabulary
Posted in copywriting, ideas, marketing | 1 Comment »

Feed Your Imagination – Writing Tip #5

Your imagination will not feed itself.

If you want to write, you’ll need ideas to fuel your writing.

If you fill your brain with lots of interesting stuff, interesting stuff will come spilling out.

Consider your inputs as imagination fuel. What kind of things are you exposed to? Do you have a life filled with routine? If you’ve had the same job for a long time, take the same route to work, have the same old friends, re-read favourite books, only read a static selection of magazines and only ever watch the same shows on TV, you’re not giving yourself much chance of having a great idea.

Expand your circle of influences. Change things in your life. Do something you don’t normally do. Accept an invitation that you wouldn’t normally. Be adventurous. Watch a film that doesn’t naturally appeal to you.

New experiences, outside of your usual range, can trigger new thoughts.

The more you put into your brain, the more you can expect to get out.

(Picture courtesy of Sekator)

Tags: imagination, writing tip
Posted in copywriting, ideas, tips, writing | No Comments »

Brighton Idea – Connecting You to Compost

Premasagar Rose, Brighton-based web worker with Dharmafly, has submitted a brilliant idea to Social Innovation Camp ahead of the conference in April.

If you rue the waste of perfectly good vegetable peelings, but have neither garden nor compost bin, Premasagar’s idea may change the way you recycle!

As Premasagar writes on sicamp.org:

‘Social Compost’ [working title] would be a drop-dead simple website, based around an interactive map. There would be an option to add yourself to the map and to offer either kitchen peelings or mature compost. You could use the map to find others who are offering either peelings or compost.

So with Social Compost, those without gardens can find a loving home for their compostable waste.

As someone who religiously cleans, sorts and recycles rubbish, I hate to chuck out so much good fodder.

Visit Social Innovation Camp to register your support for this idea. One day Social Compost could be a reality.

Tags: brighton, sicamp08
Posted in brighton, ideas | 1 Comment »

Cool Site – Band Namr

If you’re in a band with no name and want some suggestions, check out Band Namr, a nifty new site by Brighton websmith Paul Burgess.

I should warn you that if you find spoonerisms that, when undone, reveal rudeness, you may not want to follow that link.

Many of the band names are hilarious, but given the success of the Arctic Monkeys, it’s fair to say a few of the names are viable!

Band Namr got me thinking… what about Product Namr? A site for businesses who struggle to find a great name for a new product. People could post a summary of their new product and users can submit suggestions. Or businesses post a selection of possible names, and users vote for their favourite…

Tags: band name
Posted in ideas, websites | No Comments »