Anyone who has been involved in trying to convince others to change their behaviors (ride the bus instead of driving a car, take reusable bags to the grocery store instead of using paper or plastic, water the lawn once a week for 30 minutes instead of three times for 15 minutes each) knows the transitioning process takes time. As Psychology Today says, we are creatures of habit - and habits that have been acquired during a lifetime don’t just disappear overnight.

It takes time, people!

One of the challenges with behavior change is being persistent and looking for fresh, new ways to engage with the target audience. The Monday Campaigns is a strategy developed to take advantage of the “periodicity” of Mondays - because they just keep coming. It’s a brilliant approach that can be adapted to just about any behavior. The possibilities are endless.

Take a look at The Monday Campaigns website and you’ll almost certainly come away with a few good ideas.

-Sue Gillespie

I was cleaning out my desk at home and found an old folding poster presented by Sappi and foldfactory.com at the 2010 HOW Conference. It now hangs on my wall to remind me that not everything has to be so standard. Instead of that letter fold or accordion you were planning on using, how about a vertical semi-gate with a center fold? Okay, maybe not that complicated but I am excited to think about the possibilities! Join me in awe by downloading the Folding Guide poster (provided by sappi.com).

The general consensus from the professional design community is that crowdsourcing is detrimental to the value of design. When a company uses a crowdsourcing website they sacrifice a few imperative assets that a professional designer can provide. We don’t just make pretty pictures—we strive to communicate the client’s brand and their goals through strategic, integrated thinking and problem solving. The result? Design that can attract and retain a client base, and deliver results. On a crowdsourcing site, the client forgoes the opportunity to work step-by-step with a professional designer through drafts, revisions and finalizing of their design. They don’t receive the opportunity to work through bumps with problem solving sessions and teamwork.

There are extensive conversations about crowdsourcing design. See the AIGA’s stance, or take a more personal look into one designer’s experience with crowdsourcing and her client.

- Katy