There are many articles in this issue which can help you focus on improvement. At a high level, Diana Varma discusses the science of motivation. Her article takes you through a framework, developed by Daniel Pink, which includes autonomy, mastery and purpose. As the sun starts to make it harder to sit in the office and work, the framework suggests that you let your team make decisions for a greater cause, while giving them lots of feedback so that they improve over time. Another article helping improve your business is Nadine Evans’ look into using business clichés. We tend to hide behind words like “traction” and “leverage”, putting things into “buckets” to “align verticals”. Let’s stay a bit more clear in the “net net”. Another topic perhaps important for your summer planning is Bonny Koabel’s article about hiring grants. Certainly, in working at Ryerson I have learned that the government is very supportive of training new graduates, which is meaningful for both the grad and the business.
We also have some great technology articles in the issue. This month’s lead by Chris Smyth focuses on new approaches to automation. While we have large and impressive systems in our industry which support production, this article focuses on small tools, plug-ins and scalable cloud solutions. I myself am a big fan of IFTTT, which allows you to set up if/then statements connecting many different technologies. I use it to track hashtags for topics I care about. In a similar vein, Olivia Parker looks at affordable ways to source photography. High-resolution photos are not cheap when you don’t know where to look. Olivia takes you through some new licensing options under Creative Commons that offer cheap, if not free, solutions. We also discuss some packaging focused technologies. Our new intern at the School of Graphic Communications Management, Erica Glen, reports from the Esko Roadshow hosted at the school. Peter Dulis also discusses opportunities in packaging resulting from attending the Graphics of the Americas Expo.
I also had an opportunity to attend a great packaging focused event, Just On Package, hosted by PAC. The event was composed of an industry innovators competition in packaging and a student competition, sponsored by Walmart, aimed at reducing the use of plastic bags. Congratulations to Enzo Caso and Olivier Van Migem for their first place ‘Reflective Shopper’ submission and to students Lindsay Van Wyck, Kelly Goodwin & Eduardo Diniz Souza, from Conestoga’s brand new packaging program for their first place winning solution ‘The Cube: Stand Up, Stand Out’.
Last but not least, congratulations to Tony Curcio for his promotion to Editor of GAM. I’ve not met a harder working Editor to date!
