The MOT Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo is currently having an exhibition called 'Architectural environments for tomorrow – new spatial practices in architecture and art.' Among it's participants is Haruka Kojin, the youngest of the exhibitors.
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Baker, a corporate brand and communications design firm based in Santa Monica, CA, has an immediate opening for an Account Director with Digital/Web experience. Why Baker? Our people and work culture are second to none. We have a passion for creative excellence, strategic problem solving, and fun—and we do it all in a casual work environment by the beach!
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Branding is creating distinction, and there's a point in a branding exercise when a company's unique personality traits are devised. It's as if a human being is being built—a living, breathing brand. It's a part of the process I particularly enjoy.

While flipping through photos I've shot in various cities, I was drawn to images of Rome—
specifically the distinctive storefront signage so abundant there. You see, I love cities. They're the result of a massive collective endeavor, with their own unique complexities, histories and discoveries. Cities are rich in detail and no two are alike.

Lack of imagination. I could leave this blog post at that and just about everyone would understand and agree, but for the sake of those who don’t necessarily like to see ideas crumble due to a lack of understanding (myself included) I’ll expand a bit.

Sean X. Cummings wrote the article “Why the QR code is failing” going into great depth on this topic explaining that most people believe the QR code to be useless, though we shouldn’t blame the QR code itself for this but rather the people implementing it. Companies love to pepper these little pixelated boxes on their billboards, posters, fliers and commercials to get you to go to their website. What’s the problem here? That it goes to their website. We can all agree it’s just the same or easier to open up your mobile browser and type in the company’s URL than to bring up the QR reader app, take a picture and wait to see if it read it correctly. There’s no added benefit and no incentive to look at a company website by these means.

“In every corner of the globe, we see the power of living and working more sustainably. When we look into the future, we know our actions matter. So while our work is complex, our commitment is simple: Succeed today without compromising tomorrow.” -Fluor Corporation 2010 Sustainability Report

Fluor asked Baker to help elevate their third sustainability report to a higher level than had been accomplished with the two prior reports. While still new to the arena of sustainability reporting, Fluor had a clear idea of what they wanted to do this year: communicate the commitment and accomplishments of its sustainable business practices in construction projects around the world within the context of an easy-to-navigate interactive PDF. We came up with the theme and title, Insight Onsite. We then brought it to life using bright colors and big, bold type to identify each section and interesting, easy-to-read graphics. Additionally, we included links throughout to navigate the user to different sections of the report or to the Fluor corporate website for more detailed information.

Read more about Baker's role in our case study.

On the heels of a successful online annual report, Baker launched a completely rebranded corporate website for Leap Wireless this month. Designed to provide deeper information and tell the Leap/Cricket story consistently to all audiences, the new website features enhanced content and functionality across four broad categories: Who We Are, Investors, Newsroom, and Careers. The site is powered by a content management system that enables quick and...
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We all hate rejection, so much so that we often put off rejecting or avoid it completely to our own detriment. But being able to say “no” when we should—in both our personal and professional dealings—is clutch.

Part of the problem is that we want to please people, not disappoint them. But consider this: While saying “no” may disappoint briefly, a delayed response or lack of one, can rouse deeper resentment and anger or worse, burn bridges. In short, taking on more than we can handle is a sure recipe for failure. It comes at a great price to our relationships, our reputations and according to the Mayo Clinic, our health and wellbeing.

In a post on this very topic, blogger Chris Brogan points out another reason we hesitate to[...]
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Baker is 27 years old this month. We’re as sprightly and nimble as ever, approaching our work with the same energy and enthusiasm as when we first opened our doors. Reaching 27 years is no small feat for a business these days, and we know that it’s only made possible through the relationships we’ve built [...]
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Why? In the workplace and marketplace, communication is key to shaping people’s thinking and behavior—from motivating employees to perform at their best to attracting and retaining loyal, profitable customers. Throughout my career, I’ve been fascinated by the power of words and images to influence, inspire and impel action. So while showering this morning, I pondered how professional communicators, such as our firm, help companies do what they seem unable to do for themselves. In between lathering up and rinsing off, here’s what I came up with.
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An article, “Five Lies About Social Media Marketing,” came out a couple of days ago about some of the “erroneous assumptions” cropping up regarding how companies should use social media marketing. This got me thinking. We must continuously look at the trends to understand the rapidly evolving landscape and judge for ourselves what works best for us. How each business uses social media varies. Ideas about the “right” way to do things are always changing. One article may tell you to target your fans’ friends on Facebook while another gives you a laundry list of “dos.”
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