November 29, 2011 In appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, drawing, illustration, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #48: Pizza

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

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Because sometimes you just need to be mindless.

Pizza’s a happy, tasty, satisfying no-brainer made to order, with all kinds of goodness going on. It’s doughy and crusty and cheesy and saucy ~ and if you toss some veggies on, it’s a downright healthy meal! Not to mention it’s a very social food, built for sharing, bringing people together. And it makes us feel Italian. Pizza’s good stuff.

Versatile too. There’s thin and thick and deep-dish, white and red, chewy and crunchy. For artistic palettes, it’s a blank culinary canvas, a playground for all sorts of nifty gastronomical toppings. And how many foods are fun to watch being made?

There are lots of reasons to love pizza. But the truth of it is that we don’t have to think too much ~ we just enjoy it, in all its glorious, unsophisticated, delicious genuineness.

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November 22, 2011 In appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, drawing, illustration, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #47: Perfection

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

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A grand old oak. Moonlight on a tranquil sea. The timed-just-right one-liner. A child’s first alphabet. These are perfection.

And you (yes ~ you) are perfection. In all your realness, your uniquely you-ness, just the way nature made you, flaws and all. It’s not measured by the length of your legs, the width of your belly, or whether you might not be so good at baseball or science.

Unless you’re a jet engine, perfection is as nature made you. And nothing is more perfect, nothing so magnificently intricate and complex that runs more efficiently nor encompasses more bounty, grace, grandeur and passion than nature.

An exquisite rose reminds us of the world’s beauty; its thorns remind us that there is always a purpose beyond what meets the eye. An ugly plant may not elicit oohs and ahhs, but it might perhaps hold a cure for cancer.

We’re all part of nature’s fabric. We all have beauty, we all have thorns. We all have gifts, and reason to be here. Each and every one of us. Flawed, and marvelously, perfectly ourselves.

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November 17, 2011 In books, communication, words and language By Patricia Saxton

Why Bother to Proofread?

Ah, so I’m not the only one who spots a single typo on a page of 300 small-print words. Of course, to err is human (we’ve all done it), so no scolding here, just some fun and an underscore of why we bother to proofread.

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“The Pasta Bible” by Silvio Rizzi and Tan Lee Leng: … A recipe calls for “freshly ground black people,” (I’m thinking that oughta be black “pepper”, no?)

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“The Fiction” by H.P. Lovecraft: … “…our vessel was made a legitimate prize, whilst we of her crew were treated with all the fairness and consideration due us as navel prisoners.” (Unintentional belly humor.)

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“The Queen’s Governess” by Karen Harper: … “In the weak light of dawn, I tugged on the gown and sleeves I’d discarded like a wonton last night to fall into John’s arms.” (A rather starchy romance…)

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“An American Tragedy” by Theodore Dreiser …”…harmoniously abandoning themselves to the rhythm of the music – like two small chips being tossed about on a rough but friendly sea.” (Lays or Doritos?)

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“King James Bible”, 1631: …”Thou shalt commit adultery.” (yikes)

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And one from my personal archives….. back in the mid 80’s, a hulking print campaign of AT&T’s “Spirit” phone system had inadvertently used a competitor’s name, “Sprint”, in place of “Spirit” throughout the documents. Luckily someone caught it before it went to press…

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(Typo spottings from above best-selling books, courtesy HuffPost Books section.)

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November 14, 2011 In appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, drawing, illustration, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #46: Pair of Pears

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

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A pair of pears. Why not just pair, or just pear? Because, as we have been taught, things are often better in pairs. Two eyes, two hands, two feet, for example. Or “two heads are better than one”. Noah filled the ark in pairs. Girls always use the ladies room in pairs.

It must be, then, that two pears are more advantageous than one lonely pear all by itself. Twice the fiber, twice the vitamin C, and twice the calming effects on the nervous system.

Of course, the real truth is that I picked Pear as a positive P because, for some reason, I like to paint them. I actually prefer to paint them than eat them. Their curves and colors are incredibly conducive to a pen or brush ~ they practically beg for portraiture. For this reason alone, pears are good. Add in the medicinal benefits and they’ve got “positive” written all over them.

So a pear of pairs presents a dual positive. And I figure we could all use a double-dose of cheerful thinking now and then. Just remember to try and pair up wisely. And yes, eat your fruit.

"Two Pears" / © Patricia Saxton / Oil on Canvas

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November 12, 2011 In branding, business, communication, design, graphic design, intelligence, marketing, presentation, social media, web design By Patricia Saxton

Orchestrating a Website

You need to bite the bullet and create a website. Or your old site is in dire need of an update. No big deal, right?

Maybe, maybe not. There are easy ways and harder ways, less expensive ways and more expensive ways. But whichever way you choose, you have to understand that there are moving parts involved.

It’s a virtual symphony of information and imagery, with varying degrees of interconnected elements that create the whole song. And as with song, the parts can be arranged well or not so well ~ and the audience can tell the difference.

So before you begin, do your homework. Know what your site is about, and organize your content ~ at the very least a simple outline. Figure out who your audience is, and speak to them ~ try to put yourself in their shoes. Look at what your competitors are presenting … discover what makes you/your business unique. Play to your strong points while being as authentic as you possibly can.

Consider what your main topics will be, your sub-topics, what you want to say and how you want to say it. Whether you want a blog, a website or both. Whether you’ll tie in to social media, use videos, slide shows, shopping carts. Whether you’re enamored by bells and whistles or truly need them to boost your message. Whether a template, a modified template or fully custom is best. Whether you need a very simple web presence, or a full-fledged living website.

When you’re ready to make the plunge and toot your horn, there’s help out there to get you started and/or take you through the whole orchestration.  We’re one of those places. Talk to a few; find the match that suits your needs. And whoever you choose, make sure communication is clear and open in both camps so that the flute solo comes in on cue and the trombones don’t drown out the violins.

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November 7, 2011 In appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, drawing, illustration, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #45: Pachyderm

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

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Wrinkles never looked so good. Nor housed beings so big and rich in personality, intelligence, loyalty and tender care as an elephant clan.

Then there are the rhinos and hippos. And wild boars and warthogs. And I have to say I’m pretty enamored with their novelty and longevity in a civilized world. Just knowing they exist makes me happy for some reason.

That I’ve seen them in the wild makes me even happier ~ but let me tell you, I wouldn’t want to cross any of them when they’re in bad mood. They’re thick-skinned and they don’t take any bull. You gotta admire that.

And there’s something to be learned there, huh. Longevity… loyalty… thick skins… worrying less about things that are out of our reach, and more about taking care of what’s within our grasp, right here and now.

Food for thought.

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November 3, 2011 In appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, drawing, illustration, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #44: Pumpkin

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

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Pumpkin season! Bewitching, enchanting, spooky, happy pumpkin season….

I know I’m a little late on this one. It was all ready to go, then the power went out. Then it stayed out. Halloween itself was cancelled. School’s been cancelled. So you could say, life took a turn.

But the power’s back on, and my orange Pumpkin Cat “P” is here to remind us to make room to be bright, lighthearted and playful, a little bit preposterous ~ and, yes, even pointless now and then. :  )

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October 24, 2011 In appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, drawing, illustration, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #43: Patterns

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

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They’re unavoidable. Patterns, seen or unseen, weave the tapestries of life. From small and intricate to big and bold. Some as “routine” as the sun rising and setting, or tides coming and going. Some, like the hides of zebras and giraffes, are unique and irregular. An Aztec calendar is mystifying. A sky of stars, grand and mind-boggling. The patterns upon patterns that create the whole big universe ~ unfathomable.

And then there are the patterns of daily life; individual tapestries woven from the choices we make ~ the clothes we wear, the colors we include, the language we use, the people we align with, the actions we take, the thoughts we think.

And all of our choices that are creating patterns that are busy creating our own personal tapestries, interweave with others’ patterns creating their own personal tapestries ~  all becoming part of the quilt of the great big unknowable picture.

So how do you want to pattern your world? Which thought patterns serve you well and which get in your way? How will you weave your life tapestry?

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October 17, 2011 In appreciation, art, communication, creativity, design, drawing, illustration, inspiration By Patricia Saxton

A Plethora of P’s / #42: Pursuit

proactively punctuating life with the plausible, powerful possibilities of positive thought presented through a plethora of “P’s”.

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Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.  ~ Pamela Vaull Starr

Plant the seeds. Climb the hills. Cross the streams. Reach for the moon and stars. Your dreams are worthy of attending.

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October 14, 2011 In branding, business, communication, creativity, graphic design, presentation By Patricia Saxton

To Logo or Not to Logo…

A client posed the following question: “What’s your perception of logos and are they a cost-effective investment?”

I love this question. It’s not new, nor is the discussion. But considering the unstable climate of our financial times, one worth a revisit. Everyone’s trying to be more careful and make more intelligent decisions about where their dollars go. So, I felt inspired to share my answer:

A logo is the hub of your brand identity. The grand central station. It’s the singular consistent visual that appears everywhere, on everything, carrying your identity into livingrooms and faraway lands and back.

It’s what you put on the packages you send out that says “we’re a real company”. It’s your signature, your great “identifier” ~ so that when people repeatedly see a certain shape or combination of shapes, colors and letters it prompts a psychological association with a company, a person, a quality. You get the idea.

It’s recognition by repetition. And that’s a good thing, because you want to be noticed. And you want it to be strong at-a-glance; something that’s, if not remarkable, at least memorable. Like these classics:

That all said (and I kind of hate to say this since logos are something I do) … you can have a “look and feel” without a logo per se. You can create an “identity” with colors and fonts and use of space.

Case in point: another client wants to establish herself as a voice in the fashion world via writing, and her cash flow is tight. She was convinced she needed a logo and a whole brand identity scheme (all of which can add up to a pretty penny) ~ when in truth, for her needs, she doesn’t “have to have” a logo. What she does have to have is great content and great imagery.

Sure I would have preferred that she need a logo and could pay me to create it, but this is how I advised her because in her case it makes sense ~ not only from a monetary perspective but in terms of creating an online presence that can grow as her own voice grows.

A logo can appear very simple. A simple type treatment, or one with a clever twist, or a symbol as its core. The value, aside from it being “just yours”, is in its consistent use across the board, applied to all things “Business X” and serving as a steady, stable ambassador. And that is no small thing.

But a logo is not, as I’ve said in previous conversations, in and of itself, The Brand Identity. It’s a big part of the whole (and not to be fooled with or “just anything” tossed up). There are many factors that make up that whole, and sometimes it’s both necessary and okay to approach it from a different perspective. Worth pondering before jumping in. And if you do jump, understand its value.

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