In•for•ma•tion n. 1.) Knowledge obtained by research, observation, study or instruction in a form allowing for its recommunication to others enabling a state of knowing.

Ar•chi•tect n. 1.) An individual skilled in the art of building who creates the instruction for the construction of organized space. 2.) the thoughtful specifications and superintendence of the building of useful structures.

In•for•ma•tion Ar•chi•tect n. 1.) The individual who organizes the patterns inherent in data, making the complex clear. 2.) A person who creates the structure or map of information which allows others to find their personal paths to knowledge. 3.) The emerging 21st century professional occupation addressing the needs of the age focused upon clarity, human understanding, and the science of the organization of information.

From Information Architects by Richard Saul Wurman. Lest we forget, as the Web 2.0 deluge pours on.

Elexicon partnered with Spectrum Health’s PR & marketing teams and video production vendor to create Spectrum Health TV, an online series of helpful interviews with medical experts on a variety of topics. New videos and channels were just released today … thought we’d share.

We need to take a moment to recognize the 1-year anniversary at Elexicon for Naima Seales and Calvin Chopp! We also need to slightly belatedly recognize Amy Nobach for 8(!) years of outstanding service and still going strong.

Which also means … hey! Look what month it is! Elexicon its very self turns 9 this month. Happy birthday to us, and thank you to all our clients, friends, family, and team members past and present who have supported us. Double digits here we come!

The Spectrum Health Foundation and Helen DeVos Childrens Hospital Foundation web site won a Platinum Award for Best eBusiness Web Site from Strategic Health Care Communications. Elexicon provided the creative direction for the site and teamed with Spectrum Health and NuSoft Solutions to develop the site for the Foundations.

The new release of iTunes (8.0) features iTunes “Genius,” a companion sidebar that provides the ultimate “if you liked that, then you’ll like this” functionality in terms of comprehensiveness and ease of use. Upon first launch Genius examines your music library and then roughly 15 minutes later (length of time depends on the size of your music library) goes into action in the right sidebar of your iTunes interface. Click on a song — any song — and the Genius sidebar displays a list of the most popular songs by that artist that you haven’t purchased yet as well as a secondary listing of similar songs and artists that you might also like. The “favorites” and “just for you” functionality is nothing new of course, a key feature of not only iTunes but also Amazon, Netflix, and many others. The genius of Genius is its higher level of ease-of-use and comprehensiveness (and eventually, as you use it more and as Apple continues to improve it: Accuracy). This “higher level” stems from the close proximity of the Genius to your music library, the way it assimilates itself into your own personal world — your data and your user interface.

Genius and other tools like it continue to become more and more powerful because there is more metadata in the universe. The prefix “meta” means “about,” so metadata is “data about data.” In the universe of Google and Web 2.0, content is no longer king. Data about your content is king. It’s the metadata that helps your content get found more quickly by the people who want it and need it most. Without it, your content could just be a tree falling in the woods. Metadata ensures that the right people hear it. If you are not hearing the word “metadata” come up in discussions about your web site strategy (and we’re not just talking about good old fashioned meta tags), it may be time to consult with an expert to talk ideas. Hint: See previous blog post by Mr. Tucker.

On Geoffrey Moore’s “Crossing the Chasm” scale, I’d like to think I’m an “Innovator” but admittedly, I’m merely a humble Early Adopter. So here I am, in all my non-Innovator/full-on-Early-Adopter glory holding the “2.0″ version of the iPhone, having passed on the first iPhone for all the Early Adopter reasons (just waiting for a few of the most blatant shortcomings and flaws to be worked out … then I’m all over the next version!!!).

I’m sure I’ll have more to say about the device once I’ve owned and used it for more than a couple days. But one thing is for sure. Phone Saber is cool. This free App Store gem provided me with my most distinct “this is a great time to be alive” (TIAGTTBA) moment so far. This thing transforms your iPhone into a lighsaber, reacting to your slashing movements with perfectly timed sound effects. When you’re arguing with a coworker and things seem to be at a stalemate … hold on just a minute. You’ve got Phone Saber!!! Who has the upper hand now??

Past TIAGTTBA example: listening to a streaming radio station via iTunes, hearing a new song that I like, and owning the song (also via iTunes) before it’s finished playing. Stuff like that.

There is no denying that Apple marketing is, among other things (like elegant, engaging and effective), entirely pretentious. So, they make a popular and sometimes easy target.



I just saw this via one of our clients so I haven’t done a full google-research but I would assume that Lenovo didn’t actually make this and that it will never air on television as a commercial. However, here we have yet another example of (what looks to be) viral, user-generated marketing. Whether it really is or not, think about how a customer’s faith (or lack thereof) in your product would lead him/her to create a communication like this championing (or slamming) said product. And then getting thousands of views on YouTube before they remove it (or allow it to stay).

Under Consideration’s “Brand New Blog” pulled off a nice April Fool’s this year. The blog, a favorite of our creative director Mike VerStrat, provides a daily, rolling (and entertaining) record of prominent corporate identity updates and other significant logo designs. On April 1 they tossed a Ford logo redesign out there and the initial impact was a bit breathtaking. “How could they do that?!?”

Makes you think, though. As troubled as the automaker is, one wonders if an actual makeover would help the company seem more fresh and edgy like their international competitors. However, in my humble opinion, “they are who they are.” What other brands and logos are this “untouchable?” I’ll throw IBM out there to start the discussion…

I really, really like State Farm Insurance’s new “Intersections” television advertising campaign featuring customers describing their situation in life (new father, father whose daughter just got driver’s license, etc.) while standing on a big red “spot.” Kind of like if you zoomed in on one of those maps with a big “You Are Here” spot to find that, well, there you are at the crossroads.

I’ll bet a focus group or survey would reveal that just about everyone picks up on the fact that the elliptical shape of the red spot matches the ovals in the State Farm logo. And to top it off, the “I’m there” slogan is a wonderfully minimalist update of the 65-year old company’s “Like A Good Neighbor State Farm Is There” classic jingle.

Finally something clever as opposed to the clichéd, sappy, over-the-top, or patronizing approaches from the relentlessly pervasive advertising for the FIRE (finance/insurance/real estate) industries.

More background and info: State Farm web site. (Doesn’t look like the campaign has found its way online except for this press announcement, unfortunately. There’s lots of potential…)

Just a couple weeks after the FAA announced that passengers would no longer be able to carry on a spare Lithium-Ion laptop battery due to fire and explosion hazards, a company called ZPower Inc. is making a big splash at the upcoming Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas. ZPower is the innovator of a high-performance, environmentally friendly, and fire-proof Silver-Zinc battery technology.

This is “something cool” to share on our blog, and it’s doubly cool for Elexicon because we designed their corporate identity, web site and marketing communications for Camarillo, California-based ZPower, working with Harnett Marketing in Kettering, Ohio.

Check out www.zpowerbattery.com … you’ll see one of our latest projects and learn about what’s on the horizon for laptop and handheld “power users.”