Purple Cows + Meatball Sundaes

I must admit, I’ve developed a bit of a love/hate relationship with Seth Godin. In marketing circles, particularly writers, Seth Godin is very popular. People seem to hang on his every word, or blog entry. There are attributes to Godin I find very illuminating. His “succinct” books are perfect for the modern attention span…or is that merely his story that he is sticking to in order to crank out more books to facilitate more mortgage payments?

I also find that he has flashes of brilliance. There are select phrases and sentences peppered throughout his writings that reinvent your understanding of contemporary marketing, all in a rush.

However, my one niggle, and bone to pick with Mr. Godin, is his inconsistency and seemingly random snippets that hit you from left field.

OK, that is technically 2 niggles.

I am having a difficult time putting my finger on it, but I find myself on a wild roller coaster reading ride. One paragraph and I have that “look” on my face (you know, the one when your face brightens and you truly understand). Onto the second paragraph when I have that other “look” on my face (when your eyes glaze over and you scratch your head, wondering how you got derailed).

It feels as though the author suffers a bit from being in his own head when the writing goes awry. In an attempt to practice what he preaches (stringing together short, almost scan-worthy, quickly digestible chunks of content in order to mirror the Internet-attention-span) he seems to forget that I do not have the luxury and background to ALREADY know what he is thinking. I seem to get a notion that is abbreviated just enough to force me into re-reading it. At this point it seems to be a 50/50 shot on whether I can extrapolate a proper context with which to understand the tenets. The result: a workout for the muscles in my face as they smile, then frown, then smile, then frown…

To echo a concept postulated by the author in Meatball Sundae: you, Mr. Godin, have proven yourself enough in the first 2 books (Purple Cow and Meatball Sundae) to earn my investment in another of your books, but my wishlist includes greater content development and background from you. I want more of those flashes of brilliance, less head-scratching. I’m picky that way. Just like the Internet Age consumers that you define in your books. What irony.

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The Dark Side

The Art of Client Service, by Robert Solomon

For those Designers and Art Directors out there who have read and loved The Brand Gap, by Marty Neumeier, here is another fantastic book of the same ilk: The Art of Client Service, by Robert Solomon. This book abides by the same Neumeier-formula of cutting right to the chase and packing every sentence with didactic wisdom.

“Why on Earth would a Designer want to read a book about Suits”, you ask?

“Traitor”, others exclaim!

I was surprised as well. After hiding in shame while reading the first chapter, I quickly felt less dirty and more enlightened. This book is a great breakdown of the inner workings of the Machine we call an agency. Solomon, a 20+ year veteran (Account Service side) takes you through a tour of his greatest successes, tragic failures, and lessons learned. His writing is brilliant, logical, easily digestible, and will have you nodding your head and saying “Yes” more than once.

Often as Designers and Art Directors we birth our precious work with tears of joy and forget there is another half to the equation we play in. More intimate knowledge and understanding of that “darker side” arms us with more tools for our toolbox.

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