Is spec creative the best way to select your agency?

Is spec creative the best way to select your agency?

Posted on Mar 20, 2012 in Communication, Design, General, Soap Box | No Comments

Spec creative. That’s what we politely call Free Work. The request is always packaged in a nice RFP, but the bottom line is always the same: “pitch us your ideas and maybe you’ll get the business.” And while we understand the game, it’s not one we prefer to play. We’re not a big agency. We’re ...

POV vs. SOM

POV vs. SOM

Posted on Dec 20, 2011 in Communication, Marketing | One Comment

Mike Peck is the President of Outside Source Design and the chief marketing strategist. I would like to enter the crowded world of acronyms in order to offer a few thoughts about your brand. Today, we will look at the battle between Point of View (POV) and Share of Mind (SOM). In interpersonal communication, we ...

How Much Wood Could a Web Site Tout If a Web Site Could Tout Wood?

How Much Wood Could a Web Site Tout If a Web Site Could Tout Wood?

Posted on Nov 18, 2011 in Communication, Copywriting, Design, Photography, Web | No Comments

When you think of well-designed web sites, you probably don’t think of the web site of a wood veneer manufacturer. HOW Interactive did, though, and our client, Miller Veneers, recently had their web site featured in the Inspiration section of HOW Interactive Design’s web site. This summer, Miller Veneers approached us with that exact challenge: ...

Good Old Fashioned Social Media

Good Old Fashioned Social Media

Posted on Aug 10, 2011 in Communication, Social Media, Technology, Web | No Comments

Chris Muckridge is a copywriter at OSD and is interested in the use of online social media in marketing. Last summer I attended a popular art fair with my wife and children, ages 3 and 5. The fair was hosted at a small neighborhood park and offered exposure to a wide variety of regional artists. ...

Why No Love for YouTube?

Why No Love for YouTube?

Posted on Jun 27, 2011 in Animation, Communication, Marketing, Video | No Comments

Dan Brinkruff is the Video Editor/Animator at Outside Source Design. Is it just me, or are there a lot of bad corporate branded YouTube channels out there? With more and more advertisers focusing on social media, why is it that so many of these top-tier companies have poorly executed YouTube Channels or no YouTube presence at ...

Tips for effective email communication – Part IV

Tips for effective email communication – Part IV

Posted on Jun 23, 2011 in Communication, General, Marketing | No Comments

Mike Peck is the President of Outside Source Design and the chief marketing strategist. This is the final of four articles by Mike offering a few helpful hints toward making your email communications more effective. Signing off with conviction Emotional intent can easily be overlooked when creating an email message. However, be assured an emotion is ...

Tips for effective email communication – Part III

Tips for effective email communication – Part III

Posted on Jun 14, 2011 in Communication, Marketing | No Comments

Mike Peck is the President of Outside Source Design and the chief marketing strategist. This is the third of four articles by Mike offering a few helpful hints toward making your email communications more effective. Emotional intelligence In the world of email, the poker face does not exist. That’s right, you can try but you cannot ...

Tips for effective email communication – Part II

Tips for effective email communication – Part II

Posted on Jun 6, 2011 in Communication, Marketing | No Comments

Mike Peck is the President of Outside Source Design and the chief marketing strategist. This is the second of four articles by Mike offering a few helpful hints toward making your email communications more effective. Let’s be honest; we are far too tethered to email. Frankly, it’s hard to look away from your smart phone or ...

Tips for effective email communication – Part I

Tips for effective email communication – Part I

Posted on Jun 1, 2011 in Communication, Marketing | No Comments

Mike Peck is the President of Outside Source Design and the chief marketing strategist. This is the first of several articles by Mike offering a few helpful hints toward making your email communications more effective. Just because we can transmit messages at the speed of light doesn’t mean we should create messages with as much haste. ...

OSD at the Stutz Artists’ Open House

OSD at the Stutz Artists’ Open House

Posted on May 3, 2011 in Art, Marketing | No Comments

It’s not just all work and no play at Outside Source Design. Sometimes we get to have a little fun — and a bit of that came our way this past weekend at the Stutz Artists’ Open House in downtown Indianapolis. OSD, along with many of the artists at the Stutz, opened their studio space ...