Below is a photo I took of an acrylic vitrine during one of my many site visits. It is only one of several examples. I have been visiting sites critiquing the exhibits that I know our competitors have designed and built. My mission is to evaluate their work and compare it to ours.

Part of our core values as a company is constant improvement. We need to compare our work to the competition and see how our quality measures up to theirs. I find it interesting that some of our competitors find this to be acceptable quality. I find it even more puzzling that their clients accept it. Just for the record this is not acceptable by our internal quality standards and would not have been accepted for installation.

Can you see how the seams or welds all have bubbles in them making the edge look cloudy?

Here is one of ours. No bubbles and a nice clean and clear edge.
Let me know what you think? Are we being too picky or do you like the fact that there is a company out there keeping their eye on the details?

Visitors are attracted to exhibits that are perceived as beneficial (fun, engaging, instructive, beautiful, etc.). However, visitors are willing to forego an exhibit perceived as beneficial if the effort needed is too high. This concept is represented in the following equation:

Perceived Value of an Experience = (Benefit or Reward) ÷ (Effort or Cost)

This equation is called the general value principle. I was reminded of this principle recently as several co-workers debated the following exhibit graphic.

credit

This graphic attempts to illustrate an interesting phenomenon. By counting the chirps of a tree cricket, a visitor can get a fairly accurate temperature reading, after she performs a math calculation (and deciphers what the text says against a glossy background). Perhaps calculating this phenomenon is “valuable” to some. However, I find the effort far too great compared to the benefit. I would likely have ignored it had I encountered it in an exhibit gallery. By the way, does T equal 50 + [(N-92)/4.7] or does T equal (N-92)/(50+4.7)?

Here at Taylor Studios, we work on a lot of museums that want to cover the Civil War in their messaging.

I have had the pleasure of researching, writing, and proofing label copy for many of these projects, and now know more about the Kansas-Nebraska Act than I ever thought I would. In doing so, I’ve noticed the following commonly misspelled/misused Civil War words:

Correct Civil War Word: Cavalry
Dictionary Definition:
Military

• the part of a military force composed of troops that serve on horseback.
• mounted soldiers collectively.
• the motorized, armored units of a military force organized for maximum mobility.
• horsemen, horses, etc., collectively.

Used in a sentence: The cavalry charged.

Not to be confused with: Calvary
Dictionary Definition:

• Golgotha, the place where Jesus was crucified. Luke 23:33.
• (often lowercase) a sculptured representation of the Crucifixion, usually erected in the open air.
• (lowercase) an experience or occasion of extreme suffering, especially mental suffering.

Used in a sentence: This painting depicts Calvary.

Correct Civil War Word: Cannon
Dictionary Definition:

• a mounted gun for firing heavy projectiles; a gun, howitzer, or mortar.

Used in a sentence: Soldiers fired the cannon.

Not to be confused with: Canon
Dictionary Definition:

• an ecclesiastical rule or law enacted by a council or other competent authority and, in the Roman Catholic Church, approved by the pope.
• the body of ecclesiastical law.
• the body of rules, principles, or standards accepted as axiomatic and universally binding in a field of study or art: the neoclassical canon.
• a fundamental principle or general rule: the canons of good behavior.
• a standard; criterion: the canons of taste.

Used in a sentence: The Odyssey is in the Western canon.

Correct Civil War Word: Guerrilla
Dictionary Definition:

• a member of a band of irregular soldiers that uses guerrilla warfare, harassing the enemy by surprise raids, sabotaging communication and supply lines, etc.

Not to be confused with: Gorilla

Used in a sentence: The gorillas engaged in guerrilla warfare.

Correct Civil War Word: Bushwhacker
Dictionary Definition:

• a person or thing that bushwhacks.
• (in the American Civil War) a guerrilla, especially a Confederate.
• any guerrilla or outlaw.

Not “bushwacker”. The “h” is often overlooked.

Used in a sentence: Confederate Bushwhacker Bloody Bill Anderson terrorized Unionist villages.

Correct Civil War Word: Jayhawker

• a native or inhabitant of Kansas (used as a nickname).
• (sometimes lowercase) a plundering marauder, especially one of the antislavery guerrillas in Kansas, Missouri, and other border states before and during the Civil War.

Not “jayhocker”.

Used in a sentence: Jayhawkers fought slavery in the border states.

So, the next time the need arises for you to write about Jayhawkers and Bushwhackers engaging in guerrilla warfare alongside the cavalry with their cannons, you will be in luck! What is your favorite Civil War word?

We recently added a new graphic designer to our team and while weeding through resumes and portfolios I conjured up the desire to offer some advice to those applying for positions within the design field. I can’t say this is sound advice for other fields, but if you wish to secure a design position with Taylor Studios one day, here are some free tips:

• Let your portfolio do the talking. If you have questionable work included in your showcase, eliminate it. Narrow it down to only your strongest work. Quality speaks volumes over quantity. When you include weak work in your portfolio your judgment is called into question.
• Design your resume. If you are a designer and your resume is made out of a Word template, there’s something wrong. Make the effort. It’s another opportunity to demonstrate your skills.
• Ensure an easy delivery. I’m a busy gal, and the faster I can review your work, the better. I prefer (quality) print-outs, a PDF, or a referral to a website. If you submit a website address, make sure the website is functional. I will not take the time put in a flash drive or a CD/DVD. It’s too time consuming, and they could contain viruses. If you want your materials back, make sure to send a self-addressed stamped envelope that we can mail it in.
• Keep your cover letter short. I personally prefer no more than one or two paragraphs. In the design realm your portfolio speaks louder than your cover letter. Use the two paragraphs to demonstrate your writing capabilities, which are a necessity in a design career.
• State your purpose. Make sure to specify whether you are applying for an open position, submitting materials for us to keep on file, interested in freelance work, etc. If your intentions are unclear your materials are sure to go in the “no” pile.
• Stress why you want the job. We don’t hire arrogance. We do hire passion.

Who are the exhibits for?

Interesting question don’t you think?  Have you ever dealt with a designer that continues to push a certain material or technology?  What about a curator that must display every object they have?  There’s also the administrator that must have something, anything that generates revenue.

Yes, the exhibits are for the museums curators. They are also for the designer’s portfolio, and even for revenue generation.  However, my question is this: What about the visitor? Aren’t the exhibits for the visitor?  You know, the people we are teaching with the historical objects on display and experiences designers create.  Some might say the point of a museum is to preserve and protect the artifacts first and foremost. I agree and understand that point of view but I asked, “Who are the exhibits for?”

Does this type of conversation sound familiar?

Client: “I don’t like that color.”

Designer:  “OK.  What is there about that color that makes you not like it?”

Client:  “I hate that shade of blue.”

Designer:  “Well, is that shade of blue not appropriate for the time period we are representing?”

Client:  “It reminds me of the color my mother painted my room when I was a kid and I hated it.”

Designer:  “OK…  We will change the color…”

Was the client’s comment geared toward anything other than a personal preference or personal experience from childhood?  No, not really.  Did the designer back up the color choice by explaining why it was chosen and how it pertains to the exhibit direction?  No.

There should be a reason behind the color choice that ties directly to the content and how the visitor will react to it.  In this scenario, it should have been explained that the color chosen has been proven to evoke certain behaviors or feelings.  It is best to put your personal experiences with a color aside and focus more on how it pertains to the overall goal which is to get the message across to the visitor.

It’s so easy to get caught up in the moment and lose track of the goal during a design-build project.  The goal should always be to educate, inform, and to inspire the visitor.  The exhibits are for the visitor and are the vehicle used by the designer to tell the story.

I am a huge Green Bay Packers fan, so naturally, I love Coach Vince Lombardi quotes. One of his quotes came to mind when thinking about a project we finished recently, it reads:

Some of us will do our jobs well and some will not, but we will all be judged on one thing: the result.

As Art Director and quality control guy here at Taylor Studios it is my job to inspect every little thing; it is my job to get bogged down in details. Every now and then I need to step back and look at the finished project as a whole instead of focusing on the little behind the scenes issues that come up along the way. The project that I am referring to is Prairie Grove. There were some frustrating internal things that happened during the design and fabrication that distracted me from the end result. In the end the client and the visitors loved the product we provided.

This note was left on our visitor feedback exhibit towards the end of the gallery.

Given the positive client feedback and visitor comments, how could I not be happy with the results. I love pie…

Betty often asks us that very question.  What’s our dramatic difference?  Why should someone hire us versus our competitors?  What is our secret sauce?  I can name several companies that offer design and fabrication.  We have competitors that have been around longer than we have.  All firms in the industry boast about their quality, meeting deadlines, and how creative they are at solving the client’s problems.  So what is it that makes Taylor Studios so different? And better?

I’ve thought about our warranty and how we create our products.  I’ve looked at our design process and the quality of drawings we produce. I continually compare our work to our competitors to see if our quality exceeds theirs.  I feel we do great work but there are some companies, though not many, that do some things a little better than we do.  I feel that we are process oriented and well structured as a company.  I feel we have processes and procedures in place that allow us to function at a higher level than our competition. But is process really what sets us apart?

I have an idea about what makes Taylor Studios so special and it’s not something that marketing can make sexy through flashy vocabulary. (Well maybe they could.  Never underestimate the power of marketing…) It’s also not something that we can produce better than the other guys.  More differentiating than all else, I believe it’s our people. While our mission and core values help guide us daily, and processes and procedures help successfully govern our operations, our employees are our secret sauce.  Our staff has a good attitude and is extremely talented and fun to work with.  In light of being one of our core values, constantly raising the bar comes natural to our team.  We’re also naturally modest. We’ll give you our professional opinion (after all that’s what you contract us for), but we won’t be overbearing or forceful.  We listen and respect our clients, their opinions, facilities, and acquisitions.  Our people not only believe in themselves and our company, but also they believe and share our client’s purposes and missions, too.  They are passionate about natural history, cultural history, as well as all the in betweens and odds and ends that clients ask us to interpret.  They love creating stuff that is cool but also they enjoy building relationships with our clients.  Successful, long-lasting relationships happen because our people are respectful, professional, talented, caring, knowledgeable, funny, and consistently go above and beyond.  This allows us to make meaningful connections with our clients.  Our customer service and follow-up after the job is completed helps us to maintain those relationships.

So as I see it, if you don’t have the right people on board, you’ll just be as good as the other guys.

One of the things I implemented when I became Art Director was reference boards.  The reference board is a tool used to keep all team members on the same page.  It is a communication tool that we have implemented into a procedure and has become company policy.

I know some of you may be turned off by the words communication, procedure, and certainly, policy.  That’s OK. I understand that these words may not be associated with a creative firm. However, here at Taylor Studios, we believe they are appropriate, and we contend they foster creativity. Another thing they do is help ensure we are providing the quality product we guarantee the client.

The reference board holds all appropriate information fabrication needs to produce the product for which they are scheduled.  These boards contain design drawings, construction drawings, photo reference, and more. The idea is that producing artistic work requires clear communication as to what is expected.   The use of theses boards help to ensure that the design intent is being met and we are providing the client with the product that is depicted on the reference board (including size, color, texture, realism etc.).

One of the other things it provides is a place to, um, well, be creative. A relatively common occurrence is the addition of a personal touch by the fabricator.

Sometimes an outside source will provide additional reference and inspiration to a fabricator’s work area.  I’m sure this particular item was provided as a measure of team support.

What communication tools do you use at your work place and do they inspire creativity and team work?

Something that I do from time to time is post examples of quality work from other sources in the fab and design departments. I like to look at competitors’ portfolios to see what they are doing well and how our work compares. The items I usually post are images of exhibits, artwork, competitors’ projects, and other examples of what I think meets or exceeds our quality expectations. This time, I have two items to showcase.

The first is a turtle we recently made for an exhibit in New Jersey.

This turtle is just one very small aspect of the overall design and fabrication, but is an item that stood out. I am very impressed with the quality. Many of our competitors can make turtles, but do they, as individual items, tell a story? I believe this one does. It truly looks real and seems as though it really is resting on a log soaking up the sun. It looks as though it is moving up toward the end of the log, reaching his head to the sun to enjoy its warmth. Paying attention to little details like this is what makes our exhibits quality exhibits.

The second example of quality work is this masterpiece and a creation from my 7 year old son, Quinten.

To say I am proud is an understatement! I was floored when he showed this to me last night.  I am impressed with the layout and use of color. The use of pattern in the background that not only creates a nice backdrop, but also shows the sun rays and water is fantastic. I just want to say to Quinten, “Good job buddy and keep up the good work! Some day you will be giving all the talented artists here at Taylor a run for their money. Hopefully you will be working for us and not a competitor.”

What would you say if you were asked that question? Would you immediately think of the appearance of the building or how lavish the reception area looks? You might judge the quality of the place based on the artwork hanging or furniture used in the offices. Some might say that a quality workplace would have extremely happy people walking around getting along with no conflicts. I agree that those things all sound nice and would help sway a person’s perception of the organization.

I have a different opinion of what a quality workplace looks like. The other day I was talking with a fabricator during my morning quality walkthrough. We were looking over an item he had built. I noticed an area that didn’t look that great and I commented. He defended what he had done and why, which is what most people do in that situation. No one likes to have their work critiqued. That’s understood and I respect that. What happened next is where the quality work place comes into to play. The production manager standing there listening to the conversation asked a very simple question: “If you went to a store to buy one of these and you noticed that issue would you buy it?” The fabricator said no and the point was made.

We could have ended up having a conversation about whether or not the client would notice or debating on whether or not it was acceptable but we didn’t. We all agreed that we needed to redo the item and that was the end of the discussion. You see, it’s about the product we produce and whether or not it exceeds client expectations. It’s not personal and the production manager knows this. The fabricator knew this too; he just needed to talk it through.

We have a great team here that understands we make a product for a client. The client is paying for a quality product, not an ok product. Sometimes we want to say it’s acceptable because we are tired or we just want it done. A quality workplace is made of team members that hold each other accountable and don’t avoid conflict. A place where all team members are on the same team working to achieve the same goal.