tagcommunications.com.au

Is technology bringing us closer or actually increasing the distance?

It has never been so easy to contact a friend, family member, work colleague, your boss, a client or vice versa. I have a love-hate relationship with technology, I wouldn’t or probably couldn’t give it up without a struggle but I think that whilst it connects us, ironically it also disconnects us.

If I consider the mode of contact only 15-20 years ago, the whole way we now communicate has actually shifts and it definitely has an impact on the end-result. I remember not being able to contact a group of friends to tell them I was going to be late or you would hear the boss receive a phone call from a sick employee; or you would receive a hand written card in the mail or better still a visit from family and friends on your birthday.

Fast-forward 20 years and you’re more likely to receive a text message that says – Runin la8 b there in 10 [more likely be there is an hour and a half because I actually haven't left home yet - but how would you know?]. What about “unwell, wont be in, sorry!” [I'm not sure how many employers would actually call the employee and question them about the type of illness or really listen to the sickness in their voice?]. And then there is good old “happy bday, have a gr8 day, c u soon” [I have certainly been guilty of that one and soon could be closer to their next birthday].

Why don’t we just pick up the phone anymore or pick it up as often as we used to?  Is it because we are too lazy or busy to engage in a formal conversation? Are we concerned the person on the other end may invite us somewhere that we really don’t want to go and we feel guilty saying no or because we haven’t made contact for 7 months and it feels less awkward if a SMS is used? Maybe all of the above?

We can connect with people so conveniently and with such immediacy, yet many of us still tend to take the easy option. The GenYers in the office text more than they call – maybe it’s because sending a message is cheaper or free? I’m not sure.

I read some survey findings with interest, it was about relationships and technology. The findings revealed that 67% of Australians who felt lonely frequently contacted family and friends by SMS and 64% that felt lonely contacted family and friends by email.  Some 40% of people that used around 4  methods of communication were lonely compared with 11% that only used one method.

Did we really need a survey to tell us that and are our family and friends really that lonely? Here’s my anecdotal yardstick, I reckon if you analyse the method of communications that your friends or family  use to contact you, the length of the correspondence will help to determine the level of their loneliness.  For example, if someone sends you a text message that you have to scroll more than twice to read it in full, then it means they are lonely or really bored and if you receive an email with more than 200 words about what is going on in their life -you got it, they’re lonely or bored out of their mind.

Maybe we’re all just trying to cram so much into everyday and the expectation of society holistically is so high, we would prefer to hide behind the guise of technology.  Maybe people aren’t really lonely, but just alone…and maybe by choice?

Food for thought.

The jewel of the Middle East… Well there’s a jewel there now!

Chez is in da House in Europe! Raisin da roof in Lebanon and without a doubt will be enjoying the night life, shopping and the sunshine.

We’re starting to count down the days before you’re back in the office fortunately for you, you still have about 2 weeks up your sleeve, but for us in Sydney and Melbourne slaving away, 2 weeks seems like an eternity.

Enjoy the final leg of your trip, be safe, have fun but hurry back! Oh and by the way 3 gifts per person will be fine.

Concrete jungle where dreams are made of…

This is where it is at, the last stop before hitting Europe – New York.

Empire State Building, 42nd Street, Central Park, Time Square, Statue of Liberty, Cream Cheese Bagels, Sex in the City, we could go on and on and we’re all jealous!

This is clearly the next step up from ordering online, but it is still only of benefit to a certain group of people and the irony is, these services are designed for those with busy lifestyles but because you are so busy you’re never at home to accept the delivery.

It would be great to take a walk down the road at lunch time, scan a few QR codes which adds the selected products to a virtual cart, process the payment and arrive home with the ingredients for your night’s meal ready to be used.  Great in theory but what are they going to do, leave it at the front door?  Give me a delivery window of 2-4 hours? What about the perishables? Is it just as convenient to stop off at Woolies or Coles on the way home?

Would this work in Australia? I honestly don’t know if  our supply chains would be efficient enough to cope let alone deliver on time.  Another issue would be whether the food would actually still be there when you arrived home?  Maybe you’d catch a glimpse of your next door neighbour enjoying the Tim Tams you just purchased or the local dog that decided it was dinner time and then left an additional perfumed present just for you.

I commend the concept, it is absolutely awesome and it would great for someone like me, I just don’t know if we’re geared up for such a micro service in Australia. Asian countries are based on efficiency, in fact they thrive on it and the Korean example in the YouTube video below proves it. This is likely to kick butt across Asia but I think it is still a long way off to work properly on our shores.

Enjoy the video anyway.

Tag adds another design professional to its Sydney studio to expand its capabilities and diversity.

Katrina Torres joins the Tag team having spent the last 5 years designing in a specialist field and was the lead designer for the last 2 years. Tag’s Design Director, Felix Kusuma said “Katrina’s previous roles has a lot of similarities to our specialist areas of pharmaceutical and healthcare and that’s a big plus, especially when you are trying to produce work that will help your clients stand out from the crowd and be creative in a traditionally conservative and highly regulated industry. Her experience will most definitely be appreciated.”

Tag’s Managing Director, Greg Lee also said “Katrina appears to have a very adaptive style and she really understands the art of typography which certainly provides some additional strength to our studio. I am sure she will fit in seamlessly and help to add some real value to the projects she works on.”

“As our studio grows, it is important that the right people join our team. Our goal is to always find people with creative minds that work differently to the ones we already have, and their design style must not only compliment our existing team but add a new dimension to it. This kind of difference can actually translate into something tangible and be of benefit to our clients. The conundrum we face everyday is that so much about design remains constant, yet so much constantly changes. The marketplace is becoming more and more fragmented and client’s demands certainly aren’t decreasing so we look for every edge we can get.” Greg Lee added.

Bright light city gonna set my soul on fire!

Viva Las Vegas – where daytime turns to night and night turns into day.

We all heard and read your facebook page and are extremely jealous [well of Stevie Wonder anyway] please tell us you at least had crap seats?

Girls from the OC watch out there’s someone new in town…

Attention all shop owners on Rodeo Drive: Don’t be fooled by Chez from Australia, she is not the long lost Kardashian sister.

We took bets in the office and here’s where we reckon Chez went besides  Rodeo Drive:

1. Disneyland
2. Universal Studios
3. Sunset Boulevard
4. Venice Beach [or some beach]

Well hello there…

Chez arrives on the West Coast of the states in one of California’s most famous cities San Francisco!

A big bridge, great food, lots of cable cars, too many hills and a very joyous population of people