Fabio Sergio: Design Thinking and The Future
Fabio Sergio, creative director at frog design beautifully communicates how design thinking is at the heart of the design profession. During his presentation at LIFT09 in Geneva. Sergio describes that it is this kind of thinking that shapes cultures and goes beyond usage or consumption.
haustalk at Baja Bean Co.
Tell Remarkable Stories That Will Influence Others
Everyone, and every business, has a story to tell. It is the thing that connects us and the human spirit. It makes no difference who you are or how big your business may be. We all have challenges, difficult times, and uplifting moments that can influence others.
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Green Marketing: Signs of Proof
There are many businesses that are finding that consumers are demanding more organic and sustainable products. Many companies are following the path to growth by offering these products to win over consumers that are conscious of their health and their impact on the environment.
One of the largest issues when marketing green product is to have solid proof that it is truly a green product. Showing that your product has been tested, meets certain standards, and is certified by a
third party, is the best way to prove that your product truly improves the environment and leads to better health.
Having a certification by a third party will enable you to attain a label for your product that will clearly tell consumers that your green label can be trusted. The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Organic Program (NOP) insures that consumers know the exact organic content of the food they buy. Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is another organization that has a certification process that helps consumers know that the product they are buying sustains the forest.
We recommend all companies to learn more about insuring that their green products get the proof they need.
B Corporation: Setting Social and Environmental Performance Standards For Businesses
As part of Thinkhaus‘ mission we aim to educate not only our clients but also the general public about the value of design and socially conscious issues and topics. Our blog has been a part of that as we often share resources and tips with our readers and social media followers and friends.
Today, we have a wonderful resource for everyone. Our friends at Impact Makers have recommend us to the B Corporation. In return we are sharing this resource with you.
The B Corporation excites us because we believe that businesses, no matter the size, have the most impact on our culture and society. We believe this to be true because businesses are the lifeline to local and international economies, influence culture with their marketing, and remain the leaders in developing new technology. All of these issues shape our society. To shape our society for a better tomorrow we must reshape the way business is conducted in our world. The B Corporation believes that too.
B Corporation is an organization which uses the power of business to solve social and environmental problems by setting comprehensive and transparent social and environmental performance standards for businesses to follow.
“By meeting these standards, we establish a benchmark which distinguishes “good companies” from “good marketing”. And we make it easier for consumers and investors to support these companies,” notes the B Corporation.
To learn about the B Corporation visit their website here. We are asking our fellow local businesses in Richmond, Virginia to meet the B Corporation standards. The local economy will then be more sustainable for the people of Richmond.
Green Marketing Tips: Developing A Design and Marketing Team
Many people have asked us to advise their company or organization regarding things to do and not to do with their Green Marketing efforts. We have decided to offer some direction to our blog viewers on the key elements on how to get started with their Green Marketing.
The first advise that we have is to find professionals that can advise you and lead this effort for your company. Time and time again we see a lot of small businesses and organizations that try to do their own marketing and design without any expertise from graphic designers and marketing/brand professionals. No matter if you are a big or small operation you need to attain a team of professionals in all areas of business to advise you and guide you towards success.
This is no different than the President of the United States. President Obama is not an expert on all of the issues that he needs to make decisions on. This is also the case for all businesses and organizations. It is impossible to know and do everything in the business.
Lacking a strong team that can be trusted we have seen many businesses who have wasted, time, money, and followed bad advise that led them to making bad decisions regarding their marketing and design. Many companies and organizations without a green focus are also guilty of this but for those who have a socially conscious mission it is even harder to communicate and market their green products and services. You are competing with the companies that produce and sell the non-green alternative along with other companies that produce similar green products and services.
We recommend using the local chapters of marketing and design organizations, such as the American Institute of Graphic Arts and the American Marketing Association, to find professionals that have the skills and experience that you need. Networking with your local green organizations is also a good start to finding marketing and design professionals with Green Marketing expertise.
Poverty and War
On this Veterans Day Thinkhaus is asking what is the best way to prevent our men and women in the armed forces from going into harms way? They go into situations that are sometimes unmanageable and always difficult.
NURU founder and CEO Jake Harriman attended the U.S. Naval Academy and served over 7 years in the Marine Corps as an Infantry Plato on Commander and a Special Operations Platoon Commander. He believes he knows the answer - poverty.
People living in poverty around the world do not have the options or resources to make their lives better. NURU is an international organization doing all it can to bring people around the world together to provide them with options and resources to grow their economic status, preventing them from turning to violence in an attempt for a better life.
In this wonderful video Jake explains his desire to develop NURU and artistically illustrates the link between poverty and war.
O’Neill’s Article Gets Published in rvanews.com
John O’Neill, President and Design Director of Thinkhaus, recently had an article published in rvanews.com. O’Neill wrote a spotlight feature regarding the Urban Farmhouse, a start-up cafe in Richmond, Virginia with a socially conscious mission.
Read more here
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Recession Proof Your Creative Services and Businesses
The recession has been very difficult for all businesses and the workforce, particularly for small businesses and the creative community in Richmond, Virginia. Business owners, business professionals, and creative professionals are invited for an evening where they can learn what others are doing to strengthen their businesses, services, and work status in a bad economy.
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10 Tactics for Turning Information Into Action
On Saturday, the 25th of October Thinkhaus saw a great post from a follow socially conscious design blog, osocio.org, spotlighting an information Activism Camp by Tactical Technology Collective. The web site for the camp can be viewed at infoactivismcamp.tacticaltech.org.
Tactical Technology Collective explains, “Information Activism is an approach which helps rights advocates tactically utilize information, communications, and digital technologies to enhance advocacy work. We believes that new technologies have significant potential to enhance the work of campaigners and advocates, giving them the tools to gather and examine information and the means to turn that information into action.”
Thinkhaus sees Information Activism as a prime example of how information is presented and organized through graphic design in a variety of media. It is how the information is design that will help activist see their causes from a different point of view and find the best strategies to go about their activities.
To learn about this camp and more about Information Activism visit osocio.org and infoactivismcamp.tacticaltech.org.