For about as many generations as Anglos have been settled in the hills of East Tennessee, primary products from the area have been black coal and white lightning.

I suppose it is appropriate that the boot boy has dealt with both products during the recent session of the Tennessee General Assembly.

As speaker of the Senate, boot boy was involved in legislation that sort of, kind of, well…almost legalized production of white lightening.  And, he engineered political maneuvers to block legislation that would limit mountain top removal coal mining practices.

During the governor candidates’ debate on Monday night, boot boy had an intriguing response to a question about promoting green power sources.  As he rambled through a response, the boot boy concluded by saying the state has 200 years worth of coal remaining in the ground.

That may be true.  I can’t imagine what research he is drawing on to get that kind of number for such a non-renewable energy source.  Even if we go with that number, how does he plan to get that coal out of the ground?  Some coal veins are just not accessible.  And, many may be accessible but the cost to the environment is not worth it.

If there is anything to be learned from the Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster, it is that we must carefully weigh the consequences of pursuing our next energy fix.  Boot boy, apparently, would be willing to level every hill in East Tennessee and fill every valley and stream with rock and sludge grubbing for that last nugget of coal.

Even if Tennessee Republicans do not nominate boot boy for governor, he still has two more years in his current Senate term.  And, no doubt, his Republican loyalty club will keep him as Senate speaker.  We can only hope that the good folks of Sullivan County will see fit in 2012 to bring him home rather than return him to Nashville.  By the time he gets home the hills of East Tennessee will be flattened so badly that he will think he is in the Memphis flat lands.

Graphic design may be one of the easiest businesses for an individual to get into on a shoestring, but maintaining an edge and going the distance requires commitment.  That commitment is what has kept MediaWorks on the front edge of quality graphic design for more than 20 years now.

The process comes with a price tag.  That is why few survive over the long haul.  We recently have gone through a process to be sure we are on top of technology.  Currently, for perhaps the first time, every Mac in our office is on the same version of the same software.  That sounds pretty simple, but it isn’t.  It also wasn’t inexpensive.  Even though we stay fairly current, it required several thousand dollars to move all of our machines to the same level at one time.

There are so many software options out there from the basic ubiquitous PC design option to professional design programs that it is difficult to keep up with all of them.  We see the importance of keeping current on the industry standards and leaving some of the others alone even though they are less expensive.

Coupling that with recent equipment purchases puts us where we need to be to meet clients’ needs.  We also throw in a continual evaluation of our processes and customer service to put us in position to make great impressions.

SIf you haven’t looked at some of our work lately, check out our portfolio at www.mediaworksdesign.com

A trip home always produces some nostalgia.  This past weekend was no exception.  As estates have closed out, there are few urgent reasons to go back.  This weekend offered great weather for a day hike along the Ocoee River watershed with two of my sisters.  That is an adventure story in a class by itself.

The nostalgia came from a local news tidbit mentioned by my sister and reinforced with a newspaper clipping provided by my sister-in-law.  My high school newspaper had resumed publication after a 10-year hiatus.  At a time when newspapers across the country are dying, high school crusaders are optimistic.  I am hoping that the students are ardent crusaders as they dabble in the classic art of journalism.

Some 40 years ago, my passion for newspapers and journalism was birthed in the incubator of high school journalism.  My sister had edited the high school paper before me.  My wife-to-be followed me as editor.

In the years to follow, I charged into the world of Army journalism and public affairs with rare youthful opportunities to edit newspapers at Fort Benning and in Korea.  After leaving active duty, I continued my education crusaded in a true 1970s style at my university newspaper.  Studying at the Indiana University School of Journalism, I was very much aware of the heritage left there by war correspondent Ernie Pyle.  I eventually worked out the crusading passion but never the interest in print, media, and politics.  Those things have shaped me for better or worse over the last 40 years.

As those young students take up the pen (alright, it’s a keyboard these days), I trust they, too, will be shaped by the lessons learned in producing a product that goes under public scrutiny.

How do you know when a marketing piece is well designed?

Design is so subjective that it is difficult to know the right way to go.  We see some clients paralyzed by asking too many people for their opinion.  If you get too much input, how do you weight the differing opinions?

Good, quality design is clean and simple.  Good quality design reflects the personality of your organization.  Or, it may reflect the tone of the message you want to convey.  And, the approach of the design may depend on how you plan to use it – a billboard will be significantly different from a brochure.

No matter what your presentation, your design is subordinate to your message.  The design helps covey the message.  The design generally is not the message.  If your design overpowers the message, the design is not effective.

An experienced, professional designer is invaluable in putting your marketing materials together. Trust a professional designer to develop an approach that works for you.  It will be worth the cost.  And, with the right design, your marketing dollars are more effective.

With a proven design team, you should be able to present a concept of your marketing objectives and then let them show you what works.

Take time to look at some of the MediaWorks design samples in the portfolio at www.mediaworksdesign.com.  Talk to us about how we can make great impressions for you.

When trying to do marketing as economical as possible, it is important to evaluate whether cost saving is really economical.

When producing a brochure, direct-mail piece or any other marketing tool, consider the importance of quality design. A good way to evaluate design is based on how you would deal with the marketing piece if it came to you.

Consider the direct mail pieces you receive. What distinguishes the ones you keep from the ones you throw away without a second glance? Chances are, design played a big role in your decision. The same applies for brochures, print ads, billboards and even your website.

You say you can save money on design. But if your marketing piece isn’t getting looked at, you are not saving design cost. You are wasting production costs. Your marketing pieces cost too much money for poor design to make them ineffective.

Quality design is a primary factor in marketing materials. Marketing materials extend from your business card to your website to your sales presentation folder. None of these require excessive spending on design and printing. I often see organizations waste money on over designing materials, but that’s a topic for later.

Take time to look at some of the MediaWorks design samples in the portfolio at www.mediaworksdesign.com. Talk to us about how we can make great impressions for you.

Especially in tough economic times, you’re looking for ways to cut costs. The most obvious option may not be the best. What seems to be the best option based on front-end cost analysis has significant hidden costs.

Printing and copy production are areas that seem to have obvious solutions of using in-house resources. On many levels, that may be the wrong decision.

As small office copier costs have come down and quality has improved, doing large-volume copy jobs in house seems like a great option. Your hidden costs may be greater than you realize.

First look at the intangible costs of the presentation quality. Even though office copier quality has improved, your office equipped likely is not equipped to bind and package a presentation for a first-class professional appearance. Even if you can pull it off, how much production time did it require – hidden labor cost.

Because you pay for your office machine by the copy count, you don’t see the cost of an individual copy job. It’s buried in a quarterly statement. Don’t forget to include monthly machine lease and maintenance contract when analyzing costs.

And then there is all that time your office personnel were tied up wrangling the copier. What else could they have been doing? What was it you really hired them to be doing?

Chances are that when you consider all the factors you find that outsourcing printing and copy work makes sense. Ask MediaWorks for references of clients who have relied on us to produce annual reports for board meetings, budget presentations for public comment, or legal briefs for appellate courts. It’s all part of making great impressions.