I'm a glory hound. There it is.

And yet, somehow I landed squarely in client services at a company whose brand is "best service." It's an enigma.

On the one hand, every creative fiber in my body yearns for approval and recognition. While, on the other hand, I am in a role that probably gets the least of it.

That's not to say I don't work for some very appreciative clients. I do. And I couldn't ask for better. But it is a fact that the foundation of my, and my team's role is to glorify our client. To create a protective barrier around his achievement and make it a phenomenal success.

So where does that leave me? Where do you find my team? Standing there quietly in our client's shadow.

The funny thing, as I have gotten older and more comfortable with myself, I have found I like that spot! There is something spiritually gratifying to watch someone who you care about succeed. To watch them gather praise and accolades as they are cheered and regaled.

This actually happened about a week ago. Amidst a crowd of 300 senior management, my client was called out by the CEO for his hard work and great creative product - we had helped pull him out of a raging fire and created something pretty neat in the eleventh hour.

And as the lights turned on him, I happened to be standing there, coffee in hand. I stepped back, and let him shine, made sure the whole room focused on him, knew he was responsible.

When the moment passed he turned to me with a smile and indicated that I should have joined in the moment. We laughed as I literally stepped into his shadow and smiled along with him... It was then that it occurred to me.

I like this place. I am proud of this place. I am a service person through and through.

It’s been a tough year. The economic situation seems to be improving yet, corporate leadership is stressed and employees constantly squeezed. All-in-all one thing seems to remain true – honest, straightforward communication from the top down is imperative to keep the peace during this temporary insanity we call the recession. All employee team members deserve (and demand) to know what is really going on with the companies they count on for their livelihood. In the recent past, it wasn’t that uncommon for leadership to inform their employees that they no longer had jobs and the business is closing as of today. This sort of maneuver is so 2009.

A Look Forward
For the brighter days ahead in 2010, communication has to lift the spirit, fit into an ever-shrinking budget, not disrupt an employee’s workday and is ultimately environmentally responsible. If that wasn’t enough, it should also communicate timely information with the honesty and sincerity that your team and clients deserve. What’s the answer? At Realm, we think video.

Reality TV Turns Into Relationship TV
With droves of viewers flocking home to watch reality TV and browse their favorite YouTube channels, more raw, homemade video production has become accepted in the industry. At Realm, we’ve always used video as a weapon in the communications arsenal but typically, video production was cost prohibitive. It was also technically hard to find suitable playback environments without huge investments or corporate security concessions. Aesthetically, standard corporate video production felt a little disingenuous, plastic and even fake. Scripting down to every word made for a well-orchestrated video, but did not allow viewers to feel what the relationship between the executive and employee (or client) was really all about.

However, today video has turned into a fast, economical way for corporations to quickly and efficiently push out critical information to employees and clients. It’s about creating a deeper relationship. Starting an ongoing and open conversation that communicates “you are a part of the team; an integral means to a better end.” Employees feel that they are empowered to help “row the boat,” not just ride in it. Inclusive language that sets the stage that leadership and employees are in this together and a part of the solution is what people in today’s workforce really crave. Ownership.

I See Tools and Tech Everywhere
Great tools, tech and easy-to-use interfaces have made this all possible. Not only can you pick up great quality HD video cameras for a song, the software needed to import, edit, animate and compose has become less expensive and easier to use. On another front, the hosting environments needed for online playback has become more accessible and less expensive, too. Bonus.

The Bottom Line
Many corporations have clammed shut during the recession and kept their employees in the dark about where the company is going. What’s really needed is regular, sincere dialogue with your employees and customers. Let them truly know what’s going on. Not the churched up, corporate speak, Hollywood want-a-be kind, but something real, sincere and believable. Your employees and customers deserve to have a relationship with the leaders of the companies in which they work and do business. Let them see who you really are. It will build trust and ease the tensions that are rampant in today’s break rooms.

The time had come to design an official logo for the Atlanta International Soccer Fest (AISF) 2010. We’re committed to this event and to the children it will help through the SOS Children’s Villages charity. Everything is moving at warp speed and designing this new logo is no exception. Doing pro-bono work is always an adventure in time management as you must meet the needs and expectations of paying clients while squeezing in your brilliant “free” design during a snack of peanut M&Ms (or, in Carmen’s case, peanut butter and yogurt…but that’s another story). And don’t be fooled: the expectations are just as high but the pressure to perform ups the ante as you only have so much time allotted to mix, bake and serve your ideas. Let’s take a look at this process, the logos that were submitted for consideration and the eventual winner.

Day 1: Meetings, discussion, sketches, more discussion, research.

Day 2: Need some inspiration? How about this?

Michelle, Carmen, Winnie

Day 3: Creatives ponder the meaning of soccer balls in life. (“Which came first – the soccer ball or the egg?”) Ideas begin to take digital form.

Day 4: Creatives trust no one, jealously guarding their desks and shielding all but the most crafty from sneaking a peek. (“Can I see?” “No.” “How about a little peek?” “No.” “Can you just tell me the colors you are using?” “Black and blue, which is what you’re gonna be if you don’t go away.”)

Day 5: Only the Creative Director is allowed into the inner sanctum, offering advice and sympathy where needed. Finally, the first round of designs are ready for viewing. Oohs and aahhs commence. Designs are mounted on black foam core, ready for their official presentation.

And here we have our contenders:

Option 1


Option 2


Option 3


Option 4

Did you pick a favorite? If you’re like me, you had a hard time choosing one because they all have a great presence. But only one can be crowned the official logo for the Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010, and so much discussion ensues. What will appeal to the broadest audience? What has lasting power for the next four years (which is what we are anticipating)? What will reproduce the best? What conveys the purpose of this event? What about color choices? And we need to focus on the SOS charity aspect as well as the event itself.
 

After a few days, more discussion and pondering, we have a winner. And to ensure SOS receives equal billing, it’s decided that the SOS logo will always appear with the winning AISF 2010 logo. Congratulations to Realm designer Winnie Widastra on having her logo selected!

Why is this logo so important? Because the Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010 is THE soccer event of the summer. The South African-American Chamber of Commerce and the German American Chamber of Commerce of the Southeastern U.S. are leading this initiative in honor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM. The AISF 2010 is a combination of two events. First, coinciding on June 11 with the beginning of the FIFA World Cup South AfricaTM, there will be viewing parties at restaurants and pubs around the metro Atlanta area. Second, a soccer tournament will be held June 12 at the Atlanta Silverbacks Park between bi-national chambers of commerce, consulates, the World Trade Center Atlanta and community organizations.

Proceeds from AISF 2010 will benefit SOS Children’s Villages, an independent, non-governmental social development organization. Since 1949, SOS Children’s Villages has been working to meet the needs, and protect the interests and rights of children. Operating in 132 countries, SOS Children’s Villages provides long-term family-based care for children who have been orphaned, abandoned or whose families are unable to care for them.
SOS Children’s Villages has three locations in the U.S.: two in Chicago, IL and one in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. A third location is being built in Chicago.

I hope to see you at the June 12 tournament, and around town at some of the viewing parties. I can guarantee you there are some soccer-crazed fans here in the city and a good time will be had by all. For more information about these events, please visit www.atlsoccerfest.com or visit the Facebook page for Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010.

It must be at least 1,278 days since I last stayed up late sitting in a quiet library with a pile of books, only to find myself with just half of my school assignments completed. Those feelings are still vivid now. But the accomplishment I felt learning and pushing myself was very rewarding.

Now, dare I say, I’m ready for the next round. Yes, I’m going back to school for interactive media.

Time really has flown. For the past three years, I’ve been fortunate to be part of a great team that works on an array of projects involving various types of print media. I’ve enjoyed that immensely. Nothing is more satisfying than the smell of inks on paper and the sound of flipping pages. But recently, a conversation with an old friend working at a prominent multimedia company sparked some interesting questions: “Will advertising and news be delivered digitally? Will the industry shift from ink to digital, or even paperless?”

While the questions remain for many industry experts to answer, they provide deeper meaning for me. As a designer who was trained in print media, I have encountered many projects where clients are concerned with printing budgets and effectiveness of delivery. Suggestions often shift from a PDF and email banners to display ads and videos. And due to changes in technology, the need for a digital presence has certainly become equally important. This opportunity has opened the door for a designer like me to understand more about the Web and its world.¬

Though online and print media are two different forms, they are equally engaging. When I was still in college, I had the opportunity to take a couple of interactive media design classes. It was very interesting to learn how different they are in terms of information delivery – in format and in content. The tactility and aesthetic of print can never be compared with the virtual interactivity of Web, or vice versa.

So here I am, a loyal print designer ready to tap into the world of the Web and interactive. I hope I can bridge and bring the best of both worlds to Realm and our clients.

With that said, in less than two weeks I’ll be sacrificing nights and weekends for homework, and CSI for CSS. Is it worthwhile? Absolutely.
 

Think globally, act locally. Give a little, get a lot. Be the change you want to see. You’ve heard these sayings a million times but have you ever realized them? Have you ever paused to acknowledge the power you have to affect change? Yes, you. Real power to implement real change. This blog entry is about my step forward into that realization and about how embracing a group of strangers has actually empowered me – something I wasn’t expecting.

These strangers are strangers no more. They are the Atlanta Committee for SOS Children’s Villages USA, where I serve as secretary. We are diversity in the flesh: Germany, Senegal, Sierra Leone, India, South Africa, Gambia, Moldova and, of course, the United States. A little bit about this organization: SOS Children’s Villages is one of the largest non-profits of its kind. In 2009 it celebrated its 60th anniversary. Established in 132 countries, its primary work focuses on abandoned, destitute and orphaned children requiring family-based child care – not foster care as we know it – but long-term care in a home with a mother who cares for the children as if they were her own. Children grow up in their own culture, in a community familiar to them, and in many cases, with their own siblings. Family is at the heart of the SOS organization.

SOS has been in the news lately. There are two SOS facilities in Haiti and similar to the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia, SOS was already on the scene when the earthquake occurred in Haiti. The SOS Cap Haitian facility was largely untouched and opened its doors to the community, helping children and families who had no where else to turn. And when 33 Haitian children were stopped by authorities at the Dominican Republic border without their parents or legal permits to leave the country, the Haitian government entrusted those children to an SOS Haitian facility until the situation could be sorted out. Some of the children have family members living in Haiti and with the temporary help of SOS, they could return to their families and communities when the time was right.

SOS has three villages in the U.S., but if you were to ask the person next to you if they know about SOS, chances are the answer would be “no.” That is something we are working very hard to change. This year, several Atlanta bi-national chambers of commerce, as well as the Atlanta Beat soccer team and the Georgia State Soccer Association, have joined forces to celebrate the 2010 FIFA World Cup (held in South Africa) with a celebration of their own: the Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010, and SOS is the benefactor of this event. Talk about a dynamic and amazing group of 30+ individuals working in concert to make this happen, and pinch me – I am part of that group! I feel so honored and blessed to be connected with them. Not to mention, a portion of the proceeds from the event will go to help children in Haiti. It is a wonderful opportunity to help not just one child, but also many in a time where the need is very great.

You wouldn’t think that just by showing up and giving a little bit of my time, it would make a difference. There are people in our group far more talented and experienced than me. And yet, it does make a difference. I have discovered support is the fuel that propels the efforts of any group. It’s the momentum that starts things rolling. And even when things aren’t going smoothly, as long as you have support, you can work it out. In the process of working it out, you become empowered. You realize you can make a difference. And that realization takes you a step further into the process – you’re totally in and totally jazzed.

So I want to ask you: are you in or are you out? What are you doing to make a difference? It’s not as hard as you think. And you don’t need extra superpowers to be effective. You can do it all just being you. Something to think about, and I hope you do.

For more about SOS Children’s Villages, please visit:
Website USA: http://www.sos-usa.org/Pages/default.aspx
Website International: http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/
Facebook: SOS Children's Villages – USA

For more about the Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010, please visit:
Website: http://www.atlsoccerfest.com/
Facebook: Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010
Twitter: Twitter.com/atlsoccerfest

Next blog: updates and more about the Atlanta International Soccer Fest 2010. I hope to have some pictures as well. It’s going to be a blast! Stay tuned.