Storyboarding, Not Just for Filmmakers

The following is part of a running series of posts, from Create Your Own Great Photo Book; the first "Be a Ruthless Photo Editor" covers activities you can use to take control of your image library.

Storyboarding, Not Just for Filmmakers

How do you organize your images? Stay true to your theme.

Developing a structure based on your time is the foundation to create your own great photo book. And, keep you focused. It can be overwhelming when you're confronted with a volume of images. Refer to my previous post, Be A Ruthless Photo Editor, to eliminate the unnecessary, poor quality and non-relevant images.

A screen shot of one folder.

Example: My Family Archive. On a rainy Sunday afternoon, I decided to make a dent in scanning the negatives and photographs––which I have two or three large Rubbermaid storage tubs––from my family's photo archive. I pulled out an armful of 'stuff' and began sorting the pieces. Tossing items that had little relevance to the long-term integrity of the archive, poor quality and extremely damaged. Things like out-of-focus shots, unrecognizable subjects, generic birthday & holiday cards, etc. The result, spending time on quality pieces that would convey the story of my family.

Stay Grounded to Your Theme

As mentioned above, developing a structure will serve as your foundation. Using images and text creates your visual story. Most stories are typical: a beginning, middle and end. Let's take this further.

Tapping into a more sophisticated organization can add more interest to your photo book. Try one or a combination of the following:

4 types of story organization to add interest to your photo book.

Storyboarding your content gives you a 'roadmap' to a finish product. Naturally, we want to be flexible as the project progress. Image sequencing and storyboarding is time well spent!

After you've experimented with your visual storyboarding with your first photo book, it will become easier the next time. Eventually, challenging your creativity to try new concepts.

Interested in more? Download "Create Your Own Great Photo Book."

Next: Add cognitive flow within your theme.


Happy self publishing.

Start With A Vision of End Product

Recent activity a LinkedIn self-publishing group caught my attention.

Someone asked for a recommendation about the best production method to publish their own book. There were several replies and counter replies. Group members offered testimonials about their own experiences with major players in the self-publishing industry, as well as links to their own services.

No one asked "What type of book do you want to produce?"

The author's answer to this question would have provided much needed information to provide some direction for the the project.

Instead many self-publishing consultants ASSUME that everyone wants to publish a text-only book and recommend that it be published via Amazon's CreateSpace for hardcopy and digital versions.

That's fine, but not all book projects are text only. Other genres include:

• Photo essay
• History of (subject)
• Family genealogy
• Cookbook
• Poem
• Mystery novel
• Business-related

Your book is a product and how it is produced and distributed should be considered in the early stages. 

• Is your book filled with full color images?
• Do you need a fixed layout or fluid layout?
• Hardcopy, softcover or both?
• Will it be available for purchase?
• Are you familiar with printing terminology? 

My ebook "Self-Publishing: Navigating the Process" goes into this topic and provides an introduction to service providers to navigate the process of publishing your book.

Self Publishing: Navigating The Process from Creative Aces

Everyone Has a Story, We Need to Discover It

This year's Chicago Ideas Week was filled with superb speakers, workshop and IDEAS. Unfortunately, my budget would only allow a small sampling of the seven day schedule. Choosing wisely.

A must see, for me, was Bruce Weindruch's presentation/workshop "Start with the Future and Work Back." I had the pleasure of participating in the workshop earlier this year and enjoyed it so much that I had to attend, again. Mr Weindruch is the CEO and Founder of The History Factory, a different kind of creative company that leverages an organization's history to tell a new story.

Working with historical content is nothing new for me; the joy and tedium of shifting through archives–cataloging, tagging and sorting to find the most relevant material for the project connects me with the past. Everything from film, newspaper/magazine clippings, photographs and even audio can contain some very surprising details about people, places and organizations.

Begin with a few simple questions:

• What's important NOW?
• What do you want to HAPPEN?
• What INVENTORY do we need to get from the archives?

Here are a few takeaways from the "Start with the Future and Work Back" workshop.

• Look inside the organization to support today's message.
  European luxury fashion companies due this elegantly to highlight heritage, craftsmanship and creativity.
• Pull the right story for the right moment.
  One example that comes to mind is from one of my architecture tours when we site the energy efficiency of 110 year old building connecting it with a contemporary issue.
• Tag (meta tag) the historical material.
  Select keywords that connect with today's message. This is truly an art form and should be well thought and systematized. 
• Look for significant threads or commonalities in the inventory.
  Years ago, I was researching and designing a 75th anniversary event magazine for a private golf club. The archives were NOT organized. It's almost like putting a puzzle together.
• Ask "what's important?".
  The historical matter must be credible.
• Find an iconic image and shape your story around it.
  As a designer this is one of favorite aspects of any project; if you're lucky enough to find it. 
• Create compelling stories using the "threads" customized for your audiences.
  Working with the writer to create the language that will bring it all together; adding the emotion, passion and persuasion to the story (stories)
• Measure the impact of the story. Marketers will do what they do best to track and measure the effectiveness of the advertising and/or PR campaign. See what's working. 

Case studies referenced by The History Factory to illustrate these concepts; these included Brooks Brothers, Inland Steel Building and Boeing. Check out the company's video library for more nuggets about storytelling.

These tips and strategies have proven very useful, recently, on some personal projects and the research for some architecture tours. Simply stated...how can we make history fun and relevant for today's audience? 

An example is the History Channel's 10 Things You Don't Know About show, the host uses a contemporary approach to uncover ten little known facts about a topic–stuff we may have slept through during high school history class.

Remember, everyone has a story, we need to discover it.

PS: There were three Chicago Architecture Foundation docents in the audience, including myself. Watch out... our storytelling skills will only get better!

Pitch Decks Publications Pumpkins Oh My

The trade show and fall meeting schedules are as abundant as the pumpkins in the patch.

• When was the last time you stepped back to REALLY look at your current presentation and supporting collateral?
• Are these key marketing tools outdated? 
• Lacking the solid connection to your current messaging?
• Has your visual branding evolved?

Pumpkin Chunkin' Round 1 

Slapping your logo on a stock template your assistant may have download for mere dollars is NOT the best path to creating brand awareness. The CEO of a point-of-sale technology and services company contacted me after viewing my pitch decks on Slideshare.net. He shared with me the current state of his presentation, frustrated that it lacked any connection to his company. The content needed to be tweaked and a template created for an upcoming sales webinar in a few days. Digging deep into the company's website and other supporting material, I created initial composite designs for the client's approval and went to work importing the content. The CEO would edit accordingly. The custom template included images, color palette and fonts which complimented the current branding. Also suggested that the CEO consider a customer-centric design for each of the three major market segments served. 

Pumpkin Chunkin' Round 2 

Another client was invited to present his company to a high-profile industry event, the catch NO POWERPOINT. The CEO of this technology services company, in the oil & gas industry, was confident in his ability to make the presentation without the slides, but wanted a "leave behind" (aka fact sheet) to highlight the investment appeals. We extracted key slides from the existing pitch deck, tweaked copy, updated data and designed an attract single page sell sheet. This high impact piece will serve as an extension of the speech...simple and elegant.

Whether it's an upcoming online webinar or in-person presentation, take a hard look at your materials and ask yourself how these will serve your goals. I offer a Free Consultation to review your pitch deck and assess how we can align it with your task-at-hand.

Self Publish a "Look Book" for a Competitive Edge

Presenting samples of your work is an important and making your portfolio stand-out can give you an edge in today's highly competitive (freelance) marketplace.

After viewing a short video about how a NYC photographer still uses traditional prints and cut sheets in the presentation cases or boxes because he had tremendous success getting a face-to-face meeting. Plus, the large format glossy prints SHINE. 

This got me thinking... could I take the best of a traditional portfolio and update using today's technology to produce a book (or magazine) that can be given to a client? 

YES, most certainly.

Ideal for architects & related, designers, photographers, illustrator and more. Self publish a book or magazine, customize content and self publish in hardcopy and digital formats. 

Tell Your Story

Have a vision of the end product? Good. Let's step back to begin with the big picture. Storyboard your book, focusing the message you want your client or prospective client to remember. Build to a crescendo–but leave them wanting more. 

Think About Format

A magazine format is excellent for case studies. Complete with descriptive copy to dig deeper into your approach to the project. Where were the core directive of the creative brief? Unexpected challenges and outcomes? The magazine could be produced on a quarterly or semi-annual basis and made available digitally (ideal for tablet!) and print-on-demand for small quantities.

A traditional coffee table-style book would the option when larger format images need to be used. Wouldn't this make a great gift to a VIP client? Or, a new product to add to your shop. 

Let's work together to resurrect the Look Book for an awe-inspiring impression. 

What kind of book (or magazine) do you want to publish?

Give New Life to Your Archives :: Self Publishing

Deep in the back of big walk-in bedroom closet are three (maybe four) large Rubbermaid storage tubs filled with my family's photo archive; dating back over 100 years. Old sepia-toned and yellowing prints, envelopes of negatives, newspaper clippings, letters, and more. After my parents passed, my siblings concurred that I would be the best steward of this precious archive by nature of my profession and also married to photographer.

Organizing the "stuff" can be a challenge. What do I keep? What can be tossed? How do I scan it? How should I organize it, chronologically?

Since my niece has been doing a bang-up job working on the genealogy including images on our Ancestry account aids her research. (Recently, a distant relative on my mother's side reach out to me and after sharing a picture of my grandfather we discovered that his grandfather was my great uncle.)

Successful Self Publishing: Family Archives

Here at Creative Aces, we have the resources to work with your photo archive to produce a book or series of magazines that could be a treasure – something that will be coveted by family and friends.

These also make excellent gifts!

Collaborate. Create. Publish.

Structure & Clarity Rocket Your Presentation

My faith in a well-structured presentation has been restored when a client recently asked:

“Does the flow of the presentation cover all the key points for an investor pitch?”

Referencing my “Universal Pitch Deck–The Ultimate 12-Slide Structure for Any Presentation” it was easy diagnose the client’s presentation:

1. Overview/Intro
2. The Problem
3. The Solution
4. Opportunity & Market
5. Technology
6. Competitive Advantage (USP)
7. Competitive Landscape
8. Market Strategy
9. Financial Roadmap
10. Management Team
11. Current Status
12. Summary

The Competitive Advantage is the pinnacle of the presentation, we lead the audience to crescendo. You’ve got their attention, now guide them to the closing (the ASK).

Interestingly, this presentation replaced text heavy and clip-art slided with well-designed illustrations for the Solution, Opportunity & Market and Technology.

45 Slides in 30 Minutes?

Today, I received a 45-slide deck for review and recommendation. This well-designed draft is currently suited for a tradeshow or business conference not an investor and analyst audience.

The core message is hidden behind complex Photoshop’d backgrounds and overuse of ‘expert’ quotes and illegible charts.

The first step will be the “big picture” view via the Slide Sorter and begin to pull irrelevant slides, shift and combine slides into an articulate story structure focused on the core message for the intended audience.

Structure and clarity should be your creative strategy to stay focused on core message. I firmly believe that your audience will be more responsive. I was just discussing with my client (same PPT) the value he places on ample Q&A time to dig deeper into content and audience engagement.

Celebrate and be safe, happy 4h of July.

New Technology + Existing Market = New Pitch Deck

The past two months have been a whirlwind of activity, pushing my monthly newsletter to the back burner.  As a marketer, we all know this is a bad habit. However, focusing on successful results for client projects is a good thing.

Since early April, I’ve been immersed in several publishing projects: annual reports (2), software user’s manual, pitch decks (2 or 3), conference program, marketing brochures and simple webpages.

Today, I’d like to share a success story.

New energy technology start-up, GasTechno Energy and Fuels, hit the road in May to meet with prospective investors. Then, immediately back at the airport for an oil/gas industry event. Both required presentations and at a minimum a fact sheet.

After years of “start-up” mode, GasTechno was ready to take a more aggressive lead with its marketing. Conversations with the CEO, as the private placement was nearing completion, were about a fresh/modern design to wrap around the key message(s).

Despite the 30-slide deck, the client was rigorous with copy editing; choosing words/phrases carefully, even whittling the amount of data being presented. The use of infographics and strong visuals supported the core message.

The result was a deck that has proven itself to be great companion to the overall presentation, a successful first round of investments.

Immediately thereafter, the CEO headed to a gas/energy conference for meetings with a different audience (energy company analysts and engineers). We pulled several slides from the investor deck and updated slides from an existing presentation. A thorough “going over” to ensure overall design consistency was needed...all under very tight deadline.

The result for this hybrid deck was highly receptive. Contracts [close to being] signed and GasTechno has been awarded funds from new technology grants on state and national levels.

Congratulations to GasTechno Energy and Fuels, especially Walt and the opportunity to part of the company’s new launch this year. Much continued success!

"Anana" Presentation Template ~ Free

Chicago's extreme cold temperatures the past few days, which BTW were preceded by several inches of snow. Where ever you are...stay warm and dry.

My family and I have been relocated to a hotel while our apartment/condo is rehabbed following a burst steam heating pipe burst in our neighbor's unit (on New Year's Day (about 3:00 a.m.!).

This month's free Powerpoint template was inspired by Anana the polar bear who resides at Lincoln Park Zoo. I live across the street the from the zoo. Anana is one of my stops whenever I'm strolling through the zoo. Anana had to be taken inside during the recent arctic blast since she doesn't have the underlying layers to keep her body protected from the extreme cold. 

I look forward to seeing Anana in the when I get to go back to my condo.

"Anana" Presentation Template ~ Free from Creative Aces

"Autumnus" Presentation Template ~ Free

Despite my location along Lake Michigan, Chicago just doesn't have a dramatic fall color show. I commented to my husband the other day that the I missed the autumn spectacular of northern Michigan. Yes, we had to rake the leaves every weekend for six to eight weeks. The sound of leaf blowers continuously. Our mighty oak in our front yard was the last to let go of its leaves around Thanksgiving. 

I don't miss the yard the work but I sure to enjoy the splendor of the fall color palette. Thus, the inspiration for this month's free Powerpoint template. The hint of color for the interior slides is just enough for an added 'punch' of color for your content.


Just a reminder, that my Powerpoint templates are wrapped around the 12-slide structure "Universal Pitch Deck." The ebook is available, here.

iAuthor: iBooks Author Workshop | Registration NOW Open

Fulfill Your Potential as a Published Author!

iAuthor: iBooks Author Workshop
Thursday, October 3, 2013, 5:30p-7p
180 N LaSalle Street (Conf Room)

Apple iBooks Author application is one of the quickest and painless paths to publishing for the iPad. This workshop with introduce you to iBooks Author's features, including: page composition, type & paragraph styles, interactive elements and dynamic content. Keeping the workshop limited to a small group provides the time and attention to guide to creating your own ebook.

This class provides a thorough explanation of using iBooks Author’s powerful features, including: page composition, typography, dynamic content and interactive elements. The class concludes with an exercise that guides you through the creation of an eBook that includes many dynamic and interactive elements. No coding required!

Create interactive and multi-touch ebooks, embedding images, movies, audio clips and inks to internet. Walk away from this hands-on workshop with the tools to create your own ebook that can be shared on any iOS/Apple mobile device (like an iPad or iPhone). Additionally, we'll cover the pathway to establish your own account so you can publush your work.

Bring Apple laptop with iBooks Author installed (available here)

Suggestions:

• Access to your own content: text, images, video, etc.

• Bring iPad to view your work (or mine will be available)

 * Class size will be maximum of 10. Please email me if you're interested in upcoming classes.

Online Ticketing for iAuthor: iBooks Author Workshop powered by Eventbrite

"Color Mosaic" Free Presentation Template (July 2013)

"Color is to the eye what music is to the ear." 
                               - Louis Comfort Tiffany

Chicago is graced with numerous installations by Louis Comfort Tiffany Design & Decorating Studio. 

Just to name a few: Marquette Building, Macy's on State St. (fka Marshall Field & Co.), Palmer House Hilton and Chicago Cultural Center. The Richard H. Driehaus Museum is hosting an exhibition this fall that will feature sixty works by Tiffany and associates, visit the Driehaus Museum website for more information.

Today, I'm celebrating being certified for the Historic North Loop Tour, in which treasures like those mentioned above are a big part of the tour give by Chicago Architecture Foundation. 

Beginning this month, I'm applying my design to the Universal Pitch Deck format. Remember this my "ultimate 12-slide structure for any presentation" which I wasn't implementing on previous templates. Thus the master designer was the inspiration for this month's {free} presentation template. Download via the SlideShare link below.

"Color Mosaic" Free Presentation Template (July 2013) from Creative Aces

"Art Deco" Free PPT Template

In celebration of the Century of Progress Exposition which opened May 27, 1933 in Chicago which has come to symbolize the future of our country in the midst of global economic and political turmoil. 

This FREE Powerpoint template celebrates the bright colors and geometric shapes popular during the 1930s.


 
Art Deco can be interpreted as the 'bridge' between the hand craftsmanship of the early 20th century and the mass production of the machine age following World War II.  The juxtaposition of rectilinear and geometric shapes alongside highly stylized forms of nature remains fresh and bold.  Chicago's abundant art deco buildings continues to amaze: Chicago Board of Trade, Bank of America (Field Bldg), Palmolive (Playboy), 333 North Michigan Ave and many more. 

Spring Celebration 10% Discount New Projects

For the third year in a row, I am offering a discount on creative services. 

Ten percent off new projects (please no updates to previous projects) now through June 28, 2013.

For more information, visit: Spring Celebration

Spring is undoubtedly my favorite season. When spring arrives, there are numerous celebrations in my family including four birthdays, mother & father days, and this year another high school graduation.

• Have you been thinking about launching that ebook?
• Catch the newest trend... proposal and pitch deck.
• Is your pitch/presentation deck in need of a new look?

Reach out to me today so we can discuss your project and get started NOW.

One of my client's recently said the following about their proposal-as-pitch deck.

"A visually-elevated and professional presentation of our company to prospective clients, receiving positive feedback and {serious} interest in our services."

Tyler B.

Sr. VP Global Sales

Stock Images: A Double Edge Sword

Last week I received the following pieces of mail: a über large postcard for hearing devices and the neighborhood coupon booklet. Each of these arrived the same day. 


Take a look at the handsome couple. The same two people! My neighbors in the elevator must have thought I was nuts listening to me laugh. 

What are the chances that a designer would select the SAME couple for their layout and those unrelated pieces of direct mail would land in my mailbox on the SAME day?

I use stock photos and illustrations for my clients, I do prefer custom photography but most of the time the budget just doesn't allow me to hire a professional photographer or illustrator.  I dig deep into a search, using key words appropriate for the project/message and attempt to avoid the most popular or downloaded images.

How do you handle your image searches to avoid this situation?

Lilacs Are Blooming! Free PPT Template

Happy Earth Day!

Lilac shrubs lined the perimeter of the backyard of my childhood home. The lilacs were the envy and delight of our neighbors during the springtime. Large bouquets would adore our house. And we would gladly share with neighborhood ladies on Mother's Day.  That seemed so long ago.

Today, I enjoy the lilac shrubs (trees) in Lincoln Park. Unfortunately, I can't cut any and bring them home but I can stop to enjoy their aroma. 

Thus was the inspiration for this month's {free} presentation template. 

Presentation Template Apr2013 (Free Download) from Creative Aces

Design. Digitize. Distribute.

10.18.11 Update: I recently learned PDFs are, and have been since 2001, indexed by Google.

I'm interested in how businesses can distribute and share their documents & publications across various platforms, versus keeping a monthly newsletter trapped in its PDF filing cabinet or parked in an email. We're now able to publish on platforms that are accessible to our audience regardless of device.

Additional products/services will be rolled out over the next few weeks, too.   As a designer who enjoys the convergence of text + imagery, I've been concerned about quality on your monitor, smart phone or tablet; but I think that argument is mostly extinguished as technology improves every day.

Creative Aces' Digital Publishing Services is on online publishing, viewer and analytical platform powered by Issuu. The features offered at PRO level have the potential to increase readership and feedback from your own list plus Issuu's 33 Million monthly readers. As we begin to bridge the desktop-to-tablet technology, additional features of this platform include:

• Customize the viewer with logo, icons, colors, animations
• Remove the advertising sidebar on embedded and standalone publications
• Newsstand/library to display and monetize your publications
• Organize documents and distribute your content
• Bulk upload for uploading hundreds of publications
• Auto-embedding to automatically embed latest edition
• Detailed statistics and reporting
• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and high Google ranking
• Active links to websites, email links and advertisers
• Add audio/video to your documents or presentation

We can get the process started with previously published documents and begin building a library of materials outside of the corporate server or a "jump drive."

Here's a just a few ideas: Investment profile or white paper, quarterly earnings presentation, sales presentation, annual report, monthly newsletter, portfolio, "look" book, etc. in which we could build a direct marketing campaign and track the results.

Joann

A Winning Combination for B2B Content Distribution

Looking for a simple, cost-effective solution to distribute your message beyond your list?
Marketing gurus call it 'silo' jumping or simply put expanding your target list. I prefer to think of it as casting a wider net since the landscape for targeting your audience now includes social media.
Social sites are now a viable solution for B2B marketing and IR/PR to reach millions -- for FREE!

SlideShare & LinkedIn = Winning Combination

View more presentations from Creative Aces

Let me explain. I'm referring to LinkedIn. (This is NOT a case study about Twitter or Facebook).
LinkedIn has become the silent giant for business professionals, if you haven't created an account I urge you to do so immediately. And, if you own your own company or work for a company -- get a company profile set up.

• 81.8 Million Monthly Visitors
• 7.1 BILLION Page Views (Monthly)
• 12 Million Professionals Worldwide
• Executives from ALL FORTUNE 500 Companies
• 75 of FORTUNE 100 Companies
• 2 Million Dedicated Company Pages
• Mobile-friendly

Add SlideShare to create a winning combo!

• 50 Million Monthly Visitors
• 90 Million Page Views (Monthly)
• Free Accounts and Pro Accounts
• Easy-to-Use, Embed & Share
• Mobile-friendly

Make sure you add the SlideShare app to your LinkedIn profile so your presentation or other content appears on your page. We should craft our marketing strategies to include content creation and curation.
References:
SlideShare Deepens Ties With LinkedIn (PC World)
Social Media Marketing By The Numbers [INFOGRAPHIC] (Mashable)