Behind the Scenes at Forty’s Superbowl Commercial Review Committee
None of us are big sports enthusiasts, but we do very much get into the commercials. This year we decided to have a review party complete with score cards and lively discussion.
Interesting stuff we think you should see:
Projects Exposed: John McCain 2010 Campaign Website
In June of 2009, Forty was first approached by the Friends of John McCain about developing an all-new Web presence for John McCain’s upcoming Senate campaign. It was expected to be a major departure from their old site.
The Forty 2009 Coffee Table Book
It’s the end of the year, which means it’s time for Christmas and/or politically-correct-holiday presents! This year, I decided to take some time to put together a yearbook of photos from our many experiences over the course of 2009. It’s been quite a year for Forty….
The Four Ways People Decide
Decision Modes are a tool we use here at Forty to think about design, functionality, and copy. It helps us remember that not everyone thinks the way we do. Can you figure out which one you tend to use most?
Quick Tips for Naming Your Company, Product, or Service
Your company/product/service’s name is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Just as you didn’t rush into a functioning business model, production schedule, or marketing plan, you shouldn’t rush into something as important as what your customers will refer to you as for as long as you’re in business.
Mood Boards for Designers
If you’re working on a design project, a mood board is a great way to present the visual direction of a project or brand separately from the layout of a specific project. They’re a helpful step that helps keep everyone on the same page without a huge time investment.
Developing and Using Personas: Create One of Your Own
You’ve heard all about them, now it’s your turn to create a persona of your own based on a fictional client. Go on, give it a try!
Forty Training Sessions…And You Can Come, Too!
Yeah, we go to plenty of conferences, meetups, brownbags, networking events – but where’s the learning at!? We decided to start a series of on-the-job training sessions to help refine our skills, develop new ones, and learn something, for goodness sake! (oh, and you can come, too!)
40 Reasons Your Marketing Will Thank You
The 40 Creative Marketing Ideas workbook is available for instant download and will help to refresh some of those dwindling marketing efforts you’re currently running. So stop pretending your marketing is fine the way it is, and check out this book filled with ideas that will convince you otherwise.
Simple Tips to Amp Up Your Copy
Expertly crafted copy can do amazing things. Follow these simple tips to ensure your copy gets across the right message and inspires its readers to do exactly what you’re requesting; whether it be registering for an event, calling you for a consultation, etc.
SEO for the Average Joe
I was recently working on an SEO checklist to ensure we weren’t missing any important steps in providing higher search results for our clients. Instead of creating a list from scratch, I thought I’d glance through existing lists and not double up my efforts.
Much to my surprise, I found most lists already published (and commonly [...]
Projects Exposed: Integrum
Integrum is one of the most prominent Ruby on Rails software development firms in the world, known for their high-quality, high-profile custom web applications. Despite having made a name for themselves in the industry and growing a fun, productive team of developers, however, their brand identity had long been ignored, and they realized that it was time for a change.
Our New Hiring Process: Video Applications
One of the great tragedies of the typical hiring process is the reliance on standardized one-page documents to reveal the skills, suitability, and subleties of a certain individual. Let’s face it, resumes suck. They won’t get you a job; in fact, they’re really only used to filter applicants. It’s the in-person experience that gets you the job, so we’ve decided to skip the whole resume process and request that people submit video applications instead.
Why “Forty”?
We’re often asked why we selected the name “Forty” to represent ourselves. It’s certainly not an obvious name for a marketing agency, so it’s generated quite a bit of curiosity over the years. To help answer the question, I thought I’d take a few moments to explain the meaning behind the word.
Just Launched: Sliger Consulting’s Brand New Website
Sliger Consulting came to us with an website lacking the spirit the owner, herself was in no shortage of. After several months of user story workshops, iterations, and other Agile methods, we launched her brand new website to better reflect the company behind it. Take a look.
The First Ever Agency Throwdown: Happening Tonight!
It started as a friendly competition among agencies in a game of bowling. Then things turned ugly.
Forty Opens its Doors at Inside the Designer Studio
Thanks to much organization from the Arizona chapter of the AIGA, Forty was the subject of the latest Inside the Designer Studio. Take a peak and our presentation and a time lapse video of the event!
I Love Marketing, and Here’s Why
When I was young, I had a really pessimistic view of marketing. I thought advertising was about emotional blackmail and manipulation, branding was conceptual mumbo-jumbo, design was pointless visual fluff, and public relations was just a way to hide your faults and deceive your customers. But then I learned something else…
Marketing has Never Been Easier: Forty Visits the Grand Opening of The PR Store
The valley welcomed the newest PR Store last month and Forty was there for the event! We learned about their business model, pricing structure, and so much more…
It’s Goof-Off Time
Sure you just came back from a 3-day vacation and are ready to work… but why not enjoy that awesome feeling of doing nothing for just a little while longer? Here are some choice videos of Team Forty goofing off to get you in the mood.
Projects Exposed: Sliger Consulting, Part 3
Instead of the usual screenshots and text, we thought it might be interesting to show some photos of design artifacts from around the office related to one of our projects.
Forty Participates in Ford’s Social Media Experiment
Ford generously gave us a brand new Ford Escape hybrid to test drive for a week, in exchange for writing and talking about it (which we’re doing now) As a marketing agency, how could we pass up this opportunity to get involved in this great marketing experiment?
Ignite Phoenix — Now With Moo MiniCards
Ignite Phoenix is firing up the creative community. We helped them by designing a variety of cards promoting their next event. Take a peek and let us know your favorites!
Projects Exposed: KSport
KSport is a high-performance automotive parts distributor that came to us for marketing assistance. Take a peak at the logo evolution, persona development, and mood board creation as KSport gets exposed!
The Five Pillars of Social Media Optimization
Whether you’re just getting started with this whole social media bandwagon, or you’ve got 20,000 Twitter followers and no idea what to do with them, there are some basic principles that you should know if you want to use social media to your advantage.
Marketing Agency, Ad Agency, Interactive Agency? What Are We?
There’s a lot of overlap between the three best-known types of agencies when it comes to promoting your business. What’s the difference? What makes Forty a “marketing agency”?
Hi. We’re Forty. Things will go wrong.
You know how a new project makes you feel? Blue skies, birds singing, anything is possible. Then something happens and it’s like the skies darken and the bird poops on your head.
The Perfect Tag Line in 12 Steps
Creating a tag line is hard. Creating a tag line for a company you don’t work for is even harder. Follow these 12 steps to create a last identity for your clients (that won’t require 20 revisions).
Jared McFarland of Bookmans Discusses Its Success…and Brownies
Resident Web Ninja of Bookmans takes a few minutes to discuss with us the reasons behind Booksmans success, how to become a Web Ninja, and his obscure music tastes. Take a peek!
Can a Marketing Agency Be Agile?
After years of soul searching, experimentation, and dipping our toes in the water, we here at Forty have finally committed to fully adopting the Agile methodology across the board. This is a pretty radical change for a marketing agency. Read on to find out what it means for us.
Kim Stearns Discusses Social Media at ASU
I was asked by my friend, and former fellow Phi Beta Lambda member, John Tyler if I would co-present at Phi Beta Lambda’s annual State Leadership Conference on the topic of social media (and how it pertains to student organizations).
Projects Exposed: Sliger Consulting Update
Since we last spoke, a whole lot has happened with this project. Upon agreeing on a visual direction for her website, Michele requested that we tackle her redesign in chunks, starting with a section she calls “Light Bulb Moments.” This portion of her website allows individuals to submit stories about their experiences with Agile. Here [...]
40 Creative Marketing Ideas
Life sucks for business owners right now. You’re in a market that’s already over-saturated with promotional messages, and that danged recession has crippled your marketing budget. How in the world are you supposed to get your message out to the world!?
What is Hip? Tower of Power’s New Site!
After several months of working with the legendary funk band Tower of Power, Forty is proud to announce that the band’s new website went live at midnight last night.
The Wrong Way to Use Images in Your Blog
Images in your entries are meant to supplement your text, not take away from it. Use these following tips to make better use of images in your writing while also saving a dolphin, or two.
Unveiling the New PBS Visual Identity
After nearly a year of highly-confidential work, we’re proud to announce that Forty has designed and developed a new visual identity for one of the most trusted institutions in American society: The Public Broadcasting Service. (EDIT: Happy April Fools day, everyone!)
Projects Exposed: Sliger Consulting
One of our newest clients, Michele Sliger of Sliger Consulting has a huge project in store for us that involves overhauling her existing tables-based website with a “…sleek, hip” look. Today, you get to go behind the scenes on her project.
The 20 Universal Brand Types
The basic notion behind brand archetypes is that brands are a basic human social concept, and that the same patterns and ideas tend to repeat themselves over time, such that what we now consider “brands” are roughly equivalent to archetypal characters in literature, religion, folklore, mythology, etc. They’re a way for us to understand ourselves and affiliate with others, and by associating them with those common themes and characters, we can better understand how consumers connect with brands.
You Know You’re a Copywriter When…
Graphic designers have them, web developers have them, even hack game designers have them – no, I don’t mean severe social ineptitude. They have lists of things that pertain only to them! It’s our turn copywriters! Revel in the glory and add your own, gosh darnit!
People Hate Your Website… Now What?
So there you are, site has been completely built and in your opinion it couldn’t be better. Then it happens…. BAM… someone complains that they can’t find something on the site. Then another complaint…. BLAMMO… they can’t see the site at all in their IE6 browser. Suddenly you realize that though your site looks beautiful in Firefox, and to you it makes total sense navigating your way around, your users aren’t having the same experience as you are.