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Whether you’re managing design and fabrication in-house from soup to nuts or farming out the whole shebang to the hipsters with the designer glasses cutting costs ultimately comes down to you. What to do to stay current in the eyes of a discriminating public when funds are running low? Before you send your design budget to the chopping block consider these top trends and economical tips.


Trend: reinvention

Green-screen photo activations have long been used to entice customers to exchange personal information for a memorable moment captured on film.
But despite its popularity marketers may not be making the most of the data after the fact. As the financial firestorm continues to topple companies left and right green-screen providers are rising to the challenge by offering targeted on-site data collection strategies detailed backend reports and tactics that extend the experience online. Collecting data for the sake of collecting data? Not in this economy pal.

A RECENT STUDY by the CMO Council found that when it comes to listening to their customers most companies are turning a deaf ear. That’s surprising especially in this environment where feedback is more critical than ever in the quest to retain customers and attract new ones.

SITTING IN ON A BRAINSTORMING SESSION with Autodesk’s event marketing group must feel a bit like a meeting with Al Gore. The company has become an innovator in designing exhibits and events that leave little environmental footprint but still pack an awe-inspiring punch. Just one look at the brand’s eco-friendly plywood trade show booth and it’s pretty clear—at Autodesk going green doesn’t mean sacrificing exhibit substance or style.

Keen Footwear is a small company on a big mission. The popular shoe and outdoor gear brand hopes to expand consumer perceptions about the great outdoors (and the versatility of its shoes) through a call to action it dubs living the HybridLife—mixing outdoor play whether it’s gardening a tiny plot in the urban jungle or trekking remote hiking trails with giving back to the community and the environment. How to spark an ambitious perception shift among target consumers—and get them to buy your shoes in the process—without breaking a shoestring budget?