This is an example of bringing visual expression to IDEO’s research and strategy work for a Chinese company that manufactures TVs. The client wanted a flagship store, but instead IDEO presented a vision for a ‘flagship experience.’ IDEO focuses on the individual’s experience with a brand and offered interesting observations about how Chinese consumers thought about a TV purchase. I combined traditional Asian visual themes like wabi-sabi, flower arranging, and temple architecture with modern Asian art (visualize 600 neon-colored stuffed animals glued onto a TV frame). Call me if you’d like to see the result.

SYPartners, ranked as one of the top five innovation firms in the U.S., has a reputation among CEOs for delivering results by powerfully galvanizing leaders and teams. This is an example of one of their offsite Leadership Labs for the marketing team at Target. SYP develops the information and process then uses design to bring it to life throughout the environment—in this case the transformation of a typical hotel ballroom—in presentations and in interactive exercises designed to help the Target marketing group define their purpose, values and behaviors. If you want to know how good design helps motivate, call me and I can show you.

IDEO helps companies discover and develop strong, customer-focused business strategies. The C-level team at Snap-On Tools was so excited about the possibilities IDEO presented that we took over an auto-bay at their headquarters and designed and built out a museum-quality exhibit, including a video room, a 30-foot long graphic showing a car’s repair process from warning-light to service evaluation, and a big group of prototypes of potential future products. Every employee at headquarters got to experience the ”future of Snap-On” and received a softbound book reflecting the experience to inspire them. I have a copy of that book. If you’d like to see it, give me a call.

With this IDEO project, we showed the client the approach, trends within the client’s industry, what they found in the field, and how the company might define a new space in the market. I admit I wondered why IDEO hired a designer to do a mid-point review. But, as it turns out, there were three excellent reasons for that: 1) IDEO had some hard truths to tell the client about their existing business, 2) they wanted to own the focus of the meeting, and 3) there was resulting additional work to suggest and this presentation was part of the pitch. The result: an impressed team member asked, “Are all of your presentations this good?”

California Center for Innovative Transportation (CCIT), a part of the oldest and biggest research group at UC Berkeley, requested a website that “reflects the quality and cutting-edge nature of the center’s work.” This was an exciting design challenge that entailed solving their site design problems that could be easy to maintain in-house by various students and interns. The resulting site fulfills CCIT’s core mission to make academic research available and accessible to partners and the public, and gives them an interface that is easily updated by interns or students. This image shows the back end. Check out the site at www.calccit.org

.

I love the challenge of designing for designers—in this case designing a way finding system for a design conference focused on sustainability (CompostModern.org). Fellow designers are looking at what you do with a critical eye, and at a sustainability conference they also expect no extra resources to be wasted. I took the overrun of unfolded broadsheets and reversed out the information I needed on a green field. The result was cheap, easy, and successful—a design solution that demonstrates the core principle of the conference where it was displayed. Call me for more examples and to discuss how this process can work for you.

Skype gave the keynote presentation at this year’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona to talk about the opportunities that disruptive technologies bring to established industries. Skype’s presentation was backed up with illustrations to convey the future of the industry rather than wordy bullet points defending the company to the establishment. An architectural draftsperson did the illustrations to show that Skype is ‘building’ the future. He incorporated watercolor renditions of Skype’s graphic elements and colors to stay on-brand and got a great reception at the conference as well as press after. Let me know if you’d like to see it. I can email you a PDF.

When we agree to work together, this is an example of what you’ll receive from me outlining the scope of work, specific objectives, milestones, and key deliverables on a timetable for a new project. Organizing the information visually helps everyone understand the parameters of the project, align assumptions about how we’ll proceed, and offers a deeper dive into what to expect at each stage. You are an integral part of the process. Let me know if you’re ready to be a part of great design to get your message across.

CEMAR is a nonprofit that uses novel approaches to develop immediate and local solutions to environmental problems that provide long-term, regional benefits for residents of Coastal California. This group of passionate, fact-based advocates developed a branded body of work of reports, field work and a resource-rich website that helps them stand out as authoritative leaders and collaborative solution-finders to some of our most challenging environmental issues. I am excited that they see the power of design to contribute to their mission and am proud to be the designer they call for help. If you’d like to see what I could do for you, call me and let’s talk.