The Captain’s Blog : Archive for August, 2007

An office full of programmers and designers stereotypically lends itself to a strict class of people… geeks and/or nerds. Guilty as charged. Said stereotypes often behave in equally stereotypical ways, with video gaming, high-tech gadget wielding and sugar-infused beverage downing as some of the preferred activities. Guilty, guilty and guilty.

However, unique to our little Eli Kirk office culture of nerds is a new little pastime that has begun to capture our fancy: foosball. Not but two weeks ago did this wonderful new distraction arrive, and life has begun to evolve in interesting little ways. Now, instead of all of us doing exactly what I’m doing now—strapping on headphones and tuning out the world—we have a new avenue through which we can channel our rampant ADD.

It’s great. We now have a way to settle conversational, creative or even political disputes fairly and “face each other as God intended. Sportsman-like.” It helps with creativity (at least it does mine), office cohesion and fosters a relaxed atmosphere. We highly recommend the Dynamo/Tornado Whirlwind as a worthwhile investment for any office culture. Now if I could just stop losing…

My last post went into detail about brand dissonance and making real, effective, lasting change the right way. The guys in our office read it and thought, “OK, that makes sense for someone whose sales are slumping; but what about when business is good?” Funny they should ask….

The immediate answer is “Great! So, what are you going to do now?” A critical part of brand dissonance that can be avoided is reacting to a downward slump. How? By recognizing that if you aren’t innovating or always looking forward then sooner or later you’re going to be looking back wondering what went wrong. This isn’t a prediction of doom and gloom. It is simply the nature of the beast.

As a company, Eli Kirk is currently in the process of doing the same thing. We can’t afford to just enjoy business while it is good. We are looking to stay fresh, stay ahead and maximize our own brand where possible. It isn’t an easy task, even for a creative agency like ourselves. Done right, brands become more than just a name and a logo. They really do become part of the visual vocabulary of a community, and sometimes even society.