Look before you leap is an obvious piece of advice but when it relates to design I think back to a book I read titled: Cradle to Cradle.

In Cradle to Cradle, McDonough and Braungart argue that the conflict between industry and the environment is not an indictment of commerce but an outgrowth of purely opportunistic design. The design of products and manufacturing systems growing out of the Industrial Revolution reflected the spirit of the day-and yielded a host of unintended yet tragic consequences.

Today, with our growing knowledge of the living earth, design can reflect a new spirit. In fact, the authors write, when designers employ the intelligence of natural systems—the effectiveness of nutrient cycling, the abundance of the sun’s energy—they can create products, industrial systems, buildings, even regional plans that allow nature and commerce to fruitfully co-exist.

Stopping to really look and realize the reach your design can have will help you take a beneficial leap.

For those who don’t know, Saul Bass was an influential graphic designer, and a lesser–known filmmaker, whose work extended from 1950’s up through the 1990’s.  He will continue to forever be the “Master of the Title Sequence,” in the motion picture field as it can be argued that Bass’s work was just as memorable as the films they preceded.   He was one of the first to realize the creative potential of the opening and closing credits of a movie.  Creating titles for such directors as Hitchock, Scorsese, Preminger and many others, Bass first saw the opportunity to create something more than a title sequence, but to create something which would ultimately enhance the experience of the audience and contribute to the mood and the theme of the movie within the opening moments.  Saul Bass also designed some of the most iconic logos in design history, many of which are still seen everyday by people all around the world.  Whether designing logos or title sequences, every project he worked on all featured new and innovative methods of production and startling graphic design.

I guess good design is all in the eye of the beholder but somethings are just perfect to pretty much everyone.  Take this chair, The Eames Lounge Chair and ottoman, correctly titled Eames Lounge (670) and Ottoman (671) were released in 1956 after years of development by designers Charles and Ray Eames for the Herman Miller furniture company.  It was the first chair the Eames designed for a high-end market.  These furnishings are made of molded plywood and leather. Examples of these furnishings are part of the permanent collection of New York’s Museum of Modern Art.  That my friends, is good design.

So, I have one and I’m married to one, it’s the mom and she has power.  For the first time in history women out rank men in the workplace due to the economic downturn.  That means that they control the wallet and the household.  Their buying power is tremendous.  Not to be denied or snowed, moms are savvy to how they are marketed to, here are some tips for brands to turn their heads:

Talk direct

• Expectations are growing. Brands have to show an unmet need for moms.
• Brands have to talk to mom where she is: on-line, social scenes, impulse shopping.
• Start 2 way product conversations, get feedback.
• She trusts her community again.

Brand worth

• Brands have to promote core values and stand for something real.
• Brands have to be unique, not just better than last season.
• Consumers are saavy and do their research before purchase, they know the bait and switch game.

Protect and serve

• Moms are more real. Looking for ways to provide benefits for family.
• She wants to protect her values and family.
• She is searching for balance
• Need vs. want