When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Cathy Monetti
I only remember NOT wanting to be a nurse. Ever.

Teresa Coles
A Barbie doll fashion designer. Evening gowns were a specialty.

Kevin Smith
I wanted to drive an ice cream truck.

Ryon Edwards
An architect.

Julie Turner
A medical examiner just like Quincy.

Will Weatherly
Frontman for a world-renowned rock band.

Kevin Archie
An artist, according to the drawing I made in first grade.

Jody Piland
I wanted to be a lawyer. I could argue, no matter how wrong or right I was, until I was blue in the face.

What did you want to be?

My mom recently told me a story about one of her 4th grade students interrupting class to ask about a picture of her on Facebook. Other students immediately chimed in as well, revealing their extensive knowledge of her family, where she went on summer vacation, what she did on her birthday last week, her favorite inspirational quote, and so on and so forth. Her profile — which she thought was set to private and could only be viewed by friends — was Facebook-stalked by a bunch of 10-year-olds with nothing better to do.

It’s scary to me how easy it is to make our personal lives public in today’s digital world. We market and brand ourselves daily via social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook without truly considering our audience. With over 400 million people connecting to Facebook every day, we now have the chance to share our personal lives and opinions with an audience 10x greater than the one President Barack Obama had for his recent State of the Union address. These onlookers could include anyone from your grandmother to your future boss to your creepy next door neighbor who strolls to the mailbox every morning wearing nothing but a bath robe, so it’s comforting to know that there are options available to minimize how much of our lives we share online.

However, the method of securing our privacy through these social networking sites is constantly changing: either being made simpler for the sake of clarity or more intricate for a more personal approach to your privacy. While it is beneficial for companies to update their policies for the sake of the user, it can often lead to consumer confusion in the process. For example, I helped my mom update her Facebook settings and found the new options far too verbose and confusing. By the time I’d finished, I wasn’t even positive that I’d checked the right options.

Google recently updated their privacy policy by getting rid of 60 different policies and combining them into one that is more concise and easy to understand. Perhaps some day other companies will follow suit. But until that happens, I think we should all take another look at the information we are sharing with the world — literally, the world.

To see just how much the internet has invaded your personal life, click here and type in your name and city.

What decade would you like to be living in right now?

Julie Turner
This one. I am master of my own destiny and have a beautiful family and inspiring group of friends. The eighties were fun and all but I’ll take now hands down.

Kevin Smith
The 80′s of course. It was a wonderful time for television. Commercials were never better.

Cathy Monetti
I’m pretty happy in this decade. The world is changing so fast, I can’t wait to see what’s next!

Maria Fabrizio
Early 60′s. I’d be able to do everything by hand since the computer wouldn’t exist yet and I’d also like to have beehive hair.

Will Weatherly
40′s: Music and film, but mostly to be a fly on the wall during Kerouac’s US excursions.

Ryon Edwards
1960′s – for the music, man. Peace.

Jody Piland
The 80′s. Awesome music, awesome clothes, awesome hair. Need I say more?

Kevin Archie
The 1940′s have always resonated with me because of the music — big band swing and the beginning of bebop jazz — but I would much rather be living in the present where I can enjoy that same music without having to live during a world war.

What’s your ideal decade?

Isn’t that just the effect a really great brand has on you? I can see Paula as part of my life, a celebrity friendship as casual and easy as any meaningful relationship in my life.

So I was heartbroken to watch her appearance on The Today Show last week when she announced the Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis. Not so much because of the disease—I believe she will successfully manage it—but because the entire handling of the announcement was such a debacle.

How I wish I had been Paula Deen’s brand consultant when she learned of the diagnosis three years ago. (Of course, the report that her longtime publicist resigned last month after Paula began hawking a diabetes drug indicates the Food Network star didn’t follow the counsel she received anyway.) But I would have made a powerful pitch to her—one she may never have thought about or considered—and that perspective, I believe, could have changed every misstep that followed.

At issue is the protection of a multi-million dollar brand built around the very culprit in this significant and dangerous health diagnosis: rich, fatty, unhealthful Southern recipes. Paula and her team created an empire promoting comfort food, beginning with The Lady and Sons Savannah, Georgia restaurant, then expanding in every direction—publishing of cookbooks and magazines, multiple television shows, an extensive line of signature cookware, online and retail interests. A heavy consideration in the what do we do about this diagnosis discussion, no doubt, was Dean’s endless array of ”strategic partnerships” with other national brands, including Walmart, Smithfield, Harrah’s, International Greeting and Cooking.com, to name just a few.

Here, apparently, was the Protect the Brand strategy:

1. Wait three years to publicly announce that she has Type 2 Diabetes, all the while continuing to expand—rather than refining—her brand
2. Form another strategic partnership, but with a drug company rather than a highly respected, mission-driven nonprofit
3. Make the diabetes announcement during a live segment on The Today Show, an appearance in which she was (uncharacteristically) nervous and disingenuous

How did a brilliant business woman capable of such extensive brand expansion come to make so many poor crisis communications decisions? Contrary to popular opinion, I don’t believe greed is the heart of the issue. (Pollyanna, I know. But I don’t.)

I believe the problem is having a brand strategy based on this flawed core premise:

Brand Paula Deen = Southern Cooking

Wrong. So wrong. This powerful brand is based on one thing that should have been protected at all cost, but wasn’t:

Brand Paula Deen = the authenticity of Paula Deen, herself

I can’t think of another celebrity more utterly charming and disarming in her honesty. Likely to say anything at any time, she lights up stage and screen by saying exactly what she’s thinking—and what we are thinking, too, but are too timid to say.

How powerful it could have been had she announced the diagnosis early, long before she had “something to bring to the table.” What if, three years ago, she’d said:

I didn’t expect this. I don’t know enough. I am afraid.

What if she’d invited us all to take this very human journey with her, changing our lifestyles and habits and menus, one day at a time, together.

Would her brand have disintegrated? Would the Food Network have dropped her? Would corporate partners have abandoned her?

Would we?

I surely don’t think so.

Paula Deen, the person, will survive this misstep, I do believe. But the brand has suffered a severe blow. And the best thing it can do (I sure hope it moves quickly) is to get real about what Paula Dean, the brand, stands for. I, for one, think there is way more there than just another stick of butter.

What’s your favorite jingle?

Pete Anderson
Chock Full o’ Nuts

Julie Turner
The ones that come from Christmas bells. They still ring for me.

Ryon Edwards
Coca Cola – “I’d like to teach the world to sing”

Will Weatherly
Hmmm. Favorite would take a while. Personally most memorable?…“Herndon Chevrolet—Herndon makes you wanna SMILE!” My Honda will die some day, but that jingle will follow me forever.

Kevin Archie
Rush’s – “You’ll rush back for more” // Their burgers are so delicious they don’t even need a relevant brand.

Teresa Coles
The Backpacker, the great outdoor connection…
The Backpacker, what a great selection!

Kevin Smith
Leon Jones Insurance’s “Driven to be the best.”

Sharing CreateAthon and the pro bono love

Yesterday, I had the privilege of joining 14 other speakers and performers at the inaugural TEDx Columbia event. What began for me as an Oh my God, how will I ever have time to prepare for this item on my never-ending list became a transformative experience second only to CreateAthon, my subject de jour.

While I was more than humbled to have the opportunity to spread the CreateAthon gospel on such a distinguished stage, I was more moved by the cumulative effect of the day. It crept inside me as these words bounced in and out of every conversation.

What if. Who knew. We can. You can. I did. I asked. Yes.

There also was a lot of talk during the day about Columbia and the undiscovered potential of our city as evidenced by the talent, intellect and passion of everyone assembled at TEDx Columbia. The mere fact that we “did TEDx” was viewed as a great achievement. Certainly it was.

I submit the greater outcome of the day, however, lies in a heightened awareness of the other. Look at what that other person is doing. Look at the terrible thing that happened to her, and what she did with it. Look at the risk he took.

TEDx gave us a day to put down our own ego-driven lens and peer through the lens of the other. To soak in our fellow man’s distinctive experiences, and to consider just how vital it is that we all see the world a little bit differently.

After all, if two of us are exactly the same, one of us is irrelevant (to quote Jay Coles).

I think the world’s a little more beautiful today, being reminded of that.

So many thanks to the incredible TEDx Columbia team and fellow speakers for inviting me to be part of this incredible experience, for working so hard to make it such a success, and for entering my life as new friends.

Abbesses – Its chipped tiled type contrasts well with these round yellow chairs that could have been pulled straight from a Herman Miller catalog.

Concorde – A 100+ year old stop with a grid of letters spelling out the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen, a fundamental document of the French Revolution (wall of type=revolutionary idea).

The Métro signs at each entrance also differed from each other at different stops. These variations were not nearly as widespread, however, and their usage seemed random and non-specific to location. I did some research to find out why.

This is one of the 83 original surviving art nouveau entrances and is seen as an iconic symbol of Paris. It was designed by Hector Guimard in 1900 and its style caused much surprise and controversy. This is the primary stop we used on our trip (Abbesses) and it’s also one of the three remaining entrances with a more elaborate glass canopy.

This simpler version, a metal balustrade accompanying a “Métro” sign crowned by a spherical lamp, could be found in early stations around 1910.

This one has a similar type treatment to the previous, but is simplified even more with its stronger sans serif lettering placed onto a stone wall.

Signposts with just an “M” have become the norm since the 1970′s to present.

If you could have a super power for one day,
what would it be?

Cathy Monetti
I would like to be able to fly.

Kevin Smith
Time travel.

Ryon Edwards
Super beard-growing power.

Julie Turner
To be able to fly to and visit far-flung places across the planet. But, I’d want to do touristy things, not let commuter trains ride across my shoulders because some crazy wanker blew up a bridge.

Teresa Coles
Turbo power. I could get so much work done in one day, I could take the rest of the week off!

Maria Fabrizio
To be able to hit command + Z and have it apply to real life.

Kevin Archie
I would have the unheard of superhuman ability to avoid procrastination.

Pete Anderson
Flight, both on Earth and through space.

Illustration by Ryon Edwards

Stylistically, Hobo looks like something crafted from 1970′s, but was actually designed in 1910 towards the end of the Art Noveau Movement. It was designed by Morris Fuller Benton, one of America’s most prolific typeface designers. After closer examination, the letters are actually well-proportioned (when typeset properly) — every part of each letter is curved, which gives it a decorative effect, but with a modern twist. It’s lowercase letters are unique — descenders that do not drop below the baseline. Yeah, it’s weird — but it’s designed to be a display type. Fairly progressive for 1910, considering that most typography from that period was very decorative and ornate.

So I’m no longer a Hobo-hater. I just hate seeing it being misused.

Note: If you’ve seen examples of Hobo type out there (good or bad), please send  some pics my way – I’m starting a collection of images and would love to include yours! Thanks.

The oldest use of Hobo I've ever seen!

Type Crime!