When you get your Father’s Day gift ideas from Pinterest, you make arts and crafts.

When you make arts and crafts, you glue your fingers together.

When you glue your fingers together, you say “OK” to your kids.

When you say “OK” to your kids, they play ‘caveman’ in their closet.

When your kids play ‘caveman’ in their closet, they burn the house down.

When your kids burn the house down, it becomes the worst Father’s Day ever. Don’t let it become the worst Father’s Day ever. Get your Father’s Day gift ideas from Spring Media.

As Father’s Day approaches, you begin to think about what you could get your man to show how much he’s loved and appreciated. A quick search on Pinterest for “Father’s Day” lands you smack dab in the middle of more arts and craft projects than a Hobby Lobby.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with being sentimental. But, c’mon. Your guy is not as ooey-gooey-gushy as you are, so let me offer some advice: Guys like guy things. Guys do not like tie-themed parties, wreaths, or banners. Matter of fact…they don’t want a tie at all. So whether your man is a professional or amateur photographer, a tech-geek, an executive or Mr. Mom, we’ve got you covered!

Here are 11 cool gifts that won’t leave you with superglued fingers.

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1. The Kelly Moore Thirst Relief Bag. $230

2. Logitech Harmony One Advanced Universal Remote. $200

3. The Oona. $30

4. Hard Craft 2Unfold Laptop Bag. $620

5. Holga Filter Lens iPhone Case. $30

6. Aryca Wave Waterproof Case for iPhones & Blackberry. $35

7. The new iPad. $500 +

8. Zaggfolio Apple iPad keyboard case. $100

9. Apple TV. $100

10. Kogeta Panoramic Lens Attachment for iPhone 4. $40

11. Parrot AR.Drone 2.0. $300

Please note that Spring Media is not affiliated with any of the items listed above, nor do we condone the boycotting of Pinterest. We love Pinterest, just not for Father’s Day gifts or art projects that require the theft of paint sample squares from Lowe’s. These items made our list simply because they are totally awesome.

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Spring Media recently designed all the materials for Portico Perks, Portico’s new frequent diner program. We created the graphics for the sign-up cards that are located in each restaurant and the actual “Portico Perks” card that fits in your wallet. The printed version just arrived, and I am very pleased with the end result.

Ask for more information about Portico Perks the next time you’re in Portico, and tell them SPRING Media sent you!

The third of Walt Disney’s Eight Principles of Imagineering is brainstorming. Today I looked up brainstorming on Wikipedia and discovered some interesting things:

• Brainstorming is defined as a group creativity technique by which a group tries to find a solution for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously by its members.
• The origin of brainstorming came from Alex Osborn in 1939 as a method for creative problem solving. Osborn was an advertising executive whose notable clients included GE, Chrysler, and Du Pont. He was frustrated by his employees’ inability to develop creative ideas individually for ad campaigns. In response, he began hosting group-thinking sessions and discovered a significant improvement in the quality and quantity of ideas produced by employees. After organizing his discovery, Osborn then published Applied Imagination in 1953 in which he systematized his creative problem-solving methods.
• Osborn claimed that two principles contribute to “ideative efficacy,” these being “1. Defer judgment,” and “2. Reach for quantity.” Following these principles were his four general rules of brainstorming, established with intention to reduce social inhibitions among group members, stimulate idea generation, and increase overall creativity of the group.
  1. Focus on quantity: This rule is a means of enhancing divergent production, aiming to facilitate problem solving through the maxim quantity breeds quality. The assumption is that the greater the number of ideas generated, the greater the chance of producing a radical and effective solution.
  2. Withhold criticism: In brainstorming, criticism of ideas generated should be put “on hold.” Instead, participants should focus on extending or adding to ideas, reserving criticism for a later “critical stage” of the process. By suspending judgment, participants will feel free to generate unusual ideas.
  3. Welcome unusual ideas: To get a good and long list of ideas, unusual ideas are welcomed. They can be generated by looking from new perspectives and suspending assumptions. These new ways of thinking may provide better solutions.
  4. Combine and improve ideas: Good ideas may be combined to form a single better good idea, as suggested by the slogan “1+1=3.” It is believed to stimulate the building of ideas by a process of association.

At the bottom of the Wikipedia reference to brainstorming there is a list of “See also” topics, one of which was “Thinking outside the box.” When I clicked on “Thinking outside the box,” Wikipedia defined it as thinking differently, unconventionally, or from a new perspective. “Think Different.” It seems Steve Jobs and Walt Disney may have had more in common than I first realized!

At SPRING Media, we are a different breed. And creativity just comes with the territory. With an ever-changing business climate out there, our goal is to “suspend belief” in the usual, to look for the unconventional, to always seek the cutting-edge solution, and to bring home your business message in a creative way that sets you apart from your competition.

A word of caution, however. Be careful of thunderous brainstorms around the SPRING Media team!

When you work in the marketing industry, it’s important to keep up with the latest visual trends, track the most cutting-edge internet technology, and be aware of what people are creating in the global design community. Listed below are five sites that have become part of my weekly web routine and are great communicative design resources.

CLICK ON THE MONITOR TO VISIT EACH SITE

Brand New

Brand New is a division of UnderConsideration, and it happens to be our most popular division of all the divisions. Its sole purpose is to chronicle and provide opinions on corporate and brand identity work, focusing mostly on identity design and a modest amount of packaging. We cover redesigns and new designs. Nothing more, nothing less, what you see is what you get. – from Brand New

Brand New has become the premier internet spot to see and discuss what’s happening in the world of corporate branding. The home page focuses mainly on large and global businesses, but make sure to check out the b-sides for some smaller company rebrands.

Smashing Magazine

Founded in September 2006, Smashing Magazine delivers useful and innovative information to Web designers and developers. Our aim is to inform our readers about the latest trends and techniques in Web development. We try to persuade you not with the quantity but with the quality of the information we present. Smashing Magazine is and always has been independent. – from Smashing Magazine

The best Smashing Magazine articles are not “How-to’s” or tutorials, but conversations about new developments in web design and how it will impact the future of the net.

Design Bump

The “Digg” of the design world, Design Bump is constantly being updated with new content by aggregating submitted links. These articles can be hit or miss, but the best usually rises to the top because of their user ranking system.

Identity Designed

Identity Designed features projects from around the world of brand identity design. – from Identity Designed

Identity Designed is a great resource for keeping up with the latest company branding on a global scale. It focuses not just on the logo, but on all the collateral and usage that goes into making an entire brand.

Logo of the Day

Logo Of The Day is a high-profile logo design award scheme that rewards the best professional logos and trademarks designed throughout the world. – from Logo of the Day

A really creative logo is always inspiring. As a designer, it gives you creative energy to work harder to create something even better.

Our “self-education” is never ending. At SPRING,  we are always reading and learning about the latest in print, web design, marketing and social media so that we can better serve our clients in this ever-evolving business landscape.

Advertising used to be simple. There were three parts: headline, body, footer containing contact information. But with the decline of traditional media forms such as newspaper, radio, and magazines, a metamorphosis has occurred. The message of advertising must now be delivered through new mediums such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, location apps for smartphones, just to name a few. What used to be a well-thought out formula has evolved into messages in 140 characters or less. The problem is this: everything I learned in school is now archaic!

Over the passage of time, survival equals adaptation. Those who can adapt to the changing environment will also be the ones to survive the challenges they face. And that is exactly how SPRING Media USA was born. We are adapters. And we can move your business forward by helping you adapt, too.

The good news is this: people are good at what they are passionate about. And the team at SPRING loves to piddle around with technology, social media, graphic design, video production, iPhones, iPads, and of course, the world wide web. And we take that passion and harness it make your business come to life in the world of new media.

Curious? Wanna know more about us or meet us face to face? We’d love to. 855-321-SPRING (7774). We’re looking forward to MOVING your BUSINESS FORWARD!

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