Introduction
Yesterday I went to Barnes and Noble to pick up Mike Huckabee’s “Do The Right Thing” and stumbled upon something unexpected. First I must say that, yes, I do realize that the election is over and Barack Obama is in office. However “Do The Right Thing” was on the New York Time’s Best Sellers List at the time of this writing and I am slowing but surely trudging my way through that list. After picking up the audio book, a bright orange book with bold lettering titled “Do you matter? How great design will make people love your company” by Robert Brunner, Stewart Emery, and Russ Hall caught my eye. Now I have not read this book yet, so this article will not serve as a book review, however based on my first impression I am expecting great things – here’s why.

Great Expectations

Generally when buying anything at the bookstore I make my obligatory stroll through the store to see what’s new and what I may have missed on past visits and web browsing. It is not uncommon that something catches my eye and I pick it up for a second look, however “Do you matter?” literally made me stop in my tracks. In addition, many times I will pick up a book with a great cover and quickly lose interest for a number of reasons and therefore return it to it’s rightful place back on the shelf. Here is what in my mind makes “Do you matter?” great and makes me expect great things from this work just from my first impressions:

1. Boldness
2. Quality
3. Simplicity

I will address each in greater detail. The first thing that caught my eye was the bold coloring of the book – white and black lettering with an orange background. Although the colors may not be everyone’s (including my) first choice they are dramatic and bold nonetheless. The color scheme blasted my senses and literally made the book stand out from everything else on the table of new business releases. The bold choice of colors certainly got my attention. Now that you have my attention; now what? Most times that I would experience anything like this I would proceed to pick up the book, open it, and find out that the interior was made of low quality paper and bland text on discolored paper – not the case here. Upon picking up “Do you matter?” you can tell quality went into the making of this book. The title on the cover is actually lowered into the hardcover of the book itself. Upon opening the book one is treated to glossy card-stock, a simple layout, and consistent use of black and orange throughout the book. I recently heard the phrase “people hear what they see” in the movie “Beyond The Sea” which is the biography of Bobby Darin. I have found this to be true and this experience is a fine example. Because the visual layout was bold, simple, and consistent and the tactile response offered a nice feel, I was and still am receptive to the message within. Not that I will not read a book with poor visual and tactile feel, however it is more difficult for me to get to the message and through the book that does not have these aspects of quality. You may be thinking that this description is a bit overkill for a book, however I do not and here’s why. You would be amazed at how many marketing books I pick up that miss their own message. The text and message of the book is phenomenal, but their method of conveying the message is poor. Many marketing books preach the items listed above, but do not practice what they preach – how many people miss the message due to poor presentation?