Rio Dwisandy – RR Creativity

The Least with The Most of Influence

He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much.

I’ve known that saying. Many view it differently because of different views. But it doesn’t always mean contradiction. Someone might says that it’s because that saying is not only true, but also shows its depth. But I often heard the simplest meaning of that: learn from the smallest thing.

For about 2 years, we’ve been a marketing consultant for a food proccessing company named Favorite Meat Processing, and it’s amazing. Thank God more and more for that! Every steps I walk with my team, and absolutely there were problems, but once again they made us improve and accept challenges.

In the beginning of our collaboration, I wrote many things to do in the studio for the branding process. Digital marketing through social media networks is the powerful tool for this process, while considering physical hand-to-hand tools suitable and effective to use. And, according to the result of data gathering and analysis, the focused marketing tools are what were distributed during that time, that is, cardboard boxes. It’s revealed after a discussion that the client’s marketing team also thought about that. Because of this, I and the team moved to the next step.

One thing we also tried to fix was packaging, and the first thing we fixed was a rather small but important detail: it’s halal certificate logo (because most consumers are in Indonesia) and HACCP logo (signifying food safety standard). We kept analyzing the packaging used at the time, and started to think what small detail should be in the new packaging. One thing we also consider is that the budget must not bloat. It’s not a big problem for us, because we think and act according to the client’s. But if it clashes with the market, we’ll recommend the client to suit the targeted market, and not we the studio want.

There are many small details we should include. Why? Those elements, while small (and often underestimated) bring much influence to the brand, I’m speaking about things like HACCP and company’s tagline. If we look to their visual size, it’ not so great (about 1/30 each) but it’s important to the market, because they want some security and convenience in using the products. By inserting those details, the company clearly and aptly shows who it is.

This precious time brings us lessons to act from the small things. Not only for us, this studio, but for our clients as well. Hope this small writing teach you some to think and act.

The smallest things reveals the greater.

What Social Media is For

Morning sun shines on me, ended my slumber.

I sat down to let my blood flow, and I rendered to God my gratitude for His gift of life. Slowly taking my phone and turn it on. And, it doesn’t need a long time for the noise of notifications to be heard. I looked each of them along with the serenade of social networks’ notification sounds. But don’t know why my eyes got nailed to one of them, “Get thousands of followers and likers just for $4!” My mind dove deeper to gather much data and analyze it, and finally thought: What are my social media accounts all about? Aren’t they my marketing tools or something else? Then I walked to snatch references for me. And finally thought that companies or persons race for more and more followers and likers for profit, by selling it as an advertiser of a product or selling those follow-/likers to other accounts. But I don’t think it’s illegal.

When we were offering social media marketing to companies, we often asked why my followers and likers aren’t that much, and asking my concern over that.

We have different end goals than companies and individuals in their thirst for followers and post likers. Our goals in social media marketing functionality is as a showcase for our potential customers. Thus, we don’t seek for 5-digit followers and likers. This role of social media substitutes web pages which once the only Internet digital marketing tools besides e-mail (remember 1990-2000s pre-Facebook era, will you?). Every marketing tools haves its virtues and woes, but nearly all of them can be used as the business goes on and not always moving in one certain way.

But, creativity moves and moves forward…

I usually add stronger arguments to my answers, like classification of the followers and likers’ activities: there are active followers and likers, regularly feeding on the account, and there are idle ones which was made but never use it regularly. And another important thing is the main function of digital marketer who sees detail of market’s characteristics and how he/she convey his/her message(s) to it.

Well, that’s all for now, ladies and gentlemen. If something’s to be added, I’ll post that again in the next writing.

So long friends!

Decide your goals for using social media before even start to register.

Three Financial Approaches

There are many obstacles in building a business. Yes, it’s not an easy way, even if it’s walked for years. We should take many lessons through it, and when you don’t take heed to it you won’t be able to reach newer and more dynamic markets. One of them is how to approach. In Indonesia, I saw that there are three financial approaches.

First, professional.

It keeps the professional ethics which is straight-forward and assertive in appreciating someone. This is indeed the strength of this approach. But, I saw in the culture of Indonesia, it’s considered to be too rigid, therefore many feared a person or a company using this approach. It’s caused by strong kinship culture in Indonesia, which is diametrically opposite of this approach.

Second, kinship.

This is the opposite of the first above way to approach, wherein rigidness and assertive procedures are entirely or partially avoided, from negotiation, pricing and many more, so it’s very useful for a small company or a startup company. But for your knowledge, in Indonesia, money is a rather sensitive issue (it’s like asking about someone’s age or religion maybe in your country?) so even in a big company, this approach is used in negotiation. This is where an employee or a subordinate could see his/her leader’s decisions for the company. Actually, if we think about growth of a company, when it gets larger, its demands too. Some companies instead adds the responsibility of its workers when it gets larger under the reason of maximalizing the workers’ potentials (because they’re not maximalizing theirs). It’s different than some of my friends in a well-developed country like the U.S., Australia, Japan and some European countries. The more a company grow, it logically adds employees because of more demands and responsibilities, but each of the employees are demanded to develop themselves in the part they’re working in.

Third, hybrid of those two.

This approach is used by foreign businesses or companies expanding its business in Indonesia. They want to give their workers their portions, but they want to become their employees’ ‘family’. This makes them feel comfortable with this situation. Many capitalists in Indonesia uses that second approach in their companies’ beginning to their success. But the subordinates still want it, maybe it’s because of their family relationship to the leaders, even if the government make more chance and encourage the people to open their own businesses. It’s more a mentality and lack-of-knowledge problems which couldn’t be forced into the people’s mind.

Finally I hope this could be your consideration in starting a new business in Indonesia.

A Road to the ‘House’

We often found a new company-with its limited budget, yet to understand how to run its social media. Hantam kromo (Javanese term means ‘to do without looking’) is the action we often see. However, with well-established consideration and planning, a company might save their budget, work efficiently and effectively, and having a systematic base to build the market. Ideally, from an effective view of marketing, social media networks become the face of the company. Thus the first steps to build a market is to use social media effectively.

Media sosial sebagai jembatan perusahaan menuju pasar.

Social media network is the bridge to the market.

7 Dos and Don’ts to Show Yourself on LinkedIn

The Romans considered 10 to be the perfect number, but in the Creation, number 7 is the perfect number, where the Lord ‘worked’ in 6 days and rested on the 7th day. That’s why some sees 7 as the perfect number. And this time, there are 7 things you should do and 7 things you should not do to show yourself on LinkedIn. Well, I don’t want to talk too much, so I want to tell you now.

Do these 7 things :

Share a link to an interesting article, web page, or video you’ve seen so another will learn from that. Don’t worry if another would see or not.
Asking a question that could solve your problem, like “do you any good graphic designer?”
Survey your networks informally over an interesting topic (for yourself)
Mention persons or situations that could help your network, like “I met Mr. Eric, a marketing expert and talked much about marketing, so I found a way to save my budget while effectively reaching the market.”
Talk about an event you’re attending, or an event you make. This will get into another’s attention.
If you’re looking for a job, tell your experiences and reputation calmly.
Use the “Like” button when you see someone’s post that helps you. Do this with your networks.

But don’t do these 7 things :

Telling private things, like your assets, today’s breakfast or your dog’s health condition. This signifies you’re wasting your colleagues’ time.
Keep talking about products and services, because this isn’t what LinkedIn is for.
Talking about verily sensitive issues, like racial issues, that ignites horizontal conflict.
Not re-checking your post update, either its meaning or its spelling.
Treat LinkedIn like Twitter (e.g. : talking expressively especially of anger against someone, etc.)
Posting on LinkedIn as many as on Facebook or Twitter.
Wasting your time reading updates that against the above rules. You can hide someone’s post (for you) if you want.

These are my advices, taken and digested from many sources. If you find it wrong, tell me. If not, you may do so.

Mention only the important.

Why Businesses Should Use Visualized Network

Okay, let’s to the point because many companies are aware with this, even a college in my city (Denpasar) opens a digital marketing program. So, many people in Indonesia, my country, are aware of the visualized marketing. But for the sake of argument, and your knowledge, I’ll explain the reason below.

The first reason is network or community. We can’t deny that many people loves images (either photography, illustration or another form of visual arts.) so the social networks could be used to do ‘branding activity.’ There are so many people who learn visually.

The second reason is that visualization could be used to build the image of the company. A high-class image might lift the company to the upper class. I remembered of an office equipments ad. They used models dressed in a tidy suits (for males) and elegant women with a sweet smile, while conveying their message. But later, the same company used illustrations and sketches made by their stationaries. Maybe we might think, “It’s because that company’s products are related to illustration drawing.” I saw this fact that now other companies like automotive companies use photographs and sketches, and what surprised me is when my friend found some hotels using Instagram and Pinterest to promote. Then I wondered, “what’s the impact?” Those who like those images asked the hotel’s location and even promised to stay there. I proved it myself with my Instagram account.

I’ve been on Instagram since 2013, but the impact that hotel got, I also got it. Some people asked the location of my taken photos (mostly in Indonesia) even promised to go there when visiting Indonesia.

So, I conclude that visual trend increases. That’s why I advised some company leaders especially my close friends to redesign and upgrade the image of their brand. But be careful when changing the ‘image’, lest it be a blunder. It needs a deep analysis and study.

Some quick tips for you not to make blunders :

Gather data and facts.
Analyze those data.
Trust an experienced person to build the ‘image,’ discuss it with your marketing department or an in-house marketing supervisor.
Make a temporal result.
Test it to small-scoped market target. Analyze it, but be proportional to the market size.
If there’s inaccuracy in market, there’s not a big problem. It’s the input for re-analyzing. Repeat step 1 to 5 with different small market target.

I only can suggest, but the choice is yours. With love~

Visualization build the image of a company. A high-class image can make it high-class too.

The Importance of Visual Branding and Its Problems

Visual marketing has been commited by commercial companies. But we’re discussing some of it now. We don’t forget to notice that the main function of branding is—no surprise—to introduce a product or a service, and maintaining relationship between clients and colleagues. Nowadays, people consume social media more than TV and magazines. Related to visual marketing, I wanna ask you a question: why visual?

Visuals are easier to get into someone’s mind, but it doesn’t mean that texts are useless. Both of them can convey messages together.

Someone will get motivated with charming appearance of a product display.

Marketing and sales department looks the same but they’re different. As mentioned before, marketing personnels introduce a product or service and maintaining relationship between clients and colleagues, while salespersons sell, distribute and attempt to increase sales.

Marketing plus sales means success.

Let’s take a look to the images below, how marketing and sales departement treat images differently :

As you would see above, marketing promotion introduces the product’s brand and its use of natural ingredients, while sales promotion advertises 20% discount for all products. But how if both are combined?

We see “We use the natural ingredients” and “Get 20% off!” gets joined without contradicting each other.

In this era, social media are used from the home industries to multinational giants to introduce whatever they offer to the public, because it cost less cost and task force, and most importantly the market target there are vast and diverse. You only have to employ some people to handle your (or your company) social media, create visual materials, then spread it to the entire world, or your intended market target, in an instant. But, marketing by printed media makes the public reach our marketing tools physically.

But, creating visual contents that would hit the market well needs people with these roles :

Marketer, to analyze market, but yet to touch visual aspect of visual marketing.
Art director, a person who translates the result of market analysis to a design concept that fits it.
Designer, Executor of art director’s ideas : to make visual promotion materials according to market analysis translated by the art director.

It needs a good combination of those three to make a good visual, and budgets for them. In many times, we found a designer who’s able to make good design or pictures, but don’t have a skill needed for the right market. It’s financially improvident because of unique characteristics of certain markets.

And before we close this short writings, we offer some not-so-fun facts we found about visual marketing:

The social media movers found were unaware of their part, or having less knowledge about marketing, especially digital marketing. They can only ‘play’ social media so the market target remain untouched.
The face of company or its marketing tools is no suitable for the intended market target. Thing like this could bring down the company’s reputation.
Social media movers only upload and download marketing materials, without extensive detail about the market.
The market keeps moving, and such movements are unpredictable. This requires deeper analysis and right response to that market.
In-house designer and marketing often ‘confined’ by their work environment so their knowledge about the market is limited in data gathering, analyzing, and responding to it.

The ideal of visual marketing and branding is to build image of a company and its product(s). Would you want to have mediocre image for your company? or an ever-increasing reputation?

The most important thing is that the image fits your products or services.

Just some info:

Why we take social media marketing? First, the ability to read and analyze market, then executing visual branding that fits it. Second, social media networks ideally be ‘played’ everyday to touch the market. And the last and the most, every market target is unique and ever-changing, so we need to always observe it. What’s so disappointing is some people buys follower, thus giving a false sense of influence. That’s why the followers you have don’t matter. What matters is the people’s attention in social networks.

And other than that, the cost we offer equals of one or two workers. We’ll play our social media, and build a class that matches your market target(s), and also we offer to make work calendar for seasonal greetings in a year.

Imperfection ≠ Uselessness

I remembered when one of marketing staff invited me to go to his office, wanting me to show my photo works. When he was seeing my works, he stopped in my culinary photo page. He saw an oversaturated image of plate with food over it. “This is over-saturated!” he said with a gesture signifying that oversaturated images are bad. I remembered when I was new to photography, when my friends told me that oversaturation is a bad thing. Now I boldly expressed, “I disagree! It’s not right!”

I also remebered when I was still new to photography, where my friends said that oversaturation/overexposure is something bad and should be avoided at all costs. But, going further, I tried something unusual, even playing with unusual and unexpected things. But, from that experiments, I get lessons and experience from that, one of them: that oversaturation is not always bad. I’m certain about that, “Oversaturation is not bad as is”. But why? Why I say that? So this: oversaturation emphasized the main object of a photo, like in food photography. And one thing you must consider is the application of that photo. Not all oversaturated images are good to be applied into all mediums. So, you need to think harder in using a technique.

And, many more ‘negative’ techniques I found, and I finally use for my photo works.

Keep learning, experimenting, and move forward, always.

Basic Study of Arts and Design : Touch the Feeling

When I was beginning to study photography, I clearly remember that my friends gave me much advices to me, and I thanked them and never forget them. I expressed my gratitude by giving advices to those who begin to learn photography, even you. Everything I got from my study, from literatures, from real-life facts, I give it to you.

This time I tell you the basics—how a photographer presents his/her works. In Perception and Imaging by Richard D. Zakia, there are three principles on how to present a photographic work. I’ll explain each of those, so you may learn and know the basics.

The first to consider is projection.

Let me tell you something: I have a friend not formally educated in arts and design, but since his beginning in photography and keep training, he successfully reached the apex of his learning. He finally have a very high sensitivity over an object, when he see what people might think as common object, he could explore it further for making an outstanding image. I saw this without many words uttered. Then I had an idea to explore further and trying to ‘test’ him, by inviting him to ‘hunt’ for photos. I let him lead the journey. He chose object I never thought to snap and make it a good photo work. After capturing, we picked our photos. I asked him to pick 10 from 100+ unedited photos, and almost all of the photos he picked matched my choice.

So what I mean by the term ‘projection’ is when a photographer can feel before pressing the shutter so that the object stands out. There are two things I consider : that fellow was gifted by his Creator for that, and the second are things for my learning. How could someone do that? Let me explain how to ‘capture’ an object so we could be more sensitive to an object. The first key is morphic (from morphos means ‘form’). There are 6 morphics I found all over my life :

Isomorphic (like-formed)
Anthropomorphic (human-formed)
Zoomorphic (animal-formed)
Theriomorphic (terribly formed)
Mechanomorphic (machine-formed)
Anamorphic (distorted or destroyed form)

My apologize. In this writing, I’m not explaining each of those morphics, because it would be very very very long and complex. But, by this insight I hope you explore it more and more, so that you may train yourself to make an object to a work of arts.

Let’s move forward, buddy!

Take heed to morphic, it builds the feeling of your frame.

Critics of Life in Modern Arts

In 2011, I visited my hometown, Jakarta. Usually I go there once or twice a year to visit my family. One of the advancement of the city which I’m proud of, is Busway (Transjakarta.) It’s unfair for me not to praise the idea and hardworking people who attempt to solve the traffic congestion problem there. It’s unfair for me if someone criticize them without giving solutions. The people’s way of thinking is only for criticize things without attempting to solve a problem. Someone may say “Our critics are for the city’s advancement”

For me it’s helping and it’s not wrong to criticize, but sometimes we forget this thing: to criticize ourselves even if the impact is not strong.

For example, we shout over Jakarta’s flooding every single year, but we’re littering, even to the streets and rivers. ‘Go Green’ is a mere symbol we’re not realized basically that this Earth is for our offsprings and we ought to preserve it.

It’s scary enough when I analyzed a critic of the development of modern era design. In this era, chemical and synthetic compounds industries develops rapidly, and in every aspect of life those compounds are being used, like plastic wraps and chemical in most households. The invention of the compounds helps mankind in one side, but in other side it contributes to the destruction of the earth. Therefore in 1960s the society starts to aware of the conservation of Earth, that movement is called Green Revolution. This movement spreads from grassroots movements; and in USA, this movement spreads to courts and government. Nearly everyone were involved in this movement. How about Indonesia? I watched a TV news report showing that people might smoke freely in the Parliament building, while smoking is a part of destroying the enviroment (as well as your health.) And I don’t forget to mention the industrial and vehicular emission gas. As you might’ve known, CO2 absorbs heat, and that makes heat from Sun gets trapped under the atmosphere. This is called greenhouse effect. And why there’s more horizontal conflict in Indonesia?

Wait…. why I went into a question on horizontal conflict? What’s the connection to the modern design? I conclude from my dissection on History of Modern Design (from pre-modern era into modern era) as follows: whatever we are, our ethnicities, religions, races, etc. we are aware that the earth is decaying. Why should do violence as sedatives? That depends on the entire humanity to choose.

Whatever I’ve mentioned above is only a small example. By using public transportation in Jakarta, at least I reduced CO2 emmision from my own vehicle, at cost of my convenience.

Final conclusion: studying design not only from what it shows, but what it brings, and then the action out of the way of thinking.

RRCREATIVITY

All posts by : Rio Dwisandy