the burst –> ags idea works

There are things you control. There are things you can’t control. But, I never thought I would lose control of the one thing I look forward to the most every year… our family vacation. Yes, it’s true. The oil companies have taken control of our vacation and have put it into bondage. Oh, it’s not like we’ve been living under a rock and haven’t seen the constant rise in gas prices, trust me, it hits my wallet weekly with what I have to buy to get to work. We’ve made changes, we’re cutting back, planning our trips to the store to make them more efficient, not doing any unnecessary running around… all those kinds of things. But, the issue really hit home the other night when we sat down to firm up our plans for the annual family vacation to Canada. With a quick check on the internet and a phone call to friends in Canada, our fears were confirmed. $4 a gallon here, $1.87 a liter there, right now. We were headed out in July, but what does July hold? And, what will the prices be on our return trip? How can you plan? One thing you can plan on… the price will be higher. But just how high?

With that uncertainty looming, we made the decision to cancel our trip to Canada this year. Now, our trip isn’t a quick jump to Niagara Falls from Cleveland. It’s hundreds of miles into the great white north, the amount of money we would spend on gas would equal what we pay for the stay, right now that is… in comes that great unknown once again. It’s unfortunate that my wallet isn’t as fat as the Oil Company’s High-Rollers or as padded as the Dead Wood Leaders in Washington. I’m certain none of their vacations will be canceled.

So we’ll be staying close to home this year, taking a one tank trip here, a one tank trip there. One thing that will happen this summer that I can plan on and actually look forward to is this; with every tank of gas I buy, I will tell the oil companies and our fearless leader in Washington (whose head continues to be buried in the sand), that they are Number 1 in my book, if you catch my drift!

Charlton Heston, as Moses, said it best in the movie The Ten Commandments, “Do you not hear the cries of my people in bondage?”

As a proud iPhone owner (which bought the iphone after the price drop), I’ve been on a curious journey figuring out if my current iPhone will ever have access to AT&T’s 3G network? Recently, I was down at the Apple Store, Easton, Ohio purchasing a new iMac and asked one of their Geniuses on the issue. According to the Apple Genius, and I quote “You know, I’m not sure … we’ve heard nothing.” Okay, fair enough. So yesterday I’m at an AT&T store buying a charger for a LG phone (which is already discontinued - 5 months after purchase) and posing the same question to the AT&T CSR and she said flat out “No, your current iPhone will NEVER work on the 3G network.” Obviously this news elevated my tone because I’ve had the iPhone for only 6 months and finding out that I’ll always be stuck with AT&T’s sorry @ss Edge Network.

I’m hoping Apple will learn from their initial high price iPhone blunder and offer backward compatibility for current iPhone customers and the 3G Network. If not, I’m sure the backlash will be severe, because in my 20+ years of purchasing tech equipment, this would be the shortest shelf life for any device. Oh, but your iPhone will still work … Ahhh yes, so does my Apple PowerPC 7500 with a 500MB hard drive. Point is, ethically this would not be right at all, and blow any trust Apple has built over the years, especially with new ex-Micro$oft customers. So AT&T get ready for the knock out punch, because if you don’t offer us the 3G Network, be certain that Apple will make plans to ditch you as the sole American wireless carrier.

Posted by: MJ
AGS Idea Works
p.s. Adobe would you please offer us the Flash plug-in for the iPhone??? How stupid is that?

email marketing that is. a well designed email is a great place to show off your client’s brand, and a campaign that’s easy on the eyes - and a pleasure to read - builds trust and loyalty with readers and won’t bore them to tears. so if creating great looking campaigns is one of your client’ s style goals, then we’re happy to help you get started.

remember that an email is a front door to other things - a website, a signup screen, a landing page with video content, a confirmation email, print collateral and more. These items are great opportunities not only to reinforce your client’s branding, but also to take advantage of the moment of undivided attention you have once someone takes the trouble of clicking one of your links. make sure your client’s branding - and your client’s brand voice - carry over to those supporting screens, and use the opportunity to present your readers with even more content, or product links, literature requests or anything else that’s relevant and useful.

a good email provides useful information, but a well-written email provides useful information in a voice that your readers can relate to.

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There are two life lessons I learned from my father that really stayed with me: Always buy quality, and– If you are going to do something- do it right the first time.

Lets reflect on these two points-

Have you ever talked yourself out of buying that expensive, top of the line new gadget and purchased a cheaper one- then a month later having it break and you end up buying the one you wanted to get in the first place? Why didn’t you buy the one you wanted the first go around?

Have you ever gone with the less expensive company thinking that you are getting more bang for your buck? Only to be disappointed with the quality of the end result?

Or for all of the ladies out there- have you ever purchased a piece of clothing at a lower end clothing store- thinking you can get the same look for less- only to wash the item twice before it has holes or fades in color?

These are all perfect examples of why Cheapin’ It out is bad. You have wasted your own and worse yet, your companies time and money on something that you should have done right the first time.

To avoid falling into the Cheapin’ it Out trap surround yourself and your business with people and products you know and trust- even if they cost a little more then the guy down the street. You and your associates will be impressed with the results and in the long run you will save and make money.

- D.F.

THE AKRON CLUB OF PRINTING HOUSE CRAFTSMEN have teamed up with ags idea works to reintroduce the club as the NORTHEAST OHIO CRAFTSMEN CLUB (NEOCC). ags idea works has given the club a new identity with a logo design and identity system.

Phase II of the project was developing NEOCC’s website that features upcoming events, photo galleries, and general club information. Please visit their website at www.neocc.net

As common as the thought may be, the magic “design” or “5 minute change” key on a designer’s keyboard just doesn’t exist. As technology changes, whether for good or bad, designers and other creative professionals are forced to adapt or be eaten by those who can.

Looking back, the onset of the fax (at least during my career) was the beginning of the technological acceleration. The overnight delivery was next. Time lines seemed to change over night… pardon the pun. Suddenly, we could fax changes and overnight mock-ups to clients - you could almost feel the time line comfort zone shrinking. Gone are the days of typesetting, keylines and tissue overlays. The fax has been replaced by e-mail, and keylines were replaced by PDFs. A computer on everyone’s desk has now become common place. With these technological advances and benefits, one major factor is commonly overlooked and blurred: The all important human factor. Computers are faster, programs made easier and plentiful, but one fact still remains: a qualified and talented individual still needs to sit behind the wheel and drive. Like any trained professional, the graphic designer develops and sharpens skills not available in a template that is often included in an off-the-shelf word processing or design program: the skills needed to develop custom graphic designs. Enter the magic “design” key. Unfortunately… no wait, fortunately, this and other “magic” keys simply don’t exist - saving graphic design and graphic designers from the doldrums that have affected many other professions. The human factor in graphic design is what makes design art. Short-changing design equates to asking an auto mechanic to short-change an auto repair. The result is obvious. True, short-changing design won’t put your life at risk, but if the result of your design process is to disappear in a sea of bad design and cookie-cutter template looks, off-the-shelf is for you. If you look to set yourself apart, put your trust in qualified professionals and the time it takes to achieve that custom look. It may not be evident at first, but not having to revisit a project because of shortcomings in a template or an unqualified individual will pay hugely in the future. One last thing… for everyone’s sake, keep your finger off that magic “design” key.

-AF

here, you’ll find out what we’ve been up to in the creative lab. we won’t bore you with the everyday this and that, but rather things you need to know or better yet, things we’d like you to know. tooting our own horn you say? you bet. we’ll be updating and adding things often. what kinds of things is hard to say, so check back often.