The success of any endeavor is determined by the quality of the relationships between those involved. Whether for profit or not, the relationship between your product/service and target market is crucial. What that relationship should be and consist of can be allusive.

A tool that I learned from the founder of Marketshift when developing my brand process workbook for my clients is to think of your product/service from an anthropomorphic perspective. What this means is to consider who your product/service would be in relation to your clients rather than what your product/service does. Who do you want your target market to see you as? Create a profile of your product/service as if it were a real person and the characteristics of your brand will start to unfold.

Is your product/service the parent who knows and wants what’s best?

Is your product/service the grandparent who lends support and guidance?

Maybe your product/service is the hip, cool aunt who just wants to have fun.

Or your product/service might be the friendly neighbor. There to lend a helping hand when needed.

If you can come to terms with the relationship that you want your product/service to have with your target market then the rest of your brand can unfold through that relationship. It will give you a perspective on how to communicate with your market. It can provide a kicking off point for the feel of your visual identity.

Once the relationship is identified then the challenges within the relationship can be identified and addressed as well. For instance in a “parent to client” relationship, one of the challenges might be in relaying what’s best without being bossy and alienating. Or if it’s a “hip, cool aunt to client” relationship, a challenge might be in coming across as fun and energetic without sounding flaky and unreliable.

Whatever the dynamic of the relationship that your product/service might have with it’s target market, it must be defined to create a clear and solid foundation moving forward.

Define it, own it, be the best. Carry forth entrepreneurs…carry forth and conquer.

Paul Rand (1914 – 1996) is the graphic design dude that everyone knows even though you might not know him by name.

Paul Rand

His cannon of work is immense and much of it has braved the test of time. There’s a lot of biographical info on him out there so I won’t regurgitate all of that here. I just want to give props where props are due and share my two cents.

Rand created some of the most recognizable logos. Some examples of logos that we all know:

Some examples of logos that are just as awesome:

Thus the nature of creatives is to have many mediums in which to express themselves. Rand was no different although this side of him might not be as infamous as the IBM logo but excellent nonetheless.

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Be sure to check back monthly for more Peeps I Dig. Who inspires you?

It seems an easy task but I’ve found over the years that it’s very much easier said than done. The reason for this being that when one chooses a target market, it’s not just a shot in the dark. You’re target market corresponds directly with your brand. Who are you trying to hook? It’s much easier to fish if you know who you’re fishing for. You want to bait your hook with something that’s appetizing to your target market. Your fishing pool is determined by your brand.

For example, if you are an upscale, men’s active wear/gear store then you aren’t going to cast your line into a pool of geriatric men with no money. You want to cast that line into a pool bubbling over with active, adventure seeking young to middle-aged men with mid to high incomes.

You really don’t want your pool to be too large which is the mistake that most entrepreneurs make. Of course you want to reach everyone, but that’s just really unrealistic and only waters down your efforts. If you’re busy trying to appeal to everyone then you can’t become an expert. In order to become an expert, you have to reel in your line, define a niche, and focus your efforts within that niche. That doesn’t mean that other fish won’t be swimming in your pool but your focus is on catching your niche fish.

Karl’s Kick “Defining Your Target Market”… by francismedia

Define it, own it, be the best. Carry forth entrepreneurs…carry forth and conquer.

For those of you who are in the same boat, I’ve found a wonderful resource: lynda.com.

It’s absolutely, totally awesome! The tutorial videos are broken-up into chewable chunks and are highly digestible. There’s a laundry list of software tutorials provided. I suggest you give it a taste.

For this month’s Peeps I Dig, I decided to do just that and highlight a company that I absolutely love and respect: French Paper Co. Why a paper company? Well, as basic as paper is, it’s an important part of any printed project. The French Paper Co. handles their business and product with personality and quality.

French Paper is a sixth-generation, family-owned company established in 1871. They were fore runners of recycled, post-consumer, and other environmentally friendly sheets. Their paper is distributed nationally and throughout Canada.

Did I mention that their brand rocks?! It’s funky. It’s fun. It’s effective. I love it. Make sure to check them out and check back for more Peeps I Dig.

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Christopher Radko

Starting with the sad destruction of his family heirloom ornaments in the early 80′s when his Christmas tree fell over to the horror of the Radko family, Christopher Radko went on a quest to replace them. With no avail, Christopher decided to pull-up his sleeves and get the job done with the help of a European glassblower. Twenty years plus later, the Christopher Radko company has been designing and producing European glass ornaments that are extremely collectible. Who knew?! Ornament collectors I guess…

Each ornament goes through a week long process before coming to fruition. Although the artisans aren’t named individually, the Radko site does lovingly explain the delicate process in which each ornament is made and clearly respects the talent of its people.

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Celebrity Ornaments

Every holiday season, celebrities design some cheer for charity. The very city slick ornament pictured left was designed by none other than Sarah Jessica Parker. Her and a few of her fellow Hollywood peeps participated in the heART HSN 2010 designer ornament collection which benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

You can take a peek at the other designs here.

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Mainly what I found in my quest to unveil these bringers of cheer was a big, fat nothing. Tons of distributors, retailers, and wholesalers surfaced but not the ones who design the actual decor. So if you know of anyone who dabbles in cheer, tell me about it. I’d love to learn the stories behind the rarely celebrated artists of the biggest celebration season of the year.

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Be sure to check back for more Peeps I Dig. Who inspires you?

Abduzeedo

Abduzeedo.com is “a collection of visual inspiration and useful tutorials…The blog is run by design junkies for design junkies, always striving to provide the community with the latest and hottest of what the web has to offer”.

The site is Brazilian born but has expanded it’s workforce to the USA and has readers from across the globe. I enjoy a majority of the inspirational posts and actually comment on quite a few of them. There’s daily, weekly and monthly themes ranging from illustration to architecture. They even have an iPhone app!

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COLOURlovers

COLOURlovers is a global, creative community where people who are tickled by color gather, share, and discuss colors, palettes, patterns and trends.

I have often used this site to light a fire under my color creativity.

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Yahoo Directory

The Yahoo Graphic Designer’s Personal Exhibit Directory is simply a listing of portfolios.

It is a fantastic place to spend a bit of time for inspiration. There’s a wide range of talent from all over the world and I find it very exciting and extremely inspirational to peruse this listing.

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Graphic Design Blog

Graphic Design Blog is “a podium giving professional insight on graphic designing, graphic designers, logo designs, typography and much more”.

I frequently enjoy GDB’s posts and they’ve recently added a forum that I’m sure will become a valuable resource.

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Toxel

Toxel is a design, inspiration, and technology blog.

I love this sight for the sheer variety. It examines inspiration from everything. When I say everything, I mean EVERYTHING. It’s a really cool site to peruse but make sure you have time because you’ll definitely get lost in the world of Toxel.

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Be sure to check back monthly for more Peeps I Dig. Next month’s theme: holiday designers that inspire me. Who inspires you?

Halloween is my favorite holiday so in honor of that I’ve chosen this month’s Peeps I Dig theme to be creepy visual artists. What can I say, I’m challenged and inspired by the weird and unusual.

Hieronymus Bosch

Talk about creepy. Bosch was a 15th-century, Dutch painter who depicted some quite savage biblical interpretations. Many consider him to be the Father of Surrealism. Whether he officially holds that title or not, he most definitely paved the way for expression of the disturbingly intriguing. Take a look at his works, a really close look.

Inspirations from Hieronymus:
1. Everyone interprets differently.

2. Drum to your own beat.

3. It doesn’t always need to be “pretty”.

4. It’s better to get it out, than to let it fester.

5. Bosch’s art makes an excellent children’s book.

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Damien Hirst

Hirst is a lucrative, internationally renowned, English artist who’s relationship with the animal world is…unique.

Inspirations from Damien:
1. You don’t have to be starving, to be an artist.

2. Controversy isn’t always bad.

3. Question societal norms.

4. Embrace challenge.

5. Artists can set records too.

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Cam de Leon

de Leon is an American artist who’s dark, fantastical works you’ve surely seen. He did the early artwork for Tool and has done quite a bit of work for the movie industry as well.

Inspirations from Cam:
1. Don’t judge the artist’s personality by their work— dark art doesn’t mean dark person.

2. A lucrative living can be made on the creepiness in the recesses of your brain.

3. Surrealism is very much alive.

4. Do what you love, even if it’s outside of the mainstream.

5. A portfolio doesn’t have to be just a portfolio.

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HR Giger

Widely known for his work on the Alien movies, Giger is a Swiss, Surrealist artist who has won an Academy Award for the creepy that comes out of his head.

Inspirations from HR:
1. You are not limited by reality.

2. Find a niche and perfect it.

3. Artists aren’t limited to one medium.

4. You know you’re bad ass when you have you’re own museum, and your still alive.

5. There are places that exist that would make me pee my pants in both excitement and fear.

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Hans Bellmer

Bellmer was a 20th-century, German artist who used his expression as opposition to the fascism of the Nazi party (anonymously). He worked in isolation creating “dolls” that protested the cult of the perfect body, then a prominent ideology in Germany.

Inspirations from Hans:
1. Art is powerful.

2. Challenge the ideology of the perfect body.

3. Beauty and disturbing can exist simultaneously.

4. It’s better to get it out than to let it fester (I really can’t state this enough).

5. Dolls are creepy; mutated dolls are downright scary.

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Peeps I Dig, hope you dig it. Next month’s theme: Sites/Blogs that inspire me. Who inspires you?

The fundamental flaw in my plan of survival though is that I’m not a super athletic, parkour , muscle machine. As much as I’d like to be that, I’m your run-of-the-mill desk potato who stares at my computer screen long enough for it to meld with my face. Therefore, I’ve devised an alternative method of survival for those of us who might otherwise become lunch.

Firstly, you actually should try to get to your peak athletic capacity just in case the Zombie Apocalypse goes down while you’re at Starbucks or the Apple store. I know this means time away from screen but it must be done for survival of the Geek race. If you need help with this challenging feat, there are those who can provide guidance for your Apocalypse training: http://zombiefit.org/

Secondly, do your research. You can’t fight zombies unless you understand the nature of them and what to do when you encounter them. This step requires plenty of screen time so breath easy. Here are some resources to get you started:

Lastly, use what you know. There’s no reason to step outside of your natural element in order to fight zombies.

At the first indication of a zombie attack, hunker down. Whether that be your basement, home office, bedroom, whatever—you’re used to being in cramped, closed spaces for long periods of time for deadlines so this won’t be anything different.

Stockpile all of your usual processed, preservative-filled foods so you have plenty of supplies that will last. No need for fresh produce, you wouldn’t eat it anyways and the smell of rotting fruit could give away your location to the hoard of hungry zombies outside your bunker.

Forget about finding loved ones. That’s a sure way to get eaten. They wrote you off as dead anyways since they haven’t seen you in months ’cause you were too busy meeting deadlines and socializing with your computer screen.

Don’t worry about getting bored or going crazy. Geeks around the world will be online 24/7 as usual. Besides, your iTunes library is jam packed with enough music, podcasts, and videos to last months. Not to mention your extensive DVD collection and Netflix account.

If by chance zombies breach your bunker, think outside the box. You have weapons all around you disguised as Geek supplies, like that box of X-Acto knives on your desk. They’re like little ninja throwing stars. How about that T-square in the corner? You could surely decapitate a few zombies with that. Even that Epson printer could do some damage. It’s not like your going to be printing anything anyways. My point is, be creative people. It’s what you do daily, you just have to adapt it Apocalypse style.

No need to be a hero like those guys in Zombieland. That’s a for sure ticket to being lunch. Just be your same Geek-self you’ve always been with slight modifications.

So, since you don’t know how well you will do until Z-day actually arrives, it’s best to take the zombie quiz to see just how much training you will need.

55%

Be prepared people. Treat it just like a design project: research, sketch, refine. When you’re plan of action is in place, I assure you that you will rest easy knowing that you are prepared for the Zombie Apocalypse.

The site itself is a bit frustrating since not all of the links are active but if you can bare through it there’s some solid info on the basic principles of design. There’s also some exercises that brought me straight back to my foundation year. So if your a design student or just someone looking to get back to the basics, check it out.

Got any good resources for basic design principles? I’d love to hear about them.