Stuff We Learned This Week

We get a lot of articles passed around the office…sometimes it’s just an update about cool technology, and sometimes it’s tips within the industry. Here are three things that landed in our inboxes this week… you might find one or two interesting or noteworthy too.

• “3 Metrics that will change the way you market on Facebook” – if you’ve looked at your company’s FB page lately and wondered what “People Talking About This” or “Engaged Users” really means, this article explains. And after you know, be prepared to get distracted by “researching” your page.
  
• “12 Things Successful People Do Differently” – In reality, not many of us are going to read this and remember these tips. But, this article does point out things we've all fallen into, and it makes you think. We like #s 3, 5, 7, and 8. It's a good lunch break read.
  
• Who doesn’t like the classic & fun style of CSA images? For our fellow designers, they’re now available on iStock, FYI - here

"Paradigm Productions Charles Gaushell Discusses how to Provide More Than Just a Product"

Just a few days ago, Animation Career Review posted this interview with Charles about our animation process and this side of Paradigm’s work, and he gives some tips for aspiring animators. Jason Lee, 3d artist, was also involved in giving his insight for some of these questions.

Many of the most successful animation production houses in the country have been around since animation's infancy—Paradigm Productions is one of them. Since 1992 Paradigm has been creating Cel & 3D animation, CGI, photography, video and illustrations.

Paradigm's long-standing success was built on taking a different spin on the business side of animation; Paradigm offers not only a full range of production services but also offer advertising and marketing services via their Paradigm Marketing & Creative wing. By attacking the industry with an artist's creative touch and a marketer's out-of-the-box thinking they have succeeded in the zany and cut-throat animation industry. Paradigm's slogan paraphrases this: “creative story telling & digital media…that gets results.”

Leading the successful team over at Paradigm is Charles Gaushell, company Founder and award-winning Creative Director. We got a chance to talk with the man with the plan and he offered some real-world, actionable advice for our aspiring animator readers:

For any of our readers not familiar with you could you explain your studio's

vision and what separates you from the (vast) competition?

Our goal is to provide more than just a product. We talk with clients about what their needs are, what they are trying to accomplish, and then figure out the best way to help them. We see 3d animation as a tool to tell the client’s story. We create work that is visually appealing and has a certain quality to it that clients can notice. We have a diverse "style" to our work that clients seem to like, and not having a specific style keeps our work from looking "cookie cutter". In addition, we are a full service agency, so animation and illustration is often a piece of the package. Consistency in all levels of branding, marketing and advertising are very important to us.

As a creative professional how have you handled the business-side to running

an animation studio?

Actually I majored in architecture, with a minor in business because I’ve always seen the creative profession as both a design/creative outlet and a money making venture. We take our craft very seriously, but we also track time, develop processes and are highly aware of customer relationships. We haven’t been around since 1992 (20 years) for no reason. Creative and business go hand in hand. Everyone that works at our firm has a design background with the exception of our public relations/copy writers. Myself and all of the project managers have lived and breathed creative so we are always sensitive to the artistic aspects – after all that is the fun part – but making a good living off of this also matters.

How did you initially get your foot into the door of the animation industry? (aka

what was your first job and how did you get it?)

Actually I was practicing architecture and using 3D as a design tool way back in 1988 (using Datacad). In 1992 another architect friend and I decided that 3D had a real future as a design, presentation and marketing tool. People thought we were nuts– guess they were wrong! We were self-taught and just decided to do this. It took a lot of hard work to grow the business but to date we’ve worked in over 40 states and 7 countries.

What kind of education did it take to get you where you are today?

Bachelor of Architecture with a minor in Finance. A lot of long nights and weekends to learn CAD (Datacad and AutoCad), 3D (Lightwave3D), 2d programs (everything Adobe), editing, multimedia, web development, etc. And many years of working with clients to develop analysis tools for helping them clearly define their business, service, product or project. Others in our firm come from a variety of backgrounds – graphic design, fine arts, land planning, film school, and self-taught.

Who does the hiring for your company?

Primarily me, though I always involve others in the office in interviews and portfolio reviews. Quality of work, diversity of skills and a real ability to take and give critiques is huge. If you don’t like change or challenges you don’t belong at Paradigm. We are always trying new methods and helping our clients be their best.

Has the trend of overseas animation outsourcing affected your firm, if yes, how

have you dealt with it or compensated for it?

As far as we can tell, it hasn’t had any negative impact. The few clients of ours that have tried overseas companies come back to use due to value. It isn’t all about money. If you don’t get it, can’t service the client or even communicate clearly there is zero advantage. Too many of those companies make it all about dollars and I’ve seen US based 3D companies outsource full projects only to have a major quality drop or huge inconsistency. Doesn’t bother me – real business is about relationships, service and quality – e.g. Value.

If you were going to hire a new employee/intern what qualities would you look

for in a person and portfolio and where would you look?

The first place I would look is at the people I already know. The qualities would be a strong portfolio that shows a variety of skills, not just talent in a specific area like modeling for example. We look for people who can do multiple things well and enjoy learning and solving problems. A strong work ethic and ability to work in a team environment are important. We’ve had little luck with broad postings as people tend to apply while ignoring qualification requirements – it is tiresome weeding through those. Networking seems to work best. We are always happy to review work, but usually better if they touch-base up front.

Do you hire freelancers? If yes, what would make you throw work their way?

Only for modeling. Never for illustrations or animations. We won’t outsource those ever due to lack of quality control and frankly we work as a team and are tough on each other. Finding someone who is reliable, efficient, and accessible is important. Good listener. If they are doing 3d work for us then it’s nice if they use the same programs.

What animation software packages does your firm prefer to use? Which one

would you recommend to beginners?

We use Lightwave 3d. It’s a really easy program to use and can create some amazing things. Unfortunately Lightwave would not be the first software I would recommend to beginners. It’s much harder to find studios that are using Lightwave. 3d Max is more common, especially in the architectural viz field. Even so, you can learn 3d in any software and still develop the skills that will translate to other programs. The most important thing is to develop an eye and understand some of the methods that exist in all the different software packages. We use Lightwave because it has a lot of pixel and color depth not to mention a softer look than Max. Modo is a good alternative, though anyone working for us ultimately needs to be on Lightwave. We have a large render farm that takes advantage of its rendering speed as well.

What advice would you give to aspiring animators looking to break into the

industry?

Spend some time creating good work and put together a strong portfolio or demo reel. Try to have an element about your work that stands out from everyone else. The way you present yourself and your work goes a long way. Be aware of the good work that’s out there and set a standard of the quality of work you want to be doing. Get to know others who are working in the industry. Listen to critiques and learn the art of observation. No spaceships, skulls or bad character animations. Architectural interior lighting and composition actually stump a lot of artists. Much harder than they think until they try it. And since we many times are having to wing it, design skills are key. Note that artistic skills are huge, but if you have to have everything handed to you and can’t solve problems then you are pretty much a technical artist. We want design artists – problem solvers that create exquisite illustrations and animations that tell the story needed by our clients.

Original article here, by Robin Wilding

New Year, New Plans!

With the start of the first work week of 2012, we’ve been busy planning for what’s ahead and are excited to share some of our goals.

First, this is going to be an extra important year for us, as it’s Paradigm Marketing & Creative’s 20 year anniversary! We can’t believe we’ve been doing what we love for two decades, and are so grateful to have worked with amazing clients and people. So, Paradigm's thinking of ways to celebrate and what to include in our monumental celebration….pass on ideas if you’ve got them!

Second, we’re getting ready for our annual Paradigm retreat next week. We hold one every year to evaluate ourselves, talk about future goals, etc. It’s a great way to get everyone’s input outside of the office.

Third, we’ll be completely redesigning our office into a mod, hip, new work-space! More details to come later…but the 3D models look awesome.

Check back for updates!

Hail to the Printer

Here are some images of the brochures we made for local Victory University, hot off the press at Mercury Printing. These brochures will go to students that are potentially interested in a scholarship program the college is offering. We assisted with copywriting, design, and deciding which print qualities would work best (paper type, size, etc).

It’s always satisfying to see the product transform from our screens to actuality.

"Package Simulator" Video

Here’s one of the videos we created for Children’s Museum of Memphis, which will be publicly displayed in their facility. These put a visual twist into teaching basic geography & logistics to children. The one below is customized to Beijing, China.

We also made similar videos for these countries:

Moscow, Russia
Paris, France
Nairobi, Kenya
Washington, DC
Cairo, Egypt
Delhi, India

And of course, the North Pole.

What Will You Recycle Today?

Southern Sales & Services came to us for help with rebranding their company and additional marketing services to follow. After completing the first step of our process, the Blueprint, we discovered that they are quite different from similar companies in their industry with their range of service offerings and the area in which they operate. 

The company’s focus is on eco-friendly mattress and appliance recycling, as well as delivery, hauling and most recently, metal scrapping. They serve the entire Mid-South area and will travel greater distances across the US, which is pretty impressive.

Basically, we decided a clearer name for the company would benefit them, so we changed it to Southern Recycling Service. With the new website, we wanted to give “fun facts” in the form of interactive Q&As about environmentally friendly recycling to spruce the subject matter up while educating people about it and marketing SRS’s services:

If you want to see the whole product, visit www.southernrecyclingservice.com.

Along with the blueprint and website design, we’re also working on Eblasts, stationery, letters, mailers and other collateral to push the word about their unique services.

Adopting Market Driven Strategies

Written by Michael Ganda, Project Manager and Brand Developer. Published in the Memphis Daily News, November 17, 2011.



Thanksgiving approaching only means that Christmas is right around the corner. As consumers prepare to get bombarded with holiday advertising and companies begin wondering how to push their products, businesses may be missing an enormous opportunity if they adhere to the outdated product-driven marketing strategy rather than adopting a market-driven strategy.


A market-driven strategy puts priority on the consumers in order to devise the underlying objective. Put simply, a market-driven strategy asks the question, “How can I tailor my product/service to what consumers want,” rather than, “How can I sell or push my product?”


By focusing on the consumer first, companies can gain great advantages that aid in the marketing and sales of their products or services. Developing a market-driven strategy involves aligning internal operations as well as external communications in order to affect every aspect of customer value, and therefore is not a short-term solution. However, when done correctly, a market-driven strategy can provide excellent results and even reduce long-term costs.


Here are a few tips to consider when developing a market-driven strategy:

• Think like a customer. I don’t mean think about why they would buy your product or service. Think about how your product/service makes their life better, what is missing from your product, what competitors offer that you do not.
• Focus on benefits, not features. Features are relative to your product or service while benefits relate directly to your customers’ experience. Think of cell phones as an example. The advertisers do not say the phone has a 1540 mAh capacity battery (feature), they say you get up to 480 minutes of talk time (benefit).
• Be honest. Our mothers taught us this important quality, but people (and companies) have a difficult time being honest about their own product or service. In order to be as competitive as possible, you have to at least know what the positives and negatives of your product or service are. Even if you are not able to change a negative aspect, you can at least be prepared to address it.
• Get outside opinions. All companies fall victim to “drinking their own Kool-Aid” and will inevitably miss important factors because they simply cannot view their product as an outsider. That is why it is important to get honest opinions from friends and colleagues from another company.
• Check your ego at the door. For this process to be successful, companies must be willing to recognize their faults and weaknesses. This process can often be terrifying for people and very uncomfortable, but it is truly the best way to develop a competitive market position.

These five guidelines may seem basic, but using them is a start in the right direction for developing a strong, competitive position for your company. If successful in doing so, this new market-driven strategy will help pull customers into your product or service with more ease than you expect.


Article Link: click here. If you have any questions about market-driven strategies, feel free to leave us a comment and we'll get back to you!

Campaign Part 3: JewelMasters Commercials

One of our current projects is the holiday campaign we implemented for JewelMasters. It started with developing and designing a concept for various billboards (we posted them few weeks ago). This same concept was used for ads, and now we just finished up the commercials below. These could either: put you in the holiday spirit, make you want something shiny, or if you’re a male…provoke a little fright!

All joking aside, here they are:

Can you tell what is 3d cgi, photo and video in these?