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It is a rare thing, working as a designer, to have the opportunity to brand a friend. It’s a strange concept in of itself. The idea of branding a friend is an odd one, without doubt, not to mention a challenging one. None-the-less, it can be a rewarding experience and a true test for the designer.

the little MONSTER in all of us

Faced with the challenge of branding a friend, I suddenly recalled a post by Mark Bixby, that articulated the underlying essence behind brand, in one short, sweet sentence.

Just being something specific can sometimes be a powerful brand differentiator.Mark Bixby

Be something specific. A no brainer, right? There was no doubt about it, Mici is something specific. My task, was to try and capture that “something” and make it a brand?.

Branding a person, in of itself, is an odd concept, but giving yourself 3 days to do it, is absurd. At the same time, it was for me, a fantastic window, through which to explore my wonderful, witty and terribly loving friend, Mici. I am very please to introduce littlest MONSTER.

There is something to be said for making resolutions. I don’t necessarily attach these to a particular time of the year or particularly special occasion, but I do make them. Resolutions help you grow, right? At least, that’s the intention.

There has been an interesting buzz trending around the internet, for the past few weeks, that shouldn’t go unmentioned. The buzz word in this trend is critique. Whether it’s criticizing ourselves, criticizing others or criticizing how others are criticizing us, the venom is in the air. ‘Tis the season, right?

I think critique is healthy. It can be a method by which to grow, much the same as a resolution. In fact, at best, healthy critique can lead to thinking, reflection and ultimately resolution.

On December 13th, Andy Clarke stirred up the bees’ nest by calling for a disbanding of the CSS Working Group. Two days later Jeffrey Zeldman responded to Andy’s rally, with rather harsh criticism.

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395 Attendees, 17 Speakers, 2 Days and 1 Men’s Room

And that’s where WordCamp 2007 started and stopped feeling like “camp”. This is not the YMCA.

The Skinny

After letting everything soak in for the past week, three key things from WordCamp 2007 jump out at me.

1. Blog from your heart
2. You want your readers to be like you
3. Don’t complete your thoughts

Maybe I’ve over simplified it a bit. You might as well return to writing in your 5th grade journal. Actually, after having some time to reflect, I’ve realized all 3 of these key points have 2 things in common. 1) They are all tips for the blogger. and 2) They are all points made by Lorelle VanFossen’s presentation on kick ass content. Brilliant, Lorelle.

I was a bit surprised that these three things stuck with me more than anything else in the conference. During the conference, I was much more engaged in the philosophical and cultural implications of blogging vs. journalism, in John C. Dvorak’s and Om Malik’s presentation. I think the reason is quite plain. When all is said and done, I went to WordCamp for me (as one should) and I wanted to learn how I could be a better blogger. Selfish and simple.

Highlights

WordCamp started off Saturday morning, with the practical. Dan Kuykendall, developer of PodPress gave a great presentation on Podcasting. I’m not a Podcaster, so Dan probably captured my attention the most when he started playing Weird Al’s White and Nerdy.

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