reminders...

I get caught up from time to time and forget why branding is so important to me and why successful execution of it has brought me so much satisfaction. Why do we fight for things like brand standards? the perfect voice for copy? the logo that wasn't designed by the client's friend who took a painting class? Individually these things may not hold a ton of merit but when combined properly....the possibilities are endless and can incredibly impactful. And at the end of the day the impact is what it is all about.  Seth sent me (and several thousand other readers) a reminder about this today:

Soles 

All you've got, all your brand has got, all any of us have are the memories and expectations and changes we've left with others. It's so easy to get hung up on the itinerary, the features and the specs, but that's not real, it's actually pretty fuzzy stuff. The concrete impact of our lives and our work is the mark you make on oth er people. It might be a product you make or the way you look someone in the eye. It might be a powerful experience you have on a trip with your dad, or the way you keep a promise.
The experiences you create are the moments that define you. We'll miss you when you're gone, because we will always remember the mark you made on us. There's a sign on most squash courts encouraging players to wear only sneakers with non-marking soles. I'm not sure there's such a thing. If you're going to do anything worthy, you're going to leave a mark.            -Seth Godin