Facebook has been tweaking their EdgeRank algorithm again! What does this mean? Well, in the recent past, photos were the key to getting your content noticed and seen on Facebook. It appears that Facebook has now made TEXT ONLY posts the “post du jour” and that THEY decide what your fans will see.

This was the hot topic on Mari Smith’s Facebook Fan page last night. Mari asked, “Are you noticing a change in the reach of your Facebook fan page PHOTO posts vs. just TEXT status updates? It’s almost always been that posts with an image get more EdgeRank (news feed visibility), but is something changing?! My last post (text) has DOUBLE the reach of the one before that (photo). Hm! Hugh Briss of Social Identities is seeing a difference of 3x!” 

Not sure what the Facebook EdgeRank is? 

Here is a great post by PostRocket explaining the mystery of EdgeRank: What’s Going on With Your Facebook Page Reach?

For example, on our 12 Most site, the traffic referred by Facebook dropped 52.19% last week compared to the previous week with the same exact number of posts per week. Not good Facebook! However, our LinkedIn referrals were up 191.67%, Pinterest referrals were up 56.52%, and Twitter was up 2.84%. Are Facebook users already finding the content they want other places instead of what Facebook tells them they want? Maybe.

From this post called Facebook: I want my friends back! The biggest bait ’n switch in history:

“…The volume was getting turned down on their Facebook reach. Each post was now being seen only by a fraction of their total “fans” who would previously have seen them.

But it wasn’t just the so-called “fan pages,” individual Facebook users were also starting to notice that they weren’t seeing much in their newsfeeds anymore from the various entities they “liked” — or even updates from their closest friends and family members. Something was amiss, but unless you had a larger “data set” to look at — or a formerly thriving online business that was now getting creamed — it probably wasn’t something that you noticed or paid that much attention to.” 

I encourage you to read the whole post — it breaks down Facebook and how the promoted posts changed their strategy for using Facebook. It isn’t that Facebook shouldn’t be allowed to make money, because everything in life can’t be free, but to continue to force pages to change their sharing methods due to random, unpublished algorithm changes is entirely unfair and seemingly unethical business practices.

What can be done?

What can you do to ensure that you are seeing the content you want to see? Add pages to your Interest Lists. 

Or, as a Facebook page manager, you will need to try to get your fans to add you to their interest lists as well as like your page. And you thought just “getting the like” was the challenge? Silly you!

From Facebook: “What are Interest Lists?”

Interest Lists are an optional way to organize the content you're interested in on Facebook. You can create your own Interest Lists based on the things you care about, or subscribe to other people's lists. For example, you could create a Top Indie Bands list that features bands’ Pages and public updates from band members. 

When you create or subscribe to a list, you'll see the best posts from that list in your main news feed. Your lists will also appear in the Interests section of your bookmarks. Simply click the list’s name to see all the recent posts and activity from the Pages and people featured in the list, without overwhelming your main news feed.” Notice that Facebook said, “you'll see the best posts from that list in your main news feed” — keep in mind that they are choosing this with their top secret EdgeRank algorithm.

Where do you find this on a page? In the right corner, under the cover photo in the drop down menu under the cog:

Please add our pages to your favorites: 

•  re:DESIGN

•  12 Most

•  My Book Club

Another thing that you can do is “Add to My Page’s Favorites,” also found in the same drop down menu on the right corner under the cover photo. This is more time consuming and I am not sure if any individuals will go through these steps to make sure they see Facebook pages they have liked.

Here is a video that shows how to add Facebook Pages to your Page’s Facebook Favorites. (Click image to play)

Facebook page managers: check your insights to see if your text only posts have been getting more traffic this week. Honestly, we don’t usually post all-text posts since photos have been the “big thing” for awhile. Facebook may be trying to set itself apart from the other social channels that are visually-based such as Pinterest and Google+, but can they tell Facebook fans what they like? I am guessing that they can’t. These Facebook shifts and changes are what make Twitter, Pinterest, and Google+ more appealing by the day. 

What are your thoughts on all these changes in Facebook? Are you going to change your Facebook posts to include more with text only? Will you conform to the puppetmaster or move on?

We believe a big key to winning in today’s business world is a smart, integrated approach to marketing and communications. In order to make an impression in these busy, distracted times, design can be the differentiator. Sure, your image will be leaps ahead of the others — but your messages will also be fine-tuned and cohesive; your communications will be clear and user-friendly; but most importantly, they will be powerfully integrated together! 

re:DESIGN is excited to share a few exciting projects that we believe do just that, as well as earning us three awards in a national design competition, The American Graphic Design Awards sponsored by Graphic Design USA.

What is re:DESIGN?

re:DESIGN is a boutique agency that specializes in strategic design, branding, social media, and communications — bringing standout design to our clients so their businesses rise above the competition.

We excel at helping companies and professionals achieve special things through smart strategies and sharp, award-winning design that gets noticed while delivering a clear, convincing message. From custom logos to comprehensive branding and cohesive communications strategies, re:DESIGN reenergizes businesses by creating integrated programs throughout all of today’s media touchpoints: from digital to print to experiential.

What are the American Graphic Design Awards?

The American Graphic Design Awards is the biggest and broadest of the three national design competitions sponsored by Graphic Design USA for nearly five decades. It honors outstanding creative work of all kinds and across all media, and is open to advertising agencies, graphic design firms, corporations, institutions, publishers and more. There were more than 8,000 entries and of these, only a highly selective 15% are recognized as winners with an Awards Certificate of Excellence.

We are proud to share a little peak into these three unique award-winning projects, representing three completely different types of projects and media: logo/branding design, website/mobile design and an exquisitely designed print brochure.

Logo/Branding — My Book Club

This is a classic example of a logo that is deceptively simple yet complex in its execution. The witty design effectively sums up the brand at a quick glance, conveying its personality — and all through the use of type. It was designed to work as well online as it does offline, and even at the smallest of sizes.

“Your logo symbolizes all that is your company, product, service or event. It is also the ‘handshake’ for when you can’t be there in person, so it is vital for a business to get the logo right from the very beginning.” ~ Paul Biedermann, 12 Most Essential Ingredients for an Exceptional Logo 

Website/Mobile — The Dorsey Group

A comprehensive redesign of a corporate web and mobile presence that was also bound up with a brand refresh that infused energy and new life into this company. With smart, strategic design and focused attention to detail, the site is engaging and easy to navigate while the custom mobile landing pages offer easy access while on-the-go. 

QR codes were also utilized, linking print communications to these other digital communications, creating a cohesive, integrated brand experience no matter the touch point: viewing a website at work, checking a mobile device at a conference, or reading a print piece at home.

Print — McGraw-Hill Construction Outlook

This is a flagship publication for this business and the most highly respected economic forecast in the construction industry which includes detailed analysis, market research and industry trends. This exquisitely designed and printed communication is a valued resource that analysts and industry professionals depend on for timely information every year, culminating in an annual conference in Washington D.C.

Distilling complex information down into engaging, user-friendly experiences that communicate clearly and powerfully is something we excel at. re:DESIGN is proud to have consistently won awards for this report’s design and communications excellence, year after year for over a decade.


Looking ahead

While it is an honor to receive such accolades, we are not ones to rest on our laurels — it’s literally back to the virtual drawing board as we continue looking forward. These are exciting times, but we believe the key is not to focus only on digital, social media, or any other flavor of the month — but rather to bring them all together in a powerful, integrated way that surrounds your particular market at every touch point, including print.

To our online community as well as our families and friends: thank you for the support — you are appreciated. We are excited for the future and all that it brings for re:DESIGN! What can we do for you?

Read the Press Release 

Like us on Facebook!

Take a look at more of the logos we’ve designed! 
And here are more of our branding and websites!

What is a personal brand?

It is you. Your story. This intimate story is portrayed via an overall message that weaves throughout your communications and social media platforms. 

Just as major consumer brands have well-known, universally recognized images, individuals can have them too. But more than just a mere surface image, it is important to have a deeper story too. This serves as the backbone for all you are about, who you are and why you do what you do. How successful you are in telling your story will determine how deeply it resonates with your audience and will ultimately determine the success of your brand. When you are first learning about social media, you are usually unaware that you are creating an online persona for yourself with each post, status update and tweet. It is all experimental at this point as you learn how to navigate the various mediums.

The essential element in creating your personal brand is to be authentic. ee cummings said, “it takes courage to grow up and be who you are.” Don’t copy someone else’s style: be yourself! Being an imitation of the most fabulous thing imaginable is still just an imitation, and people catch on to this behavior very quickly. Consider your avatar to be your logo: keep it fresh and real.

Be outstanding

Each person has unique qualities and gifts that make them special. Find yours and amplify them. If you are hesitant about what image you are projecting, find interesting blogs or links to share that fit within your strategy and build up your confidence as you go. Pay attention to what people “like” or retweet; figure out where you are connecting with your followers and build on that. Above all, please be interesting! You may start with a little kindling and end up with a big bonfire if you create the proper base.

Consistency is key

If your goal is to be viewed as a professional, this needs to be seen across the board throughout all of your social media efforts. The language that you use is the currency and relevancy to your message. Make wise choices and remember that the internet is permanent. Linking your social media channels together makes it seamless for a follower to travel from your Twitter bio or other social media page over to your blog. This does not mean that you should show all your tweets on LinkedIn and tweet your Facebook statuses. A separate, similar message is fine — no need to be redundant.

Your personal brand will evolve over time but you start projecting your brand from your very first tweet or post. You might not think you have a personal brand yet, but you do. Consider what this might be and polish it up if necessary. It is not just your avatar but all your interactions woven together to create a personal story: your personal brand. Make it a good one!

Attention spans are short. Do you know how long your brand has to hit your target audience? You have only a few seconds to make your first impression. “The addictive nature of web browsing can leave you with an attention span of nine seconds — the same as a goldfish,” said the BBC in this article.

“Even if a brand could reach everyone, it still can’t break through most of the time. People simply shut out a message by fast-forwarding or clicking to the next one”, says Sally Hogshead in her book “Fascinate”. Can you and your brand break through the short attention span of the people you are trying to reach?

Roger Ebert wrote a brilliant post on “The quest for frisson”, which is the French word for “a brief intense reaction, usually a feeling of excitement, recognition or terror”. This translates into online behavior as the need to “Like,” Plus One and Tweet away — searching for the next buzz.

It may be a challenge to capture your audience at warp speed but it is not impossible. To give yourself half a chance, your brand must be targeted and effective. In order for brands to be successful, they must be:

1. Sharp
Run-of-the-mill won’t cut it. Get rid of those old hand-me-downs and get stylish already! Remember: image is everything. Frumps need not apply.

2. Succinct
Get to the point and shed those extra words. There is no room for verbose fluff, and nobody will read that dense text anyway. So, make sure your most important points are seen loud and clear! Bonus points for making them memorable.

3. Quality
People recognize quality when they see it. Even if only subliminal, high quality is recognized and rewarded. Don’t be mediocre — strive to be the best!

4. Consistent
Brands must present a cohesive message and image, so each time somebody experiences the brand it correlates to the larger whole. The all too-frequent alternative is a disjointed, fractured image that fights itself. There is no difference between a brand with mixed messages and a competitor’s message — they both fight your own brand in the exact same way! There is no room for confusion in branding.

So, what is your brand's message? Can you summarize it in eight to nine seconds or are you missing the mark?

Want to check your attention span? Try this: Psychology Today Attention Span Test

Like many, I first approached Twitter with skepticism and trepidation. Like my first engagements with other social media, I stuck a toe in the water before jumping in further. LinkedIn and Facebook gradually gained steam, and soon became valued communications channels. But Twitter? That was different.

I started by following a few people who seemed to have interesting things to say, and then began tweeting a little myself. Gradually, I gained followers and started to “get it”. Twitter is a great way of perusing a vast landscape of leading experts in any profession, industry, interest or hobby. But only recently have I come to appreciate its full power: direct access to these same people and the ability to engage with them in real time.

When people are on Twitter, and by that I mean actively using it, they are receptive to the experience and open to engagement: monitoring the continuous dialog, responding to tweets and replies, direct messages, new followers, and the like. Perhaps they are also monitoring who is mentioning them and retweeting their tweets (not to mention, of course, surfing the web like never before, with tweets leading them to great content including images, video and blogs — and then leaving comments there too!). The interaction never ends! 

Real power

But recently, I discovered something else. Hashtags. By following focused Twitter content, identified by the # symbol placed before subject or group names, one can view tweets relating only to that subject matter. This helps bring order to the chatter. And when you find a group you really like, the conversation can be so persistent and intense, that real connections are made and Twitter is transformed into something much more personal.

I was lucky enough to find a great group called #UsGuys fairly early in my Twitter life. It’s a stream of quick-thinking minds from different backgrounds, chatting 24/7 (I see the term “addiction” used a lot). Admittedly, it’s sometimes like social media with ADHD. Jumping into the busy stream can be intimidating — I was shooting for a swan dive, but probably made something more like a plunge. Never before have I seen the potential for developing real relationships, enabled by an online platform, than I have here.

Doing online to go offline

Through Facebook, I have visited with friends I haven’t seen in twenty-five years. With LinkedIn, I have setup face-to-face meetings and developed professional relationships. Now with Twitter, the net is cast further, wider and more quickly — cross-pollinating ideas, stimulating creativity, marshaling resources and galvanizing people — with potential like I have never seen before. Further connecting is now happening on the other social media channels. Face-to-face meetups are also in the works. And, ironically, this is where I think online is going: fueling our ability to establish real connections in the offline world as well. 

Online converted to offline; professional to personal. I can’t wait to see where this all goes.

When Gap recently announced their new logo on Facebook, they were caught off-guard by the strong public backlash. The logo was really bad and bowing to the criticism, Gap quickly abandoned the idea (see links at bottom for a full recap).

The company then proceeded to make an even bigger mistake, smugly announcing a contest to design a replacement logo that anyone could enter. This is called crowdsourcing, and when a company does it, it demonstrates a total lack of understanding and callous disregard for what design brings to business. When a major corporation does it, it’s beyond comprehension. Presumably attempting to garner goodwill by “listening” to its customers, this raised the ire of the professional design community and even angrier mobs rose up and chanted things like “Shameful!”, “Abuse of power!”, and “Idiots”!

Through crowdsourcing, design is reduced to an amateur beauty competition, where thousands of designs are submitted and a committee votes on which one will be designated the winner. There is no reasoned process of analysis, research, and design development, let alone a holistic branding strategy. There is also little, if any, compensation for the designer.  

The crowds spoke

The overwhelming negative consensus (not to mention, a $247 million dollar stock loss the day after the original announcement) shamed the company into dropping its amateurish approach to logo design and its manipulative attempt at making its audience think a feel-good logo contest was their original intent. Ultimately, the crowd spoke and got what it wanted from the company, not the other way around. 

During this debacle, the company received thousands of free opinions on their logo, their brand, their process, and what they should do about it. So in a way, crowdsourcing worked, just not in the way Gap intended. The AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts) played a critical role by engaging in constructive dialogue and “educating the client”. To their credit, Gap admitted their missteps and issued a mea culpa, promising to do a better job if and when they ever decide to redesign their logo again (don’t hold your breath!). 

I’m sure the company was embarrassed by all this, as it became clear in a very public way that they really did not have a handle on how to execute an important branding initiative. Even worse, they seemingly had no clue about who they are and what their brand has meant to consumers over the years. 

With friends like this…

Some say that any PR is good PR, but when thousands flock to “Like” your Facebook page only to tell you how much they don’t like you, I beg to differ. When you are mocked on Twitter by design and branding professionals, when accounts are set up with the sole purpose to ridicule, when apps are developed so you can create your own “Gapified” logo and negative blogs flood the blogosphere, I really don’t think the company is benefiting from all the publicity. 

Yes, Gap is being talked about, but the brand that once stood for hip, simple design has now shown they are anything but.

Gap Introduces New Logo, Mass Criticism Ensues
Gap Speaks Out: Yes, the Logo Is Real
Dear Gap, I have your new logo  
An open letter to our neighbors at Gap 
AIGA post and letter to Gap: How do businesses balance crowd participation and design? 
Statement from Marka Hansen, President of Gap Brand, North America

Good graphic design and creative direction is about getting to the essence of a communications or business problem and creating a compelling, effective visual solution. Not to be confused with the cheap knockoff services that are so readily available these days, design is not about decoration and just making something look nice.

True creative professionals are experts at distilling information, clarifying it, and then packaging it in a way that engages its intended audience. They also see the big picture and how each communication or promotion fits into a larger puzzle and creates an overall brand experience — continually reinforcing itself through all the various touchpoints with the “customer.” The final objective? To inform or influence a targeted segment of people and evoke a desired response, whether it be more customers, sales, registrants, attendees, or the like. 

This is why good creative has real impact on the businesses it touches. But confusion persists.

Not just art – power!

Many people think of design as an art, which it is, but they have a more difficult time understanding its true marketing and communications power. They know it makes things look nice. Ok. Perhaps they know it’s about layout, or making a logo or an ad. Ok too. But beyond that, a true understanding of its importance is lacking.