the power of design by Leah Demeter

Who says typography can't be fun and informative at the same time? I found a cyber playground for words! There's a fabulous tool called WordLe that takes a RSS feed or a body of text to create a "Word Cloud". WordLe gets heavy traffic because it's so popular, so it loads slowly during peak hours.

So if you're having trouble accessing the site, here's the description from the homepage:

Wordle is a toy for generating "word clouds" from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with Wordle are yours to use however you like. You can print them out, or save them to the Wordle gallery to share with your friends.

Here's what I created using the feed from my second entry, "Power of Words". Pretty cool, huh?

What is typography? And how does it enhance your message? Typography is the most important element in the science of design. It is the backbone in the anatomy of the visual display of words. Effective use of typography allows readers to focus on your content rather than be a distraction.

Good typography is essential in this day and age. For example, today's typical web visitor will be very savvy and quick at visiting websites and using the search engines. The worst thing you can do is not provide a good navigational system to guide the visitor throughout your site. Without a good user experience, the web visitor will go back to the search results and check out a different website. And so typography plays a major role in accomplishing what you want your readers to do... Without visual hierarchy, your content will be meaningless, no matter how great it may be.

Choosing a good designer with an excellent intuitive understanding of design's science will guarantee success in the delivery of your message.

Google is experimenting with a new mail feature that stops people from sending emails that they may regret later.... aka late-night drunken emails. I present you... with lots of giggles, Mail Googles.

Here's what happens: Once enabled, it becomes active only at late night on the weekend as that is the time you're most likely to need it. Before you can send an email, Google will give you a series of math questions to be solved before it will allow it go through. Check it out:




This is just outright silly. This would be better suited for SMS text messaging as you are more likely to dash out an email while bar-hopping than stumble back home to turn on your computer, wait while booting and then send an email... A drunk wouldn't be able to find the boot button, let alone open his email program. What's next, they'll take away your car keys?

...But this may be good for one thing: preventing spam. There are studies that show that spam is most often sent between 3 and 5 in the morning. Mail Goggles could be activated by Google during those times, preventing robots from sending mass unwanted emails.

What are your experiences, if any, with sending emails you may have regretted later?

During Rosh Hashanah services at Sinai Temple last week, Rabbinic Intern Nicole Guzik gave a sermon on the power of words. One thing that she discussed was how each of us have our own way of connecting with God, family, friends and even strangers. That, no matter what language we use to communicate, be it Hebrew, English, or some other foreign language... we all have our own way of expression.

With that in mind, I could relate to that personally and professionally as a creative strategist. I use words to communicate my thoughts, ideas and feelings. It allows me to express myself and bond with others. Sometimes I use words, sometimes I don't-- depending on the situation. Sometimes I feel silence is the best way or other times, body language, writing, drawing or painting is more fitting.

The common denominator here is that language is so tied to culture and emotion. All across the planet consists a diversity of languages. It is recorded in Ethnologue: Languages of the World that there are 6,912 languages in the world. A fascinating number to show how diverse and specific we are in communication & culture!

I am fascinated by the power of words, images and color-- and their meaning to each culture and subculture. Every person, every culture reacts to expression differently. What I love about this profession is my role as a creative strategist to help people with their businesses by becoming an "expert" customer with immersing myself into that culture. I begin my design process by researching the target audience, their culture and the language they connect with the most. Then, I take what I have learned to synthesize and come up with solutions-- using the power of words and images-- to win the hearts and minds of the consumers.

So I ask you: as a business person, how can you articulate your vision to your customers--  what words and images will you use to connect with them?

Hello and Welcome to my design blog! It is here that I hope you will be informed and entertained by topics relating to design, branding and marketing. As a professional design strategist, I will be sharing my insights and observations on the power of design-- or lack thereof-- in the ever-rapidly evolving and demanding Information Age. With the right approach, words and images combined can be a very powerful tool in winning the minds and hearts of consumers.

Learn to effectively communicate your message-- your vision... because your image is as important as your business.

Contact me if you need a jumpstart or advice for your business. I'm a believer of collaboration and would love to engage in a dialogue with you-- fellow designers, entrepreneurs, people that are passionate about their business or life. Let's rock-n-roll!