March 2007

Kung Fu Fighting

Submitted by webdesign on Fri, 2007-03-02 15:03

We do a lot of things at PlattForm-web design, media buying, video production, public relations, and gymnastics. (The gymnastics is kind of a long story, so let's save that for another time.) But how about BREAKING BOARDS WITH OUR FISTS? Do we do that?

I'm proud to say that the answer is now a resounding yes. As a reward for good behavior, Pinky McMillon from the Quality Assurance department brought in some boards and showed Web Design how to break them. With our fists. Here are some pictures to commemorate the experience:

Proofer humor: an acquired taste

Submitted by webdesign on Mon, 2007-03-05 15:38

It’s no secret that proofing is a tedious, monotonous, sometimes even (dare I say it?) boring job. There are days where we spend upwards of two hours proofing a single web site (oh, the link checking!) and big projects, so I’d think it comes as no surprise that sometimes, we get a little goofy.

The three-click rule and other myths

Submitted by webdesign on Wed, 2007-03-07 15:26

If you don't know, it's kind of an unwritten rule that a user should be able to get anywhere on a site in three clicks or less. It seems that clients know this even better than designers at times—we've had web sites rejected for breaking this rule. Well, they're now finding that this isn't as true as it's thought to be. It's not a bad idea, per se; but there are much more important ideas that take precedence over this one.

Blog agog!

Submitted by webdesign on Fri, 2007-03-09 10:30

A year ago, I thought I was the coolest person on the face of the earth because I had a blog.
Little did I know that everyone and their dog (and their dog’s groomer) had a blog.

A year ago, I thought the world would be amused, bemused and tickled pink by my whimsical wordsmithing.

Little did I know that all my friends are more clever then I am … at 3:15 am on a Tuesday morning … which is usually when they post.

A year ago, I was completely enamored with myself and my musings on life, love and pursuit of PlattFormness.

Think Pink!

Submitted by webdesign on Wed, 2007-03-14 13:07

by Shannon Cline

Ode to MPlatt …

Submitted by webdesign on Fri, 2007-03-16 14:41

The owner of this company is an odd duck. There, I said it …

How do I know this? YEARS of experience working for the infamous and legendary MPlatt. Like “The Three Faces of Eve” … I now give you “The Three Faces of MPlatt.” Fasten your seatbelts … it’s going to be a bumpy ride.

MPlatt – The Practical Joker

Happy accidents happen

Submitted by webdesign on Mon, 2007-03-19 10:51

A random bit of conversation turned into some interesting reflection for me today. One of my co-workers mentioned that he gets up at 5:30 to hit the gym (yeah, I’m impressed too), and I was like, “Yeah, I used to have to be up at 5:30 … a really long time ago, I had to be at work at 5:30!” We started talking about past jobs, and he finally asked, “How did you end up in graphic design?”

Dead PlattFormers – We keep to ourselves

Submitted by webdesign on Wed, 2007-03-21 07:43

For kicks, I lead a creative writing group at PlattForm called the Dead PlattFormers Society. You probably recognize the play on words from the popular movie of similar title back in the early ۥ90s.

I actually hated the movie when it came out. I had this annoying friend who thought it would be life altering to live his life by the slogan “Carpe diem,” which, of course, translated means, "I'm a loser." So he went around for about six months telling people about the film and how he loved it.

500 E-mails

Submitted by webdesign on Fri, 2007-03-23 07:40

I recently took a much needed period of time off and was out of the office for four days. As great as time off is, it’s the coming back I dread. My apprehension grows for one reason only: checking on all the e-mail I missed. I was fortunate to come back to only 500 e-mails. In the Media department, that’s not too bad. In addition to regular e-mails from employees within PlattForm, we also have all the vendors for each of the clients with which we work.

I started through my e-mails early this morning. Here’s what I found (annotated with my inner monologue):

Direct Mail update? Nah, just some basketball.

Submitted by webdesign on Mon, 2007-03-26 12:53

How can I think of direct mail at a time like this? It’s the beginning of spring, and you know what that means – NCAA madness. I know I’m supposed to give some facts about direct mail and how it can improve your school’s overall marketing plans, but I’m still trying to get back to a normal heart rate after the Jayhawks of Kansas eked out a victory over the Salukis of Southern Illinois. Hey, a win’s a win no matter how ugly. But I give the Jayhawks credit for grinding out a victory. Just like every sports fan, I have a few opinions after reflecting on this game.

Work is sometimes a drag!

Submitted by webdesign on Fri, 2007-03-30 09:09

I’m a director. I yell “CUT!”, “ACTION!”, “THAT’S A WRAP!” and all the other nonsensical things that my people bark out. It’s a great gig. And I’ve been told I’m quite good at it.