Communities, conferences & consulting
for online professionals

Eric Karjaluoto

Founding partner, smashLAB

Biography

Eric Karjaluoto

Eric Karjaluoto is a founding partner of the digital agency smashLAB. He has directed projects for groups including CN, Tourism Vancouver, and Canadian Heritage. He is a strong advocate of strategy and pragmatism in design.

In 2007 he spearheaded Design Can Change, an effort to unite designers and address climate change. The team at smashLAB has also launched the online community MakeFive and a crowdsourced design and marketing site called undrln. TIME, the Lotus Awards, and ICOGRADA have recognized his work; meanwhile, the agency has been featured in The Globe and Mail, The Vancouver Sun, and Studio 4.

Eric writes about design, brands, and experience at ideasonideas.com and has spoken at events for the AIGA, SEGD, and GDC. Eric studied at the Emily Carr Institute and lives in Vancouver with his lovely wife and two delightful little boys. (He still talks to his mom and dad almost every day.)

He recently released his first book, Speak Human: Outmarket the Big Guys by Getting Personal.

smashLAB

smashLAB is a digital agency that uses website design, social media strategy, and online marketing campaigns to help companies clarify and share their messages via the web. Over the past 10 years, the agency has gained international recognition from the likes of TIME, the Lotus Awards, and ICOGRADA.

Tutorial

Does Your Website Speak Human?

Tutorial Day, Tuesday November 2nd, 13.00-16.00

Whether it’s due to corporate jargon or the need to address SEO and legal requirements, corporate websites often become a bit of a mess. Messages become contradictory, “disconnects” between language and design emerge, and sometimes it becomes difficult for visitors to decipher what your organization is trying to say.

Join Eric for this 3-hour session, in which we take a frank, open, and “human” look at some examples of the best and worst examples of today’s websites and their associated messaging. You’re also welcome to have the group look at your website and ask whether it “speaks human.”

Presentation

Do You Speak Human?

Opening keynote
Conference Day #1, Wednesday November 3rd, 9.15-10.00

Something changed. PR, advertising, press releases, and all that other stuff that seemed to work so well, all of a sudden… didn’t. Worse yet, everyone else started to speak up—sometimes more effectively than those using traditional means ever did.

Meanwhile, United Airlines gets trashed for breaking guitars, Starbucks shuts down a bunch of stores, and Belkin is lambasted for doctoring product reviews. Oh right, and major corporations like GM started looking to the government for hand-outs. What just happened?

Eric’s a bald guy with a lot of ideas. One of them is that the only way to meaningfully communicate is to cut through the polish, cast aside the formality, and just speak “human.” In his mind, this means engaging openly, making mistakes, and even firing your call center.

Join this keynote, in which Eric will share his suggestions on how your company might better connect with customers.

See slides online

Downloads

Philadelphia 2010

Philadelphia 2010