It is a gorgeous day here in at AMG. We are embracing the warm weather with open arms... this has definitely been a long time coming! We hope you are enjoying your day as well and if not (or even if you are) perhaps this interview with our Creative Director Albert Whitley can help to bring a little more enjoyment to your day! If you are familiar with AM+G’s work that you have definitely seen a lot of Albert’s work. He is currently working on a revamping our capability statement so keep looking back for its premier.

Albert Whitley is an award-winning designer / design director with 10 years of experience in strategic brand design from integrated marketing programs, digital design, print and online advertising, branded experiences, environments, social media, packaging and print applications.

He is driven by equal parts design and business. As a design visionary, Albert's synthesis of the design profession is to be culturally sensitive, inspire, and to connect with meaning. His vast experiences, has allowed him to develop and lead world-class design solutions which impact brand strategy and increase business growth.

He has collaborated alongside with senior executives and creative leaders to create meaningful design solutions for global brands such as Adobe, Amway Global, BMW, Herman Miller, Maybelline New York, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars and Tele Atlas. His design contributions have been recognized and awarded by leading design publications, and appeared as a guest critic and panelist in leading discussions on design practice and trends.

Albert graduated from The Art Institute of Atlanta with a degree in Graphic Design. He currently serves on the AIGA Atlanta chapter board for the professional organization for design and The Society of Typographic Aficionado, an organization dedicated to type, typography and related arts.

Did you always want to do advertising?

I can remember in high school having a passion for communication, technology and science. Advertising and design sort of found me. A former high school teacher introduced me to the profession early on and my mom, in her own way, also introduced it to me advertising and design. My mom would always have me create church bulletins, plus my high school classmates always had me make flyers for parties. It was kind of fun, I learned what a printing was early on without even knowing what a printing press really was. Oddly enough I found myself addicted to creating stories, making imagery and playing with my Mac in my free time.

Why did you decide to start your own company?
Coming from a family of entrepreneur’s it has always been ingrained in our mind as kids – my sister and I – to run our own businesses. I have always had a passion for business, the process of operations and the endurance to sustain a healthy client base has always interested me. When I was 20, I started working for my father's company, MED transit, as a part-time driver and would drive patients to their doctor's appointments on a weekly basis. It was nice to make some extra cash for the summer but when I began to understand how my performance as a driver impacted business I knew that I wanted to own my own design studio.

Did you work anywhere before?
I was employed by a leading design agency, Grant Design Collaborative in Canton, GA. I learned a great deal from Mr. Grant and the design team about communication design, brand design and development, print, digital design, showroom design and product design. We wore many hats there. We did not do the traditional role of a designer and I really appreciate the lessons i learned there as a designer.

Favorite part of advertising?
My favorite part about advertising is the ideation and design development process. I enjoy collaborating with others who are willing to bring a viable voice or point of view. It is sort of fun and magical how we as designers can take a blank canvas and employ wonderful works that communicate and inspire.

Least favorite part?
Here are some things that can kill a strong creative idea or the ideation process fast – a bloated creative brief, a client with no vision or doesn't understand what we do, and last millions of revisions. I prefer to develop a strong relationship with clients, streamline the process, and allow creativity to thrive in a healthy environment. It is also equally as important that I have my client's business best interest. The is bottom line is the that if a client wants to be engaged, make sure their message is clear and concise and most importantly generates ROI for their business

Top 10 Dream Clients:

1. Apple
2. Olympics
3. Volkswagon
4. Dior
5. Tate Museum
6. Starbucks
7. Aveda
8. Godiva
9. Unilever
10. Google

As always don’t forget to check out our Facebook and Twitter pages!

We have some really exciting things happening at AM+G Marketing Communication. We have just launched a promotion on our Facebook fan page. We are offering a gift certificate to Starbucks for our 50th fan and a gift card to iTunes for our 100th fan. So invited your friends to be a fan today and maybe they’ll offer you a cut of their winnings!
We are also in the process of taking on some exciting new clients and working on a brand new capabilities statement, Keep checking back here and on our Facebook page for more information! As promised here is another interview from our creative strategist Jane Metcalf:

Did you always want to be in advertising?
No I wanted to be an exotic large game vet. That said I always had a flair for looking at things from a variety of angles and I was designing covers for my adventurous short stories as a kid.

What jobs have you held in the past?
My very first job was a dog walker. It was my first venture into the business world. I had my mom photocopy photos of my dogs and I made a collage with copy written by mom. I had 6 dogs in addition to our 3. So I walked 9 dogs twice a day. I also held jobs as a lifeguard, bike courier, researcher in a neuroscience lab, production artist, graphic designer and art director


What is your favorite part of advertising?
Researching, Conception, Strategizing and Creating

What is your least favorite part?
Prepress in Print

Top 10 dream clients

BMW
Apple
Chalone Vineyards
Sundance Channel
Louis Vuitton
Shaun White
Stowe Resort
X-Games
Chronicle Books

Check back again soon for a interview from Albert Whitley our Creative Director!

Don't forget to Fan us on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter

When I joined Facebook I was a freshman in college and the only thing on there were pictures of my friends getting wasted at parties. Now everyone has Facebook. My mom has a Facebook. Instead of drunken pictures she posts statuses that say, “So excited for my daughter Sara to come home this weekend!” It started with parents and then switched over to corporations.

My friend received her acceptance letter to graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh last week. She opened the large envelope, looked at the first page and it said, “Visit our Facebook page!” “Follow us on Twitter!” When she told me this I was completely weirded out. Although I guess I should not have been, just about every person and company out there has a Facebook Site.

From Burberry to Kathy Griffin everyone has a Facebook fan page with hundreds to hundreds of thousands of fans. They are uploading photos, sending links to random websites they like, posting information about appearances, sales, concerts, the list goes on and on.

Social media has allowed companies to relate to their customers like never before. They are now able to show their publics a different side of their company. They can show them that they are not just a company who sells $300 polo shirts, but that they also enjoy talking about themselves excessively. Okay… bad example but a company like AM+G for example posts lots of articles that we find interesting all the time.

Although Facebook is great let’s admit it people are getting lazy. Post more than a sentence, good luck getting anyone to read it.

This brings me to Twitter. Although I can understand how Twitter became such a phenomenon, I really cannot believe it. Twitter caught on like wildfire. It was like one day they announced the launching of the site and the next day it is the most used word of 2009.

I think that Twitter is so popular because it provides a very intimate experience between users. It is like having a conversation with whomever you are “following.” It has given people communication with a company or celebrity that they have never had before.

Who would have known that John Mayer was such a pervert? Or that Kim Kardashian does not know how to spell Pisces (although I probably could have guessed that one). Who says more than 160 characters in a sentence anyway? (To all of those who speak 300- 400; if people paid attention to you before, they probably do not anymore).

Aside from that, Twitter has been huge for larger companies as well. Dell, for example, posts their sales up on Twitter before they go up on their website. If you follow them on Twitter you are at a huge advantage.

I will admit that I joined Twitter a few months ago, but I swear I only did it as a career move (what does it say that I am embarrassed to admit I have a Twitter but not about having a Facebook? I guess I can explore that in another blog, but think about it). The importance of Twitter in the advertising and marketing world has grown in immense proportions. I just have a friend who basically did not get a job because she did not have a Twitter. A year ago having a Facebook was seen as a bad thing, but not it can be the difference between a new job and living on your parents couch.

It is evident that social media is the wave of the future. It is possible that in the future there will be no more advertising, only social media. … Okay probably not but it will affect the market. Advertising will become more competitive and to not have a Facebook, Twitter or whatever they come up with next will mean you may as well not have a company at all.

All of that being said make sure you follow US on Twitter and Facebook!

I have a case of the Mondays. That feeling where my brain is still weekending but work does not stop for a tired brain. Things need to get done. It has taken a lot of fine-tuning but I finally found a way to get passed them, let us know if they work for you!

1. Listen to relaxing music. Although relaxing music may not help for some for me relaxing music helps to clear out my brain. I can close my eyes and remember what my purpose at work is. There are a few songs that always help me. Just to name two Sia- Breathe me and John Lennon- Imagine

2. Get inspired. There are many different ways that I get inspired to do my work. Today we received a copy of communication arts in the mail and it has helped immensely in my Monday inspiration. The article on page 22 “Contemplating White Space” really spoke to me today. The article is about an exhibit done at the Guggenheim in New York called contemplating the void. The author Wendy Richmond has such a beautiful thought that I would like to share with you, “White space is not just about leaving blank spots. One has to establish content and structure in order to be successful in eliciting participation…” I refuse to explain how this helped me to be inspired because I implore you to think about how this can be used to inspire your Monday. (let us know how it did!)

3. Look forward to something. Mondays always seem slow. Maybe that’s because I do less work on Mondays. I find that when I do a lot of work they go by quicker. It is hard to work when all you can think about is how great/ fun/ unproductive your weekend was. Instead of looking back on last weekend look forward to next weekend or an upcoming vacation. I find that having a goal in mind helps me to get through my work quicker.

4. Write out what is on your mind. I keep a pad of paper by my desk and write down everything that is on my mind. Whether it is things that I have to get done that week or month, things that are making me upset or the reasons I do not want to do work, they all go on there. After I have all my thoughts down on paper it is as if I have wiped my slate clean and I am able to get done what needs to get done.

I hope that at least one of these tips helped you! All of us here are doing at least one of these and we are having a productive day! I hope you also come away with a constructive day and just remember tomorrow is Tuesday which means its not Monday J

Don’t forget to become a fan of our Facebook page and to follow us on Twitter.

Check back again soon for another interview!