See a compendium of MAD covers at Doug Gilford’s MAD cover site.

I’m not a comic magazine or MAD humor lover at all, but I can’t deny that I do appreciate the consistency and longevity of a magazine that can remain relevant throughout the years. Very, very impressed with that! The simplicity of many of the covers does nothing to diminish the impact of the covers. The talented and fortunate artist’s who illustrated the covers were simply amazing in their concept, composition, and style while maintaining the MAD brand. Speaking of brand, it’s interesting to note that MAD modified their logo many times throughout the years without interrupting their brand at all. With a strong brand – translate this as feeling your marketing imagery can be less rigid in terms of always having your logo appear in the same color or even typeface.

[Original content below from Flavorwire's website ]

Cyn has over 15 years art direction and design experience in diverse industries to include: publishing, healthcare, medical research, SaaS software, technology, music, art and photography.

As a “creative entrepreneur”, (that’s the term Cyn uses to describe herself) she provides beautifully designed and cost-effective marketing solutions to business owners.  As Creative Director at Cynergie Studio, Cyn works hard to align business messaging with appropriate business graphics, sales materials, websites, marketing strategies, content management, blogs, videos, and social media channels to help build business and earn revenue.

Stuff you might not know about Cyn

An artist. She paints, draws, and creates.  Cyn focuses her energy, experience and affinity for creating on making colorful, feisty and abstract art. Her artwork is best suited to personal or commercial interiors whereby art collectors can fully enjoy seeing the art everyday. She’s a charismatic and passionate visual artist who feels fortunate to have her artwork in homes and businesses in the USA, Europe and South America.

Aka Ms. Cynthia. Many years ago Cyn had young art students who studied with her at Sun&Moon Studio, a business she founded to encourage ...]]> Cyn Macgregor

Cyn has over 15 years art direction and design experience in diverse industries to include: publishing, healthcare, medical research, SaaS software, technology, music, art and photography.

As a “creative entrepreneur”, (that’s the term Cyn uses to describe herself) she provides beautifully designed and cost-effective marketing solutions to business owners.  As Creative Director at Cynergie Studio, Cyn works hard to align business messaging with appropriate business graphics, sales materials, websites, marketing strategies, content management, blogs, videos, and social media channels to help build business and earn revenue.

Stuff you might not know about Cyn

An artist. She paints, draws, and creates.  Cyn focuses her energy, experience and affinity for creating on making colorful, feisty and abstract art. Her artwork is best suited to personal or commercial interiors whereby art collectors can fully enjoy seeing the art everyday. She’s a charismatic and passionate visual artist who feels fortunate to have her artwork in homes and businesses in the USA, Europe and South America.

Aka Ms. Cynthia. Many years ago Cyn had young art students who studied with her at Sun&Moon Studio, a business she founded to encourage kids to create, draw and explore their own creativity. The studio mission statement: There are no mistakes, only opportunities.

She gives back. She believes strongly in giving back to her community so she donates her time and artwork to help support local arts and charities such as SPARKcon and Visual Art Exchange.

She conceived and developed Choice Reward, an award-winning product to help parents encourage good behaviors in their children through a positive reward system.

Raleigh City Organizer at PechaKucha Night Raleigh. Her company, Cynergie Studio, hosts this quarterly event that showcases folks in the RTP area of North Carolina who have a passion they want to share with others in a fast-paced, high-energy idea exchange. The talks are formatted as 20 slides presented for 20 seconds each, for a total of 6 minutes and 40 seconds. PechaKucha Night was devised by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham architecture (Tokyo) as a way for creative minds to present their latest projects or work.

Born in Ohio to great parents. Ken and Irma were married over 50 years! Together, they allowed her to explore her creative side. Artistry is in the family. Her dad was a painter and his dad and grandmother were as well. As a youngster she painted rocks with a mud mixture and then traded them with her neighborhood pals for other childlike wonders. As a young woman her interest and talent in photography led her to build a darkroom in the basement (thanks dad!) which moved her toward a career in the graphic arts. She worked at a newspaper, print shop and later she founded Cynergie Studio.

#1 Best way to secure your website against possible hacker threat is by keeping your software and plugins updated. Wordpress 3.4.2 was recently released. If you have not upgraded your website yet, you really should consider doing this. Why? Well the  most compelling reason is for security against possible hacker threats. Although WordPress is built on a solid platform, there are folks in the geek world who have other agendas and may try to compromise your website without your knowledge. One great way to secure your website is to keep the architecture software updated and keep your plugins updated as well. You can do this fairly easily via your WP dashboard.

Here are the basic steps:

End Papers

These are the blank pages (perhaps with images) you find at the beginning and end of a book. They function to fill out the Signatures.  Paperbacks may not have End Papers. Sometimes End Papers are referred to as Leaves.

Half Title Page

The book title appears on this page.

Other Books by the Author Page

This list may appear on the opposite side of the Half Title page, or on its own page following the Half Title page.

Title Page

The book title and the names of the author(s) and the publisher are found here. On the back side of this page you’ll find the copyright notice, the ISBN (the International Standard Book Number) and printing numbers, the publisher’s address, the year the book was published, the Library of Congress Catalogue information, and more.

Dedication Page

This element allows the author(s) to dedicate the ...]]> Ever wonder what the bits and pieces of a well organized book are called? The following elements make up the anatomy of a published book though they may not always be in the order presented here.

End Papers

These are the blank pages (perhaps with images) you find at the beginning and end of a book. They function to fill out the Signatures.  Paperbacks may not have End Papers. Sometimes End Papers are referred to as Leaves.

Half Title Page

The book title appears on this page.

Other Books by the Author Page

This list may appear on the opposite side of the Half Title page, or on its own page following the Half Title page.

Title Page

The book title and the names of the author(s) and the publisher are found here. On the back side of this page you’ll find the copyright notice, the ISBN (the International Standard Book Number) and printing numbers, the publisher’s address, the year the book was published, the Library of Congress Catalogue information, and more.

Dedication Page

This element allows the author(s) to dedicate the book to someone or something.

Acknowledgements

The author(s) often have plenty of assistance getting their book published. This page thanks people who have been helpful in some way: perhaps a writing instructor, the editor at the publishing house, the author’s agent, a supportive spouse, etc.

Table of Contents

Also known as the TOC, the Table of Contents lists the individual chapters  and the page where each begins. It’s usually found in nonfiction books.

List of Charts, Diagrams, Photos or Illustrations

If included, this might follow the TOC to further detail the book’s contents.

Foreword

The Foreword is written by someone other than the book’s author(s) and provides insight not readily seen in the authors content.

Preface

Written by the author(s), the Preface contains important information relating to the book topic. Sometimes  referred to as Author’s Note.

Front Matter

All the pages up to this point are called the Front Matter. The page numbering is done in Roman numerals or some other system that differs from the Body pagination.

Introduction

The author gives the reader more details about the book in this optional section. In trade nonfiction books, the Introduction may be an informal “Dear Reader” letter getting the reader excited about the information presented, inviting the reader inside the book and giving an overview of the book’s contents. The pagination starts here.

Body or Chapters

This refers to the text of the book, which is usually broken down into chronologically numbered and named elements called Chapters.

In nonfiction books each chapter may be divided into sub-titled segments which may be included in the TOC.

In fiction, the chapters might contain segments called Scenes; these are separated by blank space within the text. They are usually not referenced in the TOC.

In both fiction and nonfiction, chapters might be grouped together and labeled as Part 1, Part 2, etc.

Back Matter

All the pages appearing after the body of the book are called the Back Matter and included in the pagination of the Book Body.

Afterword

Any additional information for the reader to know after having read the book.

Appendices

Nonfiction books may have one or more Appendix listing recommended books, websites, organizations, or other resources relating to the book topic.

Fiction only occasionally has an Appendix.

Glossary

Usually found in nonfiction books, this section lists vocabulary words and their definitions as they relate to the book’s subject matter.

Bibliography

Lists the references used in writing the book.

Index

Usually in nonfiction books, the Index is an alphabetical list of significant terms found in the text and the pages they appear on, helpful to someone seeking specific information in the book.

Author Biography

A sentence, paragraph or even a page about the author(s).

Browse our 2012 Holiday Card Catalog online. Call us if you don’t see what you are looking for and remember it’s super easy to order online. [ Browse Holiday Catalog Now ]

Staff Picks for Perfect Promotions*

Irma’s Picks for Trade Show Specials 4-color Business Card Magnets – $0.16 ea Sticky Notepad – $0.29 ea Bic Clic Pens – $0.54 ea

Cyn’s Picks for Holiday Gifts 3oz. Colorful Jelly Bellies candies Clear bag tied with a gold or silver festive ribbon and hang tag printed with your logo. – $4.19 ea. 100% Natural bamboo 4GB USB drive Stylish engraved logo. A great way to say “renewable.” – $12.89 ea. Gold and engraved box filled with chocolates Tasty goodies that say “Thank You” in multiple languages. Includes 1lb Belgian choclate bag, stainless steel mug, 3 .5oz cabernet wine gels, and more. Very, very elegant. – $75.95 ea.

[ Search our web site for more ideas ] * Prices ...]]> Order Custom Holiday Cards by 10/31 and Save 10%

Browse our 2012 Holiday Card Catalog online. Call us if you don’t see what you are looking for and remember it’s super easy to order online.
[ Browse Holiday Catalog Now ]

Staff Picks for Perfect Promotions*

Irma’s Picks for Trade Show Specials
4-color Business Card Magnets – $0.16 ea
Sticky Notepad – $0.29 ea
Bic Clic Pens – $0.54 ea

Cyn’s Picks for Holiday Gifts
3oz. Colorful Jelly Bellies candies
Clear bag tied with a gold or silver festive ribbon and hang tag printed with your logo. – $4.19 ea.
100% Natural bamboo 4GB USB drive
Stylish engraved logo. A great way to say “renewable.” – $12.89 ea.
Gold and engraved box filled with chocolates
Tasty goodies that say “Thank You” in multiple languages. Includes 1lb Belgian choclate bag, stainless steel mug, 3 .5oz cabernet wine gels, and more. Very, very elegant. – $75.95 ea.

[ Search our web site for more ideas ]
* Prices listed here are estimates. Contact us for exact pricing for your quantity and imprint.

Since I was already at the Apple store I took a moment to look around at the options. It became apparent that the first question I had to decide on was with Retina Display or without. This question kinda blind-sided me because I figured my biggest question was going to be about storage and hard drive space on the new 15 inch Macbook Pro, not about completely new territory, yikes!

I left the Apple store with my broken Mac and a vague list of things ...]]> I made the big decision in 3 days, not 3 weeks, which is how long it took many of my fellow mac-folks to decide on which way to go in the debate for or against the newest Apple product, the Macbook Pro with Retina Display. I was in a hurry. With sadness I said goodbye to my beloved Macbook Pro after 4 great years of service. Sadness turned to fear as I realized I had to have a solution quickly as my business depends on having a computer I can trust. So the games begun.

Since I was already at the Apple store I took a moment to look around at the options. It became apparent that the first question I had to decide on was with Retina Display or without. This question kinda blind-sided me because I figured my biggest question was going to be about storage and hard drive space on the new 15 inch Macbook Pro, not about completely new territory, yikes!

I left the Apple store with my broken Mac and a vague list of things to think about and headed back to the office for research. The forums and discussion boards were filled with pros and cons. Many said they will never buy a 1st generation “anything” again, others stated that the Retina Display was overpriced and the value wasn’t there. Some others said they had to return to the Apple store to get a new one or get it fixed within weeks of purchase.

The other camp said things like “Wow”, Best decision ever”,  “I would if I could” and “If they come out with a 13 inch, sure!” I was fairly confused. I stalked the Apple store web site, and asked Google terms like ” macbook pro versus retina display”  and I spoke at length with colleagues and friends and finally made my decision. Absolutely, positively I was going with the Macbook Pro 15 inch SANS Retina Display. Why? Because I didn’t want the headache of 1st generation, I didn’t want to spend extra money ( it is expensive enough! ), and it didn’t include a built-in CD drive. Go with what you know. Enough said, right? I did my homework and thought I had all the info I needed.

I walked confidently back into the Apple store to order my new 15 inch Macbook Pro and promptly started a discussion with an Apple sales person (who doesn’t get paid on commission by the way) who was kind enough to help me configure my order. YAY!

Then the nice Apple guy started asking me questions. I answered them and before I knew it I had made a 360 degree turn! I ordered the Macbook Pro WITH Retina Display. Why? Mainly because the Retina Display machine comes standard with a Solid State Drive (SSD). My daughter’s hubby-to-be strongly urged me to not settled for the Macbook Pro’s standard 750gb 5400-rpm drive, opting instead for increased durability of SSD. I had planned to configure my new machine with a 128gb SSD for an additional $45.00, that way I would have my Macbook Pro and SSD. I am rather hard on my technology, so I figured extra durability can’t be a bad thing for me. What I hadn’t figured out yet prior to my first decision was the Retina Display model comes standard with 256gb SSD, which you could upgrade at the time of ordering, if you desire, though I didn’t. And the price was about the same if I went with 2.3GHz and not 2.6GHz and if I upgraded from 8GB SDRAM to 16GB SDRAM. Bonus is the sleek 0.71 inch thin design and 4.46 pounds.

I’m happy with my decision. I am getting more excited and can’t wait to see what I didn’t know about and will soon not be able to live without. Of course at the time of this writing I have not gotten my new Macbook Pro Retina Display, so stay tuned for my soon to come update.

Here are the specs:

2.3 GHz Quad core

16GB 1600MHZ DDR3L SDRAM

256GB Flash Storage

with Apple care of course!

Although my decision is made, I’d love to know what your decision was or will be regarding the new Macbook Pro Retina Display. What are your thoughts on this debate?

UPDATE: OCT. 2, 2012

So far very happy with my decision. The battery seems to be long-lasting, the display lovely, the weight is divine, and the OS is smooth. The trackpad and gestures is a little different and the power cord seems to fall off repeatedly, but those are my only complaints.

Sometimes it seems a mystery to me too. I volunteer and I get a lot back from my efforts. Sometimes measurable, sometimes .. not so much measurable. On Saturday during SPARKcon at the Before I Die wall, my co-organizer for ideaSPARK, Josh Brown, got a BIG reminder, as in a hug, on why he spends his precious time on community projects like SPARKcon.  You can see his Facebook post below.

You can probably feel through his words, how much that “hug” mean’t to him. I was standing right next to Josh when this spontaneous event happened and thought, ” awhhh… that’s sweet!” But I had no idea the person giving him the hug was a complete stranger to him. I assumed from her passion and his intense hug back, that this was a good friend, perhaps a friend whom he hadn’t seen in a while. Not the ...]]> Do you wonder about the value of community projects like SPARKcon, why folks get so passionate, and why they spend their weekend making sure it’s a success?

Sometimes it seems a mystery to me too. I volunteer and I get a lot back from my efforts. Sometimes measurable, sometimes .. not so much measurable. On Saturday during SPARKcon at the Before I Die wall, my co-organizer for ideaSPARK, Josh Brown, got a BIG reminder, as in a hug, on why he spends his precious time on community projects like SPARKcon.  You can see his Facebook post below.

You can probably feel through his words, how much that “hug” mean’t to him. I was standing right next to Josh when this spontaneous event happened and thought, ” awhhh… that’s sweet!” But I had no idea the person giving him the hug was a complete stranger to him. I assumed from her passion and his intense hug back, that this was a good friend, perhaps a friend whom he hadn’t seen in a while. Not the case. She is a complete stranger. We don’t know her name.

PechaKucha Night vol. 12

First off  on Friday night was PechaKucha Night vol. 12. This event actually happens 4-times per year with an event happily happening during SPARKcon. We had 8 great talks, each presented in PechaKucha style, 20 slides/20 seconds format. Our venue was Architect Bar and Social House, and other than the 22 steps ( sadly this not a handicap accessible spot) leading up to the awesome spot, the place was fantastic. Just enough space to hold the usual crowd of 120 ...]]> For the past 3 years Cynergie Studio has participated and sponsored various events during Raleigh’s 4-day arts festival SPARKcon. Cyn Macgregor, creative director at Cynergie Studio, is a lead organizer for ideaSPARK events. Creating, organizing, and sponsoring community-minded events is an important mission for Cynergie Studio as it provides a way to give back, meet and learn about the community, and share knowledge. This year the ideaSPARK team (including Josh Brown, Larry Evans, Bradley Guidry, Todd Spiering, Drew Brisle, Tim Regan, and Annette Shope) pulled off 4 events during the weekend. Here’s a recap of ideaSPARK events:

PechaKucha Night vol. 12

First off  on Friday night was PechaKucha Night vol. 12. This event actually happens 4-times per year with an event happily happening during SPARKcon. We had 8 great talks, each presented in PechaKucha style, 20 slides/20 seconds format. Our venue was Architect Bar and Social House, and other than the 22 steps ( sadly this not a handicap accessible spot) leading up to the awesome spot, the place was fantastic. Just enough space to hold the usual crowd of 120 or so people.

This project is important because PKN events inspire an entire community. From a stay at home mom – to a famous author – to a business person down the road, we listen and learn from their stories and experiences. Our hope is that attendees find a part of themselves inside the presenter’s story, take it with them, and ultimately… share.

You can learn more about PechaKucha Night Raleigh and see photos of the evening here. Our PKN events are on Youtube.

my BIG fat secret

On Saturday the ideaSPARK team was on Fayetteville street with my BIG fat secret booth collecting postcards from the community. We talked, inspired, encouraged, and smiled our way to over 150 hand-written postcards.  Here’s a sampling of messages: ” I’m afraid to fail“,  ”I’m 27 and I still sleep with stuffed animals“, “I’m not good enough“, “I love people to no end even if it is harmful to myself“, ” I am a Christian, but I hate organized religion“, and “I don’t think I will ever fully forgive my mother for leaving.“

This project is important because as a collective we can read and respond to the words and postcards with the realization that we are not alone and maybe we aren’t really that weird for thinking the thoughts we have, because we share many of these same thoughts.

We plan to use the postcards in a public gallery display in the near future. See the entire online gallery of postcards here. Read mBfs Press Release.

Raleigh Knowledge Share

On Friday and Saturday the ideaSPARK team was on Fayetteville street with Raleigh Knowledge Share. This event asked participants 2 questions; What do I know? and What can I teach? The booth was crazy busy and the knowledge board was filled with multi-colored crossing string connecting learners to teachers. Some of the more popular skills that Raleigh-ites  either could share or wanted to learn were: Photoshop/Illustrator, Beer Brewing, Knitting, Guitar/Banjo, and Entrepreneurship. We held a live match-up event on Sunday so folks could meet their student or teacher.

This project is important because we can learn what skills are missing from our community and try to address them. We can also connect people with resources they might never had the opportunity to meet.

To follow-up or learn more email Drew at dhbrisle@ncsu.edu.

Philosophy Discussion

Our final ideaSPARK event was a Philosophy discussion organized by Todd Spiering and featuring Sean Doyle with perspectives on Positive Psychology from Sandy Lewis and Shannon Polly. The crowd was eager and ready with questions for the panel. The big question was “What action can I take to be happy?” and the panel suggested a few ideas to ponder ( think happy thoughts, use visual imagery, you can differently about things, and don’t overdose on the news! and books to read (books available on Amazon.)

This project is important because we all need tools to remind ourselves or friends that we can be happy in this all-too-short-ife. Discussions like these generate new questions we can ask ourselves and gives us a community to share safely.

1. Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life
2. Positivity: Groundbreaking Research Reveals How to Embrace the Hidden Strength of Positive Emotions, Overcome Negativity, and Thrive
3. Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being

If you’d like to learn more about SPARKcon, get involved, volunteer, sponsor an upcoming event, be a speaker, or suggest a speaker or event, please reach out to us. info@cynergiestudio.com

What to learn more about how your company can sponsor an event like SPARKcon and get loads of exposure? Attend this free Independent Communicators Alliance event on September 19th.

It was a lovely night weather wise, couldn’t have been better. We all watched with glee as the Amphitheater filled up, just in time for the big draw of the night, fashionSPARK. In our own little corner of the world, we set up our my BIG fat secret booth that was hand-crafted by NC State students Sam, Josh, and Bradley.

A few brave souls wrote their feelings, anonymously of course, and slipped the card in the slot. We collected them and scanned them. You can see the cards online here.

We found the booth had a few fixes to make, like it got dark and we had no light! And when we ask folks to write their thoughts, we don’t really have a great way for their drinks and other things to land. Lessons learned for next time.

Check back for updates.

http://www.ideasparkraleigh.com

“When Cyn approached me for sponsorship it reminded me of a Breadcrumb campaign I was involved in during the Olympic Torch Relay in Argentina,” said Sleddogg’s Lea-Ann W. Berst. “What a wonderful way to grab attention and get people directly involved in the event!”

Known for their pragmatic market approaches, Sleddogg Marketing ...]]> FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Raleigh, NC (September 6, 2012) – Sleddogg Marketing and Cynergie Studio have teamed up to help add an element of Idea and a layer of fun by sponsoring an ideasSPARK event — My BIG fat secret (MBFS), a way for SPARKcon participants to create “thoughtful” art together. Pre-printed post cards (scattered throughout downtown Raleigh and found at pop-up MBFS booths ), have an area for participants to write their anonymous secrets. The MBFS website ( www.ideasparkraleigh.com ) will display the post cards so every thought is captured and publicly available. The idea is modeled after PostSecret, an ongoing community art project where people mail in their secrets anonymously on one side of a homemade postcard. The post cards will be gathered to form a mural, and displayed as one large art installation.

“When Cyn approached me for sponsorship it reminded me of a Breadcrumb campaign I was involved in during the Olympic Torch Relay in Argentina,” said Sleddogg’s Lea-Ann W. Berst. “What a wonderful way to grab attention and get people directly involved in the event!”

Known for their pragmatic market approaches, Sleddogg Marketing Management is proud to step out of its structured reputation and into an open-source environment by sponsoring Raleigh’s seventh annual SPARKcon! A four-day celebration of the creativity of the Triangle community, SPARKcon focuses on local cultural richness through an open-source approach to diversity, collaboration and cross pollination. This grass-roots “by the people for the people” type of event is coming to Raleigh, NC September 13 – 16, 2012.

SPARKcon can be described as a “creative potluck” of SPARKs – creative themes such as art, music, film, fashion, ideas, etc.  Funding comes from participants’ pockets and the pockets of others excited to support local creativity. “The ideas and showcases come from inspired people,” shared organizer Cyn Macgregor. “These are people who have the ingenuity to say What if…?”

Each year, SPARKcon has over 50 organizers, hundreds of local talents are showcased, hundreds of volunteers helping behind the scenes, and thousands of attendees. All of these people equal SPARKcon. For more about SPARKcon and its creative potluck of SPARKS, please visit: www.sparkcon.com.

Links:

www.ideasparkraleigh.com
www.sparkcon.com/sparks/ideaspark
http://youtu.be/lRbvIZDHI5c [explaining open-source]
http://www.postsecret.com
http://pknraleigh.com
www.sleddogg.com
www.cynergiestudio.com

About Sleddogg Marketing Management: Sleddogg is a marketing management consulting firm that helps businesses identify strategic options and customer-valued solutions for their products and services. They work with businesses from many industries, with a strong focus on providing a more sophisticated, aggressive and focused marketing approach. For more information, please visit http://www.sleddogg.com

About Cynergie Studio: Cynergie Studio (www.cynergiestudio.com ) is a Raleigh based graphic design and marketing firm that specializes in website development, book covers, illustration, and social media marketing. Cyn Macgregor is also the Raleigh City Manager at PechaKucha Night Raleigh.  PechaKucha Night Vol.12 is taking place during SPARKcon 2012 on Friday, September 14th, at the Architect Bar and Social House – 108 E Hargett St. Raleigh. This is a free event.

Click here for a link to the Live news story: http://carolinabusinessconnection.com/cbc/article

###

CONTACT

Cyn Macgregor- info@cynergiestudio.com