I was going to write a recap but I found this deck, “Compressing 8 hours into 25 minutes” that pretty much sums it up so I took the easy way out. Below is the recap and few other tidbits gathered from around the web for your viewing pleasure.

FOWD Highlights: Compressing 8 hours into 25 minutes

Joshua Davis: Space
The language may be rough for some and put put your earbuds in if your at work. It’s only about 20 minutes of the presentation but it’s humorous, inspiring and our favorite talk of the event. Make sure to check out his work at his website http://www.joshuadavis.com/.

Joshua Davis at FOWD NY from Christoph on Vimeo.

Elliot Jay Stocks: Stop Worrying & Get On With It

Mike Kus: 3 Dimensional Thinking
(Best viewed with 3D glasses)
http://mikekus.com/3d/fowd/slides/index.html

FOWD Conference Notes
A nice recap of a few of the presentations at Swiss Miss. Make sure to check out the “talk stats”.
http://www.swiss-miss.com/2009/11/fowd-09-dan-cederholm.html

I put together a list of articles, sites and resources covering various topics related to website strategy, planning and project processes. It is geared towards providing an overview for people who are involved in, or are new to, managing web projects. Quite a bit of this is great info for client education as well, which is critical in any project.

• Topics
• Books
• Content Strategy
• Design & Web Typography
• Information Architecture
• Movers and Shakers
• Process & Planning
• Useful Sites
• User Centered Design
• Web Standards

I do not suggest everyone should learn to produce and execute everything, yet packing the holistic knowledge of how this stuff works is crucial for success with processes, projects, clients and teams. You may find something useful, be bored with the basics, or learn something new. I’ll continue to grow, add to and modify this and if you have suggestions for additions or deletions, Head over  to Resources page.

You know Marty Neumeier from his books on branding and business, The Brand Gap, Zag and the upcoming Designful Company. What I like about his books is that they are clear, simple, to the point and quick reads. His agency, Neutron, writes an article series titled Steal This Idea, with a similar straightforward tone. “Thinking is Free” is the latest, which focuses on four branding basics to consider to keep your business fresh and thriving.

1. What makes you different?
The active ingredient in any brand is differentiation. If it’s not different, it’s not strategic. What can you do to increase your difference? How can you make your difference more meaningful and compelling?

2. How well are you focused?
Without focus, customers will have a hard time seeing your difference. What makes you the “only” in your category? Which of your offerings best support your difference? Which should be cut to make your focus stronger? What new offerings could be added as you pick up momentum?

3. What trend are you riding?
Tomorrow’s economy will create new trends. What wave are you riding? Is it a wave that’s still forming, or one that’s already crashed on the shore? Is it possible to ride more than one trend at a time? What new trends are barely visible yet inevitable?

4. Are you communicating clearly?
Good strategy paired with poor messaging is no better than poor strategy. What messages are your various constituents hearing from you? Do all your brand stories add up to one big story? Is your big story clear enough and bold enough to earn a place in their minds?

In my business we ask ourselves these types of questions on a regular basis. It’s important to stay nimble, evolve and implement quickly. You have to embrace change and act. If your brand can’t hack change and new thinking, you may become irrelevant in the next economy just like many dying traditional ad agencies. Read “Thinking is Free” here