Design - from all angles
A blog about design, though not in the strictest sense of the word. Marketing / branding resources and musings of a web and graphic designer who sees the world through Pantone-colored glasses and a 12-column responsive grid. {Subscribe to the RSS feed here: 
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The Sam-I-Am Guide to Marketing: How Dr. Seuss Got it Wrong
Nyla Smith | Wednesday, April 26, 2017
"I will not eat them in the rain. I will not eat them on a train. Not in the dark! Not in a tree! Not in a car! You let me be!" Sound familiar? Read on. Read Article »
Running on Default - Harmless or Risky?
Nyla Smith | Tuesday, August 16, 2016
It’s a wonderful thing to have choices. The reality, however, is that we often rely on the default instead of making conscious decisions to the contrary. This isn’t inherently a bad thing, but this tendency does affect all areas of our lives, including our business marketing. Read Article »
Lessons from the Creation of the 2016 Olympics Logo
Nyla Smith | Thursday, July 28, 2016
With the summer Olympics right around the corner, I’m sure you’re excited to watch the world’s best in swimming, volleyball, and gymnastics. And the one player making an appearance at every sport? The Olympics logo, of course. Read on for the fascinating story of how the official Rio 2016 logo and font came to be, and some lessons you can learn from the process. Read Article »
Reading the Signs: Design on the Road
Nyla Smith | Tuesday, July 12, 2016
Want a surefire way to get graphic designers all riled up? Replace a good typeface with a bad one… all over America. Read Article »
How Nike Failed at User Testing
Nyla Smith | Thursday, June 30, 2016
Business owners can learn an important lesson from Nike’s latest showing at Wimbledon. Mainly that "just do it" should never supercede "just think it through". In this case, that means designing products with the end-user in mind; which, in the world of web design, comes in the form of user testing or user experience. Read Article »
"X" is for: X-factor
Nyla Smith | Tuesday, June 14, 2016
No, I’m not referring to the singing competition with the ever-delightful Simon Cowell. Good news: you don’t need to be able to sing or perform in order for your brand to have an x-factor. Do you know what yours is? Read Article »
Brand Archetypes — Meet the Explorer
Nyla Smith | Tuesday, April 05, 2016
Finding oneself — self-realization through discovery — is the ultimate goal of the Explorer. In our Western culture, the Explorer archetype is an undercurrent running through all of society. Brands that spring forth from this current are those that speak to the need for freedom, adventure, and independence.
Read Article »
Email Scams Targeting Business Owners
Nyla Smith | Tuesday, March 08, 2016
What's that your momma always said? “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” But ma! The flip side — "don't look a gift horse in the mouth", right? No. That's not even what that means. Listen to your mother and beware this common email scam. Read Article »
Balancing Marketing with Social Responsibility
Nyla Smith | Tuesday, February 16, 2016
