CapsuleBlog

WTF.com

Do two wrongs make a right?

First wrong: As a society we learned many things from the .com bubble burst. In the brand strategy community, many of us saw the downside of using .com in a name. When the bubble bursts, your brand goes further down than the rest. Which is both short-term pain and long-term pain (that's right, no gain in this equation). Naming in this way lends itself to keep you defined to what can be a narrow space. Nobody refers to Amazon as Amazon.com anymore, do they? Which makes sense, and therefore we shouldn’t see too many more .com type names in the new brand name world. One would think.

Second wrong: Never, oh never explicitly describe your product, service or business in your name. Why? Because doing this makes it impossible for you to evolve. Just ask Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing if they are in the mining business anymore. Want another reason? Descriptive names are much less protectable, just ask the publishers of the Duets blog. And, finally, it isn’t more memorable. It merely allows someone to categorize you in their mind, which doesn’t mean they’ll remember your name or anything else about you for that matter.

So, are we led to believe either the rules have changed and two wrongs do make a right? It seems odd that such a proverb would fall to the wayside. Or, perhaps our societal memory is lacking and our desire to describe is greater than our hunger to be distinctive.

Why do I rant? Because Hotels.com, Lending.com, Resorts.com, and many similar names keep showing up. They don't get it.

And if you're wondering, WTF.com is a rant site. Makes perfect sense to me.

Aaron Keller.

Spec this

Something disturbing has been afoot in the industry for a while now: the increasingly common call for spec work from designers. From No!Spec, a group of designers committed to educating the public about the downfalls of spec work, here's a quick definition for those who may be new to the term: “Spec” has become the short form for any work done on a speculative basis. In other words, any requested work for which a fair and reasonable fee has not been agreed upon, preferably in writing.

At Capsule, we are seeing more of this in the form of design contests ("crowdsourcing", anyone?), but also, more disturbingly, as part of the proposal process. As in, "show us how you'd design this, and we'll think about awarding the project to you - maybe."

This exhibits a disturbing lack of respect for the creativity, skills and professionalism of designers. Capsule has refused to participate in spec work projects in the past, even if it looked as though our participation would likely lead to our financial gain, and we will continue to do so.

The AIGA has composed an excellent letter here that can be used to explain to potential clients why spec work is not only unethical, but also not in their best interest.

We hope to soon see the end of this, but in these economic times it's a buyers' market.

Happy thanksgiving

Happy thanksgiving - Capsule wishes you a happy and safe holiday (and, hopefully, a long weekend!)

Absence makes the blog grow quiet

I, your trusty Capsule blogger, just returned to the office from a stint in Australia and so apologize for the quiet here on the blog. I was enjoying 100 degree sunshine and beachside lunches while here in Minnesota, the snow began to fall. I've arrived back this weekend to find that we're well and truly in the beginnings of another long winter.

Anyway, it's good to be back, and you can expect more regular posting from now!