Anonymous writes: Dear J, I own a coffee shop (kind of), and to decorate the walls, I want my customers to leave messages/drawings on the wall. I’m doing this so they can get creative too while they spend $$, what guidelines would you recommend for them to start posting?
Dear Anonymous: If you are going to let customers write or draw on the walls of your business, you may need a few guidelines. Since I don’t know the exact nature of your establishment, I am going to assume that it is frequented by children, and people of various walks of life. You don’t want it to be boring, but you also don’t want it to be inappropriate. Here are a few guidelines you can pick and choose from:
- Make the customers come up and ask for the ‘special’ markers. This means they are essentially getting ‘permission to post’. Treat the markers like a bathroom key: make sure you get them back after they are used. The customer will feel special, but also know that you are aware of them writing. This will dramatically decrease any inappropriate posts.
- Have a daily theme: “What makes you happy?” “Who is your hero?” Ask questions that will have positive and interesting answers. Use a suggestion box to solicit questions of the day from customers: “This question is brought to you by Ted, a regular for over 3 years…”
- No politics. Nothing is more divisive. You will have holes punched in your walls if you let people write about politics.
- No hatred. Don’t even let people write, “I hate rainbows.” It’s a slippery slope. If you let people hate rainbows, the next thing they’re going to hate is unicorns or leprechauns. And that’s just not cool.
- No trolling or bashing. (See hatred above).
- No bigotry. This goes without saying.
- No racism. This goes double without saying.
- No ‘bad words’. (see bigotry and racism above) Remember the kids! Even if they already know all the words they might not know how to spell them yet.
- No phone numbers, addresses or email addresses. You don’t want the walls to become a dating service. Or a message centre.
- No advertising! Don’t allow customers to solicit other customers. Unless they pay for it! You could sell 1′x1′ squares for people to advertise cool services like painting or dog walking or psychic readings.
- You could make people go through a screening process, or customer vote, before they can begin drawing or posting on the walls.
- Or you can go hard-core, no rules, and let your customers censor the bits they don’t feel are appropriate. Or draw over them. Or transform them.
Which ever way you slice it, it’s going to be a messy mix of different styles and attitudes. You are best to confine this to a limited space, with limited colours to start.
Out of 1000 Free Ideas, there are now 937 left.
Making lists is how I start most create projects and ideas. I write down at least ten ideas in ten minutes (or less), and then go from there. Lists are great for focusing. They let you know how much you already know. They expose your default thinking (the places you turn to again and again because they are common and safe). And they act as a foundation for organizing items into groups, so that you can see patterns and bigger pictures.
This fantastic poster by plaid-creative is, at its core, a list of different types of coffee. It was likely created so an intern doing a coffee run would know the difference between a Long Black and a Basic Black. But it does so much more than that. It shows recipes and patterns. It shows form and state (notice the blue cups for the cold coffees?), it shows ratios and ingredients.
If I asked you to come up with 10 new kinds of coffees in ten minutes, you would do much, much better with this poster in front of you because you would be able to expand on the existing patterns. Your brain could start to mix, match, and substitute instead of struggling to create something from nothing. What would you call a coffee with 4 espressos? What if the Miami Vice was chilled? What if you put whip on a Red Eye?
Sometimes you need to make a list of what already exists before you can create something new. And sometimes you just need a good shot of caffeine.
Posted via email from Jason Theodor’s Creative Method and Systems Channel
Anonymous writes: I create web/mobile games for a living, and I was looking for a way to make money by selling some by-products. The thing is that I can’t think of any by-products coming from free web games and mobile games. The by-products would obviously target players.
Dear Anonymous: This is an amazing question, and thank you for asking it. I wish I knew more about the games you were creating, but at the very least I’m going to assume they are fun. Here are a few fast ideas for what to offer as an added value that a gamer might be willing to purchase:
- Extras extras extras. Extra life, extra equipment, extra powers, etc. If people love a game, they will spend money to upgrade if they can’t put in the time. Look at how World of Warcraft junkies buy gold, and other items.
- Ringtones or soundtracks could be sold. With Zen Bound for the iPhone and iPad you get a Ghost Monkey album with your purchase. There’s no reason why the game couldn’t be free and the music costs a few bucks.
- T-shirts! Everyone likes to wear their favourite games like a badge of honour. Look no further than The Mario Brothers to figure out how to merchandise games. Mario and his friends are on everything. This is my favourite Nintendo shirt (that is not made by Nintendo).
- Collectible figures. If Homestar Runner can do it, so can you.
- Collectible cards. Pokémon turned a video game into a trading card empire.
- Upgrades and new levels. Many games offer a basic version for free, and then charge a few dollars for extra levels. Rolando 2, from the Apple Appstore is a perfect example of this.
- Tutorials on how to make your own games. You could sell a game kit that allows fans to make their own levels to sell, and then profit-share with you. Labyrinth 2 allows users to make their own games (but doesn’t sell it as an add-on feature).
- Allow people to customize games using photographs of people they know. Charge a buck to create a customized game for someone’s birthday or anniversary.
- Perhaps you could write and sell a screenplay? If they can make Battleship into a movie, than everyone has hope. (I warned you that not all of my ideas would be good!)
- Join the likes of the Cheezburger empire and allow your players to take screenshots of cool or funny moments in your games, add a caption, and upload it to LOL-Arcade.com (the domain is even available as of 10 minutes ago).
BONUS: If anyone has additional ideas on how to make money on free games with peripheral add-ons, please express them in the comments below!
Out of 1000 Free Ideas, there are now 949 left.
Magniez writes: Hi Jason! what titles for a book can you propose me around being efficient at work? I’m covering many aspects of day to day work how I learn to be more efficient… Love your latest presentation, thanks :)
Dear Magniez: Flattery will get you everywhere. I already love coming up with ideas for fake book titles, so how much harder could it be to come up with real titles? I read a lot of self-help and management books about getting things done, and overcoming procrastination, so this is right up my alley. By employing the 10 Ideas in 10 Minutes method, and keeping the key words of work and efficiency top of mind, I came up with these 10 ideas. I hope one of them strikes a chord.
- Being Efficient at Work {the obvious one!}
- Work to Live: How to shorten your time at the office to lengthen your life
- The Right Tool for the Job: How to Save Time At Work
- Work-arounds: Tips and Tricks for Efficient Employment {my favourite}
- Take Some of the Work Out of Work
- Work, Work, Work. That’s Not All You Should Do.
- Post-its™ Are Your Friends – and other lessons from a life at work
- Short-cuts from Nine to Five
- The Evolution of Work
- Work Smarter, Not Harder {yawn!}
Out of 1000 Free Ideas, there are now 959 left.
Anonymous writes: What ideas do you have for breaking into account services?
Dear Anonymous: Is this a set up? First of all, you haven’t really followed my directions on how to write a proper creative brief. But then again, you are trying to break into client services… I forgive you like I forgave Darth Vader. Here are some ideas:
- Get a lock-picking set.
- Take a few courses in Conflict-Resolution Management.
- Email the head of client services at agencies you want to work at, asking them for advice over coffee (on you).
- If you are working at an agency, talk to your supervisor or HR about making a career shift.
- Buy a Blackberry and read the entire manual.
- Search for ‘client services’ and ‘account services’ blogs to subscribe to.
- Read “The Art of Client Service: 58 Things Every Advertising & Marketing Professional Should Know” by Robert Solomon.
- Practice answering your phone. Close your eyes and try to ‘anticipate’ a phone call by answering it before it rings!
- Ask yourself if you have the personality of an ambassador/babysitter/soldier/buddy/nag/SWAT/translator/dictator/secretary/broker/hostage negotiator/used-car-salesman/suit/magician/rock star.
- Offer to intern at an agency (or for a client) for a few months to get experience, to make connections, and to figure out if it’s the right career choice for you.
Out of 1000 Free Ideas, there are now 969 left.
Anonymous writes: Hey Jason. I wanna make a mini movie for youtube which involves one person (because i will be filming). I want it to be funny, doing every day life activity but different way of doing it. Something easy and no special effects. Any ideas? thnx in advance!
Dear Anonymous: I’m assuming you want to make something you can serialize, instead of a one-off video. I used 10 Ideas in 10 Minutes to come up with these quick video ideas:
- Wear a popular sci-fi costume while you do normal things. Imagine a vulcan with a tri-corder at Starbucks… (popular examples are dancing stormtrooper in Japan, and Chad Vader)
- Wear a popular horror mask while you do normal things. What does Freddy Krueger do to relax?
- Wear a popular superhero costume while you do normal things. Be extra clumsy.
- Go about your day, but once per episode, turn to the camera and sell a fake product (like on the Truman Show).
- Do everything in pretend slow motion while people around you are normal speed.
- Every episode, review something no one else would ever review, like a toilet, or a stop sign. Encourage viewers to review these things as well through video comments.
- Do a food show, but only buy and make instant food. Include recipes.
- The protagonist could be an humanoid or an android that is trying to figure everything out for the first time. How would a walking human computer relate to a gum-ball machine or a parking meter?
- Do a self-help show, and describe how to do something simple (for the android in #8) like opening a door handle or making toast. Make sure to review the steps at the end of the episode.
- Re-enact famous scenes from movies in the wrong context or setting. Imagine “you can’t handle the truth” being spoken into a McDonalds drive thru.
- BONUS: What would Stephen Hawking do? Imagine if a person went through life with Stephen Hawking’s computerized voice as their conscience? I see an Oscar in your future!
Out of 1000 Free Ideas, there are now 979 left.
Dear Anonymous: That question is very, very vague. But sometime a sheer lack of direction inspires:
- Make the idea even bigger. That way it will be easier to see from a distance.
- Don’t focus on the size of the idea. Start small and then grow it over time. Take a long term approach, like bristlecone pine trees or China.
- I see black-and-white silent movie footage of a woman from the 20′s silently and obviously begging for assistance by waving her arms in a slightly sped up way while sighing heavily. Jump cut to a black screen with white type that reads, “WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?” Jump cut to a big man in loose pants, suspenders, bowler hat waving a cane around while smoking a fat cigar. Lots of sped up running and falling ensues.
- Photo of a store window with a sign that reads “Help Wanted With Big Idea” written in Trade Gothic. In smaller, cheesy Brush Script it reads, “inquire within”.
- craigslist.org
- elance.com
- Use the official The Directors Bureau iPhone app: The Idea Generator (http://www.thedirectorsbureau.com/apps/idea_generator.php)
- Ask a 4 year old for an idea. They don’t seem to have any filters to speak of. Film the results. Post on YouTube. Become internet famous.
- Ever heard of The Creative Method and Systems? (http://www.slideshare.net/jted/the-creative-method-v2)
- Two people are trying to manoever a Big Idea up a set of narrow apartment stairs. It is a (painted?) freeze frame, Norman Rockwell style, and there are all sorts of humourous disaster set ups: one of the movers has an untied shoe. There is a cat under the rised foot of the other mover. The rope holding the words Big and Idea together looks frayed. Etc etc.
Out of 1000 Free Ideas, there are now 990 left.
