Hey, Thanks Tara for starting up this lively discussion... obviously a galvanizing topic!

Looking at Cultural Creatives from a perspective of "Diffusion of Innovation", we could get to some further segmentation within these groups.

I'm using a hypothetical recycling campaign as an example:

1. The LOHAS (Lifestyles of Healthy, Alternative, Sustainable). These are the innovators on the scale of diffusion. They research their purchases, investigate corporate backgrounds and generally are concerned with the highest level of holistic health on both the personal and planetary level; are ahead of the curve in adoption of "green values". They are the ones who would have gone to the city council ad said, "We need a recycling program"

2. The Naturalists. This group shares many values with the LOHAS but are motivated more by what's in it for them. These are "early adopters". They need a little bit of persuasion to get to a fully sustainable lifestyle, but with a little education would happily purchase organics vs non partly because it's good for them and partly because it's perceived as a "cool' thing to do. They will be the first ones on their block to put out their recycling (responding to the campaign their LOHAS neighbors initiated)

3.Next would be the "Early Majority". For example, you set out your recyclables every week, just as awareness is going out that recycling is a good thing. Lots of people in your neighborhood are doing it and you join in. It's still voluntary, but it seems like a good idea.

1. Late Majority. Ok, by now the city you live in has a full blown curbside recycling program. Everyone puts out their recycling and you can't imagine life before recycling.

2. Laggards. These are the folks who have little consciousness about anything and are the least likely to ever recycle. To them, garbage is garbage and they see no need to recycle anything.

We can look at these five stages as a time frame as well in designing a strategic campaign. Think of a bell curve with early adopters at the beginnig and early/late majority in the middle and laggards at the other end of the spectrum. Each phase would need a different tactic for getting out the word about recycling.

This is very rich material and I'm grateful to TARA for bringing up the discussion.

Green Blessings!

Thanks John. I've decided to stick with FARM after getting an email from a greenMBA cohort-mate that really resonated for me, as do your comments.

While all the other colleagues I sent my querry out to as a "focus group" said, Yeah, go for greenhead, here's what Nancy Roberts said (and I'm going to invite her to join Biznik, LOVE this group!):

Personally, I would stay with Farm because:

1. the logo is great: strong, humorous and bright without being too cute

2. I fear for the future of green-ness...if that moniker falls out of favor or there's some kind of "greenwashing" scandal, you'd be tarred with that brush.

3. You may sometimes want to go for work that is not overtly "green"...why narrow your scope needlessly

4. FARM has a nice sense of solidity and heritage.  Growing ideas, farm fresh innovation, cultivating creativity...the tag line opportunities are endless.

5.  I think your experience is an asset, and the greenhead looks very young, hip, dot commish to me...not that you're not hip, but you know what I mean, It kinda says start-up fly by night, whereas Farm says, "I have roots here"

In my private weekend life, I'm an organic farmer, Fig Leaf Farm, battling gophers in the most organic ways I can, supporter of all things organic, try to steer my clients to the greenest possible ways to print or eliminate print from their jobs, be eco-efficient and do as little harm as possible. Currently looking for alternative packaging materials... recycled stuff, shipping pouches that become useful items like fanny packs later, things like that.

We are at the tipping point where we must be WILDLY creative to protect our little planet here.

Please, don't get me started. I'll write 200 blogopages on what we need to do yesterday.

Anyone seen the Solar Bikini's?

That's great info Jefferson. I have a client who is starting a new company and new product and wants to register its name. Will check that trademark registry.

Thanks for your post!

Alana

Thanks for a really great article, Christopher. As a marketer and identity designer, names are very relevant to my world.

I've been struggling with a new name for my business for a while, moving from Alana Jelinek Design to a name that says something about my values. I've been trying on FARM graphic design for size for a while, but I'm not sure it's working. Over the weekend, I was at a brainstorming session with some colleagues and described us as "Greenheads". Everyone had a YEAH to that word, so I'm thinking I'm going to run with it.

One of the focuses of my practice is "green, sustainable", I'm a greenMBA candidate as well and feel that a name with Green in it would be a good thing.

What do you think? Greenhead Graphic Design & Marketing.

Thanks!

Alana

Hi AC,

I think that your current tagline could be applied to any travel experience. What is unique about your travel adventure is probably altitude and the unique beauty of the area.

What is something about this trip that exists no where else, can't be duplicated?

I'm thinking things like....

Discover the top of the world.....

Sitting on top of the world

Reach the heights of experience

something along those lines

happy to brainstorm further with you if anything strikes a gong.

Alana

Hi Sherri,

Thanks for the info! Some things are particularly difficult to proof, such as esoteric ingredients on packaging labels, or something that should be there but got deleted in an iteration.

Great!

Nice, Jim. That's why I always have the client do the final proofing! My point exactly. Alana

Here's one from me. Being a graphic designer, I'm very sensitive to this issue because it is one that can be expensive for me! I usually assign the final proofing responsibility to the client because I spend a lot of time looking at letter spacing, line spacing, kerning, etc..... the words loose meaning after a while.

Here's my tip: CALL every phone # and fax # on your printed material. EMAIL every email address and paste every url into your browser before sending a job out to print.