Marketing with Mike Volpe

I attended a presentation from Leslie Bradshaw of Jess3 about the "10 Things CEOs Need to Know About Design". While I found the presentation to be a little high level and lacking some details, there were some good points to make you think. Some of the points about design I agree with, some I disagree with - see my comments below. * PowerPoint is for delivery not design. Use a graphics program to do design, but PPT to do the actual presentation. [Disagree. This requires too much technical skill for most people and slows you down too much. Today you need to democratize the content creation process, this moves in the opposite direction. I do think that you should start sketching on paper and not be bound by bullet points in PPT.] * Don't be bound by geography to hire designers . Leverage the global marketplace and feel free to use international design talent via the web. [Agree.] * Get surgeons, not hacks, then get out of way. Hire designers for their expertise, then let them practice their craft. [I sort of agree, but I also think that the role of the designer is to meet the goals of the person hiring them.] * Expand what design means with illustrators, designers, and tattoo artists . Don't be afraid to step outside the box in terms of design. [Agree.] * Start in black and white - sketch, wireframe, storyboard first. [Agree.] * Social media provides building blocks and parameters - button sizes, avatars, (don't smoosh them). If you are building something online, be aware of the design elements you might integrate from other sources. [Agree.] * Distribution channels are infinite - your content will be eveywhere, plan for it. Don't build content just for your website, the best content spreads all over the web. [Agree.] * Design is critical for startups, hire a designer really early. [Disagree. It is a really nice to have, but not a necessity.] * Like kneading bread, don't overdo it (design) . [Agree.] * Design is not production. It's ok to specialize with different agencies for different parts of the marketing process. [Sort of agree. While I can understand using different agencies for different parts of the process, there is also a great benefit to have someone who owns the process end to end.] What do you think? What should business folks know about design? ___ Connect with Mike Volpe :