“That is EXACTLY what I was looking for!”

As a company that creates a lot of design pieces for our clients, this is a phrase we at Moxie love to hear. Or rather, we love to hear any variation of this phrase that means the client is happy with what we created specifically for them. And since we’ve been around for… a while, we usually have a pretty good sense of what will make our clients happy.

Except when WE are the client.

Let me explain. As designers, we have an arsenal of creative concepts and ideas just floating around in our brains, waiting for the perfect opportunity to wow our clients with “EXACTLY what [they are] looking for!” And for those times where it’s an especially creative or unique project, we have our hidden resources to inspire and entice the super extra creative juices (eww!) right out of us. In short, one way or another, we will deliver.

However, the catch 22 of design is that, as designers, we have so MANY amazing ideas just bouncing around in our heads that to focus on just ONE for ourselves is… well, a challenge. It’s more of an epic brain-battle of “we could do this… or THIS… OR THISSSS!!!” and it ends up being a round-robin of creative brainstorming with no final product. It doesn’t help that we’re also an office of perfectionists and the idea of settling on a design that is great (but not perfect) is just not an option.

So the brain-battle continues. The meshing of what our company does, who we are as a team and what we will provide for our clients into a super/awesome/amazing unique/bold/organic/strong logo/website/business card/image.

Sure. Yeah. No problem. I’ll have it to you by end of the week.

It only represents everything we are as Moxie.

This past week, Moxie had the opportunity to tune into the PaperSpecs Webinar sponsored by Neenah Paper. We love listening to people who are just as excited as we are regarding the little things in
life that make us happy.

I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’ve purchased numerous products
based solely on their packaging design. Just try walking past the
Archer Farms products at Target and YOU tell me how hard it is to
ignore that pretty packaging staring back at you!

The bottom line is that packaging as a visual is POWERFUL!
(Buyer beware…you’ve been warned!)

Below is a TOP TEN list of what makes good packaging, GOOD!

1. Protection (How the package protects it’s contents)
Example: Does a “freshness” seal on your bag of chips, really seal in the freshness?

2. Organization (Keeps all the components together)
Example: The shiny iPhone is staring up at you from it’s luxurious box, begging you to pick it up. The cords and charger are neatly tucked away for your convenience. Every square inch of the box serves a purpose.

Image taken from Paper Specs presentation on 7.23.10

3. Theft Deterrence
Example: The tiniest valuable products may have to be clam shell packaged. This type of packaging is an injury waiting to happen. It takes virtually 15 hours to open it. But at least I can purchase a 32 GB USB drive, knowing that the product is securely inside the packaging.

4. Display
Example: Packaging that displays a pattern that continued when showing multiple products next to each other.

Image taken from Paper Specs presentation on 7.23.10

5. Branding
Example: The classic red color, the white script font, the shape of the bottle…what brand is it? If you guessed Coke, you’re right! Coca Cola is a perfect example of how a brand’s identity represents character–while at the same time has become a staple of American society.

6. Marketing
Example: Marketing your brand is all about storytelling. Stories are memorable, making your business or brand memorable. It’s a way to relate to the consumer.

7. Prestige
Example: Ladies, we know your hearts melt at the sight of this little blue box. Enough said.

Image from www.pushthefuture.org

8. Shelf Presentation
Example: If you walk down an isle and see a “sea of blue” packaging, I bet you’ll want to stop to see what it is. Wow, I used a lot of “sea/see” words…enough to get me confused!

Image taken from Paper Specs presentation on 7.23.10

9. Experience
Example: How does your package “feel” when you hold it in your hands? Since packaging is 3-dimensional you have an opportunity to influence the senses.

10. Authenticity
Example: The way packaging shows the true essence of the brand. There is nothing distracting about the packaging that deters the focus of the brand.

Well, there you have it in a nutshell! If you’re concerned that YOUR product or brand may be failing in any of the areas listed above, feel free to contact us, and we can help bring your packaging and identity to the next level.

Moxie Creative Studio lives and breathes graphic design. We often see trim marks in our sleep, sometimes will “Command Z” our actions and may attempt to realign a crooked stop sign (well at least Robin)!

Air Brush. Alignment. Art Direction. Branding. Bindery. Bleed. Blue. CMYK. Chinese Food. Copy. Clipping Path. Die Cut. EPS. Font. Foil Stamp. Gatefold. Grayscale. High-Res. Headline. Identity. Ipod. InDesign. Italics. JPEG. Justify. Kerning. Layers. Leading. Magic Wand. Mock Up. Noise. Opacity. Outline. Photoshop. Pantone. Pixel. QuickTime. RGB. Red. Royalty Free. Starbucks.
Social Media. Saturation. Sans Serif.…

SOUNDS FUN!!!??! Right? We think so…

Template. Tweet. Trim Size. Uncoated. Vector. Varnish. Widow. Website.
Width. X-height. Yellow. Zip. Zoom!!!

Whhhhew made it to the end!

This is what we do, we’re here for you! We will help develop and/or strengthen your company’s identity and carry out your vision to get noticed in the marketplace.

We’d love to hear from you, learn about you, your company, your dreams,
your goals!

Got Moxie?

Purchase a CD for $20 and Robin Patrick will donate $15 to Haiti!

To help, please visit: www.robinpatrick.com

Robin Patrick is offering any one of her three CDs (“You Believed In Me,”
“We Can Change the World” or “Beyond What I Believe”) to raise money for Haiti relief. Robin Patrick has used her CDs to help raise money for organizations helping children around the world. Robin’s prayer is that her music will inspire you to believe that you can change the world, especially during these tragic times for the Haitian community.

On January 12, a series of earthquakes with magnitudes ranging from 6.5 to 7.3 devastated Haiti. The American Red Cross is working with its partners in the global Red Cross and Red Crescent network, including the Haitian Red Cross, and other partners to assist those affected by this disaster.

Your purchase will go to support emergency relief and recovery efforts to help those people affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Assistance provided by the American Red Cross may include deploying personnel, sending relief supplies, and providing financial resources.

Contact Ashley at rpmgmt@robinpatrickmusic.com for additional information.

Happy Holidays!
Did you know… aside from being the owner of Moxie Creative Studio, art director, movie script writer, mother (I know I’m missing something…) Robin Patrick is also a singer/songwriter? I know… it’s hard to believe that Robin has time to do anything let alone breathe in her “free time.”

Over the past couple of days, the office…may or may not… have eavesdropped on Robin while she was working on her music. We couldn’t help but be astounded by her ability to write 3 new songs over the weekend and the real kicker is that she not only wrote these songs, but she wrote the music to go along with the lyrics.

In the spirit of the Holiday Season, you can purchase Robin Patrick’s CDs at the Holiday discounted prices listed below. These CDs make great stocking stuffers for your family and friends! (For a limited time only!)

Click HERE to Purchase:
3 CDs for $25 +free shipping
2 CDs for $20 +free shipping
1 CD for $15 +$2.95 shipping

CDs Available for Purchase:
Beyond What I Believe
We Can Change The World
You Believed In Me

For more purchasing information please visit Robin’s website www.robinpatrick.com or email Ashley at rpmgmt@robinpatrick.com

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This morning, the heat kicked in at my house. Now, it isn’t particularly cold out today, nor is it the first time the heat turned on this season. But it’s mid November (the 13th, Friday the 13th, don’t think the day and date has escaped me) so the time when the heat is always on and the days are so cold the moisture freezes to my nose hairs is not that far off. It all just reminded me of wah.. wah… wih… Umm… weather that is colder. So hot cocoa seemed appropriate for this morning. And I took a photo of it. That is all. Carry on with your day, and…

HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH! Mmwahhahahaha!!

(Ok, so this isn’t the most coincidental of circumstances, but it was funny and made for an interesting impromptu photoshoot.)

What’s going on here?? and WHAT happened to my work area???

I’m stuck behind the desk and can’t get out? Help me! and STOP ASKING ME HOW TO WORK THE CAMERA!!!

Are you sitting there thinking that customer service doesn’t really apply to you and your job? Do you spend your days typing away at your computer, listening to woxy.com on your headphones, huddled in your office avoiding communicating with anyone? Do you cringe when the phone rings and briefly consider letting it go to voice mail? Do you secretly wish that you could hide under your desk every time someone stops by to chat thinking “Can’t these people see that I’m busy and don’t have time to talk?”

That, my friends, is a problem. So often we get wrapped up in our own lives, in the tasks we are doing at that very moment, that we fail to see how our attitude negatively affects how we interact with, and react to, other people. And that unfortunately reflects poorly on us and the company paying our salaries.

Let’s put it in perspective. Imagine that every time you went to the grocery store the teenage boy at the checkout barely looked you in the eye, acted annoyed when you handed him a pile of coupons and rolled his eyes when he had to call for someone to scan in a bottle of wine? Would you complain to the management? Stop going to that store? Tell your friends about your experience? Spread the word about the terrible service you received? My guess is that you would do one, if not all of these things. And suddenly that teenager and the store he works for has a bad rep for poor customer service. Something as simple as a bad attitude changed your opinion, and it will take A LOT to fix it.

Sure, you may not work in a retail setting, but the same principals apply. If you answer the phone snapping at the person on the other end, reply to emails without first greeting the person or brush off those who stop by your desk, you’re doing just as much harm as the checkout boy. You’re hurting yourself by giving the impressions that you won’t take time to help others, that you are in a bad mood or, worse, that you just don’t like people. And then people will be reluctant to help you when you need it most and will address you with the same annoyance that you’ve shown them. You’re also hurting the company that you work for, because whether you like it or not, your negative attitude is a reflection of that company.

So the next time the phone rings, pause for a minute before answering. Take a deep breath, put a smile on your face, and greet whoever it is like a long lost friend. Well, maybe that’s a little over the top, but at least keep your voice pleasant and upbeat, and most importantly have a positive attitude. Keep in mind the person on the other end of the phone might be having a bad day, and if you greet them with a happy voice and are willing to help them out, you just might brighten their day. And the next time they call, they will be a little nicer and little by little you’ll build a stronger, happier relationship with them.

Or if you are replying to an email, take 3 seconds to ask about their weekend, their family or their pets. You just might make a new BFF. At the very least, you will remind the person receiving the email that there is a person, not just a computer, typing away. And maybe they will take 3 seconds and answer you. And again, you’ll start to build a strong, long-lasting relationship.

We want to hear from you! What other tips do you have for dealing with people in a positive, happy way?

www.thinkmoxie.com

Photo by gsilva.

I don’t have time.

I can’t find the time.

Who has the time?

Where do you find the time?

There are days that I’m trying to cram so many things into my day and not “having enough time” to get them all done. And there are other days where “time” can’t seem to move fast enough (usually while doing something unpleasant). Well, the truth is I’ve chosen to not have too many things in my life I find unpleasant. (Yes, it’s a choice. And yes, everyone has it!)

Time is the same for everyone, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, 52 weeks per year, and everyone chooses to spend it differently. There are things that should be done every day, like brushing your teeth and eating a few meals, and work is usually a standard weekday activity for most people. But what about folding underwear or ironing socks? These are things that, to me, are unnecessary and I don’t enjoy. So I don’t do them. Simple. More “time” for things I actually WANT to do.

This same application can be applied to the workday. Do I need to check email every 10 minutes? Or can I do that once an hour, or less? If I’m busy, this is one area I can cut back. Also choosing the quickest and most efficient forms of communication, like email or phone. If I look, I can usually find the time to accomplish what needs to get done, or at least a good chunk of it.

It is also important to note that sometimes I use the excuse of “I don’t have time” for things I don’t actually want to do. This could be conscious or unconscious, but if I really want to do something, I will usually find the time to do it. So the next time you say “oh, I don’t have the time to do ______”, is it really because you don’t have the time, or is there another reason?

It’s easy to get wrapped up in everyday life, duties, activities and responsibilities, but it’s just as important to take a moment to reevaluate what’s REALLY important. Time only seems to move faster the older you get (not that anyone here is getting OLD), so why not fill that time with as much enjoyable stuff as possible? And really, why not choose to enjoy all activities? (Ok, how about most?

At Moxie, we always make time for our clients. www.thinkmoxie.com