Infographics
Visualizing Data
While at Broadlane, I worked with Sales, Operations, IT and the Executive staff to find ways to simplify to the organization's business offerings. The work would often begin with sketches, whiteboard sessions and brainstorms. It was always incredibly challenging but really fulfilling work - Healthcare Supply Chain strategy can be incredibly abstract. In the end, it was another amazing opportunity to take complexity and organize it into visually elegant and palatable concepts.
Infographics
Design and Development
Nurse dot Com
I was approached by two Tenet executives looking for an innovative approach to a business concept they were preparing. In short, Tenet was looking for ways to recruit nurses online for the hospitals. After 6 months of planning and online brand strategy, we set about building an online community and recruiting forum at the Nurse.com domain.
Nurse dot Com
Brand Strategy, Design Direction
Micah Boswell: Sarafem UX and Brand Strategy
As a Creative Director for IMC2's Healthcare group, I took on some complex and varied projects that involved both intensive design and intensive planning. The Sarafem Flash game was one of the most challenging and rewarding. With a limited budget and time frame, a fantastic team of designers and developers pulled off a fantastic feat that, to me, still really speaks volumes about the dedication to quality and craftsmanship that existed (and most likely still exists) within the healthcare team at IMC2.
AdverGaming
After thorough review or our market, we came to the conclusion that the best way to support the brand effort would be to create an experience that was not directly tied to any campaign call to action. We assumed the best of the target market as intelligent consumers that they'd be getting a great experience with no sell, and in so doing, we'd create greater rapport between the consumer and the brand.
Creative Shepherding
My role in this project was to craft the concept, and then shepherd the plan through design, development and final execution. The original creative brief emphasized two elements: The need to create an experience that was consistent throughout gameplay, and the need to create an approach that was filled with multi-layered feedback. It was important to me to that the game keep to a 'console' type experience - one that pulled in a short play-time that was full of nuanced and in-your-face elements that would leave the user with a feeling that, even though game play might be abridged, that it was consistently themed and utterly playable
Challenges
Often in the project, there were challenges and obstacles. Most of those challenges came in the form of others attempting to drive the style and gameplay into different directions. This was a well-meaning creative-conflict, and these challenges served to make the team stronger, as the issues were worked out transparently. An example was, a stakeholder insisted on changing gameplay from a console-based mouse-click shooter to a real-time-strategy feel that would have placed the player interaction in an isometric (much like SimCity) world. Another creative contributor advised a change in character names to more stereotypical names, but we were able to circumvent the challenge through dialogue regarding the balance between familiar symbols and over-stepping familiarity.
Resources
After successfully managing to circumvent both challenges, the storyboards and wireframes were handed over to an illustrator in New York City. I was set on using a talent that was known for a specific 'bachelor pad jazz' pen style, and we were fortunate to bring her onto the team at an excellent rate. Our plan was to have the illustrator draw up the primary elements in the storyboard, and then have team members follow up on that style with the more mundane elements, such as the scoreboard. We then handed off the project elements to the best Flash developer in Dallas - Trip Waller. Trip was [and still is] a fantastic resource because he has a magnificent knack for understanding concepts, and for accurately translating concepts into reality.
Necessity Breeds Innovation
The real win for our team was in convincing our external stakeholders to let the actual team record the voices. Every voice element you hear in this game was a member of my team. Partnering with a multimedia designers with great sound experience (Brian Stafford and Robby Kyser), we managed to shepherd graphic and copy talent in and out of a room to practice & perform the scripts and sound-effects in one take. Copy editors, graphic designers and even a project manager participated in lending a hand in the experience of the game.
Conclusion
This project was immensely fulfilling, and the process to get it to final fruition was a credit to the excellent talent I had reporting to me at the time. It's also a testament to a supportive and creative management team. Credits: Lisa Carr, Narath Khieu, Robby Kiser, Bryan Stafford, Trip Waller, Emily Downward, Belinda Nichols and more. Without these key individuals creating, iterating, designing, writing and more, this project would have never been completed.
Micah Boswell: Sarafem UX and Brand Strategy
Brand Strategy
Micah Boswell: The Hybrid Advantage
I just rolled off a really enjoyable project for an interactive agency in Dallas. It was immensely fulfilling and validating, as well. Fulfilling because we managed to ring the project in way under budget, and almost a month early. It was validating because I was able to wear many hats within the project scope, and in so doing helped facilitate the transitions between concepting, design, comp preparation and HTML/CSS implementation. The hybrid approach works.
Of Documentation and Communication
The mighty creative brief. Once the pillar of all good traditional agencies, it has now come upon rough times. As a project grows in complexity, and as the designer takes on more responsibilities beyond just the role of 'translating the business speak into visual mojo', one has to ask themselves, should the brief still be, well, brief? A question being debated on many art direction and design management boards these days, my own opinion is very agnostic. I don't side with the traditionalists who think a page is more than enough for the Design team, and I don't side with the IXD zealots who believe that the creative brief doesn't translate well in the interactive world. Much like all other documents prepared for the sake of clarifying priorities for the project, it just depends. We were fortunate enough to have an enlightened and pragmatic Project Manager who didn't believe in documentation for the sake of documentation - instead, we spent a good deal of time in the kick-off meeting contextualizing the statement of work, and approaching the project plan as a series of cascading milestones. We left plenty of wiggle room for decision points in case we needed to change course, and we kept informal lines of communication very open. That in and of itself can be the kind of communication that no 300 page creative specifications document could ever match to. Stay flexible, adapt to the project, and remember - documentation can only go so far in clarifying project priorities - you're going to need to communicate your way through the rest of it.
Be Generous with Wireframing
Early on in the project we decided to go with both lofi and hifi wireframes. At first glance, there was hesitation at this approach, but in the end it made perfect sense to everyone. The lofi wireframes were effective in communicating the functional variables and nuances to the internal development team. The lofi's also helped the technical leads on the customer end understand where and how they were getting setting technical requirements met. However, our primary stakeholder wasn't a technical mind. He was a business owner with a mind for the brand and the experience. We knew, even before stepping into the project that showing him lofi wireframes would do nothing but confuse him. We provided him with a hifi wireframe set with initial comps built in to show him how the brand and the experience would interact with the functionality. This eliminated any miscommunication or misassumption in regards to how the three key elements of the site would seamlessly interact - Brand, User Experience, And Interaction.
There is no 'PM' in Team. But wait. There should be.
A good project manager does more than facilitate the hand-off from one area of expertise to another. A good PM facilitates, but also manages and makes the tough decisions when need be. With or without a RACI approach to your project, the PM should have the unique insight into the Statement of Work, the budget and the timeline to understand how best to resolve conflict between specialties, or find ways to bring the three elements into balance if they've come out of sync. In our case, the project manager was all this, guaranteeing a successful project, and a client that rarely complained and felt like they had gotten more than their money's worth. Kudos to great teams!
Micah Boswell: The Hybrid Advantage
UX Template Architecture
Micah Boswell: Designing for the Emerging Experience
We live in very exciting times! We're seeing a such an incredible revolution in technology, especially in regards to how technology adapts to our day-to-day. But with every new device or gadget comes a series of design challenges. How can we maximize the experience in a way that makes sense for that device, and with that target market? I've recently been working on a series of exciting mobile applications for an informal project proposal at Broadlane, and what I've learned has been both an affirmation of timeless methods for understanding the business goals, and a testament to the growing disparate nature of devices and their respective experiences.
Always Define Your Fundamentals: The Experience Principles, and Your Core Audience
There are fundamental truths within the experience realm that don't change over time. Use of negative space to accentuate elements, use of the Golden Triangle to balance out content and graphics, and so on. As well, the absolute need to understand and test with one's target market has never been more important. Touch and Swipe navigation has been wildly successful, especially as compared to the universal remote. It's still a rare occasion that I meet a focus group participant that understands how to fully use a remote for control of both TV options and Movie-Access options.
Getting to Brass Tacks
But with so many new devices now emerging into the market, the urgency is even more important - how do we appropriately translate Experience principles and guidelines to disparate screen sizes (Virgin Atlantic Seat TV Consoles to the Galaxy Tab), disparate methods of accessing device options (Blu Ray 52 inch Smart TV remote to the Touch and Swipe ease of the iPhone) and disparate audiences (Two emerging and disparate audiences for the Tablet are toddlers and the Aging.) As experience 'explorers', there are two things we can do. We can watch the big boys do it, or we can carve our own path with the full understanding that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the 'error' part of 'trial and error'. Many organizations are watching Apple, Sony and Microsoft for the best way to manage the experience on an emerging device, while others are sticking to reliable testing methods to track the success (and failure) of experiences. Regardless of the path one takes, there should never be a wholesale abandonment of the testing process. Even when one fully emulates Apple's Touch and Swipe Gesturing, it's still critical to test its effectiveness with your experience using time-tested methods such as 'User Acceptance Testing', both 'Heuristic and Non-Heuristic Lab Testing', and 'Contextual Interviews'. There are many other kinds of tests and reviews that can help validate or invalidate assumptions as to the implementation of the experience.
A New Challenge. The Mobile Device
I love designing for mobile devices. However, It's been an interesting learning experience to plan and design a consistent experience when working with both the iPhone and the Android. The iPhone and iPad approach are very consistent and approachable because software and hardware anticipate each other, because both were made by the same manufacturer. In Android's case, your challenge is to step back and make sure you understand the what 'lowest common denominator' means, as you'll have disparate hardware platforms with disparate capacities for screen resolution, battery life and memory. Android experience design is broken down into densities. Low, medium and high. The best place to understand this is at Android's dev site here. Just be aware - if you create low density graphics and your app is launched on a high density screen, you will be sorely disappointed. As well, remember to design with the font called 'Droid'. I know I've gone into some detail regarding Android, and not the iPhone or the iPad - the learning curve for designing for Android is just very fresh on my mind.
The Emerging Experience Isn't Ultimately About the Technology
The Emerging Experience Isn't About the Technology it's about the user. Yes, yes, I'm stating the obvious, and everyone knows that. But trust me, it's easy to forget this when you're diving deep into the technical specifications of a particular device. The critical 'zen' mindset to keep in mind is that those tech specs are a means to an end. Then end is the user, and her/his tasks.
Micah Boswell: Designing for the Emerging Experience
Design Direction
Micah Boswell: Broadlane User Experience Management
As a hybrid resource for The Broadlane Group, I played many different roles depending on the need and project. In the 6 years there, I played Creative Direction, User Experience, Interaction Design, SEO Strategist and Social Media Leadership roles. The most intensive of these on any given day was the User Experience role. Often times, my day would include concept creation, concept execution (graphical), copy optimization for SEO/SEM and web publishing
The biggest advantage to being a UX generalist was being able to understand how decisions in the planning level would affect the timeline at the tactical level. In other organizations, I would often be involved in projects with perpetual scope creep because one specialty didn't understand how an element or variable would affect another. The designer may have comped out a front page that implies a jquery slider with a limited amount of space, but the writer may not have approached the text in a manner that included teaser content. A UX Generalist can look at all tactical elements as they apply to the business, technical and creative goals, and seamlessly merge them.
It was a constant struggle to balance a series of hats. In the end, I was ultimately responsible for the management of both the design and content on broadlane.com and it's product sites, but what this provided me as a UX lead was the unique ability to make sure that the big picture always matched up to the organization's business strategy.
With limited budgets, a User Experience Lead may not have the luxury to constantly be performing A/B Segmentation testing and focus groups, but there are ways to cobble together a strategy for understanding one's audience, and the impact the experience is having. The holy grail of budget-strapped UX generalists is Google Analytics. Traffic statistics alone can't get you where you need to be - it's important to understand what your business calls to action should be and match them up to Google Analytics goals and campaigns. Remember, if you aim for nothing, you're sure to hit it. Other great tools were Re:Invigorate's visual heat mapping services, as well as the occasional Qualtrics survey to key users.
At the end of day, the last thing I wanted to do was to be stuck in a meeting room where I had no quantifiable answer to 'how successful is our online presence'. Having daily Google reports, along with form requests that translated into leads for our salesforce.com database were the silver bullet. Of course, this was made easier with a general understanding of what our online presence 'should' be doing.
Generalists Get It
The biggest advantage to being a UX generalist was being able to understand how decisions in the planning level would affect the timeline at the tactical level. In other organizations, I would often be involved in projects with perpetual scope creep because one specialty didn't understand how an element or variable would affect another. The designer may have comped out a front page that implies a jquery slider with a limited amount of space, but the writer may not have approached the text in a manner that included teaser content. A UX Generalist can look at all tactical elements as they apply to the business, technical and creative goals, and seamlessly merge them.
Wearing Many Hats is Good for You
It was a constant struggle to balance a series of hats. In the end, I was ultimately responsible for the management of both the design and content on broadlane.com and it's product sites, but what this provided me as a UX lead was the unique ability to make sure that the big picture always matched up to the organization's business strategy.
The User Experience Requires a Key Ingredient. The User.
With limited budgets, a User Experience Lead may not have the luxury to constantly be performing A/B Segmentation testing and focus groups, but there are ways to cobble together a strategy for understanding one's audience, and the impact the experience is having. The holy grail of budget-strapped UX generalists is Google Analytics. Traffic statistics alone can't get you where you need to be - it's important to understand what your business calls to action should be and match them up to Google Analytics goals and campaigns. Remember, if you aim for nothing, you're sure to hit it. Other great tools were Re:Invigorate's visual heat mapping services, as well as the occasional Qualtrics survey to key users.
Results-oriented UX/UI
At the end of day, the last thing I wanted to do was to be stuck in a meeting room where I had no quantifiable answer to 'how successful is our online presence'. Having daily Google reports, along with form requests that translated into leads for our salesforce.com database were the silver bullet. Of course, this was made easier with a general understanding of what our online presence 'should' be doing.
Micah Boswell: Broadlane User Experience Management
UX Template ArchitectureMicah Boswell: Concentra Hybrid Consulting
As a hybrid resource for Concentra and Pull Media, I began the project by initially assessing the work done to date. Some early development work had been performed on re-architecting and re-designing the admissions web app for all urgent care centers across the states. Based on the assessment, I recommended a holistic approach that would allow me to understand the environment in which the web app would be used. Concentra granted me access to the Addison Concentra office for contextual interviews with users. The resulting contextual report covered not only notes I would later use for the actual re-design of the web app, but also recommendations on what could be done to improve the physical experience for both the admissions employees, but for the outpatients as well.
The most important element of good design is context. As a visual problem solver, my first priority was to understand the user's ecosystem, as well as how they perceive the challenges that the tool in question is meant to solve.
Before re-designing the prototypes, I combined the contextual visits with my own assessments regarding UX/UI best practices. Matching them back to the business requirements, I set about prototyping a number of templating elements, including a consistent iconographical/symbolic approach and a consistent color system.
Careful planning and research made the design element predictable, repeatable and consistent. All stakeholders had been privy to the planning, so they were able to see how all the ingredients were being implemented. Once skinned, the designs were presented to a small group of internal stakeholders for a pluralistic walkthrough. The stakeholders were elated with the improvements and innovations.
The prototypes are being refined, but the buzz at the local offices is very positive, and the expected result is shaving off critical admission time. In the end, the patient admission process could be affected by as much as 2 to 4 minutes, making the Concentra experience all the more efficient and transparent.
Context is King
The most important element of good design is context. As a visual problem solver, my first priority was to understand the user's ecosystem, as well as how they perceive the challenges that the tool in question is meant to solve.
Architecting
Before re-designing the prototypes, I combined the contextual visits with my own assessments regarding UX/UI best practices. Matching them back to the business requirements, I set about prototyping a number of templating elements, including a consistent iconographical/symbolic approach and a consistent color system.
Designing
Careful planning and research made the design element predictable, repeatable and consistent. All stakeholders had been privy to the planning, so they were able to see how all the ingredients were being implemented. Once skinned, the designs were presented to a small group of internal stakeholders for a pluralistic walkthrough. The stakeholders were elated with the improvements and innovations.
Results-oriented UX/UI
The prototypes are being refined, but the buzz at the local offices is very positive, and the expected result is shaving off critical admission time. In the end, the patient admission process could be affected by as much as 2 to 4 minutes, making the Concentra experience all the more efficient and transparent.
Micah Boswell: Concentra Hybrid Consulting
UX Template Architecture
Micah Boswell: ReBranding The Broadlane Group
After the success of the Prolucent ReBranding effort, I was approached by the CEO and asked to directly lead and execute the organizational effort to do the same. Knowing that such opportunities come once in a lifetime, I jumped on it without hesitation. Here was a brand I knew well, and had been advocating for an overhaul for more than three years. It was a dream come true.
Learn from the Past. Don't abandon it.
Broadlane's rise to success was dynamic, fluid and chaotic. Due to a small group of entrepreneurially minded visionaries, the organization had grown to become a Fortune 500 contender in less than a half a decade. But like so many other companies, the same elements that helped Broadlane grow quickly and organically also led to a silo'd culture. Broadlane was full of entrepreneurs who were willing to risk failure. They pursued innovation with uncharacteristic fervor, and the payoff of having a culture like this was highly rewarding. Over time, it became apparent that so many great ideas were getting implemented, but they weren't getting operationalized. Unsurprisingly, Broadlane was becoming a nine-headed hydra, with all nine heads fighting for the same pool of resources. So, the question on many of our minds was, how do we build on this fantastic entrepreneurial culture without killing it? How do we organizationally operationalize innovation, after it's been innovated. As well, how do we formalize that innovation into a compelling, acitonable service? Beyond that, how does one competently package disparate services growing in silo's? Visual consistency had become almost impossible.
You can go for the paint job, or you can overhaul the engine. Or you can do both.
A Venture Capital firm quickly saw the raw value in Broadlane and quickly bought the organization. After an assessment period, they brought in two key resources to further assess things on the ground level - A CEO and a marketing consultant. Both were in complete agreement that this wonder of an organization deserved two things - a new paint job, and it desperately needed an overhaul. I was fortunate enough to have the CEO and marketing consultant delegate the 'paint work' to me. I would have never accepted the job of just applying a new coat - that's a redesign, not a rebrand. But with an obvious operational overhaul, I worked closely with key resources to make sure that the rebranding effort was both consistent and sustainable.
And, wow, yes, that was the Board of Directors clapping.
I wasn't at the Board of Director's meeting that morning, but I was on the same floor, and the CEO approached me afterwards introducing me to a key investor that had also been advocating for an operational and brand overhaul. It was a completely unexpected acknowledgement of the good work done not only in brand strategy and design, but also in implementation by the marketing team, bringing the disparate services together on both paper and in reality. It goes without saying that this amazing phenomena called 'The Broadlane Group' was special. It was inspiring to be a part of it! The process was painstakingly detailed, the ReBranding required a level of organizational communication none of us thought possible, and in the end, the effort was so successful that The Broadlane Group was purchased for double the value the capital firm had purchase it for. A major factor in the investment was that the acquirer was finally able to look at Broadlane and truly understand its story, and its offerings. The packaging made a key difference, according to both executives and key VP's. I was completely astounded. With a small team of 4 marketing people and a local agency (Squires), we were able to pull off a stunningly massive rebranding that left even our board of directors pleased. I couldn't have been more proud. As a self-taught creative director with modest beginnings, I'd plied my passion year after year, just being happy with the chance to do good work. I'd been handed a paint bucket and free reign to rebrand, and the final result was ... good. That in and of itself was enough, but I'll be the first to admit - the acknowledgement felt great! Click Here to View
CREDITS: The Brand Institute (Market Research), Patricia Cmielewski (Marketing Strategy), Casey Ausherman (Marketing Operations), Patrick Ryan (CEO and Creative Leader)
Micah Boswell: ReBranding The Broadlane Group
Brand Strategy, Creative Leadership
Micah Boswell: Prolucent ReBrand
I Worked directly with The Brand Institute and Jeff Ondeck, founder, to architect the brand strategy and approach. This was a unique and unprecedented opportunity to lead the brand strategy as well as help implement tactical elements. Much like Nurse.com, this project was a fantastic opportunity to participate in varying degrees with the full vertical process.
Brand Strategies come in many different shapes and sizes, but there are key ingredients that can't be overlooked if the essential elements of the identity are to grow with deep roots. Especially with the advent of peer-centric consumer networks, brand transparency, consistency and accessibility are becoming more and more important. Gone are those days when a brand can hide behind the monolithic advertising campaign to grow or restore brand luster. There are way too many touch-points with consumers and their respective influencers not to be careful in making sure that one's strategy matches with the kind of research that guides the approach to communicating, advocating and interacting.
The Prolucent ReBranding was a great example of how to ReBrand appropriately. With the assistance of a marketing strategist and 'The Brand Institute', we initially set about documenting a series of landscapes that would help guide the tactical process. We researched and documented the competitive landscape, current brand sentiment and mindshare amongst current and prospective costumers and influencers, and we also re-assessed notions of who our target markets were, and how they preferred to be reached.
All this research boiled down to defining key points for Prolucent - who are we talking to, how are we reaching them and what are we saying? There was another key element, even more critical than the others - how are we listening to our audience, and how are we assuring that the right parts of the organization get the message?
Armed with fantastic research provided by 'The Brand Institute' regarding our audience, our competitors and how our current customers viewed our current message, we set about segmenting and sub-segmenting our audience base. Through the use of informal focus groups, we tested some key messages we knew were both honest and differentiated as from our competitors. As well, we set about reviewing what communication and interaction tools would be best to communicate with respective target audiences. For example, we concluded that hospital board members may use Twitter and Facebook, but that for them, information gleamed from these tools didn't create a decision point. Presence could influence in a minor way, but it wasn't a key factor in the decision making process. By the same token, it become very apparent that for staffing agencies already strapped for communication resources, using social media for that market was not only important, but critical.
At the end of the day, our budget allowed us certain research options that were critical to the success of the rebranding exercise. Obviously, that kind of budget isn't always available to well-meaning teams. The most important elements in any form of branding strategy are time-tested and simple. Know your audience. Know your message. Know your competitors. Armed with these three pieces of information, one doesn't have to spend millions - instead, key in on understanding your audience and what resonates with them. Take your key message and explore ways to communicate directly, succinctly and never forget to listen. The Prolucent ReBranding was remarkable in the sense that even competitors began paying attention to our message. We received such an influx of positive feedback in the first months that it was at times almost too hard to track it all. What we heard back was this: "I now know exactly how it is that Prolucent can help me. Your message is simple and actionable." And that makes it all worth it.
I'm proud to provide you with a glance at an abridged style guide. As both the executive creative director and brand strategist, I'm immensely proud of this work. View the StyleGuide
Planning
Brand Strategies come in many different shapes and sizes, but there are key ingredients that can't be overlooked if the essential elements of the identity are to grow with deep roots. Especially with the advent of peer-centric consumer networks, brand transparency, consistency and accessibility are becoming more and more important. Gone are those days when a brand can hide behind the monolithic advertising campaign to grow or restore brand luster. There are way too many touch-points with consumers and their respective influencers not to be careful in making sure that one's strategy matches with the kind of research that guides the approach to communicating, advocating and interacting.
The Prolucent ReBranding was a great example of how to ReBrand appropriately. With the assistance of a marketing strategist and 'The Brand Institute', we initially set about documenting a series of landscapes that would help guide the tactical process. We researched and documented the competitive landscape, current brand sentiment and mindshare amongst current and prospective costumers and influencers, and we also re-assessed notions of who our target markets were, and how they preferred to be reached.
All this research boiled down to defining key points for Prolucent - who are we talking to, how are we reaching them and what are we saying? There was another key element, even more critical than the others - how are we listening to our audience, and how are we assuring that the right parts of the organization get the message?
Execution
Armed with fantastic research provided by 'The Brand Institute' regarding our audience, our competitors and how our current customers viewed our current message, we set about segmenting and sub-segmenting our audience base. Through the use of informal focus groups, we tested some key messages we knew were both honest and differentiated as from our competitors. As well, we set about reviewing what communication and interaction tools would be best to communicate with respective target audiences. For example, we concluded that hospital board members may use Twitter and Facebook, but that for them, information gleamed from these tools didn't create a decision point. Presence could influence in a minor way, but it wasn't a key factor in the decision making process. By the same token, it become very apparent that for staffing agencies already strapped for communication resources, using social media for that market was not only important, but critical.
Results-Oriented Work
At the end of the day, our budget allowed us certain research options that were critical to the success of the rebranding exercise. Obviously, that kind of budget isn't always available to well-meaning teams. The most important elements in any form of branding strategy are time-tested and simple. Know your audience. Know your message. Know your competitors. Armed with these three pieces of information, one doesn't have to spend millions - instead, key in on understanding your audience and what resonates with them. Take your key message and explore ways to communicate directly, succinctly and never forget to listen. The Prolucent ReBranding was remarkable in the sense that even competitors began paying attention to our message. We received such an influx of positive feedback in the first months that it was at times almost too hard to track it all. What we heard back was this: "I now know exactly how it is that Prolucent can help me. Your message is simple and actionable." And that makes it all worth it.
A Sampling
I'm proud to provide you with a glance at an abridged style guide. As both the executive creative director and brand strategist, I'm immensely proud of this work. View the StyleGuide
Micah Boswell: Prolucent ReBrand
Brand Strategy
Micah Boswell: Dennys ‘Madagascar’ Promotional Interactive Marketing
The Denny's Madagascar work was a part of a larger marketing campaign to promote the movie. It provided me with a unique opportunity to see into the media planning process, and assure that said media planning matched the technology and would resonate with the intended audience.
David Moscovic's talent is that of a deep generalist. Much like myself, he's been involved in every aspect of the branding and marketing business, and he just gets it. So it was no surprise to me to hear that Publicis, the nation's best media planning organization, had chosen him for this and a series of other projects.
The challenge in projects like this isn't to run off and 'be creative'. The creative goal is well documented in quantitative and qualitative 'impressions' for both Denny's and the movie Madagascar.
Through thorough review of business requirements, movie style guides and Publicis blueprints, the multimedia work prepared for Denny's websites met and exceeded its goals. This didn't come at the price of creativity. It came as a result of recognizing the importance of researching and implementing the very things one was hired for. I didn't feel slighted that I couldn't 'design' the work. I was provided with an exquisitely crafted style guide in regards to movie layouts, tone and style. This was an opportunity to simply explore another part of the communications and branding vertical.
I've never been one to brag about my own work. My father was a staunch puritan in this regard, and believed that one's good work should simply speak for itself. That's why my portfolio is in a constant state of disarray. It hurts to update it. But I'm not afraid to admit that my own network is well worth praising. David's commitment to quality has always gone beyond the paycheck. I've literally seen him lose money on projects because he simply couldn't stop working on something until he thought it was perfect. I continue to be proud to associate myself with that kind of commitment to quality, although both of us have learned over the years that the best way to curtail that obsession is to properly document success metrics at the onset of a project.
Hire the Best
David Moscovic's talent is that of a deep generalist. Much like myself, he's been involved in every aspect of the branding and marketing business, and he just gets it. So it was no surprise to me to hear that Publicis, the nation's best media planning organization, had chosen him for this and a series of other projects.
Sometimes The Best Creativity Comes in a Box
The challenge in projects like this isn't to run off and 'be creative'. The creative goal is well documented in quantitative and qualitative 'impressions' for both Denny's and the movie Madagascar.
Success Means Meeting and Exceeding Goals
Through thorough review of business requirements, movie style guides and Publicis blueprints, the multimedia work prepared for Denny's websites met and exceeded its goals. This didn't come at the price of creativity. It came as a result of recognizing the importance of researching and implementing the very things one was hired for. I didn't feel slighted that I couldn't 'design' the work. I was provided with an exquisitely crafted style guide in regards to movie layouts, tone and style. This was an opportunity to simply explore another part of the communications and branding vertical.
Surround Yourself with People with Passion
I've never been one to brag about my own work. My father was a staunch puritan in this regard, and believed that one's good work should simply speak for itself. That's why my portfolio is in a constant state of disarray. It hurts to update it. But I'm not afraid to admit that my own network is well worth praising. David's commitment to quality has always gone beyond the paycheck. I've literally seen him lose money on projects because he simply couldn't stop working on something until he thought it was perfect. I continue to be proud to associate myself with that kind of commitment to quality, although both of us have learned over the years that the best way to curtail that obsession is to properly document success metrics at the onset of a project.
Micah Boswell: Dennys ‘Madagascar’ Promotional Interactive Marketing
Design and Development
Sweet Frenzy Brand Strategy
Hired as this boutique's brand strategist and designer, I prepared and implemented Sweet Frenzy's look and feel.
Sweet Frenzy Brand Strategy
Brand Strategy
Hillwood UX Architecture
Hillwood UX Architecture
Lead the UX strategy and implementation for Hillwood and its child brands. Rapid Prototyping, Agile Project Planning, Design and Front-End coding.
Hillwood UX Architecture
UX Template Architecture
Super Bowl Design Direction
Design Direction for GENESCO Sports Enterprises, managing and implementation regional and national promotional elements.
Project
Using both strategic and tactical skills, created presentation elements for GENESCO to promote and advertise Super Bowl event.
Challenge
Increased quality of GENESCO materials.
Solution
Increased quality of GENESCO materials.
Super Bowl Design Direction
Design Direction
Tenet Marketing Strategy
Tenet Marketing Strategy
Architected, designed and implement TENET custom marketing strategy to promote new online websites for their 144 hospitals.
Tenet Marketing Strategy
Saratoga UX Design & Development
Saratoga UX Design & Developments
Worked with key marketing staff to translate business goals into effective visual online strategy. Rapid prototyping, UX design and development.
Saratoga UX Design & Development
Design and Development
Satori Brand Strategy
Satori brand Stragegy
Authored brand strategy, authored brand templates and architected marketing strategy.
Satori Brand Strategy
Brand Strategy
Broadlane MultiMedia Design
Broadlane Rich Media Design
Architected and co-designed the premiere multimedia presentation to describe the organization's many offerings. Lead the effort to simplify the story and create meaningful metaphors that would appropriately encompass complex elements into simple pitches. We would not have been able to design and develop this within Flash without Jon Fullrich.
Broadlane MultiMedia Design
CHW UX Brand Strategy
Catholic Healthcare West UX Brand Strategy
Worked directly with CHW's Brand Manager to architect and implement an online UX strategy to allow 42 CHW hospitals to have unique UX presences within a tightly controlled branding framework.
CHW UX Brand Strategy
Brand Strategy, UX Template Architecture
Visualizing Data: Broadlane Services
Visualizing Data: Broadlane Services
Worked with key service line leaders to formalize and refine the company messaging strategy. Created a series of infographics to simplify key messaging elements.
Visualizing Data: Broadlane Services
Design and Development
Broadlane Promotional Video
Co-produced the premier video for Broadlane, describing, in simple terms, how the organization helped make quality healthcare affordable.
Broadlane Promotional Video
Apple Master
