Category: Success

Visual Transparency

Hi everyone!

Today’s topic is SMART Goals.

A brief definition of each objective and an example of how each objective can be applied to achieve an effective creative technical writing style.

Here, I am writing about visual transparency as it relates to an image I designed for Blocks, my first and ongoing social media management strategy. Blocks aims to explore left and right-brained thinking and our ability to control destiny (or in simpler terms, improve issues of self-image or esteem.) Note: Initially, I was going to include the image in this post, but the relevance of my imagery is too swift. I will always include my most recent works to keep you up-to-date with my current visual style and tone.

As an extra creative exercise, try to imagine a fruit to attach to each objective. How does it relate to the SMART goal and our definition of visual transparency? Could you affix these tasty symbols to a billboard? What would be the significance? How effective would say, a giant teal apple be at communicating a specific message?

I will post the fruits on my next post tomorrow!

BEGIN

HEADING: The heading is the text indicating the nature of the article below it. The large type front page headline did not come into use until the late 19th century when increased competition between newspapers led to the use of attention-getting headlines. (Wikipedia)

WILL IT ENTICE YOU IN A GLANCE?

SUBHEADING: For documents longer than 3 or 4 paragraphs, subheadings are an important usability and accessibility strategy to help readers both determine the overall outline of the document and to navigate to specific information on the page.

VISUAL TRANSPARENCY AS A COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY

SPECIFIC: Goals that are specific have a significantly greater chance of being accomplished. It should be well-defined, clear, and unambiguous. Essentially a definition of your idea that allows your audience to understand your topic more accurately. (CFI)

Visual transparency, from an artist’s standpoint, is a form of contextual openness that allows viewers to become engaged on a more subconscious or subliminal level.

MEASURABLE: Goals that are measurable have criteria for measuring progress. Criteria can be in line with your vision, mission, values etc. The point is to measure your progress somehow, for example, how would you measure engagement or participation? Is the action itself significant enough? In writing, a statement of intent is a great way to achieve a sense of measurability. (CFI)

As a writer and digital specialist, the goal is to be transparent, accurate and responsible. As an artist, I simply want to be engaged with my work and for my viewers to participate. Note: professional transparency has more to do with how others perceive you and what your actions say about your brand.

ATTAINABLE: Goals that are attainable help you figure out ways you can realize an objective and work towards it. The achievability of the goal should be stretched to make you feel challenged, but defined well enough that you can actually achieve it. It would be a good time to insert your call to action here. (CFI)

With all of the outlets available, viewers can participate using whichever preferred medium they desire. And they don’t need to be 100% engaged for it to matter. For example, your interaction with a billboard might only last 5 seconds, so the argument could be that visual transparency is actually quite critical.

RELEVANT: Goals that are relevant must be realistic given the available resources and your timeline. What would be the innovative or mainstream approach? What are pertinent examples you can showcase? What will be the outcome? Ideal or realistic? Your exploration should be relevant to your life’s or work’s purpose. (CFI)

This is who we are today. We embrace a fast and furious approach to everything and criticize the results. From placing mobile food orders to providing subscribers with a mere minute to execute a successful Instagram (video) campaign – the faster we engage our viewers while applying visual transparency, the more likely we can succeed in delivering our message.

TIME-BOUND: Goals that are time-bound must have a sense of a start and finish date. What is it like today, what will it be like in the future? If the goal is not time constrained, there will be no sense of urgency or motivation to achieve the goal. What is causing the urgency for action? Are we in a position to answer or question? (CFI)

Perhaps one day it will be different, but for now artists and marketers must adapt to these swift modes of communication. Visual transparency will become the norm, then who knows what will be next…

END

Does using the SMART goal technique help you? I believe that it is a great stepping stone towards achieving a more clear and linear style of communication. Test it out!

Meanwhile, dear Alice is still falling…

down?

below?

towards?

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5 Influential Marketing Personalities

Hi everyone! Without further ado…

We crowdsource (ideas). It’s our membership and contribution to the digital landscape. Wikipedia says –

Crowdsourcing is a sourcing model in which individuals or organizations obtain goods and services, including ideas and finances, from a large, relatively open and often rapidly-evolving group of internet users; it divides work between participants to achieve a cumulative result. The word crowdsourcing itself is a portmanteau of crowd and outsourcing, and was coined in 2005.[1][2][3][4] As a mode of sourcing, crowdsourcing existed prior to the digital age (i.e. “offline“).[5]

Crowdsourcing is a great way to develop content and topics for your target audience. I put together a listicle based on a few influential marketing personalities I admire. In my opinion, they provide some answers (to my design life) and a unique perspective. I hope  they can help you in any way, shape or form.

Also, here they are in a creative digital collage. Does it make you crave mangoes or money?

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1

 

Chris Do, Matthew Encina & the team at Blind

It started with advice from my brother. He goes, check out the vlog by The Futur. This happened right when I started at VanWhistle Media. I was looking for a way to feel inspired. These guys helped me identify high-end pricing techniques and I designed my website portfolio around a couple of videos they put out with creative director of Vrontikis Design Office, Petrula Vrontikis. I’m drawn to these guys for simple reasons – energy and passion.

2

Seth Godin

It started with an interview. Chris Do and Seth Godin, together, hashing out topics like, What is school for? Watch it on YouTube – Seth Godin—Make Something Everyday (Best Hour You’ll Spend Today). This was the first time I felt inspired to write continuously and I tried out (half of) his challenge by posting 50 blog posts, once a day. I didn’t quite make it to 50, but the point of the matter is, I identified with Godin’s creative process. He also coined the phrase Make Change Happen, a slogan I adopted for my artistic identity BLOX.

3

Barney the Business Guy

Just a straight-up, no fluff business guy, I follow Barney Cohen on Instagram. I can’t remember how our paths crossed, but he offers a refreshing, business-minded approach to life’s common obstacles. Coming from a corporate background, I identify with his mentality, clear reasoning and straightforward delivery. He has 50 years of experience in business, so his acumen is spot-on. You can check him out on Twitter as well.

4

Neil Patel

Shoot, I almost forgot! Neil is probably the most humourous, dramatic, yet to-the-point marketing entrepreneur I have come across to date. He helps me understand the importance of brand development and every time I come across his feed, I’m pretty sure we’re thinking the same thing. Quid pro quo at it’s finest, Neil can help you develop metrics that work and he will provide all the necessary reasonings behind it. On top of everything, he’s an excellent copywriter.

5

The Rock

To think mainstream is to truly understand the relationship between popularity and accessibility. The Rock shows us that fame can be your next door neighbour, unpretentious and welcoming. In the pursuit of greatness, his face and voice puts a sticker on my blank page. Everyone loves stickers. Not everything has to be complicated. Sometimes you are just a do-gooder with a gigantic heart. The Rock shares these emotions with me and his 154M followers.

What do you admire? Who inspires you to do better? Whether it be music or satirical retorts, we have something in common!

 

Welcome

Hi everyone!

What type of woman would you hire to help brand your business? What marketing skills should she hold? What type of sales personality will she have? Is she strong, independent and willing to change in order to meet and exceed current industry objectives?

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Influence

Hi everyone!

We want to fit into the human experience, but in today’s digital condition, it can all seem very confusing. Let’s explore the idea of illusion and HOW it relates to social media marketing.

An illusion is a misrepresentation of a “real” sensory stimulus – that is, an interpretation that contradicts objective “reality” as defined by general agreement. For example: reach, likes, your interaction with a mirror or the selfie.

The psychological concept of illusion is defined as a process involving an interaction of logical and empirical considerations. Common usage suggests that an illusion is a discrepancy between one’s awareness and some stimulus.

Are you able to identify some LABELS OF ILLUSION used in social media today? Do the labels impart a lesser or greater influence in terms of how we see ourselves and others?

Case Study

Label:

She is in a bikini, showing the world her body. She is smiling, so she is happy with her appearance and comfortable in her own skin.

Hypothesis:

Influence, as opposed to reach, can extend beyond numbers/demographics and descriptors/psychographics.

Explanation:

Within our cultural/societal context, the labels identified in pink can impart a greater influence on ourselves and others. (Note: influence does not always have a positive effect/affect.) HOW? Cultural appropriation (in visual arts, to appropriate means to properly adopt, borrow, or recycle) effects/affects everyone using the same medium. Marshall Mcluhan, considered by many to be the first father and leading prophet of the electronic age (leaderu.com) argued that, “The medium is the message.” Therefore, the more people exploring similar labels influence more people and the message itself becomes more significant or important. WHY? Cultural integrity says that everybody is included and can be a part of the message. Support is shown by repeating labels within both our cultural/societal context and the content of our individual situations (message). (Note: again, support can have a positive or negative effect/affect.) The more we relate to one another, the greater influence can be.

Exploration:

What we want to know is – HOW then, can we substantiate, quantify (excellence) or qualify (perfection) the labels that we see across channels and platforms? You’ve probably come across messages proclaiming, “She just looks that way online, but in real life, she is miserable.” Or captions that comment, “That is just a flattering angle, I’m posing.” And, “She used filters to slim her waistline and to make it seem like she is wearing makeup.”

Within our cultural/societal context, the labels identified in red impart an even greater influence on ourselves and others. HOW? Cultural integrity causes a competitive sentiment which promotes unique content and more importantly, individuality. This brings us back to asking WHY? And, we can answer in the same way as above — cultural appropriation says that everybody can be included and is a part of the message. Support is shown by repeating labels (or opposing labels) within both our cultural/societal context and the content of our individual situations (message). The more we relate or contend with one another, the greater influence will be.

So, how can we discern true ownership in a digital condition riddled with illusion? 

Cultural appropriation: to explore further

Cultural integrity: to explore further

Effect: to explore further

Affect: to explore further

Strong values and ideas in branding are important. This is cultural appropriation + cultural integrity. Everyone can play a role because as a whole, we are impressing cultural/societal change and development for ourselves and for others. No matter WHAT the message is, it is being shared and released within a free, digital democracy and thus, the content we create and HOW it is transmuted becomes a message in and of itself.

Influence is an original, unbiased and rare phenomenon. It can create a streamlined effect in messaging (communication), which affects WHY we think.

The questions become:

WHY do we choose to direct the flow of creation, messaging and communication (our omnichannel experience)? To change the human experience? To change negative thought processes? As an outlet to comprehend the difference between analog and digital meaning? To explore our digital condition? To belong to a revolution? To simply participate?

To expand:

Use Digital Presence – A Business Model (exploring left and right-brained equalization through messaging/communication management)

Conclusion (for now):

Blox. Communications is always looking for ways to impact the greater picture. We are a POWER OF INFLUENCE and we want to ask: HOW can we influence positive change in the human experience psyche using a digital mind frame? Can our channels become more transparent if a few simple rules (i.e. questioning ASMR) or set practices (use of the selfie to elevate self-esteem, rather than self-image) were put into place? Can our platforms be used for something other than self-promotion? This competitive nature that we rarely talk about, it is happening and what is it serving us? Do we need to adopt digital minimalism? Studies show anxiety among youths has skyrocketed and Generation Z is suffering the consequence with increased cases of depression, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), impulsive disorder, problems with mental functioning, paranoia, and loneliness (adaa.org). Needless to say, our society is up to speed. We know this is going on, but WHAT are we going to do to change it?

Worry is a false attribute. That is the argument – that our involvement in the digital condition is impacting the human experience, our psyche, modes of thinking and ways of communicating messages. We can choose to negate the entire experience, or we can believe that change is already happening. And, for the better.

We don’t need physical collaboration. It occurs spontaneously through the power and magic of digital media. We are all potentially working together, depending on how you choose to see it.  Your perception is bold enough to see outside of regular composition. You can see more than the truth that the regular world presents to us. You see an ideal, an ideal that is off the grid and too good to conceive. So, it is a matter of comprehension. HOW will we bring the world together in our new digital condition? Can we teach youth HOW to go beyond apparent teachings? Can humankind collectively push the boundaries of medicine and science (through art and language), so that our human experience can be brought into a new time frame that will change the very aspects of our health and wellness?

Continue to imbue your force upon other forces. In this great way, wild things will occur. Changes guys, changes!

This journal (thesis development) is TBC. If you have any inquiries, please reach out – info@chonsfecanlas.com.

A Work in Progress

Hi everyone!

People wonder what I do, how I do it and why (golden circle). My blog provides answers to these questions.

To get you started, here is a profile and business model that I have been developing for BLOX/Blox. Communications.

As BLOX –

  1. I do writing, art and design.
  2. I do it for enjoyment, for education and for the development of my brain.
  3. My work targets a specific niche that caters to creative and technical authors, digital artists and designers who are innovative yet mainstream, and who work passionately and effectively in their particular domains.

As Blox. Communications –

  1. I do branding, marketing and sales.
  2. I do it for guidance, for learning and for the development of my ideal customer/source audience (1000 followers on Instagram by September 2020).
  3. My work targets a specific niche that caters to brand experts, marketers and digital specialists who are innovative yet mainstream, and who work passionately and efficiently in their particular domains.

I’m excited to share this information with you and welcome any comments.

Let’s start!

PROFILE

Blox is an artistic identity that was developed in the early 2000s. Since then, it has become a moniker for Chona’s creative + technical work embodying explorations of (a concept called) Digital Presence. She explores its relationship to topics surrounding the business and execution of art in digital marketing.

It is important to focus on our direct connection to customer needs, emotions and competitive environments. Selling is often an important feature and for success, we should present fluent work for customers to engage with.

As a creative director, Chona dreams of influencing the corporate landscape, impacting HOW and WHY companies use art in digital marketing applications. For the next year or so, she plans to either upgrade her educational background or find a permanent position with an agency open to art, growth and creation.

In order to breed success, I understand that I must learn the ins and outs of working in an ad environment, how to manage marketing clients and how to fit in with the demands of a competitive and ever-changing industry.

 BUSINESS MODEL

This business model creates objective goals for  my work as a digital specialist, social media/brand strategist and creative director focused on Digital Presence. I would like to create projects that incite wonder, plus change. I believe my experience and approach can create long-term impact for clients engaged with today’s latest digital platforms.

I will ask you this about your business:

  1. How did it all begin?
  2. What does your business need help with today?
  3. What is the spirit of your company?
  4. How can we improve your Digital Presence?

GOALS

a) To develop BRAND IDENTITY via transparent, accurate & responsible communication.
b) To promote GROWTH + ATTENTION using state of the art processes and techniques.
c) To cultivate COMPREHENSION of digital presence using a Simpler & Larger approach.

MISSION

Simpler & Larger – To produce work that is easily understood and done, so that businesses can consider a greater capacity.

VALUES

1. INTEGRITY is a choice of being honest; it encompasses consistent standards & ideas that impact a greater picture.
2. TRANSPARENCY is how actions are observable; it brings clarity & accuracy to communication where multiple parties are involved.
3. BELIEF is trust and confidence in our audience and work; it promotes the realities of the digital landscape through careful management of the creative process & its outcomes.

APPROACH

I approach my work with professionalism, courage and open-mindedness. I break it down this way –

I) Be professional; make a statement.
II) Have courage to make large moves; understand the difference between path and journey.
III) Be optimistic; express gratitude – open-mindedness can create a tidal wave effect.

FOCUSES

Communications
Strategy Development
Art Direction
Branding
Advertising
Promotions
Digital Marketing
Design
Research
Social Media
The Customer Journey
Creative Writing
Technical Writing
Campaign Creation
Content Creation
Sales
Adaptive Learning
Analytics
AI

This document is updated regularly, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.

Hub Concept

Hi everyone! This post applies mainly to web design. Find strength in your structure and harmony in your layout using The Hub Concept.

Composing Experience

The Hub Concept is a compositional structure that creates an effective visual centre of information. By strategically composing numerous content and design elements in a way that reflects the brand’s motives, viewers can become a part of the total, encompassing experience (the experience is a motivating force that captivates the audience).

At VanWhistle Media, this concept was used to develop the website for 360 Integrative Medical Centre. Their modern facility approach focuses on providing customers with an immersive centre of services, so it made sense to parallel  their mission by ensuring that the structure of their website was also, an effective visual centre of information. When used alongside the 3-click rule, The Hub Concept can decrease bounce rate and increase viewer satisfaction (or the motivating forces that captivate your audience).

The Hub Concept can be applied to other areas of advertising and digital marketing. For example: billboard/banner design or social media post formats.

Just Like School

Always think of building fortitude (through strength in your structure and harmony in your layout) with determination. The key is to apply your original ideas in their fullest state. You need to make notes mentally or physically, so that you can remember what your original intention was. Then, research and find connections. Clarify your original ideas, don’t change them necessarily, make practical and structured edits, so that the real (fullest) idea can come into fruition.

Determination builds character and so it will do the same for your website. Don’t think about making things the same as others; think about defining your business’ identity through formatting and careful, structured planning. The Hub Concept represents the full evolution of your content and design elements working together, with integrity + synergy.

Then, you arrive at the next level, acquiring a Simpler & Larger capacity. The way it feels is that things should start to roll off your shoulders and you will probably feel more calm and relaxed. We don’t need to feel pressure or anxious at all. It will come together naturally. Even during the next stage of criticism. The power of The Hub Concept is that, it is all there – explanation and  information. We don’t fall, we slide down! Hear what they have to say, and believe me, room will remain.

Do you have other examples of this idea put to work? Let’s hear about it! 

 

 

Digital Presence

Hi everyone! Let’s get right to it!

Digital  presence. As marketers, we want to talk about it. We want our clients to be aware, so they can be responsible for their own success. We want to give them a model to follow so that they can apply their ideas, optimize process and make streamlined business decisions more effectively. One way to understand how this can work, is to follow a simple model that outlines four core digital marketing services + concepts, working alongside a digital marketing strategy (Digital Presence Business Model).

Here’s a brief synopsis –

The Digital Presence Business Model simplifies the functionality of four core digital marketing services. When I developed this model for VanWhistle Media, the four core services used were – web development, social media management, SEO and branding. Following another model called Simpler & Larger, we connect the services to a few simple ideas as a way to keep a primary focus. Simpler & Larger is a basic notion that work should be easily understood and done, so that the business can consider a greater capacity. The harmony between concept and functionality makes it easier to apply the services each step of the way. And used together, the services become intact, stable and strong. Your brand’s core attributes will become more refined and you will begin to see fluidity and consistency throughout your total business approach.

image

The 4 core services and their core concepts are:

  1. Web Development – IDENTITY (analytical, logical, objective); left-brained; efficiency
  2. Social Media Management – IMAGE (intuitive, thoughtful, subjective); right-brained; passion
  3. Branding – CORE (central, definite, overall); heart; innovation
  4. Search Engine Optimization – FOOTPRINT (forward thinking, capacity, evolution); brain; mainstream

I am currently using a variation of this model to explore social media as a tool to establish/solidify brand strategy/identity. Using the brain, we can equalize the impressions we create based on our personalities and emotional predispositions. This is in development, but if you would like to hear more about it let me know! Also, check it out on my Instagram account – @chona_canlas.

Brand Names

Hi everyone! Branding is about consistency. Consistency in the words and language used to describe what you sell and do. Plus, if we can make personal connections to our messaging (visual communication), our audience will see better (think Visual Transparency).

Okay, let’s ride.

If your brand delivers quality products and/or services, creates exceptional digital exposure and aligns with your customers’ values, then we will begin to associate your brand with positivity (reciprocal awareness, ideology, experience, emotion etc.).

Wow, this website shows their products in a sensible order / the product descriptions are detailed and personalized / this makes me think of the wool bucket hats my Grandmother made / I want to contact the store right now to see if they have the hats in stock. And so on and so forth. The buyer’s process is attentive. What we need to ask is – is the seller’s process absolute?

Timing differs from various perspectives. In marketing sales, process and planning may not always be aligned. We need to find ways to guarantee customer conversion, but how can this be done?

Like the beautiful calico print top you wore when you were three or like the rain splattered window you peered out of on your way home from piano lessons, our audience develops brand identity in the same way we develop thought processes. Hup 2 3 4, hup 2 3. I would even argue that the buyer’s process is creative and the seller’s process is technical.

Can we then leverage creativity in a technical way to ensure customer conversion? Perhaps a topic for Kevin David!

For example, we (Sellers & Buyers) make the same, dedicated connections when observing a special life experience. Then, this can be observed through products and services. We recall brand names and in the long-term, we remember who you are for what you can bring to the table. Then, the name you have chosen to attach to your products and/or services will become synonymous and eventually engrained in time.

Time is of the essence and proves that business can have longevity! Seems really obvious, but it isn’t.

This is the importance of material and conceptual brand development (transparency) — when our audience can automatically associate a brand name with positive things, they become our friends for life! And that’s the brand speaking. This is the beginning of things of ‘internet of things’ (IOT) or one aspect of artificial intelligence (AI) – visual communication, visual transparency and straight-up old transparency.

Post brought to you by the McDonald’s and Tim Hortons billboards on McBride Ave (heading north). 

🙂

Definitions

Hi everyone! Coming up with a unique definition can be tough. In order to understand Daisy’s story, we need to understand the conceptual terms that are presented. Can you help me define these ideas more accurately?

A Day –

Alive – a subsidized program enabling all citizens of mankind to partake in new technologies. The only side step is that it can be forced, unwelcomed and misunderstood to the point where confusion may set in counterparts. Return to Artha for renewed vitality

A Moment – You’re driving, the radio is on, a song plays and your entire Being is rushed with feeling. The feelings are so intense that you quiver and cry. You must get back to to Artha or suffer the consequences of emotionality

A Tree –

Always-always – A cutting edge technology in fabric that allows the human brain to decide between wool or cotton. A necessary sensory experience due to global warming

Animal characters – Filburt (beaver), Stan (antilope), Shady and Slime (frogs), the falcon,

Artha – Relatable to ego; meaning, sense, goal, purpose or essence; a place

Baby Bear – Baby Romel (in spirit)

Banana split second – That indulgent minute when you awake and everything feels perfect

Being – Relatable to id; associated with fire and the power of transformation; a lustrous gem

Bling –

Blueberry – A retro blue Ty bear stuffie, sewn together with black thread; his beady eyes are made of wind-blown agate, a mystical find these days in Chon

Daisy – Our existential hero

Dream – Ignorance; created by Alice for Daisy

Each Other -Chona (Each) and Romel (Other); the reason for everything; relational goal

Food – cherry scone, hot drink of lemonade, ham and cheese biscuit, ham and cheese sandwich, ham and cheese omelette, French macarons, sandwich, fruit salad, barbecued pork chop muffins, star anise, sweet lemons, grass seed, bread, Earl Grey, 3% milk, taro cream buns, Nanö, Dreamsicles, bright green granny smith apple, gum, solid steel jelly beans,

Free –

Gods – Alice from Wonderland, Judge Judy, Linz, Indigo (Paradise Colours)

Human characters – Daisy, Cherry

Life –

Locations – Chon, Elevententeen, Life Space, Nike outlet

Manipura – Relatable to superego; the totality of currency, the conscience plus the ideal self; an animal

Others –

Outsiders –

Seventeen – Dilettante, youngest version of Chona

Space – Where Daisy lives at times

Spaces – Diet, exercise, sex, sleep

Spiritual characters – A Day, A Tree, The Need, The Pause

States – Manipura, Artha, Being

Theories – Fever,

Toys –

Tree characters – Jared, Paul

Wide Awake –