I am a member of the famed Generation Y…the generation of babies born with cell phones attached to their diapers, that use the word “google” as a synonym for “search” and haven’t the slightest clue how anyone ever kept track of ALL their friends without Facebook.  We are described as extremely expressive, confident and connected*.

*FYI: We’re only as connected as our cell phone towers and Wi-Fi networks are reliable.

Along with most generations these days, we dig the social media craze. It’s another way for us to stay connected and have something to do (peace and quiet is not an option.)

Lately, I’ve been interested in understanding social media for Gen Y. I mean, I know I am supposedly a part of it, but I’m hardly as vocal as many of my counterparts. I’m especially interested in the millennials born in the 90’s (ah, the days of scrunchies and caboodles!) still in high school or fresh out. In my mind it’s that group that is incredibly vocal and free of inhibition (although I know my mom, would classify my status updates with weekend plans and photo albums as completely risky.) So…what are teens doing on social networks? Here are some new trends I’ve noticed.

SOCIAL NETWORKING AKA TALKING ABOUT ME, ME, ME…

They’re on Facebook updating their statuses and interacting with friends (that’s what Facebook is all about, right?) They tend to wear their hearts on their sleeves walls and they love apps based on quizzes and surveys like Friends Exposed.  Since it’s all about interacting with friends and expressing yourself, formspring.me (another platform that allows you to ask your friends questions on their own sites) has gained some nice momentum of late.

LOCATION BASED SOCIAL NETWORKING AKA GEOTAGGING

“Checking in” has become a buzz word as big markets (and now smaller markets) have adopted the geotagging trend popularized by sites such as Foursquare. You basically let people know where you are by “checking in"-to locations. Social networking for Gen Y is all about tearing down the boundaries. Our parents were taught to keep their business private…we’ve been trained to share it with the world.

VIDEO SHARING

This is not a trend. Repeat: this is not a trend. For most Gen Yers, YouTube is YouTube…how else do people find videos?

CAUSE RELATED SOCIAL NETWORKING/ACTIVISM

It’s been a decade of going GREEN, rocking the vote and popularizing the $5 donation. The youth are being empowered and there are countless networks online that continue to enable and activate the troops! SocialVibe, Kiva, Facebook Causes, the Good Guide iPhone app, the list goes on…

THE RANDOM

Finally there are the networks that are random and (sometimes unfortunately) exciting. Take Chatroulette for example (it’s a website that helps you randomly connect with strangers...with web cams.) It sounds like trouble to me, but I do recall the excitement of talking to strangers on AIM in middle school. Anyone remember what a/s/l means? I don’t endorse this behavior, but at the time it was about as thrilling as the 6th grade gets.

So, what do you think? Any major Gen Y trends I’m missing? I know some will come to me later in those middle of the night “a-ha!” moments, but this is what I’m seeing today. Hopefully some insight for businesses attempting to reach this demographic!

Oh and found this quiz from the Pew Research Center that might entertain: HOW MILLENIAL ARE YOU? I got an 83!

-Erin

Pantone (the “authority” on colors) provides the world of fashion, home décor and graphic design with oodles and oodles of color inspiration (not to mention those handy little color chip books that make matching colors oh-so-easy).

Twice a year they come out with the color trends for fashion and home and once a year they debut the color of the year. So…if any tells you that 2010 is the year of the tiger, I would kindly let them know that it is actually the year of turquoise and that they should forget about animal prints because turquoise is IN!

In all seriousness, color trends really are inspiration for us. We embrace some, scoff at others, but when it’s all said and done these color trends get our wheels turning.

For instance, we used notes of blue and turquoise (PANTONE 15-5519) on a book cover we designed last year (always trend forward, eh?!) However, since turquoise is a relatively feminine color we paired it with a complementing, bold red. The color turquoise is soothing, representative of water and a sense of rejuvenation. Red on the other hand is strong, powerful and controlled. The use of these two colors on opposite sides of the spectrum perfectly fit the title of the book: Navigate. See, there is a method to our madness at the turtle!

So…amongst the color trends that Pantone has introduced, here are some of my new faves: 

Amparo Blue, PANTONE 18-3945

or

Deep Blue, PANTONE 19-1620

Keep an eye out for the new Windermere Marathon website and the much anticipated Flying Goat logo. You’re in for a treat with the rich, vibrant shades of blue.

Tomato Puree, PANTONE 18-1661

A beautiful silky take on tomato (..or apple).

Pink Champagne, PANTONE 12-1107

Delicate and delicious shades of ivory, beige and blush.

Golden Glow, PANTONE 15-1050

or

Lemon Curry, PANTONE 19-4316

In the near future we plan to integrate some of those mustard-y, rich yellows into a brand. The right one just needs to come around…

Charcoal Gray, PANTONE 18-0601

Crisp, clean charcoal gray. Always a fave.

Purple Orchid, PANTONE 18-3027

Shout out for purple. Gotta love it!

What are you favorite colors? Don't worry...you aren’t limited to a box of Crayola crayons, so have some fun and check out the Pantones. You might just find some inspiration of your own.

-colorful thoughts from Erin



You have lots of experience and knowledge to share, maybe some business advice, or just something to say. You’ve decided it’s time to embark on a new venture for your business: you’ve decided to start a blog.

As a newcomer to blogging, you may feel pressured to follow in the footsteps of others and sign up for blogspot, wordpress, or blogger. But then what?

My advice? Treat your blog as you would adopting a dog: it needs careful planning, constant attention, friends, and a name (among other things).

Start by asking yourself the following questions:

1. What is my niche? Are you going to focus on one specific subject or various topics? Write down all the different possible subjects and find the common ground they all share. You will probably find you have a lot more to say than you thought.

What values, beliefs and perceptions do you wish to portray? This will help you give a voice and personality of your brand. TIP: keep it consistent.

What is your brand promise? What makes you YOU? There are 133 million blogs (indexed by Technorati) since 2002, 346 million people globally who read blogs (comScore March 2008) and on average 900,000 blog posts in any given 24 hour period.* How will you be different?

…This takes careful planning.

2. Who will read your blog? Knowing your target audience allows you to relate to them, talk to them as if you were talking to them in person, treat them with respect and professionalism, welcome their opinions and interact with them.

...These are your friends.

3. Set a schedule and stick to it (but monitor in between). Your followers will expect to hear from you on a regular basis. The more consistent you are the better trained they will be. Next thing you know you have followers for life.

…Be vigilent and pay constant attention to what is going on.

4. Finally find a name. You will set your blog's name as soon as you join the blogosphere, yourname.wordpress.com but if you want to be taken seriously then using your name followed by dot com is the way to go. A dot com extension will show that you are serious, aware of your choices, but want the very best. Choose a name that describes you, whether it’s direct, methaphoric, descriptive or evocative. The options are endless…choose thoughtfully and carefully.

Follow these steps and you will see your blog’s personality grow. Don’t get intimidated by the numbers and statistics but take it seriously, it can be one the best things you have ever done for yourself and your business!

-Purple infused words of advice from Sara Greene, Strategy and Marketing Director at the purple turtle, inc. 

*Statistics by http://thefuturebuzz.com/2009/01/12/social-media-web-20-internet-numbers-stats/

Working in a creative, design forward agency is BLISS. I love the freedom we have to take a blank piece of paper and turn it into something unique, aesthetically appealing and (yes, i know, a blank piece of paper generally turns into a paper airplane, but bare with me.)

It's amazing to see what research, innovation and a killer design team can do. Now... although my artistic skills on paper are well...comprable to a first grader's, I love being involved in the creative design process.

Here are a few of my favorite designs from 09' (& why!).

Cheri Bloom owns a dental practice in Coeur D'Alene. She came to us looking for clean, modern branding. In our inital meeting Cheri was pretty specific--she didn't want to see any teeth in her logo! We designed some logos that were great, but the design team got a fantastic idea for a clean, minimalistic tooth design. After a few tweaks to make it look like a realistic tooth, (c'mon...Cheri is a dentist) we landed on this great design!

The Gilmore Fine Art logo is genius. It's a logo that could stand alone in the Chelsea Art District, but is also reminiscent of Ed's abstract painting style and love of beautiful, bright, vibrant colors. The "O" with the two paint strokes above it is the exclamation point of this logo...it is bold and demands attention!

I love the logo we designed for the Parade of Hats at the 2009 Cobra Polo Classic. The design is clean and minimalistic, but at the same time it's fun--a perfect representation of the classy gals that rocked the oversized, glamorous hats, all in the name of fashion and polo (on a sweltering hot September day, no less!)

I didn't work closely on the Marcella's Bridal logo, but I do recall seeing various renditions of it--some with a silhouettes of a bride others mimicing the shape of a dress. The "m" is by far the best. Marcella is an artist, her muse comes from gowns and that pesky needle and thread. In my opinion this logo shares the elegance of a wedding with the delicate nature of sewing and tailoring. Nice job tailoring this logo to the Marcella's brand, Brad (I apologize for being cheesy!)

As you can tell...I like the girly logos. It isn't just their feminine edge...these logos embody modern elegance. My reaction to my favorite logos is similar to my reaction when trying on a PERFECT dress. It fits and it makes you feel like a new person. I'm sure you guys are disgusted right now, but my analogy is fitting for this client. Kyah and Annie of Panache are amazing wardrobe stylists... and these girls have panache.

A little background for you...The word panache has two meanings: 1. (literal) a plume, such as is worn on a hat or a helmet (not Yankee Doodle...) and 2. distinctive and stylish elegance. I think this logo encapsulates both these definitions quite well...and that feather is perfectly panache.

That's all for Friday!

Ciao! -Erin

We just wanted to congratulate TWO TPT clients, Marcella's Bridal and aNeMonE for being voted The Knot Best of Weddings 2010 Picks.  They were rated by local brides and voted some of the best! Congratulations!