Below are the concepts we designed for Talking Friends. We are happy that some of our work lived on into the final implementation of their store. You can find it and buy some cool looking Talking Friends gear here.

So now you know what Dropbox is and how it work, let me tell you how this tool has changed how we work.

Dropbox has impacted us in 3 core areas:

• Collaboration & Review
• Digital Assets Management
• Speed To Market

Collaboration & Review

In 2002 getting a big PDF to a client meant either using an FTP, which also meant training folks how to use an FTP, or meeting in person to review something on-screen. Occasionally it meant shipping a CD or jump-drive, but those were rare cases. The tech was available, but it had not trickled down to everyone, nor was the tech user-friendly for everyone, no matter what point they were coming to it.

Dropbox took the idea of file sharing, and made it into the no-brainer task it was always meant to be. When we begin a project with a new client we set up everyone with a free Dropbox account, which provides 2+ GB of free cloud storage space. Then, I set up a project folder and invite my clients and team members to. When the invitation is accepted with the click of the mouse or tap on your device, everyone has a a common folder for the project. This is where I place design iterations (PDFs, JPGs, PNGs, etc.), my clients place text (.doc, .txt, .xls, etc.), and we are able to review everything without emailing large files back and forth to each other.

With the mobile and tablet apps from Dropbox, reviewing and collaborating on files can happen anywhere. The apps also make it nice to snap a photo or video on a mobile device, and instantly upload it to our shared Dropbox folder. Collaboration and review of the work that goes into a project is now efficient and user friendly.

Digital Assets Management

When working with products that have myriad branded touch points, we end up with lots of digital assets: Product photography, product logos, marketing visuals, etc. In the now-old days, two scenarios played out: One person was the gatekeeper for these assets, or several different people had different assets which led to the bastardization of the brand message given enough time. We use Dropbox to introduce a third option, which is to set up a common folder system that has all of a brand’s digital assets, and those assets are available to the team as needed.

We’ve learned 2 key things about this:

First, always (always, always!) keep a Master version of your folder system off of Dropbox, and your team leader should keep this somewhere safe – an external hard drive or media of some kind. It’s essentially a backup. The reason is that because the team has access to the files, eventually someone will have a mental slip and save over or delete a file. You do not want your only copy of a file to be live. It’s common sense, really, and it’s just as important here as it was 10 years ago when archiving to CDs was the norm.

Second, do not grant everyone access immediately. With Dropbox the main shared folder has an owner, and that should be the team leader. That leader can selectively invite and remove people from the shared folder. Inviting people to the shared folder who are not involved in the project in an active and important way is just asking for trouble. It’s also very important that the people you invite have an understanding of what Dropbox is. Again, have everyone review what Dropbox is before giving them access.

 Speed To Market

The two aforementioned benefits speak to one overarching theme: Dropbox can really make the process of completing a project efficient, giving you speed to market. The days of going to lunch while waiting for a PDF to download are over. With Dropbox you can review the PDF on your mobile while your co-worker drives everyone to lunch, provide feedback to your designer by 2pm, and have the next iteration a day earlier than we previously could do things. If you have a product or service you want to get out to your customers quickly and efficiently, using Dropbox aides that goal.

Wrap It Up

Since Dropbox came on the scene a number of competing services have popped up, and more are on the way. Just this week Google Drive and Cubby are the talk among geeks. They may be great services eventually, but as I write this Dropbox is king of the hill.

One last thing: Dropbox has a great referral program that is free to take part in. As a Dropbox user you get 1 additional free GB of storage space for every person that you refer to Dropbox, and the person signing up gets 500 MB additional free space. It’s a win -win. So if after reading this  you want to sign up, get yourself some free space by using this link to access Dropbox. Then when you’re a user, you can send your link out to your coworkers and friends to get more free space.

Cheers.

Simplicity is also what they wanted in a change to their home page user interface (UI). Over time the messaging had become cluttered, and a clear call to action was lost in all the helpful things they need to communicate to their customers. Brand Shepherd was approached with a challenge: Make the home page UI much simpler and streamlined with the goal of increasing conversions. Challenge accepted.

We set out to prioritize what was most-to-least important on the page, and we had a ton of help from 217inktoner.com’s owner, Calvin. With Calvin’s direction, and our design savvy, we honed our attention on two things: The finder tool, and the value propositions. From there we simply set out to design a solution to visually communicate to folks who come to the website, “Here’s what we want you to do (find ink or toner fast and with simple ease), and here’s what you need to know about us.”

Boom. Done.

For your viewing pleasure, and ours, below is the After and Before because the best comes first.

AFTER

BEFORE

HOW Interactive Design

Click here to read the interview.

What attracted us to the Cincinnati AMA?

The networking potential is the obvious draw to any chapter of the AMA, but with the Cincinnati chapter what closed the deal in our minds was how active the Linkedin groups are. Once we looked into it further, we saw that the activity on Linkedin is reflective of how active this group of marketing professionals are as a whole.

The Single Interest Groups (SIGs) were a big draw as well. “Marketing” is such a huge umbrella. It contains branding pros, advertising pros, creatives, writers, buyers, and myriad other professionals, each fitting into various niches. With the Cincinnati AMA SIGs we get to break into smaller groups for focused presentations and discussions. The smaller groups also make networking easier.

Seminars and the monthly luncheon were also part of what attracted us to the Cincinnati AMA. We looked at who was presenting, and on what topics – it was a no-brainer: It’s quality information being shared that is of immediate use to those who attend.

We have been part of other organizations such as chambers of commerce and business associations, yet they have not been the right fit, and in some cases we saw no ROI for our membership fees. With the AMA we see immediate benefits to making us a better design company, and involved in the Cincinnati marketing professionals community. We’re looking forward to an active calendar, and contributing what we can to the Cincinnati AMA.

Some quick questions to ask yourself:

• Can folks pin content on your website?
• Do you even know what Pinterest is and how it’s used, why it’s important? (ok, so that’s like 3 questions…)
• Let’s say your content is Pinterest-friendly, is pinned by a user, and another Pinterest user clicks it to see what it’s about. Does the page it resides on have engaging information and a call to action?

While Pinterest is the shiniest object in social media right now, the concept is as old as the internet. It comes down to content and availability – can people pin your content easily, and when that pin is clicked, what page are people being taken to? From there it’s like anything else, having content that’s engaging with some kind of call to action.

There are basically two groups of Pinterest users: Those going out to favorite websites, hunting for stuff to pin for Pinterest, and those who repin the harvested content. The challenges, then, are twofold: Reach the  influencers so they pin your content, and also make your content interesting so that it will be worth a repin once it’s on Pinterest.

The concept is wide open to brands. If you’re selling a consumer product you just need quality imagery that is ready to be pinned of your branded product, and make sure it resides on a page that gives the viewer something to read up on more – and a call to action. The growth is totally organic, so the concept has as much potential for success for businesses of any size. You just have to be pinteresting.

For my Pinterest account, I use the Pin It plugin for Chrome, and when I find time I’ll pin 50% / repin 50% of content. One board I created is for design work I created or helped create prior to starting Brand Shepherd. I found my work all over the internet, and it’s nice to have a single place for it to reside. I’m also using Pinterest for inspiration for a couple major projects around my house – kitchen remodel and a side yard patio. The possibilities are endless.

Buzz, a great source for small businesses has a fantastic overview that goes well with this blog post.

We are more than happy to chat about your brand in terms of Pinterest readiness and availability. Maybe it’s a case of needing to back up and look at the product packaging design, or taking new packaging photographs. In any case, get in touch with us, and we can listen and work up a plan.