Technology

Content Creation: Graphic Design

Graphic design brings everything together. Multimedia marketers use graphic design to transform raw content into branded stories. A powerful position awaits entrepreneurs who combine graphic design with other multimedia marketing skills.

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YDNTB just received another big endorsement!

When it comes to learning graphic design, first find software you like. I prefer Adobe Photoshop, but Canva is a free option that’s grown in popularity. As you explore graphic design software, you’ll learn a lot just by tinkering. Simple effects like backgrounds, banners, borders, gradients, and text overlays will soon become child’s play. These everyday enhancements strengthen the continuity of your content creation. You can also watch tutorial videos or take a class to go even further, but for most busy entrepreneurs, the basics are enough to make the marketing message more consistent and thus, easier to connect with an audience.

The ability to bring your own ideas to life saves time and money. The time saved from less creative collaboration can be spent delivering more content. The money saved can be used to push stories further. Fewer cooks in the kitchen also makes pure brand alignment a breeze.

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My go-to resolutions for photos/graphics I plan to share throughout social media, is 16×9 paired with a complementing square version.

As you build new projects, maintaining brand alignment must become second nature. To achieve consistency, use the same colors, fonts, and logo pack for every project. If you’re a lone wolf or working with a small team, a dedicated document to highlight brand guidelines will help maintain long-term alignment. A more official document with assets and guidance on how to use everything, often called brand guidelines or a brand kit, will add increased value the more different designers interact with your brand.

This rigidity can feel less adventurous and even lazy for true creatives. If that feeling creeps in, think of brand guidelines like skipping past the small talk. You now have more creative freedom to mix up the story! This combination also makes stories more remarkable. The added variety keeps things interesting, while the consistency avoids brand confusion.

Be distinctive with graphic design, but stay consistent to the aligned narrative that sets you apart.

UP NEXT: Skill #5 – Creativity

By Ben McDougal, ago

Content Creation: Videography

Videos put humans in a trance. They capture attention through movement and provoke a wide range of emotion. Those who activate video within their marketing efforts invite viewers to see, hear, and feel their message in a powerful way that makes the audience part of their story.

Like photography, smartphones are an easy way to start creating video. On your phone or with any other camera, here are a few simple techniques to keep in mind.

Orientation – If the audience will only be watching the video from their phones, a vertical orientation is fine. If you want more freedom to use the content in other ways, it’s best to use a horizontal orientation.

Stability – Eliminating jagged movement makes video more enjoyable to watch. It can feel cold to capture, but let the scene play out while the camera is stationary. If movement is required, don’t expect ultra smooth video from a handheld device. Internal stabilization helps and you may be able to get by using stabilization features in video editing software, but motorized gimbals, mounts, and tripods make it easier to be smooth with the raw footage. Stabilized video looks sharp, but also provides added flexibility. For instance, a few panned photos will be less noticeable when combined with smooth video. This can help fill in gaps to bring a story together.

Resolution – When it comes to resolution, you can always shrink high resolution down, but not the other way around. Consider shooting in higher resolutions to have more options with the footage.

Even with so much power packed into a smartphone, relying on one device is limiting. When you realize the value of video, do yourself a favor and invest in a dedicated video camera. Video cameras are fun to use with features built to deliver specific results. High-end video cameras are great and can capture amazing footage when used correctly. Unless video production is a part of your business, pricey equipment may be overkill. Lower priced options can also capture magic and are less risky to use. A good first purchase that will only set you back a few hundred bucks is an action camera with a handheld tripod. These small cameras are easy to use, capture sharp footage, and offer additional mounts to explore unique angles. Most important, the versatility and durability makes these small cameras less intimidating.

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The only trick to an action camera? A habit of using it.

Another cinematic angle that adds intrigue to any story is aerial video and photography. In the past, aerial views required expensive aircraft and professional equipment. With consumer drones, capturing high-quality aerial footage is easier than ever. With the proper licenses and little practice, anyone can rule the sky.

No matter what equipment is used, the effectiveness of video comes down to an ability to deliver something enjoyable to watch. Once video is shot, the real work begins. Anyone can shoot video, but it takes practice to capture shots that tell a story while evoking an emotional viewing experience. Organizing, editing, and stitching clips into a concise, brand-boosting video is a valuable art form that takes serious time and perpetual learning.

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Along with a deeper dive into videography, the endless debate between polished video versus live, raw video rages on in the Marketing chapter of YDNTB.

As you evolve your craft, remember that a great video is not about conveying every detail. It’s about delivering an atmosphere where viewers can emotionally feel the story being told. Make your marketing videos concise, enjoyable to watch, and rewarding to share. When videos stir up a combination of emotions that convey a consistent message in contrasting ways, your marketing becomes mesmerizing.

UP NEXT: Skill #4 – Graphic Design

By Ben McDougal, ago

Content Creation: Photography

Quick photos are easy, but capturing quality images takes the right equipment, complementary techniques, constant organization, and practice. With this combination activated, you’ll compile a diverse collection of organized content. Pictures say a thousand words, so you’ll be ready to bring any story to life.

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Photos are awkward, but everyone loves having them.

Let’s dive deeper by starting with an obvious fact. Smartphones allow anyone to be a photographer. These pocket-sized supercomputers deliver solid results with unmatched convenience. Taking photos with a phone is fast and easy, but it’s still worth taking time to frame your shot. Ideally, you’re able to leave extra room to make it easier to crop or straighten the image. Another simple trick is to avoid using zoom. Instead of zooming in or out, move physically closer or farther away from the subject. This will reduce the digitized blur in your photos. Also, no matter how good you get, you’ll never capture award-winning shots every time. Take more photos than you need, because something is better than nothing. Lastly, learn the tools of your phone to limit the amount of editing required after an image is captured. Think of filters and photo enhancement apps as secondary safety nets. They can be used to get creative, but the effects they add often damage the clarity of the original image. Like with writing, take a little extra time with your photos to support stronger storytelling.

When it’s time to add to your arsenal, a more advanced camera will serve you well. This camera should add many new angles, so consider how it pairs with your current equipment. Less expensive digital cameras have everything wrapped into one device. More expensive options have a body paired with the lens of your choice. For these cameras with multiple components, go with a body that support the type of photos and video you’ll be working with most. In addition to the features of a camera body, explore what lenses work with it. These attachments determine the photography you’re able to capture. They cost way more than they should, so leave plenty of room in the budget for a strategic lineup of lenses. If possible, start with two different lenses that offer very different capabilities. For instance, pair a wide-angle lens with a more concentrated lens to give yourself a full range of shots you can shoot. Fill in the gaps with more lenses, but having two very different lenses may be all you need. Renting a specific lens for a special occasion is also a fun way to shake things up. Quality equipment requires a chunk of change, but the investment pays off the more you use it.

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As you get comfortable with equipment, experiment with new settings, techniques, and software. I write about a few more advanced photography skills in YDNTB.

With moments memorialized in each photo, bring everything together with photo editing software. Photo editing software is easy(ish) to learn and will take your photography to the next level. In many cases, automatic tuning tools are all you need to perfect your images. As you learn basic editing techniques, let curiosity expand your photography and editing skills. This will push the boundaries of how your photography can be used to tell stories.

UP NEXT: Skill #3 – Videography

By Ben McDougal, ago

Slow & Fast

“Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.” –Kerty Levy

Ecosystem ally and friend, turned teammate at Techstars, Kerty Levy had a global love for accelerating founders. She also thought walking 10 blocks was close by. Such fitness came from travel, skiing without a mountain, and rowing. Team rowing or on a single scull, one element of rhythm is slowness. To find fast in the water, a rower must feel the waves to let physics move in their favor.

Life in a startup accelerator is a compressed environment for ambitious ideas to flourish. When mentors, investors, and a community-driven program collide to help founders succeed, it’s easy to be inspired by the milestones achieved.

With urgency at every turn, relationships still take time. Early hires are delicate. Financial modeling is complicated. Sometimes the product isn’t even fully baked. This is when slowness adds a healthy thickness. Patience leads to deeper understanding, which can eventually bond to the urgency so momentum is not only accelerated, it’s geared to scale.

By Ben McDougal, ago

Threaded Thoughts

Let’s talk tactics. Here is a simple technique to absorb, translate, and share the (audio)books you read.

Start with one tweet, then reply to that same tweet over and over again. The result is a thread (sometimes called a tweetstorm) that combines your key takeaways and gives you a single link to share your collective thoughts.

Here are a few examples…
Tribes – Seth Godin
We Are All Weird – Seth Godin
This Is Marketing – Seth Godin
Free Prize Inside – Seth Godin (ideal for intrapreneurs)
The Icarus Deception – Seth Godin (great for students)
Startup Community Way – Brad Feld & Ian Hathaway
Think Like A Freak – Steven Levitt & Stephen Dubner
The Hard Things About Hard Things – Ben Horowitz
Angel – Jason Calacanis
Think Again – Adam Grant
Entrepreneurs’ Weekly Nietzsche – Dave Jilk & Brad Feld
The Almanack of Naval Revikant
BONUS THREAD – Big Thoughts in Little Tweets

Why is this helpful? If you’re thirsty to learn from (audio)books, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed as authors bombard you with knowledge. Passively enjoying (audio)books is fine, but this organizational exercise forces you to slow down, which reduces the numbing effect. In short, crafting concise tweets that are all connected forces you to feel the experience.

Another benefit to sharing threaded thoughts, is that each public post draws out more focused contemplation. I’ve found this technique makes me think deeper, use words carefully, and has actually made me a better writer. Such value is compounded when the entire thread can be retrieved with one link.

Lastly, this exercise generates accountability. When this exercise becomes a habit, you spend extra time with that first tweet, knowing it may become be the foundation for a neat collection of thoughts. As the thread expands, you’ll feel momentum that keeps you listening/reading. If progress stalls, the lingering sense of an incomplete project may bring you back to finish the literary journey. If you must get through something quickly, just craft a smaller thread, but include one post that lists the page numbers for areas that caught your attention. Such a hack is still better than nothing.

To be clear, this exercise is not about pirating content or echoing knowledge like a parrot that sounds smart. It’s about sharing a meaning narrative while leaning into what resonates for you, knowing you’re creating a relic for others (including your future self) to enjoy as well.

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Tag me on Twitter if you try this! I’d love to follow along and will definitely chime in if you experiment using You Don’t Need This Book.

By Ben McDougal, ago