How many of you have your elevator pitch ready? No? Shame on you! Over the years, the elevator pitch has become increasingly important as an key component of the in-house designer’s toolbox, especially considering all the areas within a corporate environment that employees intersect—coffee rooms, cafeteria, hallways and, of course, elevators. Essentially it’s a sales ...MORE
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Popular Lies About Graphic Design A new book by Craig Ward reviewed by Ed Roberts What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever been told about design? Milton Glaser says, “Less is more.” David Carson answers by saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” And years ago, James Victore was told “you can’t use more ...MORE
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Second Helpings: Lunch with Jerry French, Owner of French Paper Company By Ed Roberts Thank you for joining me for a second helping of lunch with Jerry French, owner of French Paper Company. Today you'll find out how good design has impacted the success of Jerry's family business and why he thinks Charles S. Anderson ...MORE
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Lunch with Inflatable Jerry … Hot Air Not Included! By Ed Roberts Three years ago I took a job in a new town that required me to rebuild an in-house corporate communications department from the ground up. I began by researching and hiring a corporate coach to help with the development of a strategic plan ...MORE
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By Shannon Stull Carrus Thanksgiving is approaching and like so many others, I've been reflecting on those things in my life for which I'm thankful. Though this year brought many amazing people and experiences into my life, I'm most grateful for one I was not expecting: I'm thankful I lost my job. A year ago ...MORE
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Posted in HOWseGuest, Humor, Shannon Stull on Oct 15th, 2012
Trick or Treat: Halloween Costume Ideas Well-Suited for the Office By Shannon Stull Halloween is just around the corner, and like the proverbial razor blade in the apple, this time may be sweet for you and just a little bit dangerous. If you’re like me—a major slacker—when it comes to slapping together an office appropriate ...MORE
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Lunch with Sarah Smith, Creator of With-IN By Ed Roberts Sarah Smith is one young woman with a great big idea to connect small corporate in-house teams (15 people or less) across the country through “With-IN,” a website she developed as the cornerstone of her thesis. Why should we have lunch with Sarah? Well, for ...MORE
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Four Cs to Appraise Your Pitch. by Sam Harrison You and your team have generated a great idea and are preparing a presentation for decision makers. So before placing your idea’s life on the line, how do you step back and evaluate the planned pitch’s effectiveness? Try overlaying four Cs and answering these questions: CONTENT ...MORE
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When Selling Ideas, Sticky Situations Sometimes Call for Some Sugarcoating by Sam Harrison After a “Selling Ideas” workshop I presented to an in-house team, the creative director pulled me aside. “We’re about to pitch a great trade-show concept to our marketing VP,” she said. “But to truly demonstrate the idea’s value, I need to first ...MORE
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Posted in Andy Epstein, In-house Issues on Oct 30th, 2011
. There’s no doubt that self-promotion is a critical tactic for in-house teams to enhance their stature within their organizations and attract more strategic assignments. There are times, though, where it’s in a creative group’s best interest to maintain a low profile. . . Companies have a built-in autoimmune system that goes into attack mode ...MORE
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