Marketing v. Public Relations

Now that I'm finally on a team of creative people working together on a larger project, I'm learning the differences between Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations. At first, these three things seem interchangeable. I now understand each role more, but the simplest explanation I've found is this: Marketing=$, Public Relations=free.

As a graphic designer, I'm understanding my roll within this group better. Previously, I've been something of a one woman show. Recognizing target audiences, concepting ideas, and following through on the visual side of projects. Now, all these rolls are divided up and taken to a higher level. I'm really enjoying this learning process, and ultimately, I'm learning a great deal more about my industry. What I'm finding is that there seems to be a common thread among designers in particular. We love to share ideas. We get excited about things and want to share in our excitement. We enjoy collaborative thinking. What I'm learning is that it's OK to be "the talker" in a meeting if it means you're getting somewhere and being productive. What I have to force myself to do a little more (and this is something I'm getting more used to in all aspects of my life) is, I have to be more forthcoming with what is on my mind. I need to do a little less internal editing. Because if there's any industry where the free-flowing ideas and thought are important, it's mine. And what's great is, I'm in an environment that welcomes it.

I found this clever graphic online that illustrates the difference between marketing, advertising, and pr.

Another fantasic speech

Can I have a mini Hillary or Michelle there when I wake up in the morning to whisper sweet inspiration into my ears. Why was I not blessed with these talents? That Harriet Tubman segment was amazing.

I can't even imagine what it must be like for Barack or Bill to watch their wives in action. Talk about "power couples"! What is dinner conversation like in these homes?

Inspired

Michelle Obama's speech tonight was amazing. I was honestly moved by it and couldn't take my eyes from the TV. If the goal was to come across as "relatable"...she definitely struck me that way.

And was it any surprise that their little girls are hams? haha

ID Magazine

My team gets an online subscription of ID Magazine sent to our emails. From the link, you can view the entire magazine right on you monitor. Have a mentioned that I love working with other designers? I was reading this article on cutting edge furniture design (we're slow today...and it's Monday). I came across this amazing staircase....

Is my house haunted???

I just realized something very creepy. For a while now, the clock in my kitchen has been broken (needs new batteries?), anyways, it's been stuck on 2:45. Yesterday I noticed that the clock in my living room is now also stuck at 2:45. This really freaks me out! Does 2:45 mean something in my universe now? Should I be scared?

best name for a hair salon

I found this on Flickr. Sometimes my internet searches take me to unexpected places.

My first day of school

Started my new job today! I walked over to Southport to pick up the Brown line. I figured it would be smart to get on one stop ahead of Belmont...good call on my part since Belmont was packed. It will be SO nice when Paulina (my stop) opens back up and is all new and pretty. The commute into the loop took me about 30 minutes, not bad. I was in orientation all morning, learning about the benefits, company policies, how to use the phones, etc. After that my team took me out to an amazing restaurant for lunch, called De La Costa. The rest of the day went by pretty quickly and before I knew it, it was time to get back on the brown line. My favorite thing about my job...the free 24 hour gym located right in the building!

Pooooo

59 years never looked so good

Happy Birthday Dad :)

Today...day of deals

I woke up this morning ready to shop! And so was my brother. First we drove out to Big Lots to look at couches. They had quite a few cute, big, comfy couches to choose from. My brother got a gray/brown three-seater for only $399. It's the kind of couch you can sink into...ahhh. Nicely done Lee.

After the couch shopping, we checking out the Gap Outlet store I happened to notice one day when I took the wrong turn home. This place was awesome! I got a ton of work clothes...and everything was on sale. I did very well...bought two work pants, a sweater, three blouses, a cord skirt, and a tweed tote...all for under $200 (thanks co-workers for the Visa card)! This Gap Outlet rocks (it's on Diversey and Milwaukee...in Logan Square).

Then, Lee dropped me off at the red line and I headed down to Michigan Ave to make a return at H&M. The Air & Water Show is going on this weekend, so the streets were packed. The cool thing about the show is that the planes don't just fly over Lake Michigan...they fly all over Chicago. So even people going about their day, running errands and whatnot, can enjoy the event. Today everyone on the street had their heads tilted up as the planes roared by, including the drivers. It's a miracle I didn't see any car accidents.

Sidenote: While my bro and I were in his car waiting at a red light, a bicyclist was trying to get past my brother's car and hit Lee's side mirror with her handlebar. Now, I'm all for bikers...they've ditched their cars and that's great for everyone, plus I'm very aware of them when I'm driving and I never swing my car door open without checking my rear-view mirror first. But some of these people need to be called out. If we're supposed to be sharing the road, why do some bikers feel like they are invincible? Let's not forget our common sense, people. I'm in a car, and while I really DON'T want to hit you, don't forget that a car can really hurt you. So many times I've seen bikers breeze through stop signs. And last night I nearly had a heart attack when a teenager decided to bike across a busy intersection right when the light turned green. I actually screamed "NOoooo!" in my car. If you're on the road, aren't you suppose to be acting like a car?

The thing about this girl is that she didn't even give the wave-of-the-hand apology. Almost as if it was my brother's fault that she had to hit his mirror to get by (btw, there was a completely empty sidewalk she could have hopped up on). Do my other driving friends sometimes get annoyed, too?

The end of an era

Just got back from my going away party at work. I start my new job in Chicago on Monday. Feels strange that I won't be driving out to Arlington Heights, but instead I'll be riding the L. That'll be nice. My co-workers pooled some money and gave me a generous parting gift in the form of a pre-paid Visa credit card...very nice. I can definitely use it to buy myself some new clothes. :)

Olivia's B-Day

Haha! I love this show

New York Pics

The day of eating

The day of eating started with a lunchtime BBQ at Lee's house, where we ate kabobs, chicken, pork, corn on the cob, grilled zucchinis, sweet potato fries, and fruit salad! Such a feast. Like always, the food was amazing and left me wondering why my brother inherited ALL the cooking/entertaining genes.

And if that wasn't good enough for one day, we followed the lunch BBQ up with a wonderful and impromptu (...for the chef) dinner to celebrate Olivia's b-day. It was a surprise dinner that her boyfriend had been planning for a few weeks. The plan was to invite a couple close friends over for dinner, drinks and dessert (and some Rockband!!) to surprise O before heading out to the Hidden Shamrock for additional drinks. I was very impressed with Olivia's ability to pull together such an amazing dinner with only a couple hours to spare (don't worry, she likes this sort of thing). We had a buffet of homemade pizzas...soooo good.

After dinner we played Rockband. I loved this game because I actually got the chance to be a drummer. :) i think I need to buy myself a XBox (or whatever the game system was) just to play this game!

New York City! The low-down on everything that went down...

So...I finally had a proper NYC trip last week. Before then, I had only been to NY for a day trip via NJ. I loved the big city. There's SO much going on and everything is concentrated on one island. Like I said in my previous post, I started the trip out completely clueless. I had only seen 5th ave, the Guggenheim, and some of Central Park during a prior trip...I had no idea what the other areas, like SoHo, Greenwich Village, and Chelsea were like...and frankly, the size of NYC scared me. During the span of 5 days, I learned the city, the subway system, and most of the areas/neighborhoods (I love maps). There was even a time when I was thinking of how cool it would be to live in New York. Through the course of the trip, however, I came to realise that my very own Chicago has everything I need to be a happy city girl. So here's the complete rundown of everything that went down in Manhattan. :)

Day 1, Saturday, August 2: See below
Day 2, Sunday, August 3: Dad's day.
-Franklin Square, NY, where my dad grew up.
-First we went to the house he grew up in. We even knocked on the door and the current resident talked to us and let us check out the backyard. This was especially cool for my dad, who recalled his father BBQing on the back patio. The house was in great shape and the neighborhood looked like good people lived there...everyone's house was maintained and cute.
-We stopped at my dad's grade school, church, grandparent's house, and ate lunch at a diner he used to frequent (best chicken parm open-faced sandwich ever!).
-Before heading back to the city we picked up some Italian pastries...mmm. AND a black & white cookie (Seinfield style)
-Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, where my grandma grew up.
-Financial District.
-Pace University, where my dad went to college.
-City Hall
-Brooklyn Bridge
-Chinatown. Very busy streets! Lots of sidewalk vendors selling fake designer bags. Wonderful old Chinese lettering, signs, restaurants, and grocery stores. It was cool to see all the culture, but because of the amount of people...it wasn't my favorite spot.
-SoHo/NoLita. Loved SoHo!! So many cute, inexpensive boutiques. Young, hip area. Bought some cute earrings and a b-day gift for Olivia from a street vendor. Got a shirt for Tim at the The Market.
-Little Italy. Back to our roots. :) The smell of Italian food wafted through the air. We saw the apartment complex our grandpa grew up in. Very narrow streets. Looks like it would be fun at night. Lots of green and red lights.
-Greenwich Village. Checked out the NYU campus and Washington Square. Very hip, film student type of vibe. Washington Square Park was teeming with artists and college students. The Washington Square arch was under construction, but gave the area a European feel.
Day 3, Monday, August 4:
-Circle Line. Took a 3 hour cruise around the entire island. Great views of the Statue of Liberty! Also got up close with the new waterfalls under the bridges. Some foreigners behind us talked the whole time. My dad and I had to tell them to be quiet...it didn't really work.
-Times Square. Talk about over-whelming!! Ate some delicious BBQ. Walked over to 42nd Street and Macy's...did more shopping.
-Madison Square Garden/Garment District/Fashion Ave. Fabric everywhere! Looked for Mood, couldn't find it. Also...no Tim Gunn
-Bryant Park. No Tim Gunn or Heidi Klum. Big beautiful park. Looked like there was a film festival going on.
-NYC Public Library. Desperately needed some AC. Got to see the old fashioned green lamps. :)
-St. Patrick's Cathedral. Stunning! Lots of pics of that to come! Plus, this is where my mom's graduation ceremony was. She pointed out where she sat. :)
-30 Rock!/Radio City Music Hall. No sighting of Tina Fey.
Day 4, Tuesday, August 5:
-Seinfeld Restaurant, aka Tom's Restaurant. Had lunch at the famous Restaurant in Morningside Heights (Jerry's hood). The food was not great. The inside of the restaurant looked different than on the show.
-Central Park. Walked the entire east-side of Central Park from 110th to 60th. Was surprised at the terrain of the park. Had everything from lakes, to parks, to rocks, to English Gardens. Very cool.
-Museum of the City of New York. Dad checked it out while the rest of us continued walking.
-Guggenheim Museum. The big spiral building. Stopped in to get some AC. Bought a cool print from a street vendor.
-Metropolitan Museum of Art. Stopped in for more air. Beautiful ornate museum.
-Children's Zoo. Saw the polar bear from a distance. We were too tired to walk the zoo.
-Little Italy. Went back for dinner and a stroll down the main street.
-Lower East Side nightlife. Meet up with my friend Matt for some drinks. Got to check out the lower east side, NY's equivalent to Wicker Park. Checked out a cool rooftop bar (Fat Baby?), then hit up the Living Room.
Day 5, Wednesday, August 6:
-Strawberry Fields. Headed back to Central Park to explore some of the west-side. Saw Strawberry Fields and the hotel where Lennon was shot, The Dakota.
-Carnegie Hall.
-Rockefeller Center/NBC Tour. Got to go behind the scenes at MSNBC and the Today Show.
-New York Style Pizza. Had to get some before we left. So gooood! (I like deep-dish better)
Day 6, Thursday, August 7:
-Home sweet home.

For my next trip...I'd like to spend more time in Greenwich Village and SoHo. I would also like to check out Chelsea and the Meatpacking District...plus Williamsburg and more of Brooklyn.

Home Sweet Home

I'm Back! New York was a blast...wow, what a city. In the span of 5 days, I went from being clueless and scared of New York, to wanting to live there, to being happy I live in Chicago. I plan on blogging about the itinerary for each day, but right now...I'm tired and my legs are still sore! Plus, I have a boyfriend to catch up with. :)

Big Apple

Well, we're here in New York! We're staying in an Embassy Suites on the lower west side, by the financial district. Yesterday we drove up to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, then over to Spanish Harlem where my mom grew up. It was so cool to see her old apartment building...we even got to go inside and walk around! Down the street we saw her old elementary school, Our Lady of Lourdes. We got a couple of stares in my mom's old 'hood...probably because we're driving around in a brand new black Charger...sweet. ;) From Harlem we drove down to our hotel. While my mom and dad checked in, Lee, Anthony, and I walked over to Battery Park where we saw the Statue of Liberty. After dinner, the whole fam took a walk through Battery Park to walk off our Mexican dinner. Lee and Anthony caught a 10:40 showing of The Dark Knight...I was too tired to join.

We just filled up on our free breakfast and are about to drive over to Long Island to see where my dad grew up. On the way back in, I think we are going to check out Bay Ridge, Brooklyn...where my grandma grew up.

So this goes without saying, but New York in HUGE! It's more dense than Chicago...way more buildings. I've been studying a map and getting more familiar with the island and the neighborhoods. Out hotel is pretty close to Greenwich Village...so I'd like to go there soon.