For many people, Art Nouveau has become an over-sexualized contemporary ripoff of a Alphonse Mucha Poster. But for me, the essence of Art Nouveau is in the style of shapes and the lines in designs. I like the way that buildings and decorations just seem to organically grow on their own. This is perfectly exemplified in a book I recently found. It was printed in the early 1900′s in Paris. it includes some designs by Mucha as well as some other great Art Nouveau designers (example below). This is the area of Art Nouveau that I believe can be easily incorporated into contemporary visual design, be it print or web: Organic shapes that effortlessly flow to create beautiful accents to any design.

Any business today that doesn’t have a website is at an extreme disadvantage to those that do. I believe the same is true of businesses without a video-profile. When I hear of a new restaurant, the first thing I do is Google it to see if there are any photos of the atmosphere or maybe even a menu online. When my wife and I were looking to buy a house, we wouldn’t even consider visiting a house unless there were photos of the inside online. Researching purchases is a prerequisite for many people before they start shelling out cash. Before a person is a customer, they are often a website visitor. A small business’ website is its introduction to the world. And what better way to introduce your business than with a video? So here are my five reasons why video is an integral part of that introduction process:

1. Video Communicates a Lot, Quickly
As a small business owner, you have thought about every detail. You’ve tasted everything on the menu of your restaurant. You know cut of every piece of clothing on the rack. You probably even know the name of the color of the paint on the walls. You have put a lot of time and energy into what you are doing and you want your customers to know it. If you were to write out a list of everything that makes your business great, your list would be HUGE!  But a video can communicate all that for you in 60 seconds. If a picture is worth a thousand words… and a video is 24 pictures per second… just think how many words a video is worth!

2.  Video Breaks Down the “Introduction Wall”
Video-blogging helped me meet a lot of new people. I watched their videos and they watched mine. We chatted online and shared our stories. When the time came to meet these people in person I didn’t have to introduce myself or shake their hand. We both just opened our arms and hugged each other! Our videos had already broken down that wall of introductions.  We were already friends even though we had never been in the same room before. The same goes for local businesses. Someone might drive past your business a thousand times.  They might recognize the sign or your logo.  But they don’t know what is really going on inside. Some people might even be reluctant to visit because they aren’t sure if they will fit in or feel comfortable.  Video brings the “inside” of your business to that person.  A video can make that person feel welcome.  It breaks down the introduction wall.  And it only takes 60 seconds.  Plus, it can happen in the comfort of that person’s own home.

3. Video Draws Search Engine Results
This one is simple. Searches for business in a search engine may bring up tons of results. You want yours to be one of the first, right?  Many search engines (especially Google) place video results near or at the top of their search results list.  An online video of your business makes it more likely to turn up in a search.  It also gives you an opportunity to showcase your business on the most popular site on the internet, YouTube.  By not having a video about your business, you are missing out on a whole swathe of search results. You are missing opportunities to be seen by the people searching for you!

4. Video is Easily Shared
If you have used the Internet in the past year someone has most likely shared a video with you.  Maybe a coworker emailed it to you; maybe a friend shared it in a status update on Facebook; or maybe you saw it on someone’s blog. However you found that video, you probably didn’t watch it on the creator’s site. One of the obvious rules of web-design is that the greater the number of clicks required to reach something, the less likely someone is to find it. A great thing about online video is how it can be embedded. People don’t even have to leave Facebook to see that awesome YouTube clip of the laughing baby.  It is right there on their dashboard. Online video is so successful because it is easy to share it. Your website probably can’t be embedded on someone else’s blog.  It can’t be viewed within Facebook. But guess what? A video about your business can. It can be sent, downloaded, embedded, linked, and posted. Video is made to be shared!

5. Video Tells YOUR Story
A restaurant is more than just a place where people consume calories to live another day. A coffee shop sells more than just water poured through ground beans. People shop at a clothing store to do more than cover their nakedness. Every time someone pulls out their wallet, they make a value judgment. They make a decision that says something about themselves.  People like to know that the money they spend is going to something worthwhile. A video-profile is a business’ chance to communicate what their product or services alone might not.  Let’s say you own a bakery. Your bakery sells bread. The bread might be really, really good, but your bakery is about more than that, isn’t it? Maybe your business is really committed to using only organic ingredients and you want to let your customers know why that is important to you. Maybe the building your bakery is in was once a run-down abandoned liquor store that you rehabbed and made beautiful because you wanted to help improve the community where you live and work. Maybe the recipes you use for your bread were passed down from generation to generation in your family and you have a deep connection to that tradition. Whatever your story may be, a video is a great way to communicate it. You can’t personally tell your story to everyone that walks in the door, but a video can.

Here is an example of a short video introduction of a Restaurant in Denver:

It answers tons of questions that would be difficult to explain in text. In a simple 3:35 video, you know what to expect if you go there. But most importantly, you may see something that catches your eye and MAKES you want to go there.

Video is a vital part of your small business’ online presence.

Corny motivational posters with soaring eagles and rock-climbing men are a thing of the past. Right Brain Terrain makes some really cool posters with actual design aesthetics in mind (who’da thunk!). I am thinking about getting some of these for my cubical at work.

via~Right Brain Terrain

This is the original image, actually taken through a car window in Mityana, Uganda:

While everyone is coming down from their LOST high today, I thought it would be proper to share these great posters by Ty Mattson which are available for purchase here: ABC.com

LOST for Sale | design work life.

the “work late” is especially true for me. I never go to bed on time.

(via~JAKE&DAN « Poster: Vicious Circle.)

I watched this documentary last night. It was very interesting to see how these people who have transformed the advertising industry met with opposition, doubt, and many other challenges but in the end made some really amazing and memorable things.

Creative design is one of the most important parts of making a place have a personality. Whether it is a place to edit video or worship, making a space unique is always important. These churches excel at that.

(via~50 Most Extraordinary Churches of the World | Bored Panda.)

Making a video of a vacation or trip is something that can be very difficult. You want to make something that is entertaining to all the people who didn’t go on the trip, not something that puts them to sleep. I don’t even know Maxime but I NEVER miss it when he posts a video of a new city he and his girlfriend visit. They keep things quick, lighthearted, and most of all, interesting!

This video was made by my friend Rupert who lives in the UK. His new company Blackfish makes great, short videos for small businesses. This is a perfect example of what quality production, dynamic people, and an awesome business can achieve to really make an awesome video. I am continually inspired by these videos and hope to bring this kind of production to local companies in Grand Rapids.