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Latest Blog Posts
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Creativity
01/10/2013 by MickeyM619
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Tap Into Your Creative Self
My latest creative interest is Kickstarter.com. Kickstarter is a funding platform for creative projects. Everything from films, games, and music to art, design, and technology. Kickstarter is full of ambitious, innovative, and imaginative projects that are brought to life through the direct support of others. Thousands of creative projects are funding on Kickstarter at any given moment. Each project is independently created and crafted by the person behind it. The filmmakers, musicians, artists, and designers you see on Kickstarter have complete control and responsibility over their projects. They spend weeks building their project pages, shooting their videos, and brainstorming what rewards to offer backers. When they're ready, creators launch their project and share it with their community. Every project creator sets their project's funding goal and deadline. If people like the project, they can pledge money to make it happen. If the project succeeds in reaching its funding goal, all backers' credit cards are charged when time expires. If the project falls short, no one is charged. Funding on Kickstarter is all-or-nothing. That's why it's very cool that there's "The Kickback Machine." Separate from Kickstarter.com, The Kickback Machine lets you research what worked and what failed on Kickstarter.com. By doing the research in advance of posting your idea on Kickstarter, you'll be able to get a feel for 1) if your idea will rock it out, or 2) drop like a rock. And now a new site from an aspiring Miami-based programmer, Outgrow.me has emerged as the first marketplace for successfully-funded Kickstarter projects. Outgrow.me is a place to discover crowd-funded projects currently available for purchase. So, if you have an idea for something and you think people are going to say, "Why didn't I think of that!?" then you have the path to follow.
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Branding Campaigns
05/10/2012 by MickeyM619
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Under the Heading "Nothing Better To Do?"
Some Google hacks are simply cooler than others. If you want to make Google Translate “beat box” like a champ, simply paste this nonsensical string of letters into it and push play. pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk pv zk bschk pv zk pv bschk zk bschk pv bschk bschk pv kkkkkkkkkk bschk bschk bschk Let's make it even easier. Here's a link that goes directly to the trick.
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Branding Campaigns
10/06/2011 by MickeyM619
Poor Comic Sans . . .
The typeface, Comic Sans, has been taking a beating for years now. I, like a lot of designers out there, have an opinion about the Comic Sans font, and it seems the overwhelming majority of those opinions are negative. How has a single font become the focus of so much hate? And what, exactly, is behind it all? Comic Sans was created by Vincent Connare in 1994 for Microsoft. It was originally designed to be used with Microsoft Bob, but it was completed too late to be included in the program. Connare purports that he never intended the font to be released for general use, and only designed it to be used in comic-book-style speech bubbles within MS Bob. The font ended up being included in Microsoft 3D Movie Maker, which used it in its pop-up windows and help sections. Later it was included with Windows 95 Plus Pack and then became a standard font for the OEM version of Windows 95. Comic Sans has been used on a number of well-known products. Beanie Babies have used the font on their tags since the late 1990's. The 2004 Canada Day 25-cent collector coin also used the font. (As a Canadian, I speak for the country when I say, "We're sorry!") The Sims video game uses it as well. One of the main reasons Comic Sans became the target of such hatred was its widespread usage, particularly when dealing with serious or formal subjects. While Comic Sans was perfectly adequate in designs for children or designs related to comic books or cartoons, it had no place in business or professional work usage. It’s also ill-suited in content body text – it’s best used as a headline/heading font or short quote (such as in a comic book). But nevertheless, Comic Sans has cropped up all over the place. The "Ban Comic Sans" movement started in 1999. It was reportedly started by Dave and Holly Crumbs, graphic designers from Indianapolis, after an employer insisted they use Comic Sans in a children’s museum exhibit. While the group is a bit tongue-in-cheek, they do point out one of the biggest problems in amateur graphic design: disregard for appropriate typography choices. As a professional typographer and an instructor of Typography, I consider the impact of a font and typography choices have on the overall tone of a project. An amateur will often just pick a font they like, disregarding the font’s impact on the final design. It is said that bad typography is created by the same people that will cut their own hair . . . just because they can.
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Branding Campaigns
09/01/2011 by MickeyM619
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BrainChild Branding's New QR Code
A QR code (abbreviated from Quick Response code) is a type of matrix barcode (or two-dimensional code) first designed for the automotive industry. More recently, the system has become popular outside of the industry due to its fast readability and comparatively large storage capacity. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on a white background. If you want to find our page on the unusual uses of a QR Code in today's advertising world, use your QR Code reader to scan the QR Code to the left.
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Branding Campaigns
06/20/2011 by MickeyM619
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Customizing Your YouTube Channel
As part of our branding efforts, BrainChild Branding recently customized the YouTube Channel for Winchester Wine and Spirits of Winchester, MA. YouTube is the second most popular search engine after Google so it makes sense to have a YouTube presence. Since all BrainChild Branding's websites are optimized to be found in Google, the obvious next step is to optimize your YouTube channel. All BCB websites are custom designed, so it just makes sense to custom design our clients' YouTube channels. In the case of Winchester Wine and Spirits, they hold a tasting each Friday night. As you can see from their videos, hundreds of people flock there to taste the newest wines, the finest microbrews, and the latest spirits. Now, through YouTube, they are able to share that experience with others!
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SubscribeBCB BrainChildren > BCB Principals
Chris Myers
Creative Director / President
Creative Director Chris Myers worked her way up from Typographer to Art Director for MacLeans Magazine . . . Canada's version of Time Magazine.
Chris opened her first agency, Mars Media Communication in Toronto, Canada and built in from the ground up. Mars Media created everything from magazine ads to outdoor advertising and everything in between. Mars Media became the first seven agencies in North America to transfer from traditional typesetting and art production to using the first Apple Macs, combining type and photography and illustrations in one document and outputting them through the use of high-end typesetting equipment.
There was a lot of frustration. Chris's agency were several of the beta testers for new programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Quark Xpress.
Since then she has had such curiosity about her industry that, when she saw a new program unveiled, she could not resist learning it. Macromedia's Flash, Director. InDesign and HTML . . . you name it and she's probably versed in it.
Loving Toronto but hating the snow caused her to move to Key West for 12 years and eventually ending up in Miami Beach where she both ran, what became BrainChild Branding, and taught at the prestigious Miami Ad School. She taught the Masters level students Typography, Photoshop, Illustrator, Quark XPress and InDesign.
She went back to school to become a Certified Website Developer and was lucky enough to do an internship for some months with our Chief Website Developer. From the ground up, she learned the development of both our Robust sites and our Robust Lite sites and began producing them for clients.
When her partner was transferred to Tampa, she moved BrainChild Branding there and was amazed with the differences between Miami and Tampa. She's embraced the wonderful gentleness and courtesy of Tampa and loves the easy-going nature of the Tampa people.
Currently in search of a project the likes of which she has not seen before (after 25 years, there aren't many), Chris invites a challenge. You can reach Chris at Chris@BrainChildBranding.com.
Dr. Amy Tirpak
Business Manager / Vice President
Amy is the head pencil sharpener at BrainChild Branding. She is all
things not-so-sexy: she creates quotations, financial plans, and
maintains some semblance of order at BCB. Amy is the one who makes all
of us look like we are in three places at once.
If it has numbers in it, Amy had a hand putting it together.
Amy
is a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic. Her healthcare background
includes: massage therapy, sole-practioner, multi-disciplinary
practice, and managing a diagnostic imaging facility. Everyday her
business and healthcare experience meld together to help other
BrainChildren understand the medical field more than your average bear.
When
she is not herding the creatives at BCB (she calls it herding cats),
you will probably find her running near the Tampa Bay, reading about
ergonomics or natural healing, and on more than one occasion, groaning
at the staff about their bad posture and ergonomically-incorrect work stations.
You can reach Amy at Amy@BrainChildBranding.com.
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