Tough economy may not be so bad for the one-man shop 4:00 PM

The past week has proven quite eventful for the U.S. economy and probably the blood pressures of many business owners, as well. But while many look on at a bleak short-term future, this change in financial strength may bode well for the freelancers of America.

In most scenarios, the one-man shops generally struggle to gain their footing among the established boutique shops or larger agencies. Their bids may get overlooked by companies in need of full campaigns, websites, or even one-off projects.

But I come bringing hope! Those of us working from our homes don't have the clout of the larger companies, but there is one thing we DO have going for us: overhead. Or should I say...the lack thereof.

The average hourly design rate in America for advertising agencies and design studios reaches over $100 per hour. Projects are handled by a team of professionals ranging from creative directors, to copywriters, to account executives. Salaries, utilities, business loans and office rentals raise the bar for what HAS to be made.

But in a time when cost is getting cut and pennies being pinched in every category, it is the freelancer that may benefit from this financial plunge. Advertisers will need to find alternative solutions market their products ans services. And who will be there to save the day? Us. For example, U D+M's hourly design rate is at least 30% lower than our larger competitors. The work may not be spread over a team of employees on salary, but you will still receive the same finished product at a fraction of the price. 

So, fear not, fellow freelancers. The free market will ALWAYS need to market. It may just be that it has to come to us instead of the 'major leagues'. And as the market rebuilds, we will grow with it, catapulting us into the next level.

Fight or Flight? 9:19 AM

Statistics show that 90% of every new business that is started will fail and fold within 2 years of it's inception. 

So what's the cause?

In nature, it's called the Fight or Flight Response: The innate reaction to acute stress within a situation. A zebra's physical response to pouncing lion is no different than that of a house cat cornered by a dog (increased heartrate, release of endorphins, muscular response) The difference shows up in their mental reaction. The zebra flees, looking for a way out, while the cat hisses and spits, arches it's back and prepares for a clawing and biting battle.

Entrepreneurs are faced with the same issue when posed with the risk of new business. Sure, financial investment, proper market, and supply and demand can all make or break a business. But is it possible that its an innate reaction to stress that causes so many businesses to fail? Stress in not pleasant. We don't choose 'hard'. We choose 'comfy' and 'easy'.  So, when the going gets tough, we'd rather give up a dream/investment in order to avoid the hard stuff.

Freelance work lends itself so well to the flight response that I have to set up restrictions for myself to keep me off the full-time job posting sites. Raechel and I have realized that I  have adopted a bit of a cycle. Every month, about the time the checks stop coming in, I start to get stressed and scared. I immediately start looking for jobs as a backup plan, fearing that I won't be able to provide for my family. I spend many hours looking for work and interviewing for jobs only to return to the same conclusion: I LOVE working for myself! I love the freedom, the time with my family, the creative work I get to do, everything. Upon analysis, the time spent fleeing from the hard part could be intensely applied to looking for more freelance clients and one-off projects.

Running away feels so safe and secure. It's so easy to flee what is hard a return to the comfort of the 'known'

Instead, one should puff up their chest, arch their back, and prepare for a fight. The 'dog' of stress, fear, and business failure will only learn it's lesson if it faced head on. 

This is a great clip called 'The Battle at Kruger.' It's a little long, but one of the most amazing clips I have ever seen. In the plains of Africa, a pack of lions is on the hunt. It drags on a bit in the middle but, trust me, there is redemption worth sticking around for.)

A follow up to one of my favorite documentaries, Helvetica, Gary Hustwit in working on a new film, Objectified. Per the film's website:

Objectified is a feature-length independent documentary about industrial design. It's look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It's about the people who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily bases. It's about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability. It's about our relationship to mass-produced objects and, by extension, the people who design them.

Through vérité footage and in=depth conversation, the film documents the creative processes of some of the world's most influential designers, and looks at how the things they make inpact our lives. What can we learn about who we are, and who we want to be, from the objects with which we surround ourselves?"

After browsing the site, I saw some notable faces including my personal fave, Jonathon Ive, Senior Industrial Designer for Apple. The film is due out early 2009.

Technology inspired by God 4:38 PM

Humans are driven to advance.

Over the last 100 years (a relatively short period in history) we've learned to fly, drive, save inconceivable amounts of information on a single disc, and the list goes on.

Truth of the matter is, we are merely innovators. God's done it all already. We wanted to fly because we saw the birds soaring through the air....

The iPod, while quite impressive in design, capacity, and functionality, is still unequal to it's creator, the human brain.

It's always refreshing to see human advancement give a shout out to it's organic predecessor. In fact, there's a name for it. Biomimetics: The young science of adapting designs from nature to solve modern problems. National Geographic has compiled a small photo gallery on the subject. You can view it here.

There's nothing more exciting to me than subconscious worship of our Creator, even by those who don't have a clue that they're doing it.

Viral Marketing to the next level 11:55 AM

It used to be that youtube was the ultimate in viral marketing. With the recent addition of viral avenues like twitter and facebook, the bar was set to be raised....Nintendo just did it. The image above will take you to the link.