We are essential to success in this increasingly complex, technology-fueled age.

We are evangelists for the combined power of technology, creativity and communication.

We know that good design is not a luxury. It is a necessity.

We are the high priests of a new economy driven by the consumer, hungry for ideas.

We create simplicity out of complexity.

We use our talent to define, inspire, plan and create.

We are driven to see the entire landscape, identify patterns, and create sustainable solutions.

We believe in the nobility of creating solutions that are elegant, effective, measurable and beautiful.

We stand between people and the information they need, the things they’re seeking and the human connections they crave.

Ken Hanson is the founding partner of Hanson Dodge Creative, America’s leader in creating Brand Experience Design, Marketing and Technology focused on the Active Lifestyle Consumer.

I just read this quote in a new book with the world’s longest title, called “Join the Conversation: How to Engage Marketing-Weary Consumers with the Power of Community, Dialogue and Partnership” by Joseph Jaffe, John Wiley & Sons press, 2007:

In the “age of engagement,” there are four fundamentals to keep in mind:

1. The Internet is the center of the universe.
2. The experience is the brand differentiator.
3. The database is the primary marketplace.
4. The technology is the explosive ingredient.

I found it to be a very helpful way of thinking about the collision of marketing and technology that we continue to explore and exploit.

I feel that Hanson Dodge Creative is in a very nice position to exploit three of the four fundamentals in this age of engagement. With the database being our next frontier to conquer. One that we are determined to take on.

Here I am introducing Hanson Dodge Creative’s first blog. I started HDC out of a spare bedroom about 25 years ago, the same time that Apple introduced the computer that would change everything. At the time, our mission was simply stated as creating “Design that works.” We’ve believed from the start that great design has to serve a higher cause. For us, that cause has always been defined as serving the best interests of the end-user while making things better for our clients. This simple mission combined with an abundance of talent, passion and hard work, has brought us to where we are today – the infinitely provocative convergence of four major forces: design, business, marketing and technology.

Today I am proud to say, Hanson Dodge Creative is 90 of the most talented people in branding, design and technology. We continue to serve the same mission: to make things better for our clients. As we have grown, so have our ambitions. Beyond our passion for branding, design and technology, we have sharpened our focus to brands that want to reach the Active Lifestyle Consumer. This has enabled us to grow our expertise and provide greater insights and value to our clients, a list that includes many of the leading active lifestyle brands in the world. Serving Trek Bicycle, Horizon Fitness, Old Town Canoes, CycleOps Power and many others has given us a unique vantage point to study this consumer. It is this experience, combined with our time-proven expertise and growing research efforts that establishes HDC as America’s foremost brand experience designers focused on the Active Lifestyle Consumer.

This blog is an effort to turn Hanson Dodge Creative inside out and provide a platform to explore this dynamic and wildly convergent landscape. Thanks for reading. We invite you to share your ideas and explore with us a rapidly evolving world that we find infinitely exciting and challenging.