People are visual thinkers. However, they don’t take in all visual information at once. Instead, they break it down into smaller, easier to process chunks, typically classifying visual elements in terms of relationships. The more complex the visual message, the more people tend to classify like elements. Size, color, contrast, alignment, repetition, proximity, space and texture are visual cues that help organize visual hierarchies for viewers.

Example from Graphic Design The New Basics.

Let’s get down to brass tacks: Why is hierarchy important? The answer is simple. People spend mere seconds, possibly even less, determining whether or not they are going to engage a visual message once it has caught their attention. If the hierarchy of the message is easily understood, the chances of the viewer engaging it increases exponentially. If not, the intended message is lost.

Many factors can lead to a failed hierarchy—client demands, designer inexperience, design-by-committee or a gross overabundance of content.

In an article on webdesign.tutsplus.com, Brandon Jones, Webdesigntuts+ Editor, describes an exercise to test for visual hierarchy success. Here are the steps:

It’s a natural tendency to want every element to “jump off the page,” but it is our job to remember that hierarchy comes first and making every element bigger or flashier isn’t always most effective.

A colleague is affectionately known for how many times he tells people that if you do what you’ve always done, you’ll be what you’ve always been.

It’s a new year, and I’m in trouble. I’ve forgotten how to dance through my day. I’ve lost my rhythm. In Minding the Gap, the book Jeffrey and I published last fall, we talk a lot about editing our lives to be fully alive in the person God made us to be and the purposes he invests in us.

I’ve edited about as tightly as I can. I’m realizing that to get out of this ungraceful place and move forward into new plans and activities, I need to gut walls. Old habits, disciplines, boundaries, maybe even expectations need to come down first to be raised in new places.

A favorite app on my new iPhone is iSamJackson. This helpful and informative app features wit and wisdom from the king of cool. Quips and quotes with the unmistakable delivery that can only be the one and only Samuel L. Jackson. When prompted Sam even let’s me know what’s cool—AM radio, cab drivers, Ninjas, BBQ chefs, sushi and flip flops just to name a few.

I recently read an article about creating “cool” workplaces in order to retain Gen Y (millennial) employees. The article spotlights a company that has even instituted “fun squads” to oversee fun, enjoyment and creative communication.

We don’t have a fun squad here at The Strategy Group but we do have an Olhausen pool table, an LG high-def TV (playing great concert films and golf when available) and of course the best coffee in the world (Old San Francisco from Spice Merchant). That’s cool, huh?

No.

Know what’s cool? When an organization’s board of directors comes together over a shared and well-articulated vision. When a client says it’s re-energized and its publics are really connecting with its re-brand. When a retail client says they planted a flag over the weekend. When a national organization boasts their event program is THE BEST EVER! That’s what’s cool!

What’s cool in the office, in my mind, should be the result of being focused on what’s cool outside the office. So don’t try so hard to be cool. Do, however, try harder to help those you serve experience what’s cool.

Cheers! And don’t forget to observe Talk Like a Pirate Day at your office next year (Sept. 19).

“Know what’s cool? Pirates. Pirates are coooool!” Samuel L. Jackson

iSamJackson app available at iTunes store.

I’m reading the story of a three generations-old Italian shoe company. Our shoes are the finest made in the world, says the book’s main character in a meeting at Bergdorf Goodman. These are my people, the working class, the young cobbler apprentice later observes in Capri as she watches the locals.

Who are we? Who are we not? What is the custom of this business? What is the quality of what we offer? Who are our people?

Our custom, the signature of our brand, is teaching, coaching and commensurate strategic—levelheaded—thinking. It is our absolute intent to deliver finest quality in everything we do. National quality. Our people, like the cobbler, are working people—leaders of companies and organizations.

We’re a team of people who work hard to help working people work it out. To that end, Minding the Gap is now available. We’re busy developing new delivery systems for The Creel Model—creative ways you can engage the process of vision, specification, equipping and accountability to improve organizational life.

Who are you? Who are you not? What is your custom? What is the quality of what you offer? Who are your people?

Work it out.

Minding the Gap is available at your favorite bookstore’s order desk or at these online bookstores: Amazon.com, Barnesandnoble.com, Xlibris.com, or by phone at 1.888.795.4274, ext. 7879.

This past summer, I was allowed the privilege to join the Summer Institute at the Strategy Group LLC. As I joined mid-summer, the group of four other college students ranging from sophomores to seniors had already begun the interactive training focused on strategic marketing and branding. As with any new job or major life change, it was an adjustment to learn the processes and expectations of my new role. I quickly learned the most beneficial contribution an individual could make to the group was an idea.

Each individual’s thoughts and ideas brought greater collaboration to the group and allowed the five of us, called “The Summer Institute team,” to progress toward creatively and efficiently completing projects. Through the Summer Institute, I was able to grasp the full power of collaboration. Through my sophomore year in college, I was the quiet student in classroom discussions, either waiting for what I deemed the perfect moment to add my comment—which I rehearsed ad nauseam in my head—or simply sitting and soaking up the comments made by my peers.

During my first few meetings at the Institute, I took the approach of the “quiet student” while my four peers pitched ideas and vocalized their thoughts. I saw the group progress and move forward through one idea given by an individual that was built upon and used as the foundation for a complex idea. I found that vocalizing thoughts was the most efficient way to collaborate and progress towards a finished product.

Successful collaboration of a group hinges upon both active participation of individuals involved and an encouraging environment. At the Summer Institute, each individual brought a different skill set and personality to the group, which was appreciated by each member through encouragement and willingness to listen to each other’s ideas. Had we not encouraged each other to voice our own ideas and personality, I believe the unique perspectives and potential ideas would not have been expressed in the final draft of our projects.

The positive environment provided by the entire group allowed me to break the mold of the “quiet student.” I began to voice the ideas I had previously kept to myself and felt a catharsis as each of my peers added their own comments and we saw all of our thoughts take the shape of a complex and well-thought idea. Vocalized comments from each of us brought a new perspective on ideas and allowed the group to look at tasks from many different angles.

The challenge I give to myself moving forward is to continue collaborating in all aspects of my life, including this fall semester of school. Now that I have seen and participated in successful collaboration, I want to keep my profile as a quiet student in the past. I also know that, moving forward, the lessons and tasks we were exposed to over the summer will give me a deeper understanding for the real-world use of the skills I will learn in my remaining college courses.

I would like to add a “thank you” to all of the members of the group, including the Strategy Group employees and owners for letting me share in an experience that has certainly furthered my personal growth and helped me realize the potential of my own skill set.

—Kelly Gebert, junior, DePauw

Effective advertising doesn’t have to be expensive, but it does need to be consistent to build brand awareness. Explore ways to keep your message in front of your audience. Break through the clutter and tell your story in a way that is unique. Nearly everyone’s marketing budget is holding level or even decreasing to combat these financial times, so spend smart! Think outside the box and search for co-op dollar opportunities as we did for one of our clients.

Wichita Roofing & Remodeling is taking its new customer service program to the streets, literally. We designed a vehicle wrap for the marketing director’s car that would represent three different market areas—and more importantly strategically and effectively use their resources.

Today, the company name is reaching thousands of people daily as the director travels to meet one on one with insurance agents across the state. It’s not often you see a “Nascar” traveling down the Kansas turnpike. Is wrapping a vehicle original? No. But choosing an image of the number one spectator sport in America to carry your message across unexpected terrain is. It’s a conversation starter and it creates a memorable impression. And the best part is some of the client’s vendors are “car sponsors.” Their sponsorship dollars are helping pay for the vehicle wrap while our client’s message speeds across the state.

Get in the driver’s seat. The race is on! What are you doing to reach the checkered flag before your competition?

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.
—Ferris Bueller

As long as I can remember I’ve been in and out of my parents’ offices on a weekly to daily basis. Part of everyday life, from dinner table conversations to talk of me going into the family business, it’s been in my blood for quite some time. It wasn’t until last week, starting as an intern, that I really started to understand the work of the Strategy Group.

Not only was the first week nerve-racking it was a week of enlightenment. Let’s get one thing straight: my mom used to call me to ask how to turn the TV on, now she is sitting in my office showing me how to navigate the servers. Let’s just say I felt like I dropped down a peg or two.

At a young age I saw team members coming and going and work being done and never understood the system behind it. I always thought that mom or dad just told them what to do, they did it, and it was done. I was wrong. As I learned the trafficking system here I got a brand new understanding of how things get done, and it definitely isn’t dad or mom issuing commands. Teamwork is huge here and it’s actually one of the coolest things to see in motion. One job could be worked on by several people until it’s complete; it’s this kind of teamwork that goes unseen in the finished product.

It’s hard starting at square one at a place I thought I knew so well. My eyes are open to this new world, and I’m doing everything I can to embrace it.

Well I got my mojo back. I took the family to see Nickelback, the popular Canadian rock group, last Friday night and the “F-bombs” were flying. The crowd erupted in a veritable frenzy every time Chad Kroeger (lead singer and Laurie’s musical crush) spake the sacred word. Believe me, it was early and often.

There must be serious power in that word. I remember hearing it for the first time when I was about 4 years old. I asked my mother what it meant and she smacked me. Pretty powerful.

So I began to wonder how much more powerful some of the all time great communicators could have been with a few strategic “F-bombs”:

“The “F’n” British are coming!”
—Paul Revere

“Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this “F’n” wall!”
—President Ronald Reagan

“Speak softly and carry a big “F’n” stick; you will go far.”
—President Theodore Roosevelt

Okay. I don’t believe it would have made any of these moments any more historic. Nor does it make any movie more watchable (save maybe Die Hard: “Yippe-ki-yay Hanz!” doesn’t quite have the impact), any novel more readable, any rock star more famous, any stand-up comedian more funny, any golf shot fly straighter or any casual conversation more enjoyable.

So do all your friends and family a favor and remove the word from your repertoire. And if you just can’t seem to help yourself, call me and I’ll send mom over.

Cheers!