The Flair Media Minute v2.0
Simplicity is alive and well. I think this is perfect, really. Question: are you more inclined to read this piece based on the design?
For this week’s cover story by Joe Klein about the loss of his parents, we designed a graphically simple cover.
It marked the first time in more than a decade (spanning more than 500 covers), that only typography with no image appeared inside TIME’s iconic red border.
The headline ’How to Die‘ on a solid red background echoes the magazine’s iconic ’Is God Dead?‘ cover from April 8, 1966. That cover, which the L.A. Times named one of the 10 magazine covers that ‘shook the world,’ was the first type-only cover in TIME’s history.
It used a variation of the Bodoni typeface on a solid black background and was an extreme departure from the small, limited type treatments featured on the cover the previous 34 years.
To illustrate this week’s story, however, we stayed closer to our established visual language — the headline was set in Franklin Demi, one of our family of typefaces.
While we wouldn’t necessarily call it divine inspiration, several have drawn comparisons to the 1966 cover. And it’s certainly rewarding to know we can continue to uphold TIME’s storied 90-year visual history.
-By D.W. Pine and Skye Gurney
Lori has a great metaphor for careers. She says they’re not a ladder, they’re a jungle gym. As you start your post-HBS career, look for opportunities, look for growth, look for impact, look for mission. Move sideways, move down, move on, move off. Build your skills, not your resume. Evaluate what you can do, not the title they’re going to give you. Do real work. Take a sales quota, a line role, an ops job. Don’t plan too much, and don’t expect a direct climb. If I had mapped out my career when I was sitting where you are, I would have missed my career.
I shared this on Facebook earlier in the week acknowledging that this has been the exact narrative of my career and a lot of friends came out of the resume closet with similar feelings. I’ve been here, there, up the ladder, down a notch, and this quote has liberated me in ways I didn’t expect. Some have found the narrative of my career “interesting” or “wonderfully eclectic” but those are back-handed compliments because someone didn’t put the same premium on curiosity and exploration as I did.
I look forward to the next time I can share all of my experiences framed as growth, learning, application, and extrapolation of information in one area to some new challenge. There hasn’t been one experience that hasn’t somehow informed the next, or one further down the road in ways that continue to be surprising.
Also, I’ve seen a lot of inflated job titles lately that leaves me almost nostalgic for a former boss at an entertainment start-up who decided that job titles weren’t necessary. I suppose he thought it would allow our individual contributions to shine through but human beings need markers and validation of their performance or hell breaks loose…and yes, yes it di. Like I said, *almost* nostalgic.
So, is your career path a jungle gym or a rocket? Straight arrow or winding road to amazing? I really want to know!
I’m giving a webinar later today on social media (which I believe you’re welcome to attend, if you want.)
I’m supposed to tell public media people about my job and how they can use social media for their shows and stations. I have a power point presentation and some links and stuff but thought I’d ask if anyone has any specific advice, either for giving presentations (eek) or for people who might be getting on social media for the first time….
-Mel
Day 2 of my new daily conversation starter. Like a water cooler moment for friends across the Interwebs. Yesterday’s topic was purely cultural so today’s is purely social media, although that is cultural too. Right?
My two cents worth for the attendees of NPR’s webinar is: LISTEN. We’ve all had tons of practice listening - putting our listening ears on and instructing kids to do the same - but we still rush in with responses and proclamations. why do we humans have such a hard time with a seemingly simple skill?
Yes, a little ironic that I’m asking for your response here, and if you do add your 2 cents, I’ll know you’ve been listening.
Day ONE of the new Flair Media Minute Tumblr format. One topic o’ conversation per day and I really can’t think of a better topic to weigh in on than this.
I’ll kick things off and say that I wanted to see another fight break out between Pete and Lane, and let both self-serving fools have to explain their wounds to their wives. Yet somehow I still felt that Joan was never out of control, or without choice. Can you really argue with her decision as a single mother who is every bit as savvy as the men in the room who never thought, at the start, that she’d be standing alongside them as Partner? #flairminute
I’ve been invited to share some Marketing & Social Media tips-n-tricks with this talented fashion-forward Direct Sales group.
Looking forward to meeting everyone at Miche Momentum 2012 (by OfficialMicheBag).
Che was sent to trim our trees. (Taken with instagram)
No commentary required. Except this. I like the Facebook changes. So there.
I just spent a fantastic few days at DEMO Fall ‘11 seeing dozens of innovative tech product launches. Presenters spend a few minutes post- presentation further explaining their mission in the Startup America Lounge; here’s @MashON CEO Philippe Benoliel in that setting. Classy kudos to his team. Nice!
10 years ago today I sat with my Channel One News colleagues in a unnaturally quiet newsroom, watching as the events of 9/11 unfolded. No conversation. Just quiet. This video from The Chopra Center is a different type of quiet that I found useful today, 10 years down the road.
