Not only did I enjoy seeing, experiencing and learning about Koolhaas’s Main Library, but I also found a beautiful gem of a library and neighborhood center when I went to visit my friends in Ballard.

Ballard is known among my friends to be the place where you can buy fun stuff (Archie McPhee’s) and get a great cupcake (Cupcake Royale) BUT it also home to one of the TOP TEN GREEN buildings of 2006, the Ballard Library and Neighborhood Center.

My friend and I were randomly wondering about Ballard waiting for my other friend to get home from her work at SAM (More about the opening of the new SAM sculpture garden in part three.) when we came upon a beautiful and strange building. The first thing that caught my eye was that this building had a green roof (an component of sustainable architecture that I have great interest in) and that it was very shiny. When we got closer we realized it was the Ballard Library and Neighborhood Center.

Not only was it a mixed use facility, a gorgeous example of a green building produced with a limited budget it was packed with people of diverse ages and background. It warmed my little librarian heart to see a print reference section that was centrally located. It was a great example of how stylish and inviting a library and a green building can be… I could go on and on about the native plants on the roof and the designers behind the plan but instead I will let the library and the architect, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, tell you themselves. To read and see more pictures and drawings of the building, please see:
http://www.bcj.com/ (look under projects>cultural>Ballard Library and Neighborhood Center)
To read more about the branch please see:
http://www.spl.org/default.asp?pageID=branch_open_about&branchID=3

In other words the Koolhaas building is fantastic but it not the only amazing new library building in Seattle.

Annual reports are notoriously hard to compile, but are they worth the outcome?

This year is the second year American University Library has chosen to dive in and make a public annual report. The first year was a trying task juggling the politics and the pain. The second year went a little more smoothly, but was still a huge nightmare (more politics and different pain).

Sounds like more trouble than it’s worth right?
You would think so, but with the right annual report and the right audience, it can be a beautiful thing.

The motivation for producing an annual report is to communicate the core values and worth of the organization to the public. Another great reason is fundraising- annual reports, especially “trophy annual reports” are great fodder for making the institution look grand and worthy of donations.

The design for this annual report was inspired by a botanic field guide, incorporating images from AU Library’s special collections. The style was chosen to fit in with the nature theme that all of AU Library’s administrative level brochures carry.

I’ve attached the PDF of the annual report to this post for review.

When you begin to think about creating a marketing plan for your organization the best thing to do is start talking it up: at beginning of meetings, at the lunch room or any other place or time where people informally gather.

Make sure you get the world out that you are looking for amazing and talented people to work on your team. I have no doubt that you will find most of these resource right within your organization.

If you are working at a university or college you probably have people right in your building who have marketing experience or who are taking classes in this area, people who are great at event planning, people who already have great connections to important people on campus and people who have graphic experience.

The most important thing to do is make sure that these people know that you need them and that you will respect their talents.

Finding a designer:

If you aren’t lucky enough to have an onsite designer, check the local chapter of AIGA (American Institute of Graphic Arts), or if you work at or around a university, you can usually solicit a student to do some freelance work for you. Sites like craigslist or Agaveblue are great places to find or post freelance jobs as well.

Initial stage of working with a designer:

Designers are notoriously hard to work with.
Here are a few tips to make your interaction with them more beneficial for the both of you.

The reason that designers are so hard to work with is that their clients never say exactly what they want. The best way to overcome this obstacle is to bring as many examples of things that you like – Cut out advertisements from magazines, bring print-outs from the internet, if you like the color of your coffee mug, bring it with you to show your designer.

As a designer, I would love to be in the position to have too many resources to design around as opposed to nothing. I know that you will be happier with the outcome if I can pick and choose elements of things you like rather than fishing in the dark.

So now that you have provided your designer with a treasure-trove of insight into what you like, does that ensure that you will like the results? Not necessarily, but I can guarantee it will be closer to what you want.

Review stage:

This is the make-it or break-it moment. The designer has taken all of your input and put it all together. You are either thrilled with the outcome, or it just doesn’t seem right.

If it doesn’t seem right, then you need to communicate exactly what isn’t working for you. Sometimes that is a hard thing to do, but rather than just saying this doesn’t look right, try to be as specific as possible.

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I hope that this will help bridge the gap between you and your designer, you can’t be afraid to say what you want, but you should also try be open to the ideas and the feedback the designer is providing you; they have a vested interest in making you look the best because their reputation as a designer is on the line.