“Your time is limited. So don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out the noise of your own inner voice, and most important, follow your heart and your intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.” ˜Steve Jobs

When I embarked on personal branding, I understood brand design should be different, but my intuitiveness was so dramatic until I wondered if it made sense. What I’ve learned is you can’t worry about if it makes sense. If the ideas are inside of you, they are beckoning to become known because there are people who desire it and are waiting for what you have to offer.

I knew I had to be different and it became apparent when I penned my award winning, Designing for the King. There are hundreds perhaps thousands of messages out there on personal development and now even with the new fad twist of calling it lifedesign. Same message, different packaging. The bottom line is the same notion to help people to improve their lives and step out of their comfort spots. All this is great, but…

…The problem I have with it is they boil down to the same bowl of soup. Rah, rah, you can do it, stop procrastinating, believe in yourself, dare to dream big, you’re every woman, up your game and the list goes on and on. If you’re like me, your personal library probably contains books and audios of all of these messages.

Don’t get me wrong.  Motivation is necessary and I am one who believes in giving you that much needed shove to the point of being labeled “the motivator” by the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of EEW Magazine, Dianna Hobbs to which I am a columnist by that title.

But, this is where I am different.

There must be a connection to every area of your life. As the hallway connects all the rooms of a tangible space and joins to complete the home’s structure, there must be intangible connections of life that joins to complete the way we live—the who, what, why and how.

If you are a woman, you can have a complimentary membership to my private Studio 360 by subscribing in the box on your right and get instant access to nine video modules showing how this works. → → → ↑

When it comes to lifedesign, because I have been designing tangible spaces for well over a decade,  I would say that my attitude and approach to life transformation has progressively followed suit.  I see lifedesign/life renovation and lifestyle issues as I see interior design.

The interior design process follows a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis and integration of knowledge into the creative process, whereby the needs and resources of the client are satisfied to produce an interior space that fulfills the project goals.

When showing people how to change their lives, this approach cannot be overlooked. There must be a holistic renovating process before there can be a designing process, and it has to be internal and intangible. This is what sets me apart from the others.  The difference is much like “interior design” and “interior decorating”. Many people use these interchangeably, but these professions are different in critical ways.

Interior design is the art and science of understanding people’s behavior to create functional spaces within a building. Decoration is the furnishing or adorning of a space with fashionable or beautiful things. In short, interior designers may decorate, but decorators do not design.

Life coaches, lifestyle coaches, life designers and motivators are the decorators who adorn our lives with some great fashionable talk and beautiful messages. This is interior decorating.

My approach and methodology to lifedesign/life renovation/motivation is simply this: … I follow a systematic and coordinated methodology, including research, analysis and integration of knowledge for understanding people’s behavior, past and present,  and I walk them through the anatomy of the body so that all the connections are functional from head to toe… 360 Interior Living . The procedure that makes this a reality is  seamlessly integrating the same design principles and process that I use in my home design process. It appears, what I do for your home, I can also do for your life.

I am daring to be different. My 360 Interior Branding System will show you how I did it.

Like Steve Jobs said, may he rest in peace, I am not trapped by dogma which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. I am not allowing the noise of others’ opinions drown out the noise of my own inner voice, and most important, I am following my heart and my intuition. I have seen what I want to become. Everything else is secondary.

People no longer want to be pumped and pushed, they are desiring systematic procedures and processes so they can experience a sustainable,  comforting living performance.

Dare to be different, I did.

If this post speaks to you, then please share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and any other social media sites or networks.

I know that there’s someone out there needing more, so please pass this along. It’s time to help someone else renovate their life and own their power! Thank You!

Live by Design,

© 2011 Dr. Deana Murphy All rights reserved.

For well over a decade I’ve left my thumb-print on high-end spaces carefully balancing color, light, scale, and detail in a three dimensional world. What made my clients remain loyal to me? I inspired their home brand and color played a big part. As a matter of fact, it was huge.

Liken to the home, your brand is what others see first. It’s your package. Your online presence speaks volumes, and the colors you’ve selected is the uncommon thread that is mostly glanced over. Selecting colors for your on-line presence is as important as selecting your message. In fact, it’s more important because color is universal.

Here’s what I mean: Take the Coca-Cola brand, red. It’s been around for what seems forever and we can say that Coca-Cola owns the red color category. There’s an emotional aspect attached to the brand. It reads excitement and high energy. There’s also a product information aspect to color. Here’s where I’m going. At the onset of the diet and weight lost fad, Coco-Cola introduced the Diet Coke. So, what did its brand experts do? They had to include a product signifier to distinguish the can from the traditional, excitable, high energy product. The information was shared with its consumers through none other than color, otherwise the consumer could pick-up the original product thinking it was the diet product. The Diet Coke has the signature red brand, but is signified with a combination of silver and white. Silver suggests the product is reliable and intelligent while white added the information of purity and sacred. Dieters loved it!

If you have informational products attached to your brand, it good to think about the emotion behind your packaging, what you want it to convey to your niche market, and the direction your brand should take. Use a palette that is part of the experience or message you want to share. This also applies to your web sites and blogs.

Because of the internet, color is universal. You want your color brand to spark a positive consumer attitude that supports your mission. Black in some cultures designates death, negativity, or something is bad for you. Therefore keep in mind creating a common look and feel that appeals to all cultures. Think outside of the box and use color in a unique way. Each color has personality and your color brand has a loud voice. There should be continuity of your signature color thumb-print on your website, blog, and information products. and in design vernacular, less is more.

1. Engage the process. Don’t merely pick your favorite color or a color palette that your web designer suggests, approach your color brand thoroughly and with acuity. Don’t complicate or settle in the process. Become inspired. You want to own it. Much thought was engineered in the color palette of my site, Designing for the King. Here is a typical example of thinking outside of the box. These colors were manipulated to be a part of the experience which is trustworthiness, peace and dominance.

2. View it from client’s perspective. I’ve visited websites and have seen packaging that hollered at me because their was so much of one bold color. See your clients and visitors collectively and individually like young and old, varied disciplines, and inside and outside of your niche.

THIS IS HUGE: HERE’S A COMMENT FROM A VISITOR TO MY BLOG HERE:

“Good points raised here. I am grateful to you for that, however you deserve more thanks than that. I suffer from color blindness (deuteranopia in my case). I mainly use Opera browser (no idea if that changes anything), and a consider a bland a number of web sites
are challenging to comprehend thanks to a careless range of colours used. However, here, as the range of colors is good, the design is extremely tidy and pleasant to comprehend. I don?t know whether it was a premeditated and conscious undertaking, or just the ?luck of the draw?, but I still thank you.”

3. Beware of influence. Your color brand should inspire visually. Given, not all people like all colors. But the influence is in how the colors are packaged. How can your colors inspire your niche market?

It is not enough to have a color brand, say red (I’m using this because it’s a common color). Explore color palettes, be deliberate in your color message, listen to your design within, and design it in a way that you own it.

Thank you for reading this post. I enjoy sharing my passion with you and also enjoy reading your comments.

Sharing my Passion,

Deana

©2010 Deana Murphy. All rights Reserved. You may reprint this article
in its entirety with author's contact and bio information.
Deana Murphy is The Expert on Lifestyle Design, media personality,
a dynamic speaker, an award winning best selling author who has been helping
people for years design a home they love, transform their lifestyle,
and showing them how to feel good from the inside out and unleash their
greatness. She has been interviewed for O at Home Magazine, Empowering Everyday Women,
Spectacular Homes, SORMAG, and Meredith publications to name a few.

I believe the rise of firing your boss and becoming your own boss is the best thing since sliced bread. According to Money Magazine, work at home entrepreneurs number in the millions and it is reported that every 11 seconds someone starts a home based business that allows them to work at home. Also 20% of work at home businesses gross between 100k and 500k per year.

But one thing for sure you want your working environment to meet your work style and reinforce your brand. The home office should be designed for optimum productivity. You spend lots of time there. And besides, because you’re the boss you should have the best office in the neighborhood! So why don’t you? Consider these ways to help you with your home office design so you can increase your productivity and match your brand:

Let’s talk about ergonomics. If you want optimum productivity, the work space must be comfortable and healthy.  Another way of looking at ergonomics is how the human position interfaces with machines and equipment. Creating a good ergonomic working arrangement is important to protecting your health and influencing your productivity. Here are some vital ergonomic safeguards:

1. The Chair.  Your chair is the most important piece of furniture in your office. To reduce vertebrae pressure and minimize lower back pain slightly recline your chair. It should have a good backrest that’s wide enough to support your shoulders. Ideally, the front end of the seat should be curved. Experts say a good chair range from $500 to $1500.
2. Lighting. The next most important feature is good lighting. You don’t want eye strain. Lighting, whether artificial or natural shouldn’t be too bright especially on the computer. I have a screen over my monitor to reduce outside glare. Desk lamps should light the papers not the eyes.
3. The Desk. Before purchasing a desk, evaluate your needs. What is your profession? What equipment and technology is needed? Do you need lots of desk space?  Consider space allowance for computer equipment, telephone, office supplies, and elbow room. I believe a large table that’s height-adjustable is both cost-effective and practical. Then you can move from your keyboard to the side table without bending your shoulders.



4. The Keyboard and Mouse. Here is where you must be cautious. Having the keyboard and mouse wrongly positioned can cause wrist injuries. I know this first hand! The keyboard-mouse tray should be between 28 to 30 inches off the floor. Use the keyboard in a tilt position. The mouse if not properly used can cause wrist injuries by twisting the wrist instead of dragging the mouse.
5. The Monitor. Keep monitor below or at eye-level and eyes between 24 and 36 inches from computer screen

Let’s talk about successful branding.  Because you work from home doesn’t mean your company doesn’t have an image. Your office design should match your brand even though you may never see a client there.

Successful branding reveals that you to “look” and “feel” the brand. Think about this:  having a fashionable and refined image, the best business card and brochure design with outdated office furniture and equipment will make you feel like you’re half-way there. It’s sort of like you’re pretending to be there but are not. This can interfere with your confidence to project your brand to customers.Work your brand. Live your brand. Design your brand.

1. Let people know about you. Determine what you want them to know. Advertise, social media, etc.
2. Connect with virtual assistance. Warning! Make sure they love your brand and connect with your image.
3. Project good public relations. Keep your customers happy. Customers don’t care if your office is the corner slot on New York’s fifth Avenue or the hottest spot in your basement. Keep the promises made to them, have a return/refund policy (you’ll need it) and keep them smiling so they will come back.
4. Serve your brand. I had to learn this the hard way. But know that everything you do, say, and project to the public is either building or tearing down your brand image. Serve the public well, and do something for FREE. Seed-time and harvest is inevitable.

Let’s talk about space planning. Determine how your office will be arranged to make work comfortable and convenient.  In your empty space, place the desk first.  It’s the largest piece. Generally, the largest piece faces the focal point of the room.  The focal point can be a large window or painting. It is so vital to create boundaries likes these:

1. Separate from home activities. It is essential to build a home office design supportive of your own personal productivity.  If possible, select a separate room for you office with a door so that productivity won’t be lost by the temptation of a pleasure break for TV, a snack, or engaging in the day-to-day activities of the home.
2. Good ventilation. You don’t want to become tired and drowsy with the temptation of taking a nap.
3. Clarify your work schedule. One of the productivity stealers is the e-mail. I am learning to read my e-mails only after I’ve done at least two task that day. Write out your schedule each night for the following day and stick to it as much as possible.
4. Clarify family time. Write this on your schedule so there are no conflicts. Separate work life from family life and visa-versa.
5. Clarify ME time. Don’t burn yourself out. Schedule a time to get out and take a walk. I do, and it is simply divine. When I return, I showers and then resume my tasks. It beats talking prescribed lunch break and clocking back in to only find twice as much paper on your desk from the boss. Now, you’re the boss.
6. Clarify who you are and where you’re headed. Believe me, so many don’t have this ironed out yet. It takes quality time.

I’ve learned to become creative in my zeal to maintain my home office.  You can do this too. The entrepreneur is here to stay and we as well must learn to enjoy the ride. Remain steadily productive, nurture your brand, and I’ll meet you over the top!

As always, I truly enjoy sharing with you.  But moreover, I love your comments.

Sharing my passion,

©2010 Deana Murphy. All rights Reserved. You may reprint this article
in its entirety with author's contact and bio information.
Deana Murphy is a dynamic speaker, award winning author and
a conscious home and lifestyle expert who has been helping
people for years design a home they love, transform their lifestyle,
and approach life’s design in view of Spirit and family relations.
She has been interviewed for O at Home Magazine, Empowering Everyday Women,
Spectacular Homes, SORMAG, and Meredith publications to name a few.
She has also appeared on HGTV and Fine Living.


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