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906 Virtual Production

Chris takes worldwide pinhole day as an excuse to talk a bit about the oldest photography technique. The discussion with director, writer and photographer Jeremiah Chechik takes the two into the depths of the latest tech in Hollywood: virtual production. Links: Watch this on YouTube Jeremiah Chechik – Homepage Worldwide Pinhole Day Download the MP3 … Continue reading "906 Virtual Production"

The post 906 Virtual Production appeared first on PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS FROM THE TOP FLOOR.




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Visualizing genetic networks of Gustave Roud’s literary works

The project provides a visual representation of the creative process... more




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Research through Visualization in Literary Criticism

This thesis describes the results of a multi-year experience conducted... more




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Court: Dispute Over Alleged Sexual Abuse Shouldn't Have Gone to WCB

A New York appellate court ruled that a dispute between former newspaper delivery persons and the successor-in-interest to the newspaper for alleged sexual abuse should not have been referred to…




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Annual Comp Conference Set for Sept. 12-13

The 12th Annual Nevada Workers' Compensation Educational Conference is scheduled for Sept. 12-13 at the Tuscany Suites & Casino in Las Vegas. This year's featured presenters include Victoria Carreón, administrator of the state Division…




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Casual Employment Threshold, TD Benefit and Attorney Fees to Increase

The Oregon Workers’ Compensation Division announced that maximum temporary total disability benefits and attorney fees are increasing on July 1 along with the threshold used to determine whether employment is…




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Court Clarifies When Spouse Doesn't Qualify as Beneficiary of Fatally Injured Worker

The Oregon Court of Appeals clarified when a worker’s spouse falls within an exception to the definition of “beneficiary” because the couple was “living in a state of abandonment” at…




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High Court Overturns Finding That Injured Worker Doesn't Qualify as Employee

The District of Columbia’s highest court overturned a finding that an injured worker was not an employee within the meaning of the Workers’ Compensation Act. Case: Sanchez Lopez v. DOES, No. 22-AA-0765,…




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Court: Fatal Heart Attack Compensable, Worker's Adult Son Qualifies as Beneficiary

An Illinois appeals court overturned the denial of death benefits to a deceased worker’s adult son, finding that the father's fatal heart attack was compensable and that the son was an…




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Missouri Employers Mutual Rebrands Ahead of Privatization

Missouri Employers Mutual announced a new brand identity, MEM, that unites the work comp carrier and its subsidiary, Previsor, under a single banner. The rebranding coincides with the carrier’s transition to…




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CCWC Opens Registration for 21st Annual Conference

The California Coalition on Workers’ Compensation opened registration for its 21st annual Conference, Legislative and Educational Forum. The three-day event will feature four general sessions and 15 breakout discussions about issues…




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DWC Closing Eureka Virtual Office Oct. 18

The California Division of Workers’ Compensation said it is closing a virtual district office in Eureka on Oct. 18 and shifting cases to Santa Rosa. Beginning Oct. 1, all hearing requests…




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DWC Opens Registration for 32nd Annual Educational Conference

The California Division of Workers’ Compensation opened registration for its 32nd annual Educational Conference that will be held in March. The conference is the largest work comp training event in the…




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Vehicle Qualifies as Uninsured if Exclusivity Prevents Worker From Recovery

The Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that if a worker is injured as a passenger in an employer-owned vehicle, and workers’ compensation exclusivity precludes a recovery under the automobile liability policy, the…




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Court Dismisses Dispute Over Whether Worker Qualifies as Public Safety Employee

The Maryland Appellate Court rejected a dispute over whether an injured worker qualified as a public safety employee due to a lack of jurisdiction. Case: Clifton T. Perkins Hospital v. Frierson, No.




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Annual Liens Update 2017

This program will discuss all pertinent laws, skills and tools for lien issues starting January 2017. Instructors will provide guidance on pre-trial preparations, burden of proof and trial pointers. A…




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Annual Hearing and Lien Representative Training

This program will instruct Hearing Reps and Lien Reps in the fundamentals about a work comp claim - from injury to opening a case, pre-trial issues, mandatory settlement conferences, and…




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Annual Spring Rating Event

This program provides expert instruction and advice about rating, permanent disability, impairment and litigation strategies. Instructors will focus on all aspects of rating and prepare everyone involved in the rating…




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2018 Annual Spring Rating Event

This program will provide expert instruction and advice about rating, permanent disability, impairment and litigation strategies. The panel of instructors will focus on education that benefits all parties in the…




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2019 Annual Spring Rating Event

This program offers expert instruction and advice on rating, while providing the students with the upper hand in everyday issues with your cases. Students will walk away with an understanding…




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Inaccurate Credentials Don't Disqualify Vocational Expert

A Pennsylvania court rejected an injured worker's request to disqualify a vocational expert on the basis that the expert's correspondence indicated he was a certified disability management specialist after his…




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Sedgwick Names Andrea Buhl President of Casualty

Sedgwick on Monday announced that it named Andrea Buhl president of its casualty group. Andrea Buhl Buhl has held numerous leadership roles at Sedgwick over the last 15 years, most recently…




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2019 Annual Liens Update

This program will include vital liens updates for the entire spectrum of workers' compensation professionals. Law, procedure and important changes will be covered in detail. The panel introduces will also…




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WorkCompCentral Annual Rating Event

This program offers expert instruction and advice on rating, while providing the students with the upper hand in everyday issues with your cases. Students will walk away with an understanding…




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2023 WorkCompCentral Annual Rating Workshop

This program offers expert instruction and advice on rating, while providing the students with the upper hand in everyday issues with your cases. Students will walk away with an understanding…




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The Power of Virtual Reality: Immersive Therapeutics for Chronic Back Pain Management

CBP is a prevalent, complex, and expensive condition that carries a significant health economic burden in the US. For Injured Workers who experience persistent pain, the ability to participate in…




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Annual Comp Conference Set for June 12-14

A certified therapy dog joins the list of presenters featured in the upcoming Tennessee Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference, set for June 12-14 in Murfreesboro. Chief Judge Kenneth M. Switzer Judy, a therapy…




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High Court Finds Worker's Heart Attack Wasn't Product of Unusual Stress

The Wyoming Supreme Court ruled that a man's heart attack on his third day of work was not due to clearly unusual or abnormal employment stress for those in his…




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Court Has Jurisdiction Over Worker's Tort Suit for Sexual Assault

The North Carolina Court of Appeals ruled that the Industrial Commission did not have exclusive jurisdiction over a worker’s injury claim based on alleged sexual assault by a work-release inmate…




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Industrial Commission Opens Registration for Annual Conference

The North Carolina Industrial Commission opened registration for its annual conference being held Sept. 30-Oct. 2 at the Raleigh Convention Center. The 29th annual North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Educational Conference will…




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BWC Opens Registration for Annual Medical and Health Symposium

The Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation opened registration for its 2024 Medical & Health Symposium being held in November. The free virtual event will focus on how technology in medicine is…




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No PTD for Worker With Residual Work Capacity

An Ohio appellate court upheld the denial of a worker’s claim for permanent total disability benefits, finding that she had some residual work capacity. Case: Lee v. Industrial Commission, No. 22AP-446,…




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ICA Sets Annual Claims Seminar for August

The Industrial Commission of Arizona is holding its 2024 Claims Seminar Aug. 15-16 in Scottsdale. The seminar will cover topics including an overview of state work comp statutes, the role of…




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Federal Court Finds Worker Doesn't Qualify as Jones Act Seaman

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a determination that a worker did not qualify as a Jones Act seaman. Case: Edwards v. InterMoor Inc., No. 23-30727, 08/29/2024, unpublished. Facts: Lawrence…




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Palliative care beneficial to manage symptoms, improve quality of life for people with CVD

Statement Highlights: Palliative medication management focuses on providing relief from symptoms and enhancing quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease throughout the various stages of the disease. Decisions about initiating, adjusting...




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Investment, action urged to improve access, quality and equity in women’s heart health

Advisory Highlights: Women continue to be underrepresented in research for cardiovascular disease (CVD), leading to gaps in knowledge and understanding of how CVD impacts women. Some risk factors for heart disease are specific to women, such as risks ...




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My New Project: A Curated, Quality New Marketplace for Designers

Today I have a really exciting update, sharing exactly what I've been working on for the past year. At my other website Design Cuts, we've just launched the most curated, high quality marketplace anywhere for designers just like you!




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Inspiration: Annual Report Designs

An annual report is a document a company presents at Annual General Meeting for approval by its shareholders, or a charitable organization presents its trustees.

1. Featured showcase: IMC Annual Report

For IMC, Fitzroy designed a unique annual report. IMC – a renowned derivative trading house with over 500 employees worldwide – is an active trader in almost every stock market in the world. They constantly have to deal with stock exhanges’ information and its ever changing highs and lows.

In the annual report, this information is translated in a unique way by showing in 24 pages the 24 hours of a trading day. Which stock exhange opens and which one closes; what information is relevant. By using the green (increase) and red (decline) filters, the data of a hectic trading day are pushed to the background, so that only IMC’s active fields (the stock markets and the arrows) remain visible.

A final detail: based on GMT the stock exchanges trading at night are displayed in blue, while the ones trading during the day are displayed in yellow.

Out of the box designs

The following design examples are great inspiration for out of the box thinking.

2. Agency: Kuhlmann Leavitt

This impactful piece captures the reader with exquisite black and white photography and classic yet whimsical typography customized to each shot. - Visit the agency Kuhlmann Leavitt popup: yes for more information and photos

3. Agency: Bruketa Zinic

Well Done: a food company annual report that has to be cooked first. Croatian creative agency Bruketa & Zinić have designed an annual report for food company Podravka that has to be baked in an oven before it can be read. - Visit the design company Bruketa Zinic popup:yes - See this great full pictured article popup:yes about this exceptional annual report.

4. Agency: Migreyes

Unique annual report that highlights Konami’s goal to target beyond Japan. - Visit the detailed information about Konami’s Annual Report at Migreyes popup:yes

5. Feltron

A unique layout and information presenting annual report from Feltron. - Take a look at the website for more photos and screenshots of Feltron’s Annual Report popup:yes

Simply beautiful Annual Report Design

Just beautiful annual report design with great color usage, typography and photo use.

6. British Council Annual Report

Navig8 won in a bid against the British Council’s prestigious list of suppliers to design and print manage their annual report. - Visit the Navig8 popup:yes website for more information.

7. Airtricity Annual Report

Great design, creative view on getting numbers to look attractive. The photos and quotes included in this annual report are great designed. - Take a look at the agency website popup:yes for more information.

8. Catalyst Recruitment

Our clients will no doubt have a clearer understanding of the diversity of our business and specialist areas and we would have no hesitation in recommending Lemonade to other customers due to their professional service, follow through and innovative creative design. - Visit the website Lemonade Agency popup:yes for more information about this fabulous annual report.

9. Agency Methodologie

Univar NV is one of the world’s leading independent distributors of industrial chemicals and providers of related specialty services, operating throughout North America and Europe. Designed by Methodologie, an award winning design agency with a creative view on annual reporting. - Visit the website Methodologie popup:yes for more information and their portfolio.

10. Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Annual Report

This annual design is designed with many photos and good typography usage. This serious subject is presented in a great designed annual report. - Visit the website and download the completePDF annual report popup:yes.

11. Stedelijk Museum Jaarverslag

The design Agency Deel Drie designed the annual report for Het Stedelijk museum Amsterdam, with large black/white headlines combined with colorful photos this is great work. - Visit the website and download popup:yes the complete annual report for Het Stedelijk Musuem.

12. Geest Annual Report

Designed by Navyblue, the Geest annual report has won the ProShare Award for Best Annual Report for Private Investors (FTSE 500) for an unprecedented five years in succession. - Visit the agency website popup:yes for more information

13. Agency Hirshorn Zuckerman Design Group

Legacy’s campaigns are designed to engage, and this report had to do the same. That strong cover statement—“The Story of the Year”—leads the reader into a variety of campaign voices and intimate portraits backed by strong colors. - Visit the website from Hirshorn Zuckerman Design Group popup:yes for more information.

14. Agency SamataMason

For Strategic Hotels and Resorts SamataMason designed a wonderful paper sculptor and the typography. - Visit the website from SamataMason popup:yes for more information.

15. Agency Sibley/Peteet Design Austin

For Tropical Sportswear Sibley/Peteet Design Austin created a beautiful crafted annual report, titled “The Perfect Pair”, the front cover communicates the title on a hang tag on the back pocket of a pair of khakis. - See the website popup:yes for more information and examples.

16. BNP Paribas Annual Report

BNP Paribas Assurance develops and markets savings, protection and property & casualty insurance products in 42 countries under two brands, those brand are financially reported in this nice designed annual report. - Visit the website BNP Paribas popup:yes for a full PDF version of the Annual Report 2006 and 2007.

17. The Equality Authority

An attractive and innovative document that reaches out and communicates very effectively with the very diverse audience we strive to serve. - Visit the website popup:yes for more information and a full PDF download.

18. Annual Report Transparency International 2006

Transparency International’s Annual Report 2006 showcases last year’s successes for the anti-corruption movement, as well as innovation in measurement tools, targeted advocacy work and sector-specific projects from TI chapters. - Visit the website Transparency popup:yes to download the full PDF version.

19. Overall design tips for Annual Report Design

A well-written and designed annual report is a must to reinforce a hard won reputation. Stakeholders need to be assured the organisation is not in the business of cutting corners or taking the easy way out - Visit the website popup:yes for more tips about annual reporting design.

Worth mentioning

_20. Delta Lloyd Jaarverslag, the complete annual report viewable as a website or to download from the website.
_21. Unilever Jaarverslag, download the complete PDF version from the website.
_22.Koninklijke Ahold Jaarverslag, download the complete PDF version from the Ahold website.
_23.IBM Annual reporting, available from 1994 to 2007, download the complete PDF versions from the website.
_24. IMF Annual report, available from 1996 to 2007, download the complete PDF versions from the website.
_25. A complete huide for annual reports, visit the website AnnualReport.com for additional information.
_26. StepInside, a design related website with top 100 company’s and annual reporting, see the website for additional information.




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Pros and Cons of Photography and Videography in Visual Marketing

Do you remember a time when there was only text on the internet? Or when the first images popped up in their glorious blocky low resolution? It seems like a lifetime ago.   Streaming services, social media, shops… Images and videos are all around the web today. It’s no wonder we see more and more imagery used for online advertisement as well.   There are always aspects to consider to decide the best fit for your project. When choosing your advertising strategy, it’s essential to know the good and the not-so-good about photography and videography for marketing. Advantages Look Sharp

The post Pros and Cons of Photography and Videography in Visual Marketing appeared first on Photoshop Lady.




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Four Tips of Tapping Market Potential via Quality Brochures

Marketing with brochures is one of the many ways to reach out to your target audience. In order to have that impact, brochures should be attractive and engaging.

View and Vote




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30 Awesome Latest Free High Quality Web Templates

Hello friends, I have compiled some of the beautiful web templates, now if you want to design a website you can probably use these templates, this will help you to reduce your designing work. Thanks to the original designers for sharing such wonderful templates for free.

View and Vote




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45 High Quality And Free Web Templates In PSD

Finding out high quality and premium PSD files is extremely difficult but keeping them in the toolbox is tremendously important for the web designers because such PSD files always come in handy and save loads of time.

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The Spiritual Journey of Entrepreneurs (that Nobody Talks About)

Entrepreneurs are a different breed of people. Where others squirm at the thought of making self-managed business endeavors a sole source of income, we see an opportunity for uncapped riches and prosperity. It takes a certain mind to be willing to ignore what society says about breaking the mold and pursue big ideas against difficult odds. Yet folks like John Mackey prove that a defiant spirit can indeed lead to abundant success. I’m excited to have the 44-year CEO of Whole Foods back on the podcast once again. In this episode, our discussion focuses on the spiritual journey of entrepreneurs – that doesn’t get talked about nearly as much as it should – and explores his first-hand experience traveling it as the founder of one of America’s most iconic grocery chains. Incorporating Personal Values Into Work John’s personal values were deeply influential in shaping the development of Whole Foods Market from its early days. He believed strongly in the importance of staying true to one’s principles and letting them guide decision-making and actions as an entrepreneur. It’s a smart strategy – you aren’t going to get very far with a business idea unless you genuinely believe in it and are...

The post The Spiritual Journey of Entrepreneurs (that Nobody Talks About) first appeared on Chase Jarvis.

The post The Spiritual Journey of Entrepreneurs (that Nobody Talks About) appeared first on Chase Jarvis.




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Stephanie Harrison: How Hacking Happiness (Actually) Works

Stephanie Harrison’s story starts with a mindset similar to many in their early 20s. Gainfully employed, ambitious, and with all of New York City at her feet, she was exactly where she wanted to be. On paper. Something felt missing, even though her longtime dream of living independently in the Big Apple had been achieved. She recalls being miserable without a clear idea of why. Eventually, ignoring the problem took its toll. Her body began to rebel with physical symptoms – rashes, sores, and panic attacks that left her feeling lost and desperate for answers. So she found them by reading up on the science of happiness. Years of research and reflecatino later, Stephanie has found the hack. Thousands areound the world now seek to learn it through her philosophy-led company, The New Happy, which has been recognized by the likes of CNBC, Fast Company, Forbes, and Harvard Business Review. In this episode of the podcast, we have a candid conversation about what true fulfillment looks like and how to achieve it in a world that prioritizes productivity and external markers of success over inner peace. Question What People Say About Happiness The first, most direct way anyone can fix...

The post Stephanie Harrison: How Hacking Happiness (Actually) Works first appeared on Chase Jarvis.

The post Stephanie Harrison: How Hacking Happiness (Actually) Works appeared first on Chase Jarvis.




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Gender Equality Isn’t What You Think (Here’s Why)

In this episode, I sit down with Richard Reeves to dive into his powerful book “Of Boys and Men,” where we unpack why men are struggling in today’s world. From mental health to the evolving roles of fatherhood, we dig into the tough questions. Richard brings in some eye-opening data on education, employment, and how society’s expectations of men have shifted. This isn’t just about men vs. women — it’s about understanding the bigger picture and making space for real change. Some highlights we explore: Why men are falling behind in education and mental health The changing role of fatherhood in modern society The rise of men’s groups and their impact Enjoy! FOLLOW RICHARD REEVES: facebook | twitter | website Listen to the Podcast Subscribe

The post Gender Equality Isn’t What You Think (Here’s Why) first appeared on Chase Jarvis.

The post Gender Equality Isn’t What You Think (Here’s Why) appeared first on Chase Jarvis.




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Time Management Is Dead—Here’s What Actually Works

Time management isn’t the answer—discover how to expand your time, get into flow, and live more creatively by rethinking your approach.

The post Time Management Is Dead—Here’s What Actually Works first appeared on Chase Jarvis.

The post Time Management Is Dead—Here’s What Actually Works appeared first on Chase Jarvis.




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eyeo community visualizations

The eyeo festival and the community around it has a very special place in my heart. When Dave Schroeder announced the team was editing a book to celebrate the fifth anniversary, my immediate thought was to use this opportunity to follow up on an old idea, which I had been kicking around for a while […]




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24 Free Grunge Texture Downloads: High-Quality Images For Photoshop Editing

Hey there, fellow design enthusiasts! I've got something super cool to share with you today. You know those grungy, vintage-looking textures that make your ...




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5 Ways To Break Boundaries With Conceptual Art In Photoshop

From a mere, individual concept idea discovered in a random online pic to an ordinary shot taken with a camera, there’s hardly anything that software like P ...




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How Generative AI Can Add Human Delight to Your Virtual Event

We just celebrated 24 years of Viget. That’s two dozen years! This year, our Spring TTT in celebration of “Viget24” was a virtual extravaganza. We’ve put on a lot of virtual events over the years. Some with really strong themes and swag bags; some that focus on simple, meaningful time together; and others that let us enjoy learning something new as a team. Regardless of the rest of the experience, a key component of all of our virtual events is joyachieved often through intentional levity. We think it’s important to laugh together! We see laughter as a way to expedite connection, and connection leads to rapport which makes us better at collaborating — and in turn leads to more quality products for our clients. 

Experimenting and iterating is a critical way we try to continually get delight right. We’re pretty pleased with one of our experiments from Viget24 that we called “Lovely Spring Day”.

A Lovely Spring Day

As we were brainstorming for this TTT, we thought about how to throw some joyful levity pizzazz into the pieces of our virtual events puzzle that have become pretty standard. How do we add lots of delight without adding lots of time to the action-packed schedule? We zeroed in on the virtual backgrounds we’ve been creating for every event — they add a layer of specialness. Of place. This isn’t any old virtual meeting. This is a TTT! 

A small collection of past event-specific virtual backgrounds

Another key consideration for our team is figuring out creative ways to tie in inspiration from our industry and our work. AI has been an obvious contender —  we’ve discussed it and tied it in to some extent for the past several TTTs. But this time, we wanted to see how we could use AI for delight — marrying it with virtual backgrounds felt obvious. And so, a ”Lovely Spring Day” was born. 

The TL;DR is that we generated custom virtual backgrounds for every Viget employee that encapsulates their “ideal spring day.” We then played a 15-minute guessing game where people tried to guess who the background “belonged to.” Then, people had access to the full folder of AI-generated virtual backgrounds to look through. Vigets could then choose the background that spoke to them most and set it as their background. 

Read on for more on how we put this together!

Pre-Event Survey

To support all of our TTTs, we send out thoughtful pre-event logistics surveys 2-3 weeks before the big day. The survey lets us know where folks are joining from (where can we send their activity + snack packages?) and gives folks a chance to provide input on how the People Team can help folks enjoy and be present for TTT. This time, we also snuck in three questions, just “for giggles.”

  • In one sentence, describe your ideal spring day.
  • List three things that spark joy.
  • What color do you think suits you best?

We did not share why we asked these questions. Sneaky, sneaky! When it’s low-key like this, the element of surprise is often a quick way to level up the delight.

Asking for a Friend

With rich data in hand about what makes people happy in spring, we were ready to generate the backgrounds. I was stoked! I’ve been experimenting with ChatGPT for some time, so it was fun to be able to use the DALL-E 3 side of OpenAI’s GPT-4 model

Who knew Prompt Engineering would be part of my role as a recruiter-who-helps-support-TTT-planning? I played around with a couple different prompts to generate these background images. Ultimately, my goal was to create backgrounds that were meaningfully different from one another but still felt good (i.e., something you might feasibly want to set as your virtual background and nothing freakily AI, like uncanny valley hands).

Here are the prompts I landed on that got me to our set of virtual backgrounds:

  • Please generate an image (dimensions of a virtual meeting background) that encapsulates the vibe of a day with [ BLANK ].
  • Please generate an image (dimensions of a virtual meeting background) that features [ BLANK ].

In the blanks, I wrote the things people included in their surveys. Those blanks were filled with everything ranging from dogs, cats, and friends to beverages, specific temperatures, yard games, carbohydrates, hammocks and more! Sometimes, I’d include a detail I knew about that person myself, even if it wasn’t in their survey. Yes, I occasionally editorialized for both clarity and whimsy! This was for delight purposes, but also helped serve my goal of having the backgrounds be “meaningfully different from one another.” It’s amazing how many people’s ideal spring day is as simple as having 1) moderate temperatures and 2) no pollen!

I generated 55 images. Throughout the process, DALL-E nailed it. I only needed to regenerate 2 or 3 images with clarifiers (and only because they included AI-specific outliers like disembodied hands). Huzzah!

Here are some of my favorites, along with their prompts in the captions. Can you guess who they belong to?

Please generate an image (dimensions of a virtual meeting background) that features an outdoor brewery/taproom in the appalachian mountains. There's a playground with kids in the very distance. In the foreground, frisbee, soccer, volleyball, etc. with friends and family.
Please generate an image that encapsulates the vibe of a day ending with an outdoor dinner with lights near an outdoor shower. There should be some hiking boots scattered about.
Please generate an image that features a nice hot bath after a cold but sunny day, with a beautiful mug of green tea and a box of takeout that looks really good. The calendar shows April 25th.
Please generate an image that encapsulates the vibe of sitting outside in a nice purple adirondack chair with buc-ees paraphernalia around.
Please generate an image that encapsulates the vibe of a sunny, 65 degree day with a slight breeze at the ballpark watching a game. The image should feature cats, baseball, and art.
Please generate an image that encapsulates the vibe of being outside in a canoe along with carbs, bad jokes, and games (video OR board games).
Please generate an image that features endless mountain bike trails, a blue bike with a cup of coffee in the cupholder, and roaming cats.

IRL

Ok, so for the actual activity we had the images ready to go in a private Google Folder. I took twelve of the images and put them in a very simple deck. I shared my screen, introduced the activity, and invited people to guess who they think each image belonged to in Slack. It was so fun seeing people throw out guesses and then narrow in with any verbal hints I gave!

Each image took about a minute. Then, we shared access to the Google Folder, gave folks a couple minutes to choose a background that called to them (their own image or someone else’s), and set it as their background. It felt like a magical moment to witness people finding and resonating with their own image or delighting in the ridiculousness of their coworkers’. We saved about 5 minutes for this piece, which felt right.

The whole Lovely Spring Day activity took just over 15 minutes! It was a perfect way to transition from a long meal break into our next grouping of content. And, we got to see the different backgrounds throughout the rest of the meeting.

Oh, the humanity!

I think this activity was successful for a couple of reasons.

1. People laughed! 

Color commentary in the #ttt Slack channel

2. People felt seen. Some of these backgrounds were incredibly on point. Some of that was due to key folks having well-documented interests and a Slack-Famous Dog. 

Laura Sweltz has a famous love of books and an incredibly iconic beagle named Phoebe.

But some of it was due to the People Team knowing about our people — our coworkers — beyond the sentence they wrote in. This uniquely human involvement helped me call an audible as needed and tweak prompts slightly to make the backgrounds feel even more relatable.

Steven, Carolyn, and Laura Sweltz felt seen.

3. We could commiserate about our eventual AI overlords. (Did you notice that I say “please” in my prompts?!) Listen, Viget has plenty of practical, healthily skeptical people who are dubious about AI. GenAI is not always a fun, lighthearted thing. But using it in a fun, lighthearted way to do something it’s really good at was a nice use case and thought-provoking exposure even for people who are not into it.

4. We could see where we all align, and where we differ! It was amazing to see just how many people love picnics, covet their caffeine, and appreciate a bike ride. It was also cool to see some unique folks who simply crave a rainy spring day, or some beloved Buc-ee’s. What a rich tapestry of individuals — literally!