What kind of designer are you? What kind of style do you have? What is your favorite type of design? What kind of process do you use? These are just a few of the ongoing questions that seem to follow designers wherever we go. My answer to these questions: Do I have to be one type of designer? I don't have a style per say, I adapt my techniques and strategy to the needs of the client. I love all types of design, so I don't play favorites. And my process? Well, I can't reveal all of my secrets, now can I?

Recently, I found a blog post that describes ten personality types that supposedly characterize Graphic Designers. Do I agree with all of them? No. Do I find truth in pieces of these? Yep.

Truth 1) "All graphic designers are unalike." Agreed. We aren't all the same. In fact, twenty designers can learn the same methods, be taught by the same people and they will turn out different. Truth 2) “Every graphic designer tackles clients in a different way.” Agreed. Some designers sell strategy to their clients, others sell the look, what’s more important tends to vary amongst different types of designers. Truth 3) I don’t fit neatly into any one of these personality types.  

So what kind of designer am I?

I used to be the type that just cared about the looks of a design. Since I started working at Stokefire, I've come to appreciate what's really beneath the surface of the design. Now, I favor the concepting stage over the technical stage. I'm the type of designer that focuses on the message being portrayed before I worry about what it looks like. I will always pick up a pencil and paper before testing my fate with the computer. I can work quickly and get through a project before the deadline, while still paying close attention to detail. I can withstand long hours of design time without breaks, simply because I love doing it. And most of all, I'm the type of designer that loves a challenge and is willing to take a leap when testing new ideas and new techniques.

What kind of designer are you?

Quick. The last three roads you drove on - were they made of asphalt or concrete? If you aren't in the paving or construction industry I'm fairly certain you'll only be guessing.

My unscientific survey of road knowledge (and when I say "unscientific" I actually mean "SERIOUSLY unscientific") revealed that quite a few people don't realize that there's a difference between the two materials. I heard variously that concrete is what asphalt is made of, that asphalt is what concrete is called when it is used as pavement, and occasionally that they're two very different road materials. (The last one is true.)

The fact is that the average consumer or driver has little incentive to learn the difference. Paving decisions are made without the input of Joe and Jane citizen. Learning about initial costs, life-cycle costs, rolling resistance, hardness, rutting (but not the animal kind), and the like is just not something that people are inclined to do if they don't get to put the knowledge to use.

Interesting tidbit: One way to determine if you're on an asphalt road? See any potholes or worn down ruts where your tires typically roll? Asphalt.

...and suddenly you think you may just care...

And that's kind of the point.

The truth is that when people find out what the actual differences between concrete and asphalt are they, in fact, DO care. And many care a lot. Enough to talk about it.

You may not realize it, but you probably spend a lot of time talking about pavement. When was the last time you got stuck in traffic due to road work? Tell anyone about it? Chances are good that you were complaining about asphalt without realizing it. (Trust me - the math works on this one. Given concrete's longevity in combination with the number of asphalt roads in America you're likely to endure about 47 asphalt-related traffic jams before you find one from concrete.)  And when it comes to traffic jams from construction and the potholes that bring the construction about it is pretty clear that people are ready to vent. We're not wanting to vent about the people doing their jobs - we're wanting to vent that the jobs have to be done at all. Shouldn't pavement hold up to stuff like tires and weather?



Perhaps that's why there's been so much buzz about this sign and campaign we developed for PCA (full disclosure - Yep, they're a client, in case you missed it)  Minnesota Public Radio, and WCCO (a CBS affiliate) have produced their own pieces on it. USA today and World News picked up PCA's press release.  And the paving and construction industry has been talking about it. Heck - even locals are buzzing.  Why? Because the billboard is placed over a section of I-94 that is currently undergoing its third resurfacing since the 1990s. And because the sections being resurfaced are asphalt.

So, how DO you get people to care what their roads are made of? Ask the Portland Cement Association. Because they're doing it.

Imagine this. You go to your favorite Asian restaurant after what seems like a bad day. Like when the bird singing outside of your window is a vulture or when your twin sister forgets your birthday. A day when you don’t feel motivated and help must be around the corner. And then there it is: a fortune cookie. Why yes! A delectable treat of imparting wisdom. An endless void of truths and should bes. It will have the answer! You grab it off the shelf and excitedly rip open its plastic wrapper and cookie shell to see what life changing prophecy is to be told, only to read...  

“It's about time I got out of that cookie.”

What?! What the haywho does that mean? What a silly fortune cookie! And then it hits you, that fortune has impatiently been waiting to come out. It has been inside its hard shell for so long just sitting to see the bright daylight outside. What would we be like if we were like that? We all have great potential just waiting to be realized if only we could break through our shells. What if we let nothing stand in the way of our quest to use our gifts and talents? What if I didn’t care how other people did things and do what I know is right? What if I became part of an organization who did just that?

And so I did.

Hello everyone, my name is Jonelly Sharp and I am the new Junior Graphic Designer here at Stokefire. The above story is an example of what many designers and non designers alike feel from time to time. We feel stonewalled, discouraged, and even downright unmotivated. When we feel this way, the reality is, the only thing holding you back is you. Be like water. When you reach an obstacle. Go around. Even in the tiniest crack, water will find a way in. With that belief I am very pleased to be part of the Stokefire family. I hope to use my design expertise along with my cheerleading attitude to make Stokefire stand tall among the giants. My first day here was wonderful, everyone is genuinely here to rock the branding world. I am so excited to be part of something ready to explode on the scene.

So here’s to you reader to be the rock star that you are, and here’s to Stokefire to be the revolution it will be. It will be televised, and we will be watching.

-Jonelly

As far as I can recall, I've never actually written a blog post about one of our own blog posts before. Today that ends. A post I wrote way back in 2008 - before Stokefire offered in-house design - was pointed out to me after my Twitterview with Bryn Mooth. It was the beginning of our move into the design and advertising world from a pure verbal and strategic organization.  Looking back on it I can remember the frustration I felt as I tried to work with some of the very best designers in the area. Their processes and ways of communicating just weren't helpful to me. I couldn't turn their conversations about technique and process into something that would move an audience. Beauty is easy. I know a few hundred designers that can draw a picture that would take my breath away. But unless I'm selling an asthma inhaler that's not something that's going to move product.  I need meaning. I need to get the audience to act. Design has the power to do it... but we so often just let it be pretty or eye-catching.

That sucks.

Technique is what enables you to produce the work (and it's something I will freely admit that I lack) but it's intellect, strategy, and creative thinking that gets you to produce work that moves people to act in ways you want them to. 

I'm somewhat infamous within the walls of Stokefire as having said, "It's not your talent that's holding you back, It's your inability to influence my decisions." And I said it to a member of my own team. I freely admit I can be a cold-hearted SOB sometimes. Technique doesn't convince people. It's like having an incredible vocabulary... It's a great resource, but if you have nothing important to say the huge volume of words aren't going to help you. I don't care how great you are with Illustrator of Photoshop, if you're not trying to get the viewer to take a step that they haven't yet taken then you're creating a work of art, and not commercially viable design.

As you can tell, I'm a bear when it comes to critiquing the work of my designers (and just about everyone else, too.) I give no quarter. I attack the hell out of everything - but I do it so that when the work is put in front of the client... and then in front of the world... it's already shown it can bear the weight of intense scrutiny. I've seen brand concepts pitched where everything is happy rainbows and unicorns in the meetings... and then it launches and both the client and branding firm look like idiots because no one thought to put it under some pressure before it launched. Stokefire isn't immune. We've had our share of projects that go out the door with less than we'd like because we couldn't convince the client to do what we firmly believed was the right thing. That's not the client's fault - it's ours.  And THAT is why I focus so hard on getting the story right - making sure that it is so freaking overwhelmingly compelling that clients can't resist saying yes.

So... look back at the post that kicked off this ramble if you want. It was certainly interesting to me to relive the frustration around trying to integrate with design practices that just don't work with a brand strategy firm. The fact that we're getting the job done (not easily, not cleanly, and not without a helluva lot of bleeding) after having brought the work in house makes me think we may just have done the right thing.

The process which turns an egg into a bird is one of infinite difficulty, yet surely an even harder task would be getting that lowly egg to fly.

For me, internships should be about fulfilling that middle ground. The incubation. Without which there is no hope of soaring high. One needs to hatch.

The problem is that the dedication needed to move an intern from shell to sky is not provided by every internship. That's where Stokefire comes in.

Tate's Plug-n-Play Talent post was like a breath of fresh air to me, and the first sign that Stokefire would offer the dedication which is so essential to becoming the best. To flying.

To finally have someone recognize potential far and above experience was inspiring in itself. It's a courageous path, and evidently a successful one. I want to be part of that.

In short, all signals point towards the fact that a Stokefire internship is the incubator which will equip like a mother hen. I'm sure to be kept warm, but not cozy, until hatching time. I'm excited to flap my wings.

-Karl

When Tate and Katie came to speak on behalf of Stokefire at Georgetown University’s career center earlier this year, they immediately stood out. Their message was clear from the start: “We are different.” Yes, they were the only ones wearing bright green and orange amongst all the gray suits. Yes, they were the only ones that told us not to send a resume but rather “something interesting.” But most of all, they stood out because they don’t do just any “creative” work—Stokefire does work that actually works. Real impact. Real results. Communicating the true value of something rather than dressing it up with fluff.

So when I heard that they were looking for summer interns, I jumped on it.

According to my roommate, “Milly, this is SO you!” Indeed, well said. For somebody who has only recently become interested in branding and advertising, what better place to learn about the industry than a small and intimate firm like Stokefire where I will be truly involved in the work instead of organizing pens by the amount of ink left (Re: Jimmy’s post)? I felt that at Stokefire, I could be who I am and appreciated for it rather than having to fit the typical "intern" mold.

Today is my first day, and everybody has been so incredibly welcoming and helpful. I have much to learn, but I am so excited to be here and I can’t wait to see what the next ten weeks will bring!

-Milly

"Hey intern Jonny!"

"It's Ji…"

"Sorry, my mistake Jenny, good morning and welcome aboard! Do me a favor and sort these pushpins by color and when you're done, sanitize the door knobs.  I'll let you call it a day after that."

"But Jenny is a girl's name…"

That's what I dreaded all internships to be. Worthless and humiliating. I've always wanted the opportunity to immerse myself in agency work and soak up everything I could learn into every pore. But that's not an easy thing to find. Every time I researched an internship opportunity, I immediately envisioned myself sorting ballpoint pens not by color, but by levels of remaining ink. The mundane of the mundane. Thanks but no thanks.

Then came Stokefire. This past Monday was my first day and I don't know why, but I was slightly expecting to be eased into my internship by reviewing office procedures. Au contraire! I was lured to the Stokefire pool and pushed right in. It was liberating! I have already been given a real project to work on, attended an energetic meeting involving a current client, and kept myself busy the whole time I was here. In one day (actually, on the fly during the meeting), I learned more about working with a client than I have after four years of undergrad and two years in the "real world."

"Okay, I'm done, what do you want me to do now?" was a question that never even crossed my mind and I don't ever see that happening while I am here. I can't say that Stokefire is unique in this regard, but from what I've seen, it's definitely rare. I feel sorry (not really) for the unlucky few that will ask me what I did that day. No more will my answers be a simple "meh, nothing." Ears will be talked off. Mercy will not be shown.

I have arrived!

-Jimmy

I've been researching bikes to use on my 15 mile round-trip commute.  My criteria? (None of which have anything to do with branding or naming so you can just skip ahead if you're only reading for that...)

1. It can't be one of those ephemeral light-weight bikes that Lance uses in the Tour. First, it'd get stolen, and second, I've got no reason to pay to have my bike weigh five to ten pounds less when I need to lose 40 pounds myself.
   
2. It needs to be able to carry a load. Not just me, but also a rack loaded with work stuff like computer, clothing, presentation materials, my pet rock collection, etc. It isn't uncommon for me to drive home with about 30 pounds of stuff that I need to schlep.
   
3. It needs to be easy to repair. If I can't fix the problem with a patch kit, tire levers, or a hex wrench I'm like as not to be walking home.
   
4. It needs to accept all of the accumulated biking stuff that I've carried along through the years. Clipless pedals, rack, fenders, lights... 
5. It needs to have decent reviews online.
6. It needs to cost less than $1000.
   
7. It needs to make me not feel like a doofus when I'm riding it. No fixies, no electric assist, no relaxed riding position...
   

In my three month search I came across about a dozen brands that have bikes that hit on four or five of the points, but none that scored across the board. Mostly the price let me down (Trek 520), or sometimes it was sold out (Novara Randonee - also, I'm nowhere near French enough to ride it), or they appear to be rebranded women's bicycles (Cannondale Adventure 2 - c'mon that's a pretty doofus-looking bike... you gotta admit.)

I'd been at a loss for ages. And then REI had a sale... and think I've bought myself the perfect bike.

The Surly Cross-Check.

Why is it perfect? Well... with the sale it is under $1000, and it meets every other one of the criterion I set.

Added bonus? The brand name and bike name seem perfect for me.

Surly? It's a name with edge and attitude - not unlike the brand we've endeavored to create at Stokefire.  And I've been known to be a bit prickly myself at times.

And Cross Check? It seems to work on two levels. First - it's what I did throughout the entire comparison-shopping experience - always finding something amiss until now. Second - it's the aggressive hockey-inspired move I'll do to anyone that calls me a doofus while I'm astride my bike. 

There is another bike made by Surly that I really wanted - but not because I thought it fit me. The name is the "Surly Long Haul Trucker" which is a wonderfully compelling (if mostly off-putting) mental image. But the fact that I could've put THIS on the fender probably would've made me buy it if it hadn't been sold out during REI's sale. Some things are just worth sacrificing one's dignity and marital peace for.

(This would've been a much better post if I could have uploaded pictures. Here's to hoping the good people at Lunar Pages or better people at Webmeadow can figure out how to get us workin' again.)

Okay, we admit one dollar will not get you much from our list of services, but we also won't send you running for the Pepto-Bismol either.  If you're interested in learning about our rate sheet for the current quarter, please email Liz Rosenstadt with a description of who you are, the project at hand and we'll be happy to send over our rates.