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Saturdays

Posted by Lauren McNulty

Saturday has become my favorite day of the week. You may think, “Class from 9:30am – 5:00pm, every single Saturday” and cringe – but you shouldn’t. Don’t feel bad for my classmates or me, because…

  • Saturdays are our days without stress from work
  • Saturdays are our days without readings, homework, papers, projects – and all of the other “fun” preparation that grad school requires
  • Saturdays are our days without house chores, cooking, yard work, etc.

Honestly, Saturdays aren’t my favorite day because I don’t have to go to work, read or clean. Saturday’s are my favorite day because…

  • Our Saturdays are filled with a group of truly diverse people who are excited to engage about everything and anything
  • Our Saturdays include free therapy to vent, encourage and discuss the previous work week – it’s reassuring to discover that you aren’t alone in the “real world”
  • Our Saturdays are filled with truly great people who want to form meaningful relationships, network and help others
  • Our Saturdays are filled with idea generation from people who work in diverse companies, industries and sectors
  • Our Saturdays are always full of happy stomachs thanks to the great lunch spread at the Allen Center

It’s hard to believe that the MSC Class of 2016 has less than 100 days until graduation. It’s impossible to quantify how much we have learned, and will continue to learn, on our Saturday’s together.

Lauren McNulty – Class of 2016

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Categories: experiences, Grad School, MSC, MSC Value, Northwestern

Can a Company Own a Specific Color?

Posted by Madison Adduci

Trademarking, branding and color copyright.

This was a topic brought up today in the Visual Communication class that got everyone thinking. Can a company trademark a color?

The initial answer we settled on was no, but after further discussion, we believe the answer is yes, under certain circumstances.

We know that companies can trademark fonts and symbols, but colors is a whole new level. Tiffany-Blue-Box

Tiffany Blue is one very common, well-known color. The color is mentioned and almost everyone can picture those little blue bags or boxes, but does Tiffany & Co. copyright that popular color? The answer is yes, however, the color (hex numbers) can be used on another product as long as that product is in a different industry.

For example, Nike has a women’s shoe that resembles the exact same Tiffany Blue color, but it is acceptable because Nike does not make jewelry so it does not compete with the same audience as Tiffany.

Coke Cola cannot sue target for the, very close resembling, red color because the companies are not similar, and they do not overlap and are in completely different industries.

“Trademarking a color simply allows a company to use a particular combination and shade of color in its own industry” (Business Insider). The company does not OWN the color thougchristian-louboutin-hotchick-pumpsh.

Christian Louboutin recently won the right trademark the signature red heels on his shoes. This opens the question about what can and cannot be trademarked… This opens the question on whether or not Macys and Carson’s could battle head-to-head because they both use red, with different symbols, and are in the same industry.

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Categories: Eric Patrick, Grad School, Marketing Strategy, MSC, MSC Value, Northwestern, NU, Visual Communications

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Is Networking Manipulative?

Posted by Peter Sandstedt

As we progress in our readings and discussion of Networks, a common concern continues to arise. Is Networking manipulative? Why do people want to form relationships with one another? Are selfish motives the primary reason why someone pursues a relationship with another individual?

Reciprocity is a reason why we form relationships with one another. We seek to receive something in almost anything we do whether it’s affection, help, a promotion, etc…

However, we also have a desire to give (some more than others and at various frequencies).

As we grow up, we reflect on the times we have received help and guidance from others, but could offer nothing in return. As a result, we look for ways to give back and offer our assistance to others when it is needed.

Also, we form relationships with people out of genuine care for them or for the organization.

If we can improve the efficiency of our organization with better communication, it is an incentive to foster positive professional relationships with our coworkers.

The bottom line is that Networking can be manipulative. Some people do intend to form relationships with the sole intent of getting something from you. Nevertheless, our readings and discussion continue to reinforce that if one is Networking for the sake of receiving something, this phony attitude will be recognized and it will fail. The best relationships are formed with selfless, foundational base.

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Categories: Leveraging Networks, MSC

Design. Design. Design. It’s Everywhere!

Posted by Madison Adduci

Have you ever thought about design? And how and what is designed that you see in your everyday routine?

Take a moment and think about it right now.

You wake up in the morning, most people to their phone alarms on an iPhone: design. Then, you get out of bed and go to the bathroom to brush your teeth with toothpaste, which has a distinct logo: designed by someone. The Tropicana orange juice you drink with your breakfast has a package and logo design in order to be effective, or ineffective, when it comes to sales.

All the billboards you see on the expressway on your way to work are design, the brand of car you drive requires design, the couch you sit on while you watch your television after a long day of work: ALL DESIGN. See my point?

Designers play a huge role in society, since every little thing that surrounds us on a daily basis took some work to make and design well. However, there are always fails when it comes to design; fails that I find funny and want to share with you.

Below are some major design fails that no one caught, so they were produced and released to the public. Sitting back and thinking about if your design will be effective, if it will be displayed properly, and if it looks visually appealing are all important before sending it out for production. How some of these got passed along without being caught amazes me, but I hope you enjoy them!

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Categories: Eric Patrick, MSC, Visual Communications

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Design: Recreating a Website

Posted by Madison Adduci

Design is extremely crucial. Think about your favorite clothing brand or company, you know their logo, right? You know that the Swoosh symbol is associated with Nike, the M arch is McDonalds, and the red bulls-eye is Target.

Logo design is what a person thinks of when thinking of a specific company, which makes their branding important because it is the baseline for customers.

Websites are equally as important in today’s society, since everyone uses the Internet to do research and shop. In the Visual Communication class this past week, we discussed logos and logo fails, however, we were asked to recreate a website that had poor design. I am very pleased with the work my group and I have completed and would like to show you the before and after website designs.

Sometimes less is more; Penny Juice used rainbow colors to create their brand so we decided to use those same colors while making it less busy and more appealing to the eye of our audience.

What do you think? Did our redesign work for this juice company?

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

Screen Shot 2016-05-07 at 11.00.18 AM

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Categories: Eric Patrick, Grad School, group projects, MSC, Northwestern, Visual Communications, Wildcats

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Mixing Your Networks

Posted by Madison Adduci

Is it bad to mix your personal and business networks?

What do you think? The answer is not black or white; it lands in the gray area because it really depends on the people involved.

Lets say you want to find a mentor, you pick who you relate to the most and who you think will benefit you and help you succeed, but their only free time is at their child’s sporting event… how do you feel?

Some people would feel offended and uncomfortable in that setting because it is not business professional, however, some people would not have a problem with it. They would feel grateful that their mentor is willing to help them even if it is in a personal atmosphere. But it is not bad to mix your networks as long as those involved do not mind.

This week we discussed Heidi Roizen and how she maintained her network to be a huge success.

Here are some overall tips to keeping your network:

  1. Always socialize with those who might benefit you in the future
  2. 2. Trim your network when it feels necessary
  3. Take time to help those who need it
  4. Manage your time

Networks are important because life revolves around who you know. If you know someone who is looking to fill a position in their company and you also know someone who is looking for that kind of job, connect them.

Help others so they will help you in the future when you need it.

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Categories: MSC, Noshir Contractor, NU, Perspective

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Sunny & 75

Posted by Madison Adduci

Today, I got a glimpse of what summer class sessions are going to be like. Sun_PinEveryone in class knew the weather was so nice outside and couldn’t wait for lunch break and go experience the beautiful weather.

I have a feeling that coming and sitting in class this summer is going to be difficult for this cohort, but thankfully we have our lunch breaks to go out and enjoy the sun and catch some rays as we walk the lake.

WE CAN DO IT. Even though the weather is getting nicer we have to keep the end goal in mind: A Master’s Degree from one of the best universities in the country.

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Categories: Grad School, MSC, MSC Value, values

Infographics in Everyday Life

Posted by Madison Adduci

right-vs-leftVisual communication surrounds us everyday. In class this past week, our assignment was to design an inforgraphic displaying numerical data that would otherwise be boring.

I used right brain vs. left brain statistics for my infographic, as shown below. It shows the percentages of right, left and equal brained people in the United States and compares it to the people in Germany. Then it shows the characteristics of someone who is left and right brained.

The bottom of my infographic displays percentages of people who are right handed and left handed based on gender.

*Fun Fact: Did you know that the right side of your brain controls the muscles on the left side of your body and the left brain controls the right side?

The consensus from the class was that they enjoyed designing infographics because they can be used in every day life.

We encounter statistics on a daily basis, and for those of us who do not like numbers find the data boring. Putting the numbers in a creative and easy to follow infographic will make people want to look at it, and learn while they look.

I even noticed the other day when the electric bill came in the mail that one side had the boring straightforward numbers for those left brainers, and the other side displayed the information in an inforgraphic for those of us who are more right brained.

 

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Categories: Eric Patrick, Grad School, MSC, Visual Communications

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There is No I in Team

Posted by Madison Adduci

Teams, they surround us on a daily basis: at work, our kid’s sports teams, and in school dealing with group projects just to name a few.

We have been dealing with teamwork our entire lives but did we ever really understand how we pick our teams? Who works well together and why?

In the Understanding and Leveraging Networks class, this past week was centered on teams and what makes teams work within companies.

When putting together a team, there are some key factors to look for in order to have a positive outcome.

  1. Look for people who are interested in becoming part of a team. Those who do not want to work well with others clearly will not be beneficial to have.
  2. Find people who have skills sets that vary from your own, people who bring different views to the table.
  3. Is this person you are thinking about teaming up with super busy? Will they have time to get the project completed? Make sure you team up with people who have enough time to get the job done. Otherwise you are looking at a group nightmare.

We all want to be successful in life, and teams are not going anywhere. Understanding what makes a team work is important.

Stay tuned this quarter to find out how to continue to be successful on your teams but also in your personal network and life.

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Categories: group projects, MSC, Northwestern, Noshir Contractor

Spring Quarter

Posted by Madison Adduci

Welcome back, everyone! I hope each and every one of us enjoyed our two weeks off. Time to get back into school mode.

After the first class of the spring semester, I felt confident in my elective choice and happy with the information I will be learning in both the core and elective courses.

The core class is about understanding your own personal network, and how to use that network to be successful. The information that will be taught in this class will be beneficial for all of us, whether we are looking for jobs, looking to advance in our careers, or high up in a company in charge of those below you.

I picked Visual Communication for my elective course because I love designing. I am excited to see what else I can add to my design technique or change for the better to advance my design career.

I was not completely ready to end my Spring break, but after seeing what the next quarter is going to be like I am back and ready to learn as much as I can.

 

See you all Saturday (-:

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Categories: Grad School, MSC, networks, Noshir Contractor, NU, Visual Communications