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The magic ingredient that makes a brand stand out.
When you attend marketing seminars, or listen to a webinar, some of the speakers and presentations are inspirational and refreshing in their perspectives and approaches. Some are not. They can come...
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Surrey’s use of branding has transformed this sprawling suburb into a...
It’s surprising how seldom this approach is used in business and shocking how infrequently it is used in municipal politics Surrey mayor Dianne Watts understands the power of branding. No, not just a...
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Styleboards: Saving clients time, money, and headaches through the web design...
Most businesses these days are familiar with the process of identity design; they either have experience working with a design agency in the past, or have a rough understanding of the process....
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Is it time to take your name off the door?
HCMA has moved beyond last names on their door. Is it time to consider doing that at your professional services firm? A few years ago we worked with a law firm that had a name comprised of the...
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11 Lessons I Learned the Hard Way Managing a Design Firm
Mark Busse has learned many things managing a design firm. Here are 11 of them for you. Pretty Isn’t Always the Best Choice It took years of running a design business to realize that making the right...
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The Ethics of Design
Do you agree with your clients' ethics? Ethics. We all have them, whether we are directly in tune with them or not. Naturally, our ethics translate into our work, sometimes before we even realize it....
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Don’t forget your staff or risk your branding project failing.
Recently, the University of California unveiled a new “visual identity system”. This new system is supposed to be a fresher, less bureaucratic expression of UC’s values, and had taken over three years...
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How to Blog Harder and Smarter in 2013
2013 has arrived, and with it comes new implications about content marketing strategy. We played the content marketing game in 2012, but do we really know all the rules and secrets of creating popular...
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Are Social Media and Blogging Worth Your Time?
In short, yes. At the very least, it is worth exploring and developing a basic plan. Based on our experiences with various Professional Services clients, not all social media avenues make sense for...
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Loyalty is not the same thing as satisfication.
Businesses can still succeed and grow in a challenging economy. If you have a loyal client base, even in a slow business cycle, some businesses continue to have success. It is not unusual for a...
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Who cares whether your website looks good? For starters, your employees do.
We recently updated Francl Architecture's brand and website. These days, employee retention is on the tips of many business owners’ tongues. According to multiple sources, such as Forbes Magazine, the...
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Tips to save your online brand from hacking or embarrassment.
Every once in a while, we get to take a five minute break from our workdays to marvel at social media catastrophes that happen to really, really big players. Last week, it was Burger King and HMV’s...
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Is it time to update your website? Probably. Here are a few reasons why.
You’ve probably been told somewhere along the way that updating your website is a good idea. We’ve all seen some pretty swanky sites out there. Some are better than others, but the updated ones looks...
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Three traits of successful managers
The following article by Mark Busse was published in the Jan/Feb 2013 issue of Design Edge Magazine. The roles authenticity, humility and purpose play when leading a design team. If I read another...
View ArticleThose you want to show your portfolio to don’t have time to see you. Deal...
The following article by Mark Busse was published in January 2013 on www.designedgecanada.com. It’s never been more challenging to land a design job. Competition is fierce—especially for fresh-faced...
View ArticleWhen clients don’t ‘get it,’ it’s your fault
The following article by Oliver Oikie was published in February 2013 on www.designedgecanada.com. Students, start practicing and say it with me: “It’s my fault, it’s my fault, it’s my fault…” Because...
View ArticleTravel IS school
The following article by Mark Busse was published in March 2013 on www.designedgecanada.com. “Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on...
View ArticleThe Easiest Way To Get Rid Of Clients Or Prospects Is To Not Ask Them What...
They came. They saw. They left. You might think you know what your customers and prospects want. So many companies and firms operate under assumptions that have worked for them in the past. If you want...
View ArticleUnpaid internships are harming the design industry – and they’re illegal
The following article by Mark Busse was published in April 2013 on DesignEdgeCanada.com, PSFK.com, & GDC.net. Confession time: I used to be a staunch defender of unpaid internships and advised...
View ArticleDear Design School Grads: Be Authentically You And Harness Creativity And...
I was honoured to be invited back to Vancouver Island University to give the commencement speech for their design program’s 2013 graduation. I didn’t want to to do a repeat of my 2012 performance where...
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