What an inspirational trip! The HOW Conference was amazing, but then again how can you not be inspired when you’re surrounded by the beautiful rocky mountains of Denver, with ninety-degree weather and zero humidity? The whole atmosphere was just so refreshing, from the dozens of street performers, to the friendliness of the local people, to the huge blue bear peering into the conference center. Any designer will tell you, much of their inspiration comes from the environment they are in or have been, and Denver certainly is a great place to draw motivation and rejuvenation.

With over forty speakers coming from all over the country, the How Design Conference provided a wealth of knowledge for us to absorb and just take in. I love design, so meeting and hearing the stories of some the top designers in the world was a privilege I’ll never forget. There were far too many amazing sessions to go through them all, but I feel I have to mention at least two, to give them the recognition they deserve:

Cameron Moll – Good vs. Great Design Not only is he classed as one of the top twenty designers in the world, he is an author, speaker, freelance designer, entrepreneur, father of four, and still in his thirties! He provided great insight into where he draws his inspirations from and simple ways to better manage, your time, and productivity.

Von Glitschka -  Creating Five-Alarm Concepts Provided some extremely valuable techniques like brain mapping, word association, and the use of both sides of your brain, to create better solutions to problems and to not lose focus of the clients goal.

I feel like I’ve inherited years of experience over the course of three days and I’m very thankful to MMI for giving the opportunity to attend the conference. Finally, I’ll leave you with the best advice I took from the week,

“Load the chamber (your head), know that you’ll never know what you don’t know, conceptual triggers are everywhere.” – Von Glitschka.

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find us working.”

-Pablo Picasso

Designers are a product of our environment. We draw inspiration from colleagues, media, design publications, the internet and even the room in which we sit. To maintain a good design sense, we have to stimulate our own senses. Design is an ever evolving medium. For this reason the creative team at MMI is excited to attend the HOW Design Conference in Denver, Colorado next week.

Fostering a knowledge of the latest technologies and design trends is essential to remain a relevant designer and requires dedication to do so. As I participate in the upcoming conference I hope to be inspired by prominent designers from around the country. I hope to engage in conversation with fellow designers with different perspectives than my own. I hope to gain technical knowledge and creative rejuvenation. I hope to be motivated. I hope to feel the impact on my work when I return. I hope for no turbulence on our flight. I’m not a “good flyer.”

Inspiration requires receptiveness and initiative. On behalf of my colleagues, Claudia and Matt, we appreciate the opportunity to be changed as designers and we look forward to sharing our experiences when we return.

The other day I found myself reading a very, very long email chain to get to the point of an issue. It took me a while to sift through the fragments and string together the instructions, make assumptions on emotions and tone, to finally discover the root of the matter. I still love email and couldn’t live without it, but most often than not a conversation (especially the listening part)— in person or via the phone will always yield better communication outcomes. Reading the NY Times article We Have Met The Enemy and He is PowerPoint, General McMaster pointed out that it created an “illusion of understanding and an illusion of control.” Isn’t that true about so many of the ways we communicate with one another?

In PR, we remember when calling reporters became passé, then emailing was the new phone call and now direct messaging via Twitter seems to work for some. I think these methods can also foster meaningful dialogue, but with varying communication styles, some things get lost in translation. Verbal communication is something we’ve been doing since childhood, unlike email, so it’s kind of the one uniting medium of interaction. Short messages and bites of information can be efficient. For me, when it comes to practicing public relations and providing client service, I’ll be calling.

Today The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced the premiere of their new logo – something they have only done four times in their 69-year history. Details on the new look, which brings the iconic red strikethrough of the word “cancer” front and center, can be found here.

To introduce their bold new look to the communities we work with, MMIers Sarah and Emily are out and about today delivering the good news to our friends in the media.

We are so excited to be a part of sharing their mission of Making Cancer History. Congratulations!

MMIers Sarah and Emily head out the door to delivery news of the new MD Anderson logo to local publications.

Teams here are busy promoting the Shell Houston Open, planning for the 2010 Vintage Car Show at Vintage Park, gearing up for the opening of Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille’s premier Dallas location, and buzzing around implementing a plethora of other projects.

Spring has sprung at MMI, and in our usual flurry of activity we find new reasons to celebrate, as we happily welcome some new clients to the MMI family:

American General Life Companies

Cardinal Health

Phillips & Reiter, PLLC

Want to know more about the MMI family? Some veteran members of the list could tell you a thing or two about unquestionable value. Click here for a look at our clients.

It’s hard to believe it’s been a whole month since we wrapped up the Mom 2.0 Summit. Working behind the scenes was such an amazing experience for MMI. Highlights include:

• Coordinating with the wonderful staff at the Four Seasons Hotel Houston.
• Finding the perfect outfits at Cheeky Vintage for the Mad Men kickoff party (and watching Maggie change a tire with The Bloggess).
• Meeting Mom 2 Summit’s keynote speaker Gretchen Rubin, author of New York Times bestseller The Happiness Project.
• Working with the fabulous people at FotoFest to organize a first-of-its- kind art exhibit celebrating the accomplishments of women online, and subsequent online auction benefiting Haiti.
• And last, but not least, collaborating with the lovely ladies behind it all — Laura Mayes of Kirtsy and Carrie Pacini and Marla Trevino with The Tasteful Life – who made it all come together beautifully.

We were privileged to be a part of it, and can’t wait to see what the next Mom 2.0 has in store for us – April 2011 in my hometown, New Orleans!

Working with various organizations in Sugar Land, I have come to think of Sugar Land as my home away from home. As such, it’s  a pleasure when the synergies between my clients  are so evident that two of them can come together to do great things.

Most recently, the WATCH Health Fair took place in Sugar Land Town Square and the M. D. Anderson Clinical Care Center in Sugar Land was right in the thick of it. The fair provided free, useful information regarding children’s health for parents – and a whole lot of fun for kiddos.

M. D. Anderson representatives Sharon Jamison, left, and Niki Olanrewaju hold down the fort at the fair.

A lot of what I do in Sugar Land is bring clients into the fold – into the community to do good, to meet the people, to meet the newsmakers and stir up some news of their own. Although Sugar Land is certainly no small town, I’ve enjoyed fostering these relationships that make my clients and the community feel like old friends and good neighbors.

For an ongoing list of all the great things Sugar Land Town Square and M. D. Anderson are doing in the Sugar Land community, you can stay connected here and here.