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When Clients Attack!

clients-1

You are floating in the still blue waters.  The sun is shining and everything is going smoothly.  The work has launched and everyone is happy.  Then, like a bad Jaws sequel, a rogue client comes out of nowhere, teeth gnashing, stirring up sand and scaring the fish away.  Relentless and unstoppable this type of client is a rare occurrence – which is why I compare it to a great white shark attack.  When they appear they can wipe out all the accomplishments you have made throughout a project, the final product you have delivered,  and the relationship you have nurtured over the course of months with someone else.  The client that was lurking in the…

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30 Pixel Perfect Websites – Awwwards

Awwwards

REBLOG: 30 Pixel perfect websites June 28 2011 by Awwwards Team Category: Webdesign We know how easy it is to buy a template change some colors, put an icon here and there, add a logo, some pictures and voilà, you’ve got yourself a website. But we also know good design takes time. Making a design that’s not only good but great can be a tedious work, but you can tell when something has been made for an specific purpose. That’s what happens when you strive for pixel perfection, it shows. Making a website that is perfect to a pixel level requires time and effort, but your work will surely look more professional and have a…

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Rogers iPad apps top the charts

Chatelaine featured in iTunes

We are really really excited to see how much support our apps are getting in iTunes! BBTF put 6 apps in Newsstand before the holidays and ALL SIX apps are in the TOP 20! #1 Chatelaine Magazine #3 Maclean’s Magazine #7 Canadian Business Magazine #10 MoneySense Magazine #11 Sportsnet Magazine #13 FLARE Magazine

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We Love You, But No

We Love You, but NO

Here we are, in a meeting with a client brainstorming the myriad possibilities for a campaign.  The excitement is in the air and everyone is offering tons of ideas – it’s collaboration central!  Then, it happens, the person signing the check says “I want it all! I want something outrageous! I want something cool!” This is the moment where we, as brand stewards, have to say “We love you, but no.”  This is not to say that our client doesn’t know what they’re talking about or understand relevancy.  However, it’s in the excitement and the media hype that sometimes we lose what makes sense.  It’s a hard thing to be brutally honest in the face…

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BBTF Launches Sportsnet Magazine on iPad

Sportsnet Magazine iPad App

Fueling the passion of Canadian sports fans, Sportsnet ushers in a new era on with a rich and multidimensional integrated brand offering across multiple platforms that engages sports fans from across Canada! We are thrilled to have our 3rd successful launch for Rogers Publishing highly anticipated NEW title Sportsnet Magazine. Earlier this year Rogers announced they would be launching a brand new sports magazine that merged TV, Radio, Print, Mobile and Digital with a fully integrated re-branding expansion to the Sportsnet brand. This launch is especially exciting for us at Built by the Factory because the iPad app launched in the same week the first Sportsnet Magazine print edition hit the newsstands. This is part…

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When Clients Attack!

clients-1

You are floating in the still blue waters.  The sun is shining and everything is going smoothly.  The work has launched and everyone is happy.  Then, like a bad Jaws sequel, a rogue client comes out of nowhere, teeth gnashing, stirring up sand and scaring the fish away.  Relentless and unstoppable this type of client is a rare occurrence – which is why I compare it to a great white shark attack.  When they appear they can wipe out all the accomplishments you have made throughout a project, the final product you have delivered,  and the relationship you have nurtured over the course of months with someone else.  The client that was lurking in the…

+

30 Pixel Perfect Websites – Awwwards

Awwwards

REBLOG: 30 Pixel perfect websites June 28 2011 by Awwwards Team Category: Webdesign We know how easy it is to buy a template change some colors, put an icon here and there, add a logo, some pictures and voilà, you’ve got yourself a website. But we also know good design takes time. Making a design that’s not only good but great can be a tedious work, but you can tell when something has been made for an specific purpose. That’s what happens when you strive for pixel perfection, it shows. Making a website that is perfect to a pixel level requires time and effort, but your work will surely look more professional and have a…

+

Rogers iPad apps top the charts

Chatelaine featured in iTunes

We are really really excited to see how much support our apps are getting in iTunes! BBTF put 6 apps in Newsstand before the holidays and ALL SIX apps are in the TOP 20! #1 Chatelaine Magazine #3 Maclean’s Magazine #7 Canadian Business Magazine #10 MoneySense Magazine #11 Sportsnet Magazine #13 FLARE Magazine

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Make Sense aka No, I Won’t “Friend” Your Toilet Paper

BBTFactory_makes_sense_FB_image

A toilet paper has a Facebook page, and all I can say is we’re not past this yet?  I’m not trying to be one of those smug agency people who is asking “who in the world led that charge”, but making sense is critical to brand integrity and I’m shocked at how blithely it’s being manhandled. We all know there’s brand value, brand equity, brand awareness, brand loyalty and so on.  Brand integrity is the only type of “brand _______” that is solely the responsibility of the brand/agency.  The audience is not part of the equation.  Maybe that’s why we see embarrassing executions that don’t make sense – because the voice of the consumer is…

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We Love You, But No

We Love You, but NO

Here we are, in a meeting with a client brainstorming the myriad possibilities for a campaign.  The excitement is in the air and everyone is offering tons of ideas – it’s collaboration central!  Then, it happens, the person signing the check says “I want it all! I want something outrageous! I want something cool!” This is the moment where we, as brand stewards, have to say “We love you, but no.”  This is not to say that our client doesn’t know what they’re talking about or understand relevancy.  However, it’s in the excitement and the media hype that sometimes we lose what makes sense.  It’s a hard thing to be brutally honest in the face…

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BBTF helps support the fight against breast cancer – PinkPin

PinkPin with Built by the Factory

BBTF joined Pink Pin to support the fight against breast cancer. Join us in helping Google raise $100,000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure this fall. Join. Share. Donate. www.pinkpin.com

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NY Comic Con 2011

Built by the Factory @ NY Comic Con

Every quarter at BBTF we try to get out of the office and do something fun and random. This time around we all headed to New York Comic Con and the BBTF ladies made a statement arriving as their favorite character! BBTF’s CEO arrived in full Supergirl costume, accompanied by Cat Woman, Hit Girl, Bat Girl and Death. Fun times!

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RIP Steve Jobs

RIP Steve Jobs

On October 5th 2011 we mourn the loss of a visionary. Steve Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) Our work at Built by the Factory has been so heavily driven by the innovation and creativity of Apple & Steve Jobs.                       Steve Jobs, the visionary co-founder and longtime leader of Apple, has passed away at the age of 56. To honor his memory, Apple.com now displays a full-page tribute to the man that helped reinvent computing, entertainment and mobile. Apple has also posted a short letter. It reads as follows: “Apple has lost a visionary and creative genius, and the world has lost an…

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