Quotes from Stan Richards

This is my boss. His name is Stan Richards. I really like working for him. Read some of his quotes here, and maybe you'll see why. (My favorite quote is his last one.)


Creatives You Should Know

Creativity has released their annual list of "Creatives You Should Know." As a student, it's worth taking a look 1) because you might want them to hire you, and 2) if you want to make this list someday, it's worth seeing what they did to get on it.


How I Judge A Book

Jim and I were just at the VCU Brandcenter portfolio review. As usually, there was some very impressive work on display. By my count, I looked at 22 art directors, 22 copywriters, and 10 creative technologists. Some were good. A few were great. All made me feel I'm glad I graduated when I did, because this generation is a lot more competitive than mine was.

Let me explain why.

When I look at a student book, I typically look for two things:

1. Craft. Can the writer write? Is the art director a real art director, or just an ad director who knows Photoshop. Craft shows passion, and it's easy to see who has it.

2. Thinking. Is the strategy smart? Or self-indulgent?

But now there's a third thing I look for:

3. Jealousy.

Let me explain.

When I left school, I had double-page magazine spreads spray-mounted to black boards. That was it. And we all got jobs based on how good those spray-mounted ideas were.

But this is the Maker Generation. If you have an idea for an app, a website, a product, some kind of technology, chances are, you can go out and physically make it. Or at least have it made. And I'm pretty jealous of that.

So if you're putting your book together and you have an idea for an app, don't just mock up what the program would look like on your iPad, go make it. That's what a lot of the students at the VCU Brandcenter were doing. And it was pretty inspiring.

Three Things You Need To Do

Writing Down the Bones is a very good book that we've referenced often on this blog. I was reading it this morning, and came across this passage:

Basically, if you want to become a good writer, you need to do three things. Read a lot, listen well and deeply, and write a lot.

That's true. Greatness is usually born more out of hard work than raw talent. My clunky (but still true) advertising version goes like this:

Basically, if you want to become a good concepter, you need to do three things. Look at ads a lot (especially the annuals, and especially early in your career), observe well and deeply, and practice your craft a lot.

GSP's 30 for 30

To celebrate their 30th anniversary, Goodby, Silverstein & Partners has put up a page of their best 30 pieces.

















Here's what Goodby does so well:

  • They don't complicate their ideas. You can explain the premise of each piece in about 60 seconds.
  • They execute their work really, really well. You can tell people care about making these great.
  • Their ideas are unexpected. Who would have thought you could sell cars without showing cars, sell milk with obscure history, or make a new commercial for each day of your media buy?

Click here for a little inspiration.

Resume in 140 characters

There's an article in the WSJ about how Twitter's become the new resume. A recruiter from GSD&M in Austin says she regularly uses Twitter to assess candidates. From the article: "I watch people interact, learn what their positions are, who their best friends on Twitter are, whether they have a sense of humor. From that you can get a pretty good picture."

So is your resume interesting enough in 140 character or less?

Ira Glass on the Creative Process

I know these kinetic type treatments are a tired execution. But Ira Glass's wisdom is truthful and timeless. Enjoy.



(If you don't know who Ira Glass is, you are missing the best thing on public radio.)

Everything I Say May Be Wrong



Last fall, I visited the fine students at the University of Texas to look at portfolios and chat about the industry. I'm quite flattered that they asked some follow-up questions for their blog. Many of the questions are about the same topics Greg and I discuss here, so I thought I'd share.

Here's the interview.